Lebanese American University, (LAU), (Arabic: الجامعة اللبنانية الأميركية ) is a secular, private and independent American university. It is consistently ranked as one of the top universities in the Middle East and North Africa region. Lebanese American University is chartered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York and is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (CIHE–NEASC). It is located in Lebanon and has two campuses, in Beirut and Byblos. LAU offers programs leading to degrees in Arts, Engineering, Nursing, Sciences, Pharmacy and Medicine. The Lebanese American University’s early days in 1835 find a reminder in an engraved stone in Beirut’s city center: “Site of the first edifice built as a school for girls in the Turkish Empire.” The engraving refers to the American School for Girls, established in Beirut by American Presbyterian Missionaries. In 1924, the high school added a two-year junior college program. Three years later, the College was separated as the American Junior College for Women, and moved from downtown to Ras Beirut.