Dr. Diane Nauffal is an assistant professor of education. She joined LAU in 2008 charged with the establishment of the Department of Institutional Research and Assessment. In her role as assistant to the president for Institutional Research and Assessment, she provides decision-support research and analysis needed in planning and policy-formulation processes, accreditation, and institutional effectiveness activities. In addition, she supports all institutional assessment efforts covering the spectrum of activities related to programs, students, faculty and staff.

Professional Interests

Her areas of professional interest are educational leadership and governance, educational policy, strategic planning, assessment of student learning, accreditation, and institutional effectiveness with an emphasis on higher education. She has several articles, conference papers and book chapters in these areas.

At the national level, Dr. Nauffal played a key role in drafting a law for the development of a Lebanese Quality Assurance Agency. She has participated in several capacity building projects on topics such as governance and quality assurance funded by the World Bank and the European Union and has conducted several sponsored research studies related to employability and student engagement. She has also spearheaded several benchmark studies with peer institutions in the region.

Professional Memberships

Dr. Nauffal is currently a member of the Higher Education Reform Experts (HERE) team of Lebanon. She has served as president of the Middle East and North Africa Association for Institutional Research (MENA-AIR), an affiliate group of the Association for Institutional Researchers (AIR) in the USA since 2015. She is a member of the Lebanese Association for Educational Studies (LAES) and served as the president from 2012-2014. In 2011, she was appointed to the National Taskforce for University Governance.

Selected Publications

1. Nauffal, D. I. (2019). Measuring the economic impact of universities operating in unstable environments: The case of a private institution in Lebanon. Higher Education Quarterly. 
2. Nauffal, D. and Skulte-Ouaiss, J. (2018). Quality Higher Education Drives Employability in the Middle East, Education and Training, 60(9), 1057-1069.
3. Nauffal, D.I. (2015), Institutional research and planning in the Middle East. In K. L. Webber and A.J. Calderon (Eds.), Institutional research and planning in higher education: Global context and themes. Abingdon: Routledge.
4. Ammar, D., Nauffal, D., and Sbeity, R. (2013). The Role of Perceived Social Support in Predicting Subjective Well-Being, Journal of Happiness and Well-being, 1(2), 116-130.
5. Nauffal, D. (2012). Assessment of Student Engagement: An Analysis of Trends, Tertiary Education and Management, 18(2), 1-21.
6. Nauffal, D. and Nasser, R. (2012). Strategic Planning at Two Levels, Planning for Higher Education, 40(4), 32-39.
7. Nasser, R., and Nauffal, D. (2012). Frequency of Repeated Courses: Its Relation to Persistence and Performance in Lebanon’s Higher Education, Higher Education Studies, 2(1), 20-26.
8. Nauffal, D.I. (2009). Do Educational Outcomes in Lebanese Universities Differ Based on the Academic Model? Education, Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues, 2(1), 6-19.
9. Nasser, R., Nauffal, D. and Romanowski, M. (2009). Financial Aid at Private Universities in the Middle East: Its Impact on Persistence and Student Satisfaction, the Case of Lebanon, Mediterranean Journal of Educational Studies, 14 (1), 27-44.

Academic Degrees

• PhD in Educational Management and Policy, 2005, University of Birmingham, UK.
• MA in Mathematics Education, 1985, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
• BS in Mathematics, 1981, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
• TD, 1981, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.