BRAC University organized an orientation program for the new students of the Summer 2023 semester at International Convention City Bashundhara on 3 June, 2023.
Jeremy Bruer, High Commissioner of Australia to Bangladesh, attended the event as the chief guest while Prof Syed Mahfuzul Aziz, PhD, Pro Vice-Chancellor & Acting Vice-Chancellor, BRAC University, Dr. Dave Dowland, Registrar, Dr. Rubana Ahmed, Proctor, Dr. Samia Huq, Dean, School of General Education, Habib Ghazi, Talent & Employer Branding Expert at Grameenphone Ltd who is an alumnus of BRAC University, along with other academic deans and heads attended the event. Tahsina Rahman, Joint Director, Student Life, moderated the program.
Dr. Dave Dowland welcomed the students and shared information on faculty members and support services such as academic advising. He also gave a brief introduction on extracurricular activities such as The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award program. He highlighted the university’s partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka last year on the resumption of the U.S. Fulbright program in Bangladesh after six years, the university becoming the only South Asian member of Open Society University Network and also on the university working on promoting disability inclusion. Dr. Dave Dowland urged the students to make the best use of the opportunities, including the new campus being prepared in Merul Badda, Dhaka, and the university’s large network of over 19,000 alumni.
Prof Syed Mahfuzul Aziz said that the four years he spent for his bachelor’s degree were the greatest in his life. He urged students to enjoy the moments. He also recommended students do away with shyness, rather engage with teachers so that there is no one-way transmission of information. He advised students to focus on pressing issues to understand how they could contribute to society while studying and knowing themselves better. He shared a recent remarkable achievement of the BRAC University by securing the 5th position in the world for the United Nations’ (UN) ‘Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1: No poverty’ in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings (2023).
Jeremy Bruer urged students to face the future with confidence as the possibilities were endless, to work hard as curiosity is not enough, make the use of every opportunity, aim high and set ambitious goals, to never give up, make a positive contribution to the country, to never stop believing in oneself and to always be nice to people.
Dr. Samia Huq spoke of how the world was changing which necessitated students to embrace opportunities and think critically to be ready to face the challenges of pressing issues such as the 4th Industrial Revolution, climate change threats and globalization. She mentioned that BRAC University hopes to inculcate learnings both inside and outside classrooms, launching students into their productive adult years. This will come about through a broad-based liberal arts education under a General Education curriculum irrespective of the departments the students were attached to. It comprises core courses, community-based transformative and service learning, a Residential Semester, empathy and giving back, engagements such as The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award program and Open Society University Network and scopes to travel and take part in international conferences, she said.
Dr. Rubana Ahmed informed that the proctor’s office and the Sexual Harassment, Exploitation, Bullying and Ragging Elimination Committee (SHEBREC) team is always ready to help the students on their academic and non-academic difficulties and to ensure that students abide by rules. She urged students to be kind and mindful in social media and retain and uphold values of BRAC University.
Moderating the event, Tahsina Rahman spoke on some other features of BRAC University such as Student Life, Medical Center, Counseling Unit, an online student helpdesk, 32 student-based clubs managed by the Office of Co-curricular Activities (OCA) and the Office of Career Services and Alumni Relations which caters to students’ needs even after they graduate.
BRAC University alumnus Habib Ghazi, Talent & Employer Branding Expert at Grameenphone Ltd, spoke of how he still became emotional and nostalgic attending such events even though it has been eight years since he had graduated. He suggested that students keep their end goals in mind, maintain their mindset and approach as the university would have a big impact, make their four years meaningful and productive and knowing their purpose in life and why they exist.
Prof Syed Mahfuzul Aziz and Jeremy Bruer presented certificates and tokens of appreciation to former and current students -- Hasibul Hasan Ahmed, Ahsanul Mahbub Labby, Nafisa Ahmed and Muhaiminul Islam Neon -- on their achievements.
Hasibul Hasan Ahmed is a senior student of computer science and engineering who is the co-founder and partnership and strategic development manager of Social Impact Lab of BRAC University, which is a unit under the School of General Education. He is a Global Fellow of Open Society University Network, an OSUN Mobility Exchange Student of the American University of Central Asia, Millennium Fellow 2022 at United Nations Academic Impact and Aspire Leader of Aspire Institute of Harvard University.
Ahsanul Mahbub Labby is a third-year student of BRAC Business School. He is the first social media and outreach manager of OSUN Global Commons which is a part of the Global Commons Editorial Board, the founder and president of BRAC University Research for Development Club and MONSTA Asia’s Top 100 Talented Youths 2022.
Nafisa Ahmed is a recent graduate of the biotechnology program of the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at BRAC University who shared her thesis research at “American Association for Cancer Research” Annual Meeting 2023 in Florida in April 2023. Her thesis research was titled “Association of XRCC1 Arg194Trp polymorphism and XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism with biochemical parameters, severity, and risk of prostate cancer in Bangladesh Population”.
Muhaiminul Islam Neon is an alumnus of the English and humanities department who received the Vice Chancellor’s Gold Medal. His poster presentation titled “A Forest Fire of a Revolution: Rhizomatic Arab Spring” at the International Conference DEML with the theme “Ruptures and Resilience: English Studies in the Now” at North South University in November 2022 was awarded the 1st prize.
The orientation program included a fair by BRAC University’s student clubs. Prof Syed Mahfuzul Aziz, PhD, Pro Vice-Chancellor & Acting Vice-Chancellor, BRAC University visited the club fair and interacted with the students. The program ended with a cultural performance and a concert.