Announcement of the appointments of AVP Impact, Dean of Engineering and CS, and Director of GenEd
Publish Date:
Monday, July 29, 2019 - 17:15
I am pleased to announce appointments of three senior administrators in Brac University:
Sabina F. Rashid has been named the inaugural Associate Vice President for Impact, effective August 1, 2019. A widely-respected scholar and already a well-known member of the BracU family, Sabina will continue to serve as Dean of the James P. Grant School of Public Health, which has received global recognition for its research activities. Impact today is unconditionally acknowledged as a fundamental function to validate scholarship in universities, and Sabina’s appointment to her new role is a groundbreaking move in academia. Sabina has been instrumental in launching BracU programs in public health, which till date have alumni from 27 countries. She has led several multi-country research and capacity building grants with international partners. Sabina has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social anthropology, and a PhD in medical anthropology from the Australian National University.
Arshad M. Chowdhury has been named the inaugural Dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science, effective September 1, 2019. Arshad comes from North South University where he joined in 2011 and has served as Dean of its School of Engineering and Physical Sciences from 2017 to 2019. As a key member of the committee tasked with preparing the Outcome-based Accreditation Manual of the Board of Accreditation and for Engineering and Technical Education of Bangladesh, Arshad gained significant knowledge regarding requirements of the Washington Accord. A nationally recognized expert on BAETE accreditation, Arshad has conducted numerous workshops on accreditation and program evaluation, and will lead ABET accreditation efforts at BracU. Arshad has a BS in Computer Science and Engineering from BUET, an MS from Wright State University, and a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Samia Huq has been named the inaugural Director of GenEd effective September 1, 2019. She is currently serving as Associate Professor of Anthropology in BracU, and in addition to teaching she has been leading several key programs including the BracU-Georgetown University Speakers’ Forum series on faith and development. A common core in general education is an integral pillar of broad-based undergraduate education. Samia will lead BracU’s GenEd program to support BracU’s mission to offer a true liberal arts experience that is also relevant, distinctive and rigorous. Her current research investigates faith inspired development actors, which she is completing in collaboration with the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. Samia received her PhD from Brandeis University.