BRAC University organized an orientation program for the new students of the Spring 2023 semester on 5 February, 2023. The program was held at Golf Garden, Army Golf Club.
H.E. Charles Whiteley, Ambassador & Head of Delegation of the European Union in Bangladesh, was the chief guest at the program where Professor Vincent Chang, the then Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Dave Dowland, Registrar, Dr. Samia Huq, Dean, School of General Education, Dr. Rubana Ahmed, Proctor, Md. Tajdin Hassan, an alumnus and Chief Business Officer of The Daily Star, and other academic deans and heads were present. Tahsina Rahman, Joint Director, Student Life, moderated the program.
Welcoming the students, Dr. Dave Dowland informed the new students faculty members and support services being committed to students’ success, different student engagements such as The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award program and Peace Café, students being awarded for their extracurricular activities and the new campus being prepared in Merul Badda of Dhaka.
Dr. Samia Huq explained how the School of General Education is focused on the university’s core curriculum and foundation of liberal arts education and how it convenes with Student Life to direct students to real life community problems to help think critically of today’s complex problems and solutions. She also spoke on some of the distinctive features of the university, including the Residential Semester and affiliation with the prestigious Open Society University Network.
Dr. Rubana Ahmed urged students to be respectful and kind, to abide by rules and regulations and uphold the university’s values, mission and vision.
Md. Tajdin Hassan shared how he chose to get admitted at BRAC University to capitalize on Sir Fazle Hasan Abed KCMG’s legacy. He recommended students to think of their priorities such as subjects they were studying, make the best use of time and money and go around the university to get a good idea of the institution.
Charles Whiteley highlighted how universities are not only about learning and making friends but also values, which, in case of BRAC University, instilled by its founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed KCMG. Surrounded by a dynamic and diverse community of faculty members and staff, BRAC University provides a unique platform to learn, grow and make a positive impact in the world. Bangladesh is changing, with its connections with the European Union shifting from development assistance to working in the world stage together and BRAC University’s students are a part of that change, he said.
Informing that it was his last orientation as the Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University, Professor Vincent Chang reminisced his first meeting with Sir Fazle Hasan Abed KCMG when he had highlighted that a university lasts forever. With its internationalization, research with impact and student-centricity, BRAC University is creating enablers of the nation’s transformation and students should accordingly be ready to take risks and seize the moment, he added.
Tahsina Rahman shed light on some features of BRAC University, including Student Life which offers medical and psychosocial counseling services.
Professor Vincent Chang and Charles Whiteley presented awards to three students, Umma Maimuna Alam, Murshidul Alam Bhuiyan and Rafia Akter Mim, celebrating their achievements in the recent past.
Umma Maimuna Alam, a student of the Department of English and Humanities, became Managing Editor of Global Commons, an Open Society University Network (OSUN) sponsored digital publication. She was earlier working as a Content Editor in Global Commons. Published twice a year, Global Commons features essays, articles, creative writing and artwork produced by students from the OSUN partner institutions.
Murshidul Alam Bhuiyan, a student of BRAC Business School, won a number of accolades for a storytelling platform he founded in 2016. The platform, Team Bertho, documents and publicizes stories of people from a diverse demographic background, aiming to enable inclusivity and connectivity for sustainable living.
Rafia Akter Mim, a student of BRAC Business School, completed all five stages of a fully funded international Aspire Leaders Program run by independent non-profit Aspire Institute, which was founded at Harvard University. Aspire Institute’s mission is to transform the lives of underserved young adults worldwide and catalyze the leaders of tomorrow to make a positive impact in their communities.
The orientation program included a fair of BRAC University’s student clubs, cultural performances and a band performance.