BULLETIN BOARD

2nd Graduation Ceremony of BUFT

The 2nd Graduation Ceremony of the BGMEA Institute of Fashion & Technology (BIFT) was held on Tuesday October 13, 2015 at International Convention City Bushundhara (ICCB), Dhaka.

Nurul Islam Nahid, M.P, Minister, the Ministry of Education presided over the ceremony and conferred the degree to the graduating students. A total of 962 graduates were conferred degrees for successfully completion of all the academic requirements in various disciplines of the Bachelors and Masters Degree programmes of the institute. 

Muzaffar U. Siddique, Founder Chairman, BOT, chaired the ceremony. Major (Retd.) Abdul Mannan, Chairman, Suman Group and South Asian Airlines Ltd graced the ceremony as the graduation speaker and Prof. Dr. Harun-or-Rashid attended as the special guest. The function was addressed among other Trustee members Siddiqur Rahman, President, BGMEA; Tipu Munshi, Managing Director, Sepal Garments Ltd; Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, Managing Director, Onus Group; Faruque Hasan, former Vice President, BGMEA and Managing Director, Giant Group; SM Mannan Kochi, Vice President, BGMEA and Managing Director, Seha Design (BD) Ltd. and VC of BUFT, Prof. Dr. Syed Masud Husain. Vote of thanks was given by Abdus Salam Murshedy, Managing Director, Envoy Group and Member of BOT.

The Pro-VC of BUFT Prof. Dr. Engr. Ayub Nabi along with Registrar, Head of the Department, officials, graduating students and their families a large number of local and foreign dignitaries, government officials and members of the print and electronic media also attended the function. 

World Mental Health Day 2015 programme at BRACU

As part of the worldwide awareness campaign, a seminar was organised at the BRAC University premises on October 15, 2015 on "Dignity in Mental Health". The theme encompasses the contrast between dignity and stigma as well as the need for parity between physical and mental health. The seminar was organised by the Counseling Unit of BRAC University in collaboration with the Center for Psychosocial Wellbeing & SRHRG, BRAC Institute of Educational Development of BRAC University and BRAC's Gender Justice and Diversity Programme. 

Khan Ahmed Murshid, Strategic and International Programme of BRACU welcomed the guests. Later on, a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Nishat Fatema Rahman, Assistant Professor and coordinator of Psychosocial Counseling Unit & SRHRG, BRAC Institute of Educational Development. As a panellist, Dr. Shaheen Akhter, Professor of Pediatrics and Programme Director, Institute of Pediatric Neurodisorder and Autism, BSMMU; Dr. Shaheen Islam, Professor and Chairman, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, DU; Khursheed Erfan-Ahmed, Founder Member of Ain O Salish Kendra and Roushan Jahan Parvin, Senior Deputy Director, Support Service & Halfway Home and PSC Unit of Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) took part. A QA session was also held where the panellists answered the questions from the audience. Sheepa Hafiza, Director of the Gender Justice and Diversity Programme of BRAC concluded the seminar by conveying thanks to the organisers of the seminar as well as the distinguished guests.

MMC Students' Orientation Programme at AIUB

The Department of Media and Mass Communication (MMC) of American International University Bangladesh (AIUB) organised an orientation programme on October 5 in its media studio for the newly enrolled students of Fall 2015-16.

Farhana Afroz, head of the department, welcomed the new students. She said the students will be provided with all facilities and opportunities and will be taught by scholars and media professionals to help them take up the new challenges of the industry.

As a sign of gratitude, Prof. Dr. Tazul Islam, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), presented a bouquet to Prof. Dr AJM Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan, welcoming him as adviser to the MMC department. The brief speech of Dr. Alam was followed by a lively QA session, where the students asked to know about the new majors like TV Production and 3D Animation, which will be offered from the next semester. Finally, the students presented a wonderful cultural show performing songs and dances. 

Delegation from Guangdong Academy visits CIU

A Chinese delegation team led by Prof. Dr. Jun Wang, President of Guangdong Academy of Social Science, China visited Chittagong Independent University (CIU) campus recently. Among others, Prof. Dr. Xiaomei Xiang, Director of Institute of Industrial Economy; Prof. Dr. Shan Qiu, Director of Institute of International Economy; Prof. Weiguang Zhuang, Director of Tourism Institute; Dr. Xiaoan Zuo, Associate Prof. of Institute of International Economy; Dr. Jiangnian Deng, Associate Prof. of Guangdong Province Academy were also present. The Chinese delegation had a tripartite meeting with the representatives of CIU and Chittagong Center for Advance Studies (CCAS). The meeting was presided over by Dr. Irshad Kamal Khan, Pro-VC of CIU. Among others, Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury, Member, BOT, CIU; UGC Professor in CU Dr. Moinul Islam; Prof. Dr. Mahfuzul Hoque Chowdhury, Department of Political Science of CU, MA Malek, Editor of the Daily Azadi;  Member Secretary of CCAS Dr. Shamsul Hossain; Prof. Dr. Mahbubul Haque, Department of Bangla, CU; Prof. Dr. Bhuiyan Iqbal; Prof. Dr. M. Ayub Islam, MBA Coordinator of CIU; Dr. Mahmud Hassan, Associate Prof. of IBS, CIU;  Mosleh Uddin Khaled, Asst. Prof. of  IBS, CIU; Amran Haroon, Asst. Prof. of School of Engineering, CIU; and Dr. Moinul Islam Mahmud, Chairman, Equity Property Management were present in the meeting.

The delegation was requested to extend their helping hand in the field of research and to set up a "Chinese Corner" at the Chittagong Independent University campus. The delegation showed their positive response and assured a wholehearted cooperation in this regard.

ULAB introduces MA in English

The Department of English & Humanities at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh inaugurated its MA in English programme on October 16, 2015. The event took place at ULAB's Campus A in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. The MA in English programme at ULAB is a 1 year programme which offers students a choice from three tracks: Literature and Cultural Studies, Language and Applied Linguistics, and Literature and Creative Writing. A 2 year MA in English programme with the same three tracks is offered for students from other disciplines or with a 3 year BA degree. It is worth mentioning that ULAB is the only university in Bangladesh that offers a graduate degree in creative writing. Prof. Serajul Islam Choudhury, Professor Emeritus of English, University of Dhaka, graced the inauguration ceremony as chief guest. Following the inauguration, there was a panel discussion titled "English Departments: Then, Now and Beyond" to showcase the diverse career options for English graduates.

The discussion was moderated by Dr. Fakrul Alam, Professor of English, DU and Adjunct Faculty at ULAB. Panellists included successful English graduates Ambassador Muhammad Zamir, Dr. Gauranga Chandra Mohanta (Project Director, HEQEP and Additional Secretary, Ministry of Education), Mashrur Arefin (Additional Managing Director, City Bank) and Mehreen (singer and performer). The programme ended with a vote of thanks by the advisor of DEH, Prof. Shamsad Mortuza.

SEU organises national conference on English studies 

Southeast University (SEU), aimed at addressing the issues of modernisation, expansion and development of English Studies in Bangladesh, organised a day-long national conference titled "English Studies in Bangladesh: Reconsidering Conceptual Paradigms", held on October 10, 2015 at its permanent campus at Tejgaon, Dhaka. Teachers from 25 different universities presented more than 50 papers at the conference. 

Eminent educationist as well as Professor of the Department of English, at University of Dhaka Dr. Syed Manzoorul Islam was present at the inaugural session as chief guest, while Pro-VC, SEU, Prof. Dr. Md. Humayun Kabir Chowdhury was present as special guest. VC of SEU Prof. Anwar Hossain chaired the inaugural session, while Supernumerary Professor of the Institute of Modern Languages at University of Dhaka, Dr. Arifa Rahman presented the keynote paper. Among others, Registrar of SEU, Maj. Gen. Kazi Fakhruddin Ahmed, psc (Retd.), Chief Coordinator of BOT, SEU Trust Wing Cdr. Syed Ahmed Kabir, fawc, psc (Retd.), deans of different Schools, chairs of different departments, distinguished guests, senior academicians, faculty members and officials of SEU were present at the conference. 

"Marvels 3" by BRAC University Marketing Association

BRAC University Marketing Association (BUMA) hosted an event, titled "Marvels 3" on October 17, 2015, at the campus auditorium. The event was powered by BRAC Business School Alumni Network. It was a roundtable interactive session with the current students and the alumni. Chowdhury Farah Jabeen, Senior Manager and AVP of BRAC Bank Limited; Amitav Debnath, Senior Manager, BRAC Bank Limited; and Mustafa Jainuddin, Manager of Shanta Securities, were all present as guest speakers and alumni at the event. Stawb Peter Halder, founder of BRAC University Alumni Network, also graced the session with his presence. Each speaker spoke about their own fields of expertise and gave vivid examples and explanations for the crowd. The event concluded with the closing speech by BUMA's President, Lamisa Manzoor and Vice President, Saeed Nahian. The Daily Star was the strategic partner of the event.