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Aga Khan University Expands on Three Continents
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October 21, 2000, in a ceremony combining the pageantry
of academia with the intellectual traditions of Islam,
the Chancellor of Aga Khan University (AKU), His Highness
the Aga Khan, presided over the University's 13th Convocation.
His Excellency General Pervez Musharraf, Chief Executive
of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, was the Chief Guest.
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Sarah
Suleman, a medical graduate, with her degree. |
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Dr.
Bernadette Dean, AKU-IED Faculty, carrying the Blazon.
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The gathering of over 5,500 guests
also included the Chairman and members of AKU's Board
of Trustees, the Governor of Sindh, the Chief Justice
of Pakistan, federal and provincial ministers and secretaries,
senior government officials, diplomats, national and international
academicians, donors, prominent citizens and the University's
faculty, students and their proud parents.
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His
Highness the Aga Khan and General Musharraf congratulated
the 200 graduates who had successfully completed their
academic programmes. Eighty-nine graduated from the School
of Nursing, including 58 receiving Nursing Diplomas and
31 Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Seventy-four completed
their MBBSprogramme and eight their Masters in Epidemiology.
Twenty-nine students were awarded Masters of Education
from the AKU Institute for Educational Development. The
graduates, who were predominantly from Pakistan, also
came from Canada, Kenya, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan,
Tanzania, Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United States.
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General
Pervez Musharraf, Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic
of Pakistan (center), His Highness the Aga Khan, Chancellor
of AKU (right) and Dr. Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, President
of the University.
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MBBS
Degree: Dr Rushdia Zareen Yusuf, recipient of AKU Gold
Medal.
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Shaheena
Mithani from the Medical College gave the valedictory
speech. The Chief Guest presented Aga Khan University's
coveted Gold Medal, awarded only five times in the previous
12 convocations, to Dr. Rushdia Zareen Yusuf. This medal
recognises an outstanding medical graduate who achieves
highest aggregate in three of the four certifying examinations,
including the finals. This year's recipient topped all
four certifying examinations.
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| Commenting
on her achievement, she said "AKU's excellent academic
programmes and supportive faculty enabled me to reach
the highest standards of excellence possible, by becoming
the first female gold medalist in this prestigious institution." |
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Declaring
the Convocation 2000 open: (left to right, front row)
Dr. Camer Vellani, Rector AKU, Sahabzada Yaqub-Khan,
Chairman of the Board of Trustees, His Highness the
Aga Khan, Chancellor, His Excellency General Pervez
Musharraf, Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan, Mohammedmian Soomro, Governor of Sindh and
Dr. Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, President of AKU |
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Mildred
Kwanboka Ongere from Kenya was conferred the Outstanding
Graduate Award in the three-year Diploma programme of
the School of Nursing, and Shirin Amirali Vellani and
Laila Abdul Ali Sukhyani shared top honours in the two-year
Bachelor of Science in Nursing programme.
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Nursing Diploma Programme:
Mildred Kwanboka Ongere from Kenya. |
In his convocation address, His
Highness the Aga Khan highlighted the University's numerous
achievements and its outreach both nationally and internationally.
He said that its recent dynamic burst of activity and growth
had required years of study and planning, for securing the
required funding to ensure that no new undertakings draw resources
away from the existing ones ."
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importance of donors to the University's rapid progress
towards meeting its objectives. Indeed, at the conference
on Indigenous Philanthropy held in Islamabad just prior
to the Convocation, which His Highness had attended, AKU
was cited as "one of the models of effective development
of philanthropic resources and their uses in Pakistan."
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AKU-IED:
Manzoor Hussain, an M.Ed. student from Balochistan.
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In his address, the Chief Executive
acknowledged the importance of the University's well-wishers
and donors, whose generous financial aid had helped build
confidence in the nation, as well as providing an example
of how "support of philanthropic organisations can lead to
sustainable development in the social sector and supplement
the work of the government."
The Chancellor announced the
implementation of the University's first international academic
initiatives in Europe and Africa. The initial activities of
the Institute of Islamic Civilisations (IIC) in London will
include indexing and creating an electronic archive of published
works on Islamic civilisations in various languages, sponsoring
thematic research in fields that have escaped attention and
disseminating the information via the Internet, as well as short
courses, seminars and a postgraduate programme. The goal of
the IIC is to further the study of the civilisations of Muslim
societies through research as well as foster understanding of
other cultural and intellectual traditions, with which Muslims
live and interact. General Musharraf congratulated the University
for this important initiative, "in view of the widening gap
between the reality of Islam and its perception in Western thought."
The University's first academic
program outside Pakistan, the Advanced Nursing Studies Programme,
accredited by East African countries, was developed in response
to the invitation of the governments of Kenya, Tanzania and
Uganda. The School of Nursing will soon be commencing this
programme to provide in-service training and continuing and
higher education courses in nursing practice, research and
administration. The Aga Khan cited the programme as an example
of South-South technical assistance. The Chief
Executive recognised that this growth in AKU's international
stature reaffirmed the three East African countries' confidence
in the University's "ability to successfully introduce and
maintain educational programmes of the highest quality." His
Highness also said that the addition of the College of Arts
and Sciences would help AKU in moving beyond professional
education towards becoming a comprehensive University in its
classical form. The Chancellor announced a most generous US
$ 20 million grant to commence development of the College
on a 400-acre site purchased from the Government of Sindh.
Based on the "liberal arts" model, His Highness said that
the College will aim to develop "the skills of critical thinking
and analysis and a high order of proficiency in verbal and
written communication," whilst "an emphasis on ethics, especially
of Muslim societies, and on community service, will infuse
all of its programmes."
The Chief Executive assured His
Highness that the Government of Pakistan would fully support
any educational endeavors by the University benefiting the people
of Pakistan. He commended AKU for setting the "example of quality
education for all others to emulate" and for its "ability to
attract and maintain an outstanding faculty." He thanked His
Highness for his "foresight in making ... a major contribution
to the social sector uplift in Pakistan."
Reflecting on AKU's growing outreach
as a truly national institution, His Highness mentioned two
new developments in the health and education sectors, which
are part of a "new pattern that would magnify the impact of
the resources of AKU throughout important regions of the country."
These include the Professional Development Centre that he
inaugurated in Gilgit in the remote Northern Areas of Pakistan,
as well as a hospital he has committed to build in the same
region. Teachers and educational managers trained at the Centre
will be taught by and receive certification from the University's
Institute for Educational Development. The proposed hospital
will strengthen the linkage between AKU and rural health centres.
A unique feature of this year's
Convocation was the presentation of two Distinguished University
Awards. Reading the citations, Dr. Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, President,
AKU, said, "These awards recognise outstanding persons whose
contributions have had a significant impact on society and
the University."
Distinguished
University Award for Dr. David Elliot Bell, founding
member of the Board of Trustees, was presented to
his daughter Ms. Susan Barry Bell.
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Professor David Elliot Bell,
who served as a founding Trustee on the Board of the University
for 15 years, received the degree of Honorary Doctor of
Letters. Sadly he passed away in September 2000, and Ms.
Susan Barry Bell accepted the award on her father's behalf.
Professor Bell was a distinguished economist, occupying
significant positions both in the United States and internationally,
including the post of Vice President for International
Affairs at the Ford Foundation.
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He was an eminent academician,
committed to helping developing countries evolve a sustainable
infrastructure for widespread growth. As head of the Harvard
Advisory Group for economic policy, he assisted the Planning
Board of the Government of Pakistan develop its first
five-year plan in the early 1 950s, which remains a benchmark
for both this country and others in the region. In recognition
of his invaluable services to AKU, His Highness the Aga
Khan had earlier established the David E. Bell Professorship,
dedicated to advancement in the field of economics.
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Dr.
Cheves McCord Smythe, the first Dean of the Faculty of
Health Sciences, receiving the Distinguished University
Award
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The second honour granted on
the occasion was the title of Professor Emeritus bestowed
on Dr. Cheves Smythe. Dr. Cheves Smythe was the first
Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and a Professor
of Medicine of Aga Khan University from 1982 to
1985. He was earlier the founding Dean of the University
of Texas Health Centre at Houston in the United States,
where he continues as a Professor of Medicine.
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| His wisdom and insightful leadership
in the crucial, formative years of the School of Nursing
and the Medical College helped to lay the foundations
for their subsequent successful development.
In his welcome address,
Dr. Camer Vellani, Rector, AKU, highlighted the centrality
of research in the new and existing units of the University
to ensure sustainable progress based on sound knowledge
and evaluation. Dr. Vellani also acknowledged His Highness's
generous contribution of US $ 5 million to the unrestricted
University wide research endowment fund. "Reasoned inquiry
is essential for valid assessment of need and effectiveness
of services, and for enabling meaningful development
and change," he said, and encouraged the graduates to
use their expertise wisely for the benefit of society.
He noted that the "University is a national and regional
resource for development of skilled manpower, appropriate
for the needs of developing countries."
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