Shamsh Kassim-Lakha is the man who led the effort to turn a vision into reality. Having started as "Project Director" in1979, he stepped down as President of AKU in 2006. Kassim-Lakha reflects on the institution he nurtured from the Chancellor’s idea into a vibrant University, with presence across three continents.

Q Your reflections on the birth of the first private University in Pakistan?

A The creation of this remarkable institution was a very bold decision both by the Government of Pakistan and His Highness the Aga Khan. Higher education was considered to be responsibility of governments.

Founding President Shamsh Kassim-Lakha.

The founder of AKU, His Highness the Aga Khan and his ancestors have a long and illustrious history of establishing universities. Over a thousand years ago, Imam Al-Muizz, the head of the Fatimid dynasty, established the Al-Azhar University of Cairo, possibly the oldest functioning university. Much, much later in the early 20th century, Sir Sultan Mahommed Shah, the grandfather of His Highness was one of the founders of the Aligarh Muslim University in India, which is credited to be the birthplace of the concept of Pakistan.

The birth of a university is an event of exceptional significance as universities are acknowledged to have major impact on the societies they serve. When the decision to charter AKU was first taken, I was deeply moved by the fact that we were creating an Institution that, Insha Allah, has the potential of perpetual life, for it is well known that universities are in the majority among the oldest living institutions in the world.

Q AKU has earned the reputation for having a culture of excellence, how did you sustain moral and ethical values and meritocracy?

A The credit of introducing what you describe as "a culture of excellence" must go to every one at AKU, from the Chancellor His Highness the Aga Khan to the Board of Trustees, the faculty and the staff. Innumerable donors and volunteers have nurtured and supported this culture. My own role was to be a coordinator and a focal point for ensuring that the vision of the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees was implemented in letter and spirit, while keeping cultural and other sensitivities in perspective.

From the very beginning, we made a decision to practice meritocracy and espouse the highest moral and ethical values. This was not easy. In developing countries, there are always pressures to be flexible and accommodate requests from influential quarters.

Once we decided that we will follow the path of merit with respect to admission of students or appointment of faculty and staff, it required the University and me as its leader to steadfastly stick to this principle. If there was no precedence for granting favour, it would be difficult for anyone to exert pressure on the University's leadership to bend the rules.

As to moral and ethical values, we regularly practice these in our behaviours. Whether students, faculty and staff, everyone at the University, senior or junior, without exception knows that the University expects them to adhere to a value set. The senior most persons have to lead by example, acting as important role models.

Q What is unique about the governance of AKU?

A In one sense, AKU does not necessarily have a unique governance structure. But, it has several distinctive features which have made a major contribution to its rapid and impressive growth. It has an international Board of Trustees that is responsible for defining the strategic direction of the University and oversees implementation by management and then monitoring progress.

A critical factor of success is that during the early decades, the Board was deeply engaged with the faculty as well as senior management to ensure that strong foundations are laid with respect to academic, financial and administrative policies in addition to the quality of the University's academic and service programmes.

In many ways, the Chancellor's role and his involvement is the most unique strength of its governance. The Charter enables the Chancellor to attend Board meetings and preside over them. His wisdom and experience are invaluable to the Board in making sound decisions for a University that functions in six countries in the context of political, economic, regulatory and cultural sensitivities and diversity that they represent.

Q What is the key to being able to mobilise support and cooperation from donors?

A AKU has multiple constituencies of donors which include international donor agencies, as well as corporate and individual contributors in Pakistan and other countries. Of course, there cannot be just one 'key' to accessing support from these heterogeneous donors.

If I had to pick the most important factor, I would identify trust in the institution. Whether international donor agencies or individual donors, their support for a programme or a new physical facility will only come, if they were assured that their money will have the desired impact, will be spent effectively and efficiently and that they will receive good value, proper evaluation and feedback on the use of their contribution.

Beyond trust, funds will only be forthcoming if we communicate with them and develop their confidence. Each donor constituency requires its own appropriate approach and each must feel a sense of 'ownership' of the University.

Q And from higher education institutions?

A Even here, the principle issue is that of trust. Trust with respect to matters of quality and willingness to cooperate towards a common agreed set of objectives. Unless both collaborating institutions benefit from such cooperation, their linkage will not endure. These are the factors that have enabled AKU to forge long lasting relationships with Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Oxford, McMaster universities and Karolinska Institute of Sweden to name just a few of the higher education institutions.

Q In your post-AKU period, how would you apply your extensive experience in improving the quality of life in Pakistan and other parts of the world?

A As it has been only a few months since I retired from the University, I am still in the process of thinking through how I might apply the experience I have been so fortunate to gain during my association with AKU and AKDN. I am, however, fully committed to share this experience within Pakistan and other developing countries both with AKDN and other institutions. His Highness the Aga Khan has kindly proposed my involvement at a policy level with some AKDN institutions.

Also, President Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz have recently appointed me to the senior level National Commission for Government Reforms in Pakistan. My initial engagement here has been gratifying as already many of the lessons I learnt at AKU and AKDN are proving relevant to the work of the Commission.

Requests have also come from development agencies, academic institutions and business organisations to share the benefits of my experience with them. In the coming weeks, I will carefully evaluate where my involvement could make the most difference to society.