Learning about UIU

United International University (UIU) is a private university approved by the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh and University Grants Commission (UGC). It was established with the patronage of the United Group, a successful conglomerate with a diversified business in Bangladesh. Dr Chowdhury Mofizur Rahman was the pro-VC of UIU for three consecutive terms, until he recently got appointed as the vice chancellor of United International University.

Born in 1965 in Dhaka, he spent most of his time growing up in the capital playing in open fields, flying kites and going on adventures with friends. As his residence was in Bashabo, which was located on the outskirts of the city then, it served as a volatile combat zone during the Liberation War. At the tender age of six, Chowdhury Mofizur Rahman recalls how he and his family witnessed the atrocities of the war, with the constant fear of death lurking in the corners. However, he cherishes the fact that his family was able to attend to the freedom fighters in various manners depending on the situation.

Dr Rahman completed his education as a meritorious student from Notre Dame College and later from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET) and finally earned his Ph D from the Department of Computer Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan in 1996 under the support of Monbusho scholarship of the Japanese Government.

The permanent university campus of UIU is spread wide across a plot of around 20 bigha in Dhaka United City, Madani Avenue, Satarkul, Badda. With a serene surrounding and a spacious field, it sets a perfectly welcoming atmosphere for the students and the faculties alike. "I believe UIU is already ahead in some major aspects with respect to top private universities in Bangladesh, and we are still working on creating the perception among the common masses. UIU is a pioneer in renewable energy research and has worked as a consultant in most of the renewable energy projects in Bangladesh," he informed. According to the VC, the institute is earning a reputation for its intensive research based work which would help the future generations as research activities change the outlook of solving critical problems and motivates others to think outside the box. In addition, if students have research publications in national and international journals during their undergraduate study, they will have better access to overseas funds for pursuing higher education.

Some other factors that may provide UIU with an edge in the competitive education business include state of the art IT infrastructure, lab, library, classroom, gallery, canteen and other logistics facilities; rich faculty (highest concentration of PhD faculties per programme); 1 in 5 students get 25-100 percent tuition fee waiver based on previous semester result; flexible payment system where the students are given interest free loans for unanticipated financial crisis of their family; strong corporate linkage and 100 percent internship placement; along with many other facilities and benefits.

According to Dr Rahman, the university also offers 24 clubs and forums through two separate departments (DSA and CCC). Among them, UIU Cultural Club, UIU Photography Club, UIU Sports Club, UIU Business Club, UIU Marketing Forum, UIU Finance Forum, UIU HR Forum etc are noteworthy. The institute arranges corporate tours, picnics, study tours, site visits etc on a regular basis to provide the students with hands-on experience and help them become well rounded personalities.

When asked if there is any advice that he would like to deliver to the students, Dr Rahman replied, "I would like to advice the students to set some time aside from their everyday routine for self development. You must dream big, do things in your own way. Do not imitate others, be innovative and always try to think out of the box."