We are a dream factory

Department of Environmental Management (DEM) of Independent University Bangladesh (IUB) organized a Buriganga River clean-up programme on the occasion of International Biodiversity Day 2014 at Sadar Ghat Terminal in collaboration with Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA)

In an interview with The Daily Star, Professor Omar Rahman, Vice Chancellor of Independent University, Bangladesh, discussed the present and future of the institute. Replying to a question he said that the secret of IUB doing so well is the fact that they give attention to the basics:  “We take highest quality students, appoint highest quality faculty, we have world class infrastructure  andwe offer world class curriculum.” The institute never compromised on these vital issues.“We believe in investing in superior infrastructure and superior human capital.” Giving further emphasis on the imperative of recruiting high quality faculty he said that without quality faculty a university cannot progress to the desired level of excellence. IUB is proud to have the best team of faculty. Academic excellence is crucially depended on the quality of the teachers. By hiring quality faculty we attract quality students. On the other hand, good students encourage teachers to give their best.

According to Prof. Rahman, the goal of IUB is to become the best educational institute in the country first and in the region next. “We want to achieve regional excellence and have partnership with world class universities.  He explained in many words how the team is working relentlessly towards fulfilling the dream.  At this point he brought up the issue of research and its importance.  He said that IUB was primarily focused on research work both by teachers and students to ensure their holistic development. “The vision of IUB is to be an International Centre of Excellence focused primarily on research. Because we believe that research is not a luxury, it is the integral part of education. All teachers and students of the institute must get involved in research to develop their analytical ability, so that they may think out of the box,” he said. The motto is teaching students how to think in a new and evolving situation. He believes research and good communication skill are two vital qualities a student must possess to be a worthy world citizen. Research and communication skill are the two pillars of IUB. They want their students to be able to communicate well and to the right audience. “We want them to be professionally successful and also socially engaging,” he said.   
Talking about the role of University Grants Commission (UGC), Prof. Rahman said that UGC was very supportive of their academic and extra-academic activities. This is a good example of private public partnership, he believes. IUb is adding new departments to the existing ones.  They are opening departments of pure science subjects like Math andPhysics though these may involve huge investment. They are also going ahead with the plan of opening departments of Fine Arts, Music, Archeology and Architecture.  
Prof. Omar Rahman said that IUB was not a commercially oriented university.  It is committed to supporting the best and the brightest students regardless of their financial status. They offer financial aid to meritorious students, spending 10 percent of the budget in financial aid. The amount is increasing every year, he informed.
IUB offers Merit Scholarship on Entry in the following manner:
 GPA 5.0 in SSC and HSC exams, without 4th subject (100% waiver)

• 7 'A's in O' level (one sitting) and 3 'A's in A' level (100% waiver)
• 50% financial aid for concurrently admitted siblings & spouse.
• IUB also offers 20%-100% Financial aid on tuition fee, based on performance in IUB and financial need.

While concluding Prof. Omar Rahman cited the example of Harvard University, which enrolls highly meritorious students believing that every student can make a difference. “We want to do it here too. We are a dream factory,” he said.