How East Delta University is changing the higher education landscape

East Delta University (EDU) started its journey with the conviction of providing outstanding higher education in Chattogram and it has striven for excellence ever since. Founded in 2006, EDU moved to its own permanent campus in its seventh year as the youngest university in Bangladesh. Situated atop the lap of hills in Khulshi, the campus is of exceptional architectural style with a red brick exterior and modern well-equipped interior usually full of lively students.

Former minister and social worker Abdullah Al Noman and his son Sayeed Al Noman, who completed his higher education from Oxford University and London School of Economics, established the university with the intention of bringing qualitative changes in the socio-economic development scenario and human resources of Chattogram. The founders are the chairman and vice chairman of the board of trustees of EDU respectively, followed by renowned economist Professor Muhammad Sikandar Khan holding the office of vice-chancellor.

In 2008, two years after its inception, EDU began its educational journey with just five students under the BBA and MBA programs. This number increased dramatically over the years, owing to the quality of education provided by the institution. Currently, it is running 11 undergraduate and postgraduate programs under three schools, namely business administration, science engineering and technology, and liberal arts.

The programs are BBA, MBA, BA and MA in English, BSc in Economics, BSc and MSc in CSE, BSc in EEE, BSc and MSc in ETE, Master of Public Policy and Leadership (MPPL), and MSc in Data Analytics and Design Thinking for Business.

Founding Vice-Chairman Sayeed Al Noman expressed his philosophy with The Daily Star stating that, "We are more than just a university that grants degrees. Along with degrees, we are creating global products out of our students."

At EDU, students are being developed in a way that will enable them to transcend regionalist limits and make a lasting impression on the global stage.

"Many of our alumni are currently in high-ranking positions or doing research in reputable universities across the globe. The emphasis of the curriculum's design is on helping students create a value-based education. Additionally, we put in a lot of effort in developing various skills, especially soft skills," he added.

EDU has several distinct activities and specialties that set it apart from other private higher educational institutions in Bangladesh.

ONE-OF-A-KIND MASTER'S PROGRAMMES

Understanding the demand for higher education in Bangladesh, EDU has launched specialised master's programs to develop students and professionals with higher skills. Apart from conventional Master's programs like the MA in English and the MSc in CSE/ETE, EDU has recognised the value of programs on globally popular subjects like data analytics, design thinking for business, public policy, and leadership for the first time in Bangladesh, thus pioneering in offering such programs.

DIVERSE FACULTY POOL AND RESEARCH FOCUS

EDU follows a North American curriculum and the university has carefully selected faculty members who can do justice to the system. Most faculty members of EDU hail from top universities around the world with quality teaching and research experience, which is quite evident in their lectures and research. Apart from this, professors and researchers of various international universities are regularly conducting workshops and seminars at EDU.

Furthermore, EDU always had the desire to become more research-oriented, and the infrastructure has been built with this purpose in mind. The two-storied state-of-the-art library with thousands of books and the e-Library has also been developed to ensure research resources. Jestor, Emerald, and IEEE, the richest collection of online resources for researchers, have been added to the EDU database in addition to countless more means.

The ratio of PhD holders among teachers is 5:1; that is, 1 out of every 5 teachers holds a PhD degree. EDU has purchased university-wide subscriptions to Turnitin's plagiarism detection software for each and every teacher and student. As a result, the tendency to copy from others' research or assignments is reduced and essential core research habits are developed among all, which is being practiced regularly in several research-based Master's programs.

International Graduate Leadership Experience and International Coalition

EDU provides students with the opportunity to directly see and experience how the world's largest and most famous institutions are run. Under the program called International Graduate Leadership Experience, students of EDU can get this experience by visiting these institutions abroad and attending sessions with the respective officials.

Another significant aspect of our provision of world-class higher education is the student and research exchange agreements with seven world-class universities. These are Central Michigan University, USA; International Islamic University, Malaysia; INTI International University, Malaysia; Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia; Western Norway University of Applied Sciences; Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia; and University of Portsmouth, UK.

As a result of this agreement, our teachers and students can study at these foreign universities for PhD, Masters, or graduation.

ACCESS ACADEMY

Access Academy, a brainchild of the university's founder, is aimed to aid newly admitted students in developing their university-level reading, writing and presentation skills, bridging any gaps in their knowledge as well as proficiency in english and mathematics.

In addition, this school offers instruction on how to acquire valuable soft-skills, ideas and communicate them efficiently and training on building cultural understanding and other socio-cultural challenges of the modern world that students would otherwise be unable to face and tackle.

Women Empowerment and Leadership Fund

The women empowerment and leadership fund is another groundbreaking initiative of EDU to offer free education to women who suffer social, economic, or cultural challenges to foster future leaders and usher a constructive shift in society.

This is a 'Matching Grant' fund to provide free education to underprivileged women worldwide, including Bangladesh, and EDU authorities have taken up this project to empower marginalised women to play a leading role in the social and professional spheres to build sustainable leadership for positive societal change as we know a self-assured, responsible woman has the capacity to bring about just that.

Scholarships Named After National Heroes

EDU has launched different scholarships named after Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq, martyr Nutan Chandra Singha and anti-British revolutionary Binod Bihari Chowdhury to honor the history of Bengal and uphold patriotism. Under these scholarships, students will get a 70 per cent bursary on tuition fees if admitted to the Master of Public Policy and Leadership, MSc in Data Analytics and Design Thinking for Business and MA in English programmes.

Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Activities

In addition to all these, the university is proactive in providing further academic support to the students and teachers. The academic advisor program and support clinics enable students to navigate their university life in an organised manner by assigning them to faculty members who are available constantly for any academic aid necessary.

Besides, in terms of extracurricular and co-curricular activities, students are encouraged to join any of the numerous clubs available to develop their extracurricular activities. Also, they are constantly motivated to take part in the various intellectual programs, such as the EDU Incubation Foundry and EDU Future Factory. As an institute, EDU always strives to nurture young entrepreneurs, inventors and researchers.

EDU Graduate Attributes

Last but not the least, all the above-mentioned incentives and facilities are provided to the students and faculty members of the university with a single purpose in mind: to make them global citizens and incorporate graduate attributes in their personality.

This unique set of characteristics have been divided among five broad categories, namely Domain Knowledge, Research Understanding, Leadership Development, Soft-skill Development and Global Citizenship. Once instilled into individuals, these skills help them become leaders and pioneers in multicultural environments.

To put it in a nutshell, EDU, with its continuous drive towards excellence, is bringing world-class education to Chattogram. From its beautiful campus, to its academic activities, from recognition and incorporation of international standards into the curriculum to the various effective support programs, the university has marked a pathway for a distinctive future for everyone connected to the institution.

The authority always welcomes questions and curiosity about the institution, thus the website (www.eastdelta.edu.bd) is always there to answer general questions, and the admissions office at the campus is available to answer more detailed inquiries.