IUBAT VC attends AMDISA Executive Board Meeting and Networking Dinner

Prof. Dr. Abdur Rab, VC of IUBAT, recently participated in the 75th Executive Board meeting and Networking Dinner of the Association of Management Institutions in South Asia (AMDISA) in Hyderabad, India. The meeting discussed on the progress of the preparation for the bi-annual South Asian Management Forum being held in Pakistan in September. The meeting deliberated on the venue of the next Annual General Meeting and Executive Board meeting and decided to hold these in Colombo in October this year. The VC actively participated in discussions and deliberation of the meeting contributing to the resolutions of the issues. 

EU holds seminar titled "Hacking Humans: The Future of Us"

A seminar titled "Hacking Humans: The Future of Us" was held at the seminar hall of Eastern University (EU) on August 5, 2019. Department of English of the university had organised the academic seminar.

Asif Bin Ali, Lecturer (Sociology) of EU and Erasmus Mundus Scholar delivered the talk. The European Union's Erasmus Mundus programme aims to enhance quality in higher education through scholarships and academic co-operation between the EU and the rest of the world. He emphasised, "We need human-centered technology and not technology serving human."

He further said, "Humans have over 1000 years of experience in handling land-based economy, over 200 years of experience in handling machine-based modern economy, but no experience in handling data-based economy, which is very alarming since there is already competition by the states and corporations to maximise their power beyond any previous example and therefore they are heavily investing in technologies to hack human. This competition is not different from arms race."

Along with students and faculty members, VC Prof. Dr. Shahid Akhtar Hossain; Treasurer A. S. Mahmud; Dean, Faculty of Arts Prof. Tahmina Ahmed; and Chairperson, Department of English Mohd. Moniruzzaman Akhand was present in the talk.

IUB arranges voluntary blood donation programme

Independent University Bangladesh (IUB) and Bangladesh Thalassemia Hospital jointly organised a voluntary blood donation programme at IUB recently. Doctors and medical staff from Bangladesh Thalassemia Hospital came to IUB to collect blood from the students. They brought the necessary equipment for blood collection including beds, medical kit, bandages and blood pressure machines and set up stall in the boys' common room.

A large number of students showed much interest and donated blood for thalassemia patients. Division of Student Affairs (DOSA) organised this event as a community service programme of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award at IUB. The blood that they received from the students will be distributed among the disadvantaged thalassemia patients for free of cost at their hospital.

CUB organises "Skill Development Boot Camp"

The very first edition of the flagship programme of Canadian University of Bangladesh (CUB) Business Club titled, "Skill Development Boot Camp' took place last week. Devised to equip our students with competencies necessary to excel in their post-university lives, this challenging week-long journey was an engrossing mix of lectures, workshops and live projects making it an exhilarating and hugely rewarding experience for our students.

This 10-session programme was spread over seven days and two different venues. The programme was inaugurated by Shahnul Hasan Khan, Executive Chairman of BOT of CUB. This was followed by a workshop titled "Perfecting your Presentation" which was conducted by a former senior member of American Airlines. Muzahid Bin-Mizan, Head of BI, Planning and Systems Business Intelligence, Grameenphone, in the session titled "The Big Picture of Big Data" illustrated how data-driven decision making is quickly becoming the source of competitive advantage. Day one ended with a session on "Entrepreneurship vs Corporate Life" with a view to aware the participants of the pros and cons of two career paths; Sharif Hasan, FCS, Company Secretary of Unique Group conducted this session.

The second day of Skill Development Boot Camp was held at the computer lab of CUB. SM Arifuzzaman, Head of School of Business conducted a half-day workshop on MS Excel. The next stage of Skill Development Boot Camp took place in BRAC Learning Centre in Sreemangal. This two-day residential part was an exploration of self-discovery, combining intensive and experiential learning that would increase their knowledge, skills and self-awareness so that they can rise to the challenges of a rapidly changing global business environment.

On the final day of this skill development boot camp, Bill Derrenger, Director General, Groupo Osborne and former Managing Director of Kellogg Company shed light on competencies required to have a successful international career. Participants gave their final presentations on their live project. Shahnul Hasan Khan, in presence of Dr. Nazrul Islam, VC (acting) and senior members of the CUB Business School, presented certificates of completion to the participants.

MGCC hosts first reunion in North America

Mymensingh Girls' Cadet College (MGCC) had their first North American reunion from July 19-21, 2019.

A total of 72 ex-cadets joined the programme, with several of them hailing from New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Iowa, Oregon, California, Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Virginia, DC and Maryland. Others joined in from Canada, Dubai, London and some even flew out from Bangladesh to attend the grand event.

The two-day event took place at the Windham Garden Hotel in Manassas, Virginia. Farhana Shifa from the 9th batch of MGCC, currently a resident of Arizona, designed the reunion logo and banner.

The first day of the programme began with a recitation of the Holy Quran. The rest of the day was spent with ex-cadets reminiscing their college days and engaging in songs and chit-chat.

The second day started off with singing the national anthems of Bangladesh and the USA. Then, there was a cultural event and a gala dinner, followed by a photo session and a sightseeing session on the Potomac River Cruise. The day progressed with cadets sharing stories of their lives and remembering their late teachers and the cadets who passed away.

The two-day long event ended with a musical performance by the talented singer Chandan Chowdhury.

The event was hosted by Pervez Akhtar and Shahnaz Rahman with photos and video coordination done by Inkhab Siddique. Rabiul Islam Deesh was in charge of the sound while other musicians joined from New York. During the ceremony, the owner of the hotel Anis Khan was presented with flowers to show gratitude for the hotel's hospitality.

Overall, the meeting was a great success and hopefully is the start of many future reunions.