BRACU VC bids farewell as tenure ends
On January 24, BRAC University VC Prof. Vincent Chang, in a letter directed to the university, informed that he will be leaving his role at the university as his tenure comes to an end.
In the letter, Prof. Chang writes, "I am writing to inform you that within weeks, my tenure with BRAC University will end and so will my rendezvous with Bangladesh. It has been my privilege to have served as your Vice-Chancellor. Together we have made a difference despite constraints."
Vincent Chang joined BRACU as the VC back in 2019. Prior to that, he served in various high ranking positions at different educational institutions, companies, and government agencies in the United States and China.
Prof. Chang arrived at BRACU with one goal – to help the university aim and reach for global education standards.
"After I arrived in early 2019, we embarked on the transformational strategic initiatives that were new to both the university and the country," writes Prof. Chang in his farewell letter. "We immediately made splashes that were global in nature."
His contribution to the university during his tenure has made Vincent Chang highly popular, not just among BRACU students, but also amongst many others who closely follow the higher education scene in Bangladesh.
"I am told that on social media I have been given a few nicknames. And one of them is the coolest VC," he continues in his letter. "I am not the coolest vice-chancellor, but I speak the coolest stuff – 'Truth and Aspirations.' The Truth is that Bangladesh's higher education is behind the world's standards. And the Aspirations are that our higher education should bridge the gap and aim to become the nation's pride, and also that we should provide our students better education to help them discover themselves, prepare them to become philosopher kings and queens in their own unique ways, and to enable them to contribute to the nation's transformation."
It goes without saying that his charisma, work ethics, and approach to leading an educational institution has earned Vincent Chang the respect of many, especially those working with and around him.
"In a recent university event, a well-respected professor whispered in my ear, "You're by birth a Taiwanese, by nationality an American, and by heart a Bangladeshi." I was speechless and not sure how to respond," reads the letter. "But I am sure that after four years here, wherever I go, I will carry Bangladesh with me, physically and sentimentally."
Prof. Chang writes near the end of the letter, "And if we are destined, we may meet again more than once. So until then. Goodbye. And Godspeed."