North South University

Introduction

North South University, the first private university in Bangladesh, was established more than 18 years ago by a group of philanthropists, industrialists, bureaucrats and academics. The government of Bangladesh approved the establishment of North South University in 1992 under Private University Act (PUA) 1992 (now replaced by PUA 2010). The university was formally inaugurated on 10 February 1993 by then Prime Minister of Bangladesh. The honorable President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh is the Chancellor of NSU.

The Board of Trustees, the apex body which provides the overall policy guidelines and approves annual budget of the University, is headed by its Chairman. The Syndicate runs the administration of the University within the policy guidelines provided by BOT 2010.

The Vice Chancellor, as the chief executive and academic officer, along with the Pro Vice Chancellor, runs the university with the help of the following statutory bodies: Syndicate, Academic Council, Finance Committee, Curriculum Committee, Faculty Selection Committee, Degree Review Committee, Library Committee, Disciplinary Committee and Faculty Search Committee. All statutory bodies operate under the provision of the Statutes prepared within the framework of PUA 2010. The Registrar maintains the university records including admissions and examination results and keeps liaison with Ministry of Education, University Grants Commission (UGC) and other relevant authorities.

The vision of North South University (NSU) is to become a leading university and a center of excellence in higher education and research. It aims to attract brilliant students, scholars, researchers and scientists from all over the world.

The mission of NSU is to produce highly skilled manpower, visionary professional leaders and enlightened citizens. This mission is achieved by imparting quality higher education and training, and by conducting useful research so that individuals can achieve their intellectual, social, and personal potentials. NSU is committed to developing human capital by sharpening creative thinking. In addition to creation and dissemination of knowledge, its mission includes promotion of humanism and peace through higher education. As a social institution, NSU endeavors to induce changes for betterment of the society as a whole through public services and through promotion of ethical behavior and social justice.

To fulfill its mission, NSU applies five basic strategies: (1) it offers socially relevant academic programs/curricula which meet the needs of the students coming from different backgrounds and seeking different career goals; (2) it hires highly qualified and internationally experienced academics to teach those courses relevant to a changing environment; (3) NSU, through a rigorous selection process, admits only those students who demonstrate the potential to pursue and complete the programs of study they select; (4) it provides the necessary infrastructural facilities and logistic support and an environment conducive to teaching and learning and (5) it practices the principles of good governance that encourage academic freedom and faculty-governance.

NSU has the authority, under its Charter, to impart instruction and confer undergraduate and graduate degrees including PhD in all branches of arts and sciences, including engineering, agriculture, law and medicine. It also has the authority to grant diplomas, certificates and other academic distinctions. Currently, NSU offers Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in 26 subjects (14 Bachelor’s degrees and 12 Master’s degrees). Additional programs are under preparation in consultation with collaborating universities and NSU’s International Advisory Board.

The university follows the American system with all its distinctive features-semesters, credit hours, letter grades, one examiner system and so on. Its curricula, when first introduced, were reviewed by relevant departments of University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and University of California at Berkeley, USA, and duly approved by University Grants Commission. The academic programs are continually updated and adapted to meet the local needs.

Since joining NSU in 1993, Dr. Hafiz G. A. Siddiqi, the current Vice Chancellor, provided leadership in improving, expanding and diversifying various academic programs. NSU now has 234 core (fulltime) and 149 part-time faculty members. Core faculty members teach roughly 72% of the courses offered. All faculty members have higher degrees from reputable foreign universities, with over 90% holding degrees from British, American, Australian and Canadian universities. Visiting faculty members from foreign universities including US, Canadian and Australian universities also teach at NSU. It is very selective in recruiting teachers and admitting students. Its current student enrolment is about 15000.

The first freshman classes of January 1993 had 137 students enrolled in three Departments: Business Administration, Computer Science, and Economics. Departments of Environmental Studies (DES), English and General and Continuing Education (GCE) were founded in May 1997. The Master’s program in Economics was introduced in 1994. The MBA program was launched in Summer 1997. Master’s in Development Studies and Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering were introduced in 2002 while MS in Computer Science is being offered from Summer 2003. Bachelor’s in Architecture was introduced in Fall 2004. Master’s in English was launched in Spring 2005. Pharmacy (Undergraduate) and Executive MBA programs came into being in Spring 2006 and Master’s in Biotechnology and Master’s in Public Health programs were started in Summer 2006. BS in Biotechnology, BS in Microbiology and BS in Biochemistry programs were introduced in Spring 2007. Master in Public Policy and Governance (MPPG) opened in Fall 2008, BS in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) and Master in Resources and Environmental Management (MREM) launched in Spring 2009 and Fall 2009 respectively. Recently the university launched Executive Master in Public Health (EMPH) during Summer 2010.

NSU has three Institutes and one Center : (i) Institute of Development, Environment and Strategic Studies (IDESS) (ii) Institute of Modern Language (iii) Confucius Institute, and (iv) Center of Information & Communication Technology (CICT).

NSU’s first convocation was held on 18 December 1996 when Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed, Honorable President of Bangladesh and Chancellor of NSU, conferred degrees upon 96 graduates. In the 2nd (1998), 3rd (1999) and 4th (2000) Convocations, degrees were conferred by the then Pro Vice Chancellor Dr. Hafiz G.A. Siddiqi as authorized by Chancellor Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed. In the 4th Convocation held on November 25, 2000, 165 graduates including the first batch of 45 MBA graduates were conferred degrees. The 5th Convocation on November 11, 2001 Professor Dr. lajuddin Ahmed, Honorable President of Bangladesh and Chancellor of NSU conferred degrees upon 203 graduates. The Chancellor conferred degrees upon 251 graduates at the 6th Convocation on November 2, 2002. In the 7th Convocation on 6 December 2003, 8th Convocation on 24 November 2004, 9th Convocation on 21 December 2005, 10th Convocation on 28 November 2006, 11th Convocation on 19 November 2007, 12th Convocation on 17 May 2009 and in the 13th Convocation on 9th January 2010 the numbers of graduates were 307, 375, 475, 518, 610, 1073, 726 respectively. In the 12th Convocation held on 17th May, 2009, honorable Educatin Minister, Mr. Nurul Islam Nahid & in the 13th Convocation held on 9th January, 2010, Mr. Md. Zillur Rahman, honorable President of The Peoples Republic of Bangladesh & Chencellor of NSU conferred degrees. In this 14th Convocation (2011) the Honorable Chancellor conferred degrees upon 1640 graduates thus bringing the total number of graduates produced by NSU to 6676. Most of these graduates are employed in national and multinational companies. Many are pursuing higher studies at renowned universities abroad.

Accreditation
NSU is fully accredited by the University Grants Commission, the only national accreditation authority in Bangladesh. Its Business School has applied for accreditation of South Asian Quality Improvement System (SAQS), an accrediting agency created by the Hyderabad-based AMDISA (Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia) with the technical help from EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System), Brussels and AACSBI, USA. The establishment of SAQS was largely funded by European Union. NSU has already got two of the senior Business School Professors trained in how to respond to the SAQS accreditation requirements. The B-School of NSU has almost completed the required Self-Assessment process. It is expected that the necessary Peer Review will be done by SAQS before the end of June 2010.

International Recognition
The credits obtained at NSU are accepted in most of the reputable universities of USA, Canada, Australia and other countries. NSU graduates are accepted in the Graduate programs of Harvard, Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, and other well-known universities. Eight Economics graduates of NSU are studying for higher degrees at York University,

Canada, with scholarship provided by York University. NSU attracts foreign students from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, China, Japan, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kenya and Nigeria. In addition, under the Study Abroad and Group Exchange program, students from world-class universities of the USA and Canada such as Brown University, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Penn State University, Smith College, Mt. Holyoke College, Windsor University, York University, and other similar institutions attend summer semesters at NSU and transfer credits back to their parent institutions.

NSU Collaboration with Foreign Universities

NSU maintains academic collaboration with many foreign universities. Notable among those universities are (1) St. Xavier University, Chicago, USA; (2) Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA; (3) University of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, USA; (4) Luton University, UK; (5) Coventry University, UK; (6) University of Delaware, USA; (7) University of Maryland, USA; (8) Quest University, Canada; (9) Yunnan University, China; (10) Multimedia University, Malaysia; (11) Wayne State University, USA; (12) University of South Australia, Australia; (13) Kyung Hee University, South Korea; (14) Woosang University, South Korea; (15) University of Manitoba, Canada; (16) Korea University, Seoul, Korea; (17) University of Bergen, Norway; (18) English medium top business school, HEC, Paris, France; (19) the National Institute of Development Administrations (NIDA) Bangkok, Thailand; and (20) Civil Service College, Singapore (Prime Minister’s Office).

NSU also has research collaborations with world class research institutes, like International Center for Diarrheas Diseases Research (ICDDR, B), Dhaka in its various academic programs in Biotechnology, Microbiology and Public Health.

International Advisory Board
NSU has an International Advisory Board to counsel on academic matters. The Board Members include professors and administrators from world class universities and international organizations. They are:

Chairman:
Dr. David W. Strangway, Founder Vice Chancellor, Quest University, Canada, and Former Vice Chancellor, University of British Columbia, Canada.

Members:

Prof. Peter J. Drake, Former Vice Chancellor, Australian Catholic University

Dr. Alan W. Heston, Professor of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

Dr. Herbert J. Davis, Global Research Professor of Business, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Prof. Earl Kellogg, Agricultural & Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign, USA

Prof. David Little, Director, Center for Study of Values in Public Life, Harvard University, USA

Dr. Shelley Feldman, Professor, Department of Sociology, Cornell University, New York, USA; and President, American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS).

Prof. Balakrishna Doshi, Architect-Planner, Director, Vastu-Shilpa Foundation for Studies and Research in Environmental Design, Ahmedabad, India

Dr. David N. Nelson, University Libraries (South Asia Bibliographer), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA