Feature

AIUB celebrates its 14 glorious years

Tahziba Nasir Chowdhury

IT seems like yesterday that the American International University Bangladesh (AIUB) started its journey in the year 1996 with only 70 students and with a mission to change the Education Scene of Bangladesh. Today standing almost at the end of the year 2009 when I look back at this incredible journey spanning over more than a decade and crossing over into a new millennia - it is truly amazing to see how it has grown in leaps and bounds! AIUB started its journey with one floor in a building in Mohakhali with less than 100 students and 3 classrooms now, after only 14 years we have expanded into 7 campuses with innumerable classes in order to accommodate thousands and thousands of students. In our 1st convocation the number of graduates was only 43 whereas in the most recent one which was our 9th convocation the number was a whopping 856!! Now when we look at the corporate world there is an AIUBian in almost every nook and corner upholding the name and fame of their Institution and making all of us proud.

2009 marked the 14th Year of striving for quality and success in AIUB's life. This incredible journey of providing Quality Higher Education in Bangladesh was marked with some conventional and some extraordinary series of events. These were organized in different venues commencing from the 3rd of November and continuing till the 14th of November inside AIUB's 7campuses located in and around the Banani Area - making the whole area come alive with a flurry of activities.

The 2 week long celebration was packed with activities and events keeping in mind the huge number of students belonging to diverse Disciplines and Subjects and with even wider range of interests, passions and hobbies. Simultaneously there were indoor games like Chess, Table Tennis and Pool going on along side outdoor activities like Volley Ball, Hand Ball and Badminton where every one belonging to AIUB participated be a Student, a Faculty member or part of Management. While there was Software programming Contests, Cyber Games Competition and Soft Ware Designing Contest in different venues there was voluntary Blood Donation program going on in another premise. There were diverse activities going on round the clock like Business Quiz Competition, Cultural Talent Hunt, Film Show and Cultural Show in one Campus or the other! That's not all, there was a number of other colorful events like a week long Photography Exhibition and Art Exhibition which hosted a spectacular display of photographs and intricate works of art that deserve acknowledgement and accolade. The last 2 events were the Highlight Events of the 14 Year Celebration - the Open Air Concert and the Job Fair.

On the 12th afternoon there was a Gala Open Air Concert in the Banani Club Ground which was a star studded event boasting the performances by some of the most renowned names from the Local Bands and the music scene like Souls, Dolchut, Warfaze, Fuad Shubho and last but not the least Fuad & Mila.

After a day's break the festivities resumed again on Saturday the 14th of November with the much awaited Job Fair. This was the last and final event of the 2 week long celebration. It will be an understatement to say that the AIUB Job Fair this year was a mini representation of the corporate scene of Bangladesh! As many as 72 companies of National and International repute including Banks, Insurance Companies, IT Solutions, Mobile Operators, Networking Solution Providers, Pharmaceuticals, Leasing & Finance Companies, Call Centers, Airlines, Automobile Companies, Real-Estate Companies, Job Portals, Agro-Based Companies. Accessories and Equipment Companies and some FMCGs graced the occasion. From this exhaustive list of companies some household names like ACI, PRAN, Concord, bdjobs.com, TRANSCOM Electronics, AKTEL, City Cell, Coca-Cola, Rahim Afrooz, Bank AlFalah Limited, BRAC Bank, Trust Bank, The City Bank, National Credit & Commerce Bank, Premier Bank, Asian Paints, Bangla CAT, Beximco Pharma, CONCERN Worldwide, ETV, Nestle, Novartis, Opsonin Pharma, Singer, The Westin were all present at the AIUB Job Fair 2009. It was an exclusive event for the AIUB Alumni and future Graduates. The Job Fair is a Flag Ship event of AIUB which is being held almost every year with a vision not only to create a platform to facilitate the smooth entry of the AIUB Alumni and future graduates into the corporate world but also to provide the Corporates and other Companies with a Data Bank of potential employees.

The almost 2 week long celebration was a reminder that time and tide waits for none. And I am sure before you know it, some one else will be writing about AIUB's 15th, 20th and even its Silver Jubilee Celebration in a blink of an eye!

(Writer is Senior Executive, Office of Student Affairs )