Asian University for Women

Asian University for Women

Type	Independent, international, liberal arts and sciences
Established	2008 (2008)
Chancellor	Cherie Blair and Dr. Nirmala Rao
Students	600+
Location	Chittagong, Bangladesh 22°21′29″N 91°49′26″E / 22.358131°N 91.823843°E / 22.358131; 91.823843Coordinates: 22°21′29″N 91°49′26″E / 22.358131°N 91.823843°E / 22.358131; 91.823843
Website	asian-university.org

Asian University for Women (AUW) is an independent, international university in Chittagong, Bangladesh seeking to educate a new generation of leaders in Asia. AUW admits students solely on the basis of merit, regardless of their family’s income level, and nearly all students are on full scholarship with many as the first in their family to attend university. AUW offers two pre-collegiate bridge programs called Access Academy and Pathways for Promise, as well as a three-year undergraduate program based in the liberal arts and sciences. The University is committed to graduating generations of women leaders who will tackle their countries’ social, economic and political issues while collaborating across cultural, ethnic and religious lines. AUW has more than 600 students enrolled from 15 countries across Asia and the Middle East.^[1]

History

The story of AUW began well before its inaugural Access Academy class entered in 2008. The idea for the University grew out of the World Bank/UN Task Force on Higher Education and Society. In 2000, the Task Force, which included Harvard University's Dean Henry Rosovsky and the World Bank's former Managing Director Mamphela Ramphele, published its findings in a report entitled “Higher Education in Developing Countries: Peril and Promise” (more information available at http://www.tfhe.net/), which concluded that developing countries must improve the quality of their institutions of higher learning, in both governance and pedagogy, in order to compete in today’s increasingly globalized, knowledge-based economy.

2001-2004

In January 2004, the Government of Bangladesh granted more than 100 acres of land for the construction of AUW’s permanent campus in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Fundraising and planning efforts for AUW officially began in November 2001, when AUW Support Foundation was incorporated as a non-profit institution under section 501(c)3 of the United States Internal Revenue Code. AUW’s Support Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors, which was established upon the group’s incorporation as a non-profit organization.

AUWSF Board of Directors published a Plan of Operations in May 2005, laying out the basic plans for AUW’s curriculum, target student population, and sustainability efforts.

2005-2007

Grants from the Goldman Sachs Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2005 and 2006 provided the start-up funds that enabled AUW to become operational in 2008. In September 2006, the Parliament of Bangladesh ratified the University’s charter, which guaranteed full autonomy and independence to AUW in its operations and academics, a unique arrangement in the region.

AUW began operations in Chittagong in March 2008. Its first cohort of students consisted of over one hundred young women from six countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This inaugural class attended Access Academy, AUW’s year-long bridge program designed to prepare underserved students for the rigors of university education. After completing the Access program, 128 of them continued into the first year of their undergraduate studies, and were joined by a number of direct-entry students who began the undergraduate program in 2009.

2008-2010

Also in 2009, AUW’s initial Board of Trustees was elected by the International Support Committee of Asian University for Women in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of Asian University for Women.

The University appointed its first Chancellor in January 2011: Mrs. Cherie Blair, international human rights lawyer and wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. AUW continues to enjoy a strong and dedicated team of leaders and administrators, as well as a faculty from well-known academic institutions in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.

2011-2012

In April 2011, AUW held a foundation stone laying ceremony at the site of its permanent campus in Pahartoli, with the Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the Chief Guest. The Government of Bangladesh has now granted over 140 acres for the University’s campus, which has been designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie and Associates.

The summer of 2012 marked the University’s first Summer Term, which offered 20 courses on campus taught by AUW professors and visiting faculty. Also that summer, the University hosted two leadership training seminars co-sponsored by the United States Department of State: the Women in Public Service Institute, also co-sponsored by the Seven Sisters Women’s Colleges, took place in August; the Grassroots Women’s Political Leadership Forum was held in September.

2013-2016

In May 2013, University graduated its first class of 132 students. The 2012-13 academic year saw AUW’s first full complement of classes — a total student body of 535, with cohorts in Access Academy and all four undergraduate years. They represent 15 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Syria, and Vietnam.

In January 2016, AUW launched Pathways for Promise to provide university education to female garments factory workers and other women from vulnerable groups. Nearly 800 women responded and sat for the first round of admissions tests. Over 50 women qualified, and last January they entered AUW’s Pathways to Promise program – the pilot phase of which was supported by Stitching IKEA Foundation and George Soros's Open Society Foundations. When the 2016 autumn semester began, new Pathways students came to campus and the program grew by 50%.

As of May 2016, AUW has graduated over 440 alumnae, all of whom plan to go on to graduate studies or begin careers in the public sector, research, non-governmental organizations and private enterprise.

Funding

AUW Support Foundation, a 501(c)(3)-registered nonprofit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the primary source of funding mobilization for the University. It is governed by its own Board of Directors (several of whom also serve on AUW Board of Trustees). Separately, a number of independent “support groups” have been created in different tax jurisdictions around the world to help mobilize financial resources for the university. Such support groups currently exist in Hong Kong and Japan.

Academic programmes

Pre-undergraduate: AUW recruits underserved women, many of whom have not had adequate secondary school training due to their backgrounds. Therefore AUW specially designed Access Academy, a one-year program which offers intensive preparation in computer literacy, reading and writing in English, scientific thought, global history and other critical subjects.

Given the state of secondary school preparation in many of the communities from which AUW students come, the university has found that even one year of Access Academy is not sufficient to prepare students from certain communities for AUW’s rigorous undergraduate curriculum. AUW therefore offers Pathways for Promise to students who require a longer period of intensive preparation in English language, math and computer literacy before enrolling in Access Academy.

Undergraduate: Asian University for Women offers a rigorous liberal arts undergraduate curriculum that emphasizes the development of skills in critical thinking, problem solving, and ethical leadership. AUW students choose from the following four majors: Economics (B.Sc.); Environmental Sciences (B.Sc.); Philosophy, Politics & Economics (B.A.); and Public Health Studies (B.Sc.). The University also offers a choice of thirteen minors.

Internship & Careers: AUW offers opportunities for students to participate in applied research projects, study programs and internships to prepare them for professional life after AUW.

Partner Institutions: AUW also has agreements with private organizations for student internships and help with recruitment in remote areas. Examples include BRAC, Daughters for Life and Grameen Bank.

References

↑ "Asian University For Women – Who We Are". asian-university.org. Retrieved 2016-04-12.

External links

Asian University for Women website

Private universities in Bangladesh

Barisal Division	Global University Bangladesh

Chittagong Division	Begum Gulchemonara Trust University East Delta University International Islamic University, Chittagong Premier University, Chittagong Southern University, Bangladesh University of Science and Technology Chittagong Port City International University

Dhaka Division	Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology American International University-Bangladesh America Bangladesh University Asian University of Bangladesh Asa University Bangladesh Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology Bangladesh Islami University Bangladesh University Bangladesh University of Business and Technology BRAC University Central Women's University City University, Bangladesh Daffodil International University Darul Ihsan University Dhaka International University Eastern University East West University Fareast International University Gono University Green University of Bangladesh Hamdard University Bangladesh IBAIS University Independent University, Bangladesh Institute of Science and Technology International University of Business Agriculture and Technology Manarat International University Millennium University Northern University, Bangladesh North South University Notre Dame University Bangladesh People's University of Bangladesh Presidency University Primeasia University Prime University Queens University Royal University of Dhaka Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology Southeast University Stamford University State University of Bangladesh United International University University of Asia Pacific University of Development Alternative University of Information Technology and Sciences University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh University of South Asia Uttara University Victoria University of Bangladesh Viqarunnisa University World University of Bangladesh

Khulna Division	North Western University Northern University

Rajshahi Division	Exim Bank Agricultural University Bangladesh Bangladesh Army University of Engineering & Technology Khwaja Yunus Ali University Varendra University

Sylhet Division	Leading University Metropolitan University, Sylhet Sylhet International University

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