Pro Chancellor LUMS, Syed Babar Ali, welcomed guests at an exclusive ceremony to celebrate the third decade of LUMS on April 28, 2016 at 8:00 PM. He was joined by Rector LUMS, Mr. Abdul Razzak Dawood and member Management Committee, Mr. Shahid Hussain. Business leaders from Lahore, Sialkot and Faisalabad also joined faculty and students to commemorate all those individuals and organisations that helped make LUMS a provider of world class education for all.
Further dignitaries included members from the US consulate, DFID, USAID as well as representatives from Pakistani industry such as Fatima Fertilizer, ATS group, Masood Textile, Fast Cables, Mitchells and Sialkot International Airport Limited, amongst others.
The master of ceremony, Adeel Hashmi, began the ceremony by inviting the Vice Chancellor LUMS, Dr. Sohail Naqvi, for his opening remarks.
Dr. Sohail Naqvi recounted the glorious journey of LUMS from a rented building in Gulberg to an established world class University. He shared his vision for the future of LUMS and reaffirmed the University’s goals to take LUMS still higher on the world map; he said there were no challenges, only opportunities in our quest for the best quality of education and research. He thanked the donors for their contributions and acknowledged their support that made it possible for LUMS to keep its doors open to all bright students to achieve their dreams, regardless of their financial status. He emphasised that the Need Blind Admissions at LUMS needs support from everyone who cares for the future of Pakistan.
Rector, Mr. Abdul Razak Dawood stressed on the need for investing in education in Pakistan. He thanked the donor community, including the Gurmani family, for their generous support throughout the years. He also acknowledged the support from DFID and USAID to LUMS for the NOP Programme. He shared some proud financial aid numbers with the audience; PKR 500 Million in 2014-15 which will reach over PKR 700 Million in 2016-17.
LUMS NOP scholar Bilal Rana also shared his experience of joining LUMS. Hailing from Muzaffargarh, Bilal was admitted under the LUMS National Outreach Programme which covered all his expenses, including a full tuition waiver, free accommodation and living support. He shared how the LUMS experience has transformed his life forever and ended his speech with words of gratitude for all the donors and urged everyone to keep investing in this life changing programme.
Syed Babar Ali thanked all the guests for their participation in the event and their unwavering support for world class higher education in Pakistan. The speeches were followed by a networking dinner that allowed for further exchange of fond memories, past anecdotes and some great ideas and plans for the future.
