IBA documents its 60-year history
IBA documents its 60-year history
Nostalgia was in the air as IBA students, faculty and alumni together witnessed the launch of the first ever book on IBA’s history titled ‘Chronicling Excellence: A History of IBA’ on December 31st, 2015. Dr. Ishrat Hussain, Dr. Nomanul Haq, Former Senator Javed Jabbar and Justice Munib Akhtar, the chief guest and member of the board of Governors at IBA, expressed their admiration at the efforts put into documenting the history of IBA.
Author of the book, Sibtain Naqvi, an alumnus of IBA, shared his two-year experience in compiling the book, stating that it was a ‘labour of love’. He expressed his gratitude to all the students, staff and faculty who helped him in his endeavours to compile the 60-year history of his alma mater.
Dr. Nomanul Haq, professor at IBA, called the book a ‘creative expression’ and a turning point in IBA’s history. He emphasized the significance of intellectual nourishment which aids the students in becoming better managers, economists and so on.
Former senator and federal minister Javed Jabbar stated, ‘The structure is not chronological, it is truly a thematic book and that results in a remarkable experience of travelling through time. This back and forth makes it a very stimulating read.’ Mr. Jabbar stated that the book is not just a history of IBA but a mini-history of Pakistan as well, as it sets the regional and international context of the time when Pakistan came into being. He shared his wonder at the origins of IBA as early as 1954 when ICA, a precursor to US-AID, requested The University of Pennsylvania to go into partnership with University of Karachi, which laid the framework for IBA.
Dr. Ishrat Hussain, Dean and Director of IBA, emphasized that this is in no way the final word but a beginning of more similar efforts. Former Senator and a visiting faculty at IBA, Mr. Javed Jabbar remarked that ‘excellence requires perpetual minute to minute vigilance; mediocrity, on the other hand, can afford complacency’, he stated that ‘this is not a dull party; instead IBA is a very lively and dynamic institution’. He shared his aspirations for the sustenance of this trend of academic excellence. Ayesha Minai, alumnus and former Human Resource Director at IBA, also took to the stage to recount her journey at IBA as a student and as a professional as well. Ayesha fondly shared her experiences, calling her first year at the university as ‘the year of big classes, beards and bell-bottoms’. Her relatable experiences were akin to travelling back in time and reliving the good ol’ days for the alumni present at the launch.
As a student of IBA myself, I think this book is not just an interesting read but also serves to satisfy a lot of curiosities that most of the students at IBA had regarding the origins, infrastructure and programmes at IBA. It serves to chronicle the tradition of academic excellence that the IBA has upheld through the course of 60 years and will continue to sustain and cherish for many more years to come.
