‘Progress linked to social justice in society’

LAHORE: The 1st convocation of Information Technology University (ITU) was held here on Sunday in which 139 successful students of MS Computer Science, BS Electrical Engineering and Computer Science were awarded degrees.

Punjab Governor/Chancellor ITU Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana was the chief guest who conferred degrees on the graduating students while the university’s founding Vice Chancellor Dr Umar Saif, who is also adviser to Chief Minister Punjab, Minister for Higher Education Syed Raza Ali Gillani, US Consulate General in Lahore Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau, Chairperson Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) Dr Muhammad Nizamuddin, ITU Registrar Zaheer Sarwar, faculty members, students and their parents attended the ceremony. Pakistani-American astrophysicist Prof Nergis Mavalvala from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who helped discover the gravitational waves, was awarded first Lahore Technology Award while former VC of LUMS Dr Adil Najam, who is Dean, Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University, was conferred an honorary doctorate for his contributions to science, climate change and sustainable development.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who was expected to perform groundbreaking ceremony of ITU’s purpose built new campus on Barki Road, could not join because of his unplanned travel. The ITU convocation regalia included a traditional kulla (turban) for boys and cap for girls.

In his address, the governor said there was a need to promote positivity and curtail negativity to create islands of hopes in the sea of disappointment. He added efforts were required to provide social justice to the underprivileged common man to further promote ongoing increasing corporate social services for the needy to keep the flag upward and strive hard for the country. The day of achievement for ITU students demanded to serve the nation as the future of Pakistan was in the hands of youth, he said. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Umar Saif congratulated the successful candidates and said he felt a lot of pride in the release of ITU’s product in the shape of first batch of MS Computer Science, BS Computer Science and BS Electrical Engineering. Acknowledging the untiring services of the faculty members and Registrar Zaheer Sarwar, he said their services would be remembered for decades to come. Dr Umar Saif, who is also Chairman of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), said the ITU was driven by a culture of research and entrepreneurship to advance innovation and research in the areas of science, technology and engineering in Pakistan. He said ITU faculty members won Rs 700 million in competitive research grants, published 465 papers in top journals and conferences and made technology that solved local problems in Pakistan.

Dr Saif further said ITU had become one of the first universities in the world to enter into a formal partnership with EdX (MIT and Harvard University online course platform) to introduce online learning of two master programmes in Development Studies and Data Sciences. With a special focus on entrepreneurship, ITU and PITB jointly established startup incubator, “Plan9” which graduated over 160 startups in Pakistan.

Congratulating the graduating students, Dr Umar Saif said: “I do not wish you to become wise and smart. Become foolish. The world will progress through your foolishness." He mentioned several iconic personalities saying these people questioned and challenged the common wisdom and in return changed the world in ways most people in that time considered foolish.  

Earlier, the governor/chancellor presented degrees to 139 successful students of MS Computer Science (Batch: 2012-2014, 2013-15, 2014-16 and 2015-17), BS Electrical Engineering, Computer Science Batch 2013-17 while Gold Medals were presented to Amna Batool MSCS, Hafiz Ahmed Awais MSCS, Anam Akram MSCS, Usama Bin Shakeel MSCS, Hafiz Hashim Imtiaz while and Ammar Ahmed BSCS received Arfa Karim Randhawa Award from the parents of late Arfa Karim.