578 graduates awarded degrees at varsity convocation

ABBOTTABAD: A total of 578 graduates from the faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Sciences, and Information Sciences and Technology received degrees and 24 excelling ones were handed medals at the first convocation of the COMSATS University, Abbottabad.

There was a renewed spirit and jubilation as it was the first convocation of the university after being upgraded from the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology to COMSATS University on April 24, this year.

Prof Dr Raheel Qamar, Rector of the COMSATS University, Abbottabad, who is also a recipient of the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz civil award, was the chief guest.

The rector greeted the graduates for working hard during the past four years. He advised them to make the university proud through their contributions in the practical fields.

Prof Dr Raheel Qamar applauded the academicians at the university for quality teaching, research productivity and effective industrial linkages.

He thanked Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Chancellor Rana Tanveer Ahmad and Founding Rector Dr SM Junaid Zaidi for their efforts and support in upgrading the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology in Abbottabad to the COMSATS University.

The rector appreciated the research productivity at the COMSATS University. He said almost 1,500 research publications with impact factor were contributed by the faculty members in the year 2016, adding researchers publications at COMSATS University crossed 2,000 marks, this year.

Prof Dr Raheel Qamar said the COMSATS University was among the top 150 universities of Asia and of top 600 universities of the world according to Times Higher Education Ranking of 2016-2017. Campus Director, Professor Dr Arshad Parvaiz, expressed satisfaction at the excellent performance of the university in the academic as well as research fields.

He stated that COMSATS University, Abbottabad had achieved great progress in the past 18 years and had shown great progress in the fields of education and applied research.

Professor Dr Arshad Parvaiz said the research in the fields of Environmental Sciences, Electrical Engineering, Development Studies, Management Sciences, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Civil Engineering, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Science and Mathematics had been recognized across Pakistan in the higher education arena.