Habib University, a premier liberal arts and sciences undergraduate institution, established in 2014, with its unique mission has led the way in enabling inequitable access to quality higher education for students in Pakistan. In its mere ten-year legacy, Habib University has successfully managed to reshape patterns of traditional philanthropy to solve the crisis of rising costs of higher education through the University’s incredible community of generous supporters. They exemplified their commitment to supporting deserving and meritorious students in their pursuits of higher learning in the annual fundraising gala held by the Habib University Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Canada, on the 27th of September 2024 at the Mississauga Convention Center, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
This year, the event featured a distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside, USA, Dr. Reza Aslan, as keynote speaker, Habib University President, Wasif Rizvi, Habib University Foundation Chair, Muslim Hassan, and alumni representatives, Mishal Khan (Social Development and Policy 2022) and Syed Muhammad Ali Rizvi (Electrical Engineering 2022) who delivered heartfelt and powerful speeches.
The fundraiser event began with the MC of the evening, Ms. Aqsa Junejo, Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications and Global Resource Development at Habib University, explaining this year’s theme, “Reshaping Philanthropy: Shaping Futures with the Beauty of Generosity,” acknowledging the Mohsineen whose belief in the University’s vision has turned dreams into reality. She expanded upon the theme of beauty that inculcates the virtues of generosity and humility – values that demand our attention and reevaluation especially amid today’s planetary crises.
The introduction was followed by a welcome note given by Muslim Hassan, Chair, Habib University Foundation Canada, who acknowledged the presence of the special speakers, HUFC Board Member Shafiq Punjani, Qamaruddin Siddiqui, Jang Engineer, host committee members Mohamad Sunderji, Ali Tharia, Ghalib Salam, Aftab Rizvi, Habib Meghjee and Mohamad Hussein Punjani.
“While Pakistan continues to face challenges, there are always bright spots that keep our connections to the country alive and hopeful,” Mr. Hassan remarked. “Habib University stands as a pillar of progress and promise amidst these uncertainties. In just 10 years, it has rapidly grown into a global institution, establishing partnerships with prominent universities across North America. Even more impressive, it has built a strong and vibrant community of supporters.”
He went on to commend the community of supporters’ collective belief in Habib University’s mission, “the diverse group gathered here today demonstrates that we live in an interconnected world, and supporting higher education is a universal cause that transcends national boundaries. The solidarity shown by our community…speaks volumes about the collective commitment to nurturing future generations of thinkers and leaders.”
In the next segment of the fundraising event, an episode of Meri Uraan, a flagship video campaign by Habib University designed to showcase the journey of HUTOPS students and their life after attending Habib University, was screened. The episode exhibited Syed Muhammad Ali Rizvi’s remarkable four years successfully completing his undergraduate degree through HUTOPS – a competitive scholarship that covers 100% of tuition and laboratory fee for talented students from Pakistan’s local examination board – lifting a huge financial burden off his family.
In his speech, he recalled his time as an Electrical Engineering major who became enamored with classic and modern Urdu ghazals thanks to the encouragement of his professor. He is currently pursuing his PhD from University of Waterloo in AI and Civil Engineering which combines his interests in Machine Learning, Computer Vision, and Robotics with a focus on sustainability, community impact, human and environmental implications.
“In a world where more than half of Earth’s biodiversity has already been lost, and where innovation often proceeds without any regard for human lives or environmental consequences, we need a new generation of engineers and thinkers. We need individuals who can bridge the gap between technological progress and societal needs, between innovation and sustainability. This is where Habib University’s vision becomes crucial. By supporting Habib, you’re investing in a future where engineers are also poets, where scientists are also social thinkers, and where every graduate is equipped to think about and tackle the complex, interconnected challenges of our world,” he said.
Mishal Birgees Khan took to the stage at the event in Toronto to share her experience as a student, “One of the most unique aspects of Habib University programs is that you will never find homogeneity among its students. Across the globe, the irony of academic programs centered on policy, leadership and development is that it often represents students from a specific class that does not understand the impact of their work and decisions and detached from the mainstream societal challenges. In Habib’s case it was the opposite,” she cited. She further spoke about how the University has helped her gain a wider perspective on pressing issues plaguing the world and how to shape public policy decisions through a humanistic framework.
Habib University President Wasif Rizvi expanded on the need for an institution such as Habib that responds to Pakistan’s faltering academic relevance on the global stage given the continued injustice and lack of investment in quality higher education. The University, with its unique liberal arts curriculum that brings together the sciences, humanities, arts and culture under its six undergraduate programs, addresses the country’s “intellectual recession” through epistemic reparation. “How do we become an inspiring, healing model of higher learning focused on providing a world-class intellectual experience yet not dependent on students being a major source of revenue?” he asked. This is made possible through a radical financial model driven by a community of visionaries united in the mission to ensure the thoughtful intellectual cultivation of Pakistan’s youth regardless of their socio-economic means.
The author of groundbreaking works such as No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam (2005) and God: A Human History (2017) Reza Aslan elaborated on the concepts of justice and education in a world rife with conflicts and emphasized on the need to educate young people to understand the importance of building a just and equitable society, “it is precisely these kind of conflicts, these kinds of global crises that demand a deeper conversation with young people in our lives. Because in a world where tensions run high, educating the youth about the conflicts of the world is not only necessary, but an opportunity to cultivate justice. When we expose young people to an intractable conflict such as this, we help them see the world through others’ eyes.”
Reza Aslan urged the community to support institutions such as Habib University that shape leaders to build a compassionate world, “In every society that we have, justice and education are absolutely intertwined with each other. Because to educate is to empower. And to empower is to enable individuals to seek justice for themselves and for their communities,” he said. He encouraged the audience to invest in young people’s future through the fundraising event so that Pakistan can hope to see itself as a stable and tolerant nation, “Investment in the university is not just about philanthropy, it’s an investment in the future; the future of Pakistan, the future of the world. By giving these students the tools they need to lead you are empowering them to confront the inequality, the political instability, the social justice…that we pray to God for.”
The evening concluded with Marzia Hassan, a prominent member of Habib University community, thanking the esteemed attendees for their participation in the event, reiterating the beauty of generosity present in their endowments.
Habib University, the best university in Pakistan for liberal arts and sciences education, successfully continues to solve the problem of access in higher education through its incredible scholarship programs and financial assistance, boasting a diverse student body and a growing number of women in STEM. The first to do so within the region, the University has created a rich framework for philanthropic legacies centered in reparation and established the true transformative power of higher education, inspiring many.
Read about our first fundraising gala held in Canada here: 1st Fundraising Gala in Canada – Habib University.
