Important Announcements

Dear All,

Today marks an important turning point in our efforts in reorienting back to being somewhat “normal.” Pandemic still rages on around the world. In many places, just after a marginal relent it seems to be coming back with frightening speed. However Pakistan continues to be spared from the worst of it. Taking advantage of this good fortune we want to cautiously reopen parts of our academic operation. So welcome to a somewhat داغ داغ اجالا (apologies to Faiz sahib).

Chris Taylor and his colleagues have done a remarkable job in quick transition planning. We are grateful to our faculty members for being flexible and passionately supportive to ensure a high quality delivery of all academic programs. There are going to be various phases of reopening in-person teaching & learning. Pivotal point to these phases would always be the safety and health of the community. Various trigger points are being highlighted, where we may be pushed to reduce the scope of our in-person operation. Conversely, if trends in Karachi/Pakistan remain in the right direction, i.e. pointing to continuous reduction in covid19 infections, we will gradually scale up, throughout this semester.

Navigating so many variables inevitably is going to be a bit confusing and at times irritating. I hope that the spirit of empathy and mutual support which has been shown for the last six months remains strong (Inshallah).

Please follow all health regulations (masks, distance, hand/general hygiene). Be extra careful if you’re experiencing any symptoms associated with coronavirus. Cooperate with administrative teams in these regards.

Special welcome to our fresh-person class of 2024. I wish you an wonderful transition from a virtual to a real Habib University campus experience. I am confident that as this semester unfolds, the remarkable uniqueness of Habib University’s curriculum and considerateness of Habib University’s community will become more and more inspiring for you.

Welcome back all! (لمبی تھی غم کی شام، مگر شام ہی تو تھی (مکرر معزرت فیض صاحب سے

Wasif A. Rizvi
President

Dear Habib University Community,

Welcome back! I hope that you’re safe and healthy Inshallah.

There’s guarded optimism in the air regarding the raging coronavirus pandemic.  However, to put things in a sobering perspective, I sent the first Monday message 147 days ago on March 23^rd.  At that time, there were 350,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection IN THE WORLD, with 17,000 fatalities.  In 147 days, total confirmed cases have grown to 21,845,000 with about 775,000 deaths.  This amounts to about 150,000 new cases and more than 5000 people dying every single day since March 23^rd.  We are thankful to a combination of factors and good fortune for not being hit as severely as many other parts of the world. Our thoughts and sympathies go out especially to the people in the US, South America and India where this pandemic continues to wreak havoc.

We in Pakistan are no way are out of the woods either. However, many societies have shown that sensible behavioral adjustments and hygiene are keys to keeping the growth of Covid19 in check.  I urge our community to set an example of similar thoughtful and responsible behavior.

Reflections & Acknowledgments:

Faculty:

Please join me in congratulating Chris Taylor and his team who with great help from Shahnoor Sultan and IT teams, analyzed, shortlisted, procured and operationalized an entirely new ecosystem of technology based intellectual fabric. This ecosystem allows great flexibility to support and facilitate a whole spectrum of fully virtual to being fully on campus learning.  The combination of Canvas/Panopto/Zoom provides a cutting-edge technology interface and makes Habib University comparable to any good institution in the world.

I am sure there’s a steep learning curve to get familiarized with the full scope of possibilities of these platforms, but there’s good reason to feel excited about the creative potential of these new forms of pedagogies.

Special thanks to faculty members operating in unfavorable time zones.  We are looking forward to faculty being physically back on campus by mid-September.

Students:

A big welcome, salaam and adaab to our freshmen class!  I hope you’ve been inspired by the wonderful orientation leaders, who have shown remarkable comradery and dedication in welcoming all of you to Habib University.  Obviously, these are less than ideal circumstances to commence your academic journey, but you’ll see that even in these trying times, Habib University is unique in its sincere support and focus on students’ wellbeing.

Best wishes and a big thank you to rising sophomores, juniors and seniors.  You’ve shown exemplary adaptability in adjusting adequately to this once in a century upheaval.

Enhancements in the LMS and technology tools won’t be without glitches and inconsistencies.  These challenges will require patience, diligence and a spirit of mutual support.  This is an opportunity for many students to showcase their intuitive tech-savviness, by helping and guiding the ones who may be struggling with these new tools.  Moreover, OAP, RO and the technology team will be regular trouble shooters for you.

All courses of the fall semester expect a high level of student engagement.  I urge all of you to ensure your sincere and diligent effort by demonstrating good work ethic.  This is a great opportunity to expand your imagination beyond the regular in-class assessments and grades, and look at more diverse way of demonstrating your commitment to learning.

Staff:

My congratulation and gratitude to all of our teams.  Following are some special mentions:

• Well done Recruitment and Admission teams for enrolling a wonderful class of 2024 during these most difficult circumstances.
• Congratulations to Marcom for creating fantastic productions for both the commencement and the welcoming ceremony for the new class.
• IT team deserves a special mention in ensuring this extreme transition in very tight timelines.
• Administration and Facilities teams deserve our gratitude to ensure a covid19-compliant campus.

In closing I want to quote a simple & elegant couplet of Maulana Rumi which captures the varying notes of the inevitable symphony of life. This symphony will always combine exasperations and joys together. This shair is also a good tafseer of the 5^th & 6^th ayats of the 94^th Sura of Quran.

تو گُل و من خار کہ پیوستہ ایم

بے گُل و بے خار نباشد چمن

Welcome back to our shared “chaman”.

With warm wishes & duas,

Wasif A. Rizvi
President

Dear Habib University Community,

It’s been a few weeks since my last message to all of you. These few weeks have been difficult for our community, our city and the country. As expected, we experienced a rapid upsurge in Covid-19 cases immediately after Eid ul Fitr. There are reports of our community members and their families getting sick and even few deaths. My sympathies for those who may have lost some loved one and duas and best wishes for the full recovery and “shifa” for the ailing ones.

Key Updates:
The month of June was devoted to forecasting and planning for the financial year 2020-21. While the terms “forecasting” and “planning” have acquired an unprecedentedly fluid meaning in the face of this historic challenge, the most crucial objective for Habib University’s leadership has been to ensure adequate support, stability and sustainability for our community during the coming year.

In adjusting to a during/post Covid-19 reality, we face myriad challenges like technology upgrades, logistics, health and safety and most dauntingly financial stability. It’s not hard to compute that one of our biggest sources of support, annual giving has been hit hard, due to reduced resources and changed priorities of many donors. This challenge is greatly compounded by the fact that many students are in greater need of financial support due to lessening of means in their households. As mentioned above, these issues are beyond the grasp of any model of forecasting or projections. However, Habib University’s institutional fabric is strong enough to withstand such unpredictability. Habib University’s planning DNA is rooted in first establishing key institutional principles and then creating objectives (emanating from those principles) to be met in the coming year.

Following are the principles, which form the bedrock of our plan for the coming year.

1. We will ensure that no student drops out due to financial difficulties:
   a) Students will be given multiple options of support ranging from additional financial aid to deferred fees. Details will be communicated by student finance
2.  We will not increase student fee (tuition or others).
3. We will provide technology help (computers, Internet etc.) to students who have a demonstrable need.
4.  We will not reduce full time faculty or staff numbers. We have honored all job offers made to new faculty members for the fall, even during this pandemic.
5. We will NOT cut or reduce any salaries.
6. We will invest strongly in acquiring appropriate and effective online platforms and technology to optimize the innovative potential of technology based learning possibilities.

If these principles seem counterintuitive to the profound economic and financial challenges which we are encountering, it’s because they are. However, they also indicate that ensuring a sense of security and stability in our community remains the most paramount objective of our planning. It’s obvious that these objectives won’t be possible to meet without making significant adjustments and changes. Following are a few of them:

1. There are not going to be any annual increments for staff or faculty.
2. Chris Taylor and the academic team have increased the teaching responsibilities for all faculty to reduce the burden of part time/adjunct expenses.
3. There’s a general freeze on all new hiring.
4. We have made serious cost cuts across the board in capital projects, operations, programs, etc.

Expectations/requests:
Students:

• Investment and commitment to students’ wellbeing is evident in the principles outlined above. We expect that our students will show exemplary work ethic and engagement with the efforts of the faculty & students support ecosystem (student life, student finance, OAP etc.). There are policies which are being put in place to ensure academic rigor in all our programs while we manage the dynamics of the hybrid of an on campus off campus scenario.
• Please ensure to fulfill your agreed financial commitments to the institution on time as delays may stress us more to provide timely help to your peers in need.
• We will truly appreciate any offer from students to take a temporary reduction in their current scholarship/financial aid, if they feel that they and their families can afford it. Amounts freed up from such gestures will mandatorily go to other students who are in urgent need for more financial aid. This would be a temporary adjustment and the full amount will be restored whenever a) the original recipient requires it and b) when situation returns to normal Inshallah in the coming months.

Faculty:

• First off, thank you for stepping up to improvise and adjust to such rapidly changing situations. We are confident to navigate these difficult waters because of your efforts.
• You may be aware that the biggest investment in these difficult financial times is being made in upgrading our online technologies. I hope a combination of physical limitations (due to circumstances) and these new platforms will act as grounds for inspiration and innovations. I am looking forward to seeing Habib University faculty and students generating multiple examples of engaging pedagogy along with curation of diverse digital learning communities.

Staff:

• Thank you all for ensuring that institution remains on track to fulfill our key commitments to our larger community.
• We are looking forward to a continuation of good work ethic and meeting of our important targets for the coming year. Student success and sustainability form two of our three main strategic objectives. Many staff teams play a leading role in meeting the yearly milestones for these objectives. Keep refreshing your insight and understanding of the University’s mission by being curious and engaged. It will give a clearer sense of purpose, focus and positive energy to your efforts.

It’s been nearly 40 days, since our dear colleague Dr. Asif Farrukhi left us abruptly. We all miss him dearly. He was my usual guide to finding the most appropriate Urdu couplets to conclude a written message or a speech. As a tribute to Asif, I am picking two couplets from Khwaja Haider Ali Aatish, who was one of Asif’s favorites. He once told me that there wouldn’t be a Ghalib without Aatish & Nasikh and the golden era of ghazals which these two maestros presided over.

These two couplets capture the energy and inspiration led by our faculty members to accept the logistical and intellectual challenge posed by a historic disruption in our everyday lives.

سفر ہے شرط مسافر نواز بہتیرے
ہزار ہا شجر سایہ دار راہ میں ہے

تھکیں جو پاؤں تو چل سر کے بل نہ ٹھہر آتشؔ
گل مراد ہے منزل میں خار راہ میں ہے

Best Wishes and Duas,

Wasif A. Rizvi
President

As we approach the convocation ceremony to celebrate your graduation on 18th July, the Office of Student Life is pleased to announce the following events from this week onwards to bid farewell to you all. Apart from a few, most events will also invite the entire HU community and Insha-Allah, we will have a memorable time together. I would like to acknowledge the hard work of my team and continued support of the HUSG and graduation committee who will continue to work with us to plan and organize these online events. You will receive details on each activity in due course and hope all of you will participate in full and also enjoy these moments with your colleagues and the HU community at large.

Dear HU Community,

Your at-home access to Adobe Creative Cloud is ready, currently granted access through July 6, 2020 and Adobe will update this date based on how the situation evolves.

Your license enables access to recent versions of Adobe Creative Cloud desktop apps such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign and more. You can download the latest version of the apps.

Check your emails for the guide and FAQ’s for your technical assistance. Our goal is to ensure maximum remote access that students, faculty and staff can continue teaching, learning and working remotely until normal operations and labs access resumes.

Support & Queries: servicedesk@habib.edu.pk

Happy Computing!
IT Department

Dear Habib University Community,

I hope that you and your loved ones have been safe and healthy during this summer break.

Many of you may have been aware of the federal government’s announcement vis-à-vis educational institutions to remain closed until (at least) July 15th. In the midst of mixed messaging from various levels of authorities, the policy regarding educational institutions seems consistent. Coronavirus pandemic has been wreaking unabated havoc in many parts of the world, with the epicenter gradually shifting to Brazil, which is the largest country in the southern hemisphere. Covid-19 is ravaging through poor parts of Brazil. This may be a presentiment of a bad picture for Pakistan, as there are similarities in socioeconomic circumstances between Pakistan and Brazil. We need to remain responsible and careful in our personal conducts of social distancing, mandatory wearing of masks when outside and frequent handwashing.

This policy announced for universities by the government has resulted in the following outcome for our various communities.

Students:

Class of 2020

•  One of our key foci is to ensure that we adequately conclude the last semester for our graduating class. Special measures are being put in place to ensure that all students of class of 2020 are given special assistance and support to overcome any lags in academic requirements of their final semester. Please contact OAP and the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education for specific details.
•  For a small number of graduating students, for whom accessing campus may be crucial in finishing some studio or lab work, Assistant dean of undergraduate education is the coordinating authority.
• An online/virtual convocation will be held on July 18th to ensure that all graduating students receive their Habib University degree and transcripts for their further endeavors. However we know that in person commencement ceremony is a fruition of four years of hard work and anticipation. We are making a formal commitment to class of 2020 to host their exclusive ceremony any time in the coming months, whenever it is safe to do so. Your names however will be etched on the stairs of our amphitheater as our brilliant trailblazers. Inshallah when we will have our in person commencement ceremony we would proudly sit with you in that amphitheater for a customary commemorative picture.

Fees & finances

•  Those of you who may have paid any convocation ceremony fee, it will be either counted towards your dues and in case of no outstanding dues, it will be returned to you.
•  Knowing the logistical and other difficulties, we are further extending the fee payment deadlines by a month to June 15th.
• Those who paid any hostel fees for the months of closure/non utilization would be reimbursed, and university will bear the hostel rental costs.

Remaining semester

• Online line classes will commence during the first week of June.
• There is special flexibility being developed for those who may struggle to access internet due to various issues. Please contact the office of Vice President of Academic Affairs for specific assistance or clarity.
• Gradings for this semester remains a voluntary option of pass/un-pass (fail)

Fall 2020

• VPAA and his team are developing a detailed framework for an adjusted fall semester. This would entail a hybrid of online and on campus engagements. This would ensure a low number of people present on campus at any given time, allowing social distancing and other health measures to be in effect.
• To ensure adequate capacity for all our students in engaging with this new normal, Habib University is raising resources to provide personal tech support to students who may not be able to afford it at home

Faculty & Staff:

•  Thank you for the extraordinary adaptation and improvisation in all aspects of academic, technological and logistical planning. Due to your diligence and thoughtfulness, Habib University continues to manage this disorienting crisis effectively and empathetically.
• There are confusing signals from authorities especially after the recent supreme court ruling. Both Vice Presidents and Human Resources are crafting a framework allowing faculty and staff to have controlled physical access to the campus. That framework will be communicated to all of you after the Eid break.

We are living through a decisively transformative episode of history, where the nature of this transformation is largely obscure. In large parts, the fine tuning out of this obscurity, is in our hands. We have been given two extraordinary opportunities;

1. Of time & space to consciously reflect on what had become internalized and unconscious in the name of “normal” & “routine.”
2. Of creativity and imagination to redefine what should be “normal” & “routine,” especially in the light of our extraordinary experiences of the last couple of months.

There are inspiring evidences that many of our colleagues are engaging adequately and eagerly with both of these opportunities. Creative influence of such colleagues will redefine and inspire both an enhanced academic experience and professional fabric for Habib University in the post-Covid-19 world.

Be safe and healthy and have a wonderful Eid break.

Best wishes & duas,

Wasif A. Rizvi
President

Dear All

Greetings!

Thank you for your support and participation in our online events held in April 2020. There were some sessions in which we had 65+ student-participants – Thank you!!

Please see below the activities planned for the month of May 2020. We are proud of our students clubs & chapters for volunteering to arrange some sessions which are included in the activities calendar. You may have noticed some new initiatives of the Student Life details of which will be shared with you in due course. Also, you will receive a poster / email with additional information on each event well ahead of time. We hope to see you all participate in these online sessions.  In case of any queries, feedback or suggestions, please write to us on life@habib.edu.pk

Stay safe!

Regards,
Shamez Mukhi
Director Student Life

Dear HU community

As you are aware a number of publishers and vendors have opened up their collections and resources to support research and learning during the pandemic. Library team has compiled the list along with URLs and description and have made it available on the library website. The list can be accessed by clicking the COVID-19 & Learning Continuity Tab available on the library website.

For further information or query, feel free to contact us through e-mail or via online chat reference available at library.habib.edu.pk

Stay Safe

Dear Colleagues,

As per our previous anticipation, we were supposed to reopen the campus for staff and faculty on May 4th. Unfortunately due to extremely confused and inconsistent messages from various levels of the government, coupled with misinformation and speculations, situation in Karachi seems to be getting worse. Credible members of the medical community also shares this concern. Moreover the advent of Ramzan and ensuing religious gatherings are inevitably going to act as an aggravating infectious vector for the virus.

In view of the above, we have decided to continue the WFH (work from home) protocol till the end of Ramzan. However there are crucial aspects of planning, maintenance and physical reconfigurations which will require many team members to access the campus intermittently. We have collected data from all departments to ascertain these tasks. To undertake such assignments, department heads will develop a schedule to assemble their teams for specific tasks which require accessing the campus. However any campus access will have to be approved in-writing by the following;

a) Vice President Operations and Finance, Shahnoor Sultan (for all non-academic matters),
b) Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Chris Taylor (for all academic matters)
c) Director Student Success, Yasmeen Bano (for student success and career planning matters)

Moreover a thorough and strict regimen for safety, hygiene and social distancing will be enforced for everyone who accesses the campus. Ali Pasha, who chairs our coronavirus response task force, will be circulating these protocols to all, during next week.

By all careful estimations, we are at the beginning of this crisis. Historical records show that the first iterations of all pandemics are usually much smaller than their second wave. I hope all of us are utilizing this radically altered reality to refine our skills in improvising and working with virtual/online tools. It’s more than likely that we would be resorting to these skills recurrently in the coming months.

Wishing all of you a blessed and socially distanced Ramzan.

Wasif A. Rizvi
President

Dear Colleagues,

We are hoping that you and your loved ones are in good health.

As you are aware that in order to control the outbreak of COVID-19, the government has decided to extend the lockdown till April 30, 2020. Keeping in view the health and well- being of our employees, the management has decided to keep the campus closed till May 3, 2020.

Between April 26 and May 3, only essential staff may be required to visit the campus to ensure the campus is fully ready for the fellow colleagues to report back on May 4, 2020.

In the meantime we may reach out to you to gather some information related to your health and safety.

Ramzan timings and SoPs to report back on campus will be communicated within this week through a separate communication.

We appreciate your cooperation and dedication as you continue to work from home in these challenging times.

Stay safe!

Regards,

Human Resources

The Writing Tutors will be available all through the summer break, and will continue to support you with all your reading and writing needs. The Writing Center will provide the following online services through the summer break beginning April 30^th and ending May 31^st.

• One on one tutoring (just book an appointment to meet with a Writing Tutor) https://huwc.youcanbook.me/
• Workshops (Click on the link to join – code: rwwit58)
  • How to Search for Grad schools
  • IELTS Workshop
  • TOEFL Workshop
• Reading Circles (Click on the link to join – code: rwwit58)
  • Reading Circle-Social Theory
  • Reading Circle-What is Modernity?
  • Reading Circle-Logical Problem Solving
  • Reading Circle-PAMSA
• Thesis Support for AHSS and DSSE students – through the thesis support program, the Writing Center seeks to support you with:
  • Grammar and Punctuation
  • Structuring your paper
  • Improving the overall flow of your paper
  • Fleshing out your arguments
  • Integrating primary and secondary sources within the paper

Just book an appointment at https://huwc.youcanbook.me/

The EHSAS Center is offering summer support courses from 20th April 2020 to 29 May 2020. Any enrolled student at Habib University can access these sessions using the links provided. These sessions will be conducted using MS Teams as usual. EHSAS tutors will be present online at their designated time. Their schedules can be viewed HERE.

Here are the list of courses with their joining links:

1. Calculus II – click HERE
   
2. Computer Architecture – click HERE
3. Data Structures II – click HERE
   
4. Discrete Math – click HERE
5. Digital Logic & Design (DLD) – click HERE
   
6. Data Structures and Algorithm (DSA) – click HERE
7. Electric Circuit Analysis (ECA) – click HERE
   
8. Electric Machines – click HERE
9. Electromagnetic Theory – click HERE
   
10. Industrial Instrumentation – click HERE
11. Nature of Computation (NoC) – click HERE
    
12. Programming Fundamentals (PFun) – click HERE
13. Power Electronics – click HERE
    
14. Probability & Statistics – click HERE
15. SQL – click HERE
    
16. Mechanics & Thermodynamics – click HERE
17. Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) – click HERE
    
18. Jehan e Urdu – click HERE
19. Logical Problem Solving – click HERE
20. Engineering Economics – click HERE
21. Scientific Methods – click HERE

For any questions or concerns, please email at kazim.raza@habib.edu.pk

Dear Habib University Community,

First of all, I pray that you and your loved ones are safe.

News on the coronavirus front is mixed at best. On the positive side, with unprecedented adjustments and slowdowns, growth rate of coronavirus hasn’t accelerated in the last one week. Nevertheless there are roughly 100,000 new cases reported every day from around the world. News at home is gradually getting a bit worrisome. Some of you may have heard about new clusters being found in Karachi. Many of these clusters are in very crowded low-income parts of town, which is particularly concerning.

There’s better news on the mortality front. Fortunately we haven’t been hit with waves of very serious patients or high numbers of fatalities.  Medical research or protocols have not been able to suggest anything more effective than social distancing and maximum possible isolation, combined with a detailed antiseptic hygienic routine. This routine includes frequent hand washing, ensuring disinfecting of used surfaces, doors, change of clothes, disinfecting soles of shoes etc.  There are now very good videos and other guidelines available online to reorient our lives. Please keep knowing more. One curve which need not be flattened is the learning curve about our new reality.

This is the last week of online classes before the summer break. First following are some important announcements.

For Students:

1. With the break coming up students can look forward to keeping themselves engaged with creative, academic, and reflective activities during this time. The following will be available to all students during the break:
2. Faculty webinars – HU faculty will conduct weekly webinars for any student to join focusing on how to enrich learning, topics of global importance and how students can pursue their academic interest during this time.
3. Office of Academic Performance – OAP will offer a number of summer academic support sessions through EHSAS and Writing Center via peer tutors. Students are encouraged to use the break as an opportunity to improve on their skills.
4. Office of Career Services – OCS will be offering multiple online sessions, live with faculty, particularly to support graduate school application process. Sessions will also be conducted online for mock interviews, resume writing, networking and negotiations, to name a few. Graduating class and Class of 2021 should actively avail these opportunities and register.
5. Office of Health and Wellness – the student life team has already initiated a number of activities to support students with staying active, energetic, and to help reflect on the current crisis. We hope that you avail these opportunities.

For Faculty:

1. It was encouraging to know that over 60 faculty members attended the online monthly faculty meeting. It is reassuring to see faculty dedication to ensuring that we achieve our academic goals, improve student experience with online learning. Through the Associate Dean of Teaching, Learning and Research, faculty members should look forward to more resources and support to enhance online learning capabilities during the break. We are also exploring multiple possibilities of enhancing our online teaching capabilities for the future.

For Staff:

1. Online Learning: I would like to thank all the staff working actively to support online teaching and learning activities, particularly the Information Technology team. Thank you for your active response to student, faculty and staff technology requests and issues.
2. Campus Preparations in view of Covid-19: Although the exact date remains very uncertain but to prepare for our return on campus, the facilities, HR and other department representatives are working closely to create a working space that allows for physical distancing and ensuring that spaces are disinfected. Please look forward to hearing from the Human Resources on updates in this regard. We would appreciate that all members cooperate and show patience during this workplace transition.

 Important General information:

I would urge all of you to watch this candid, raw, heartfelt message from a young ER doctor from Karachi who’s at the very front of the frontline, confronting COVID-19 in New York. New York state alone has more cases of coronavirus than any other COUNTRY in the world. His message is for everyone in Pakistan and especially focusing on Karachi, a city which he seemingly knows intimately well.

https://www.facebook.com/siraj.memon.908/videos/3124716607561078/

This message should put the medical challenge and intensity of this disease in sharp perspective.  This message is a passionate appeal to all young people to be more watchful. Young and mobile people around the world have acted as the asymptomatic carriers for the virus to infect more vulnerable members of their families and communities. I would reiterate a similar appeal to all the younger members of Habib University’s community.

I want to say a longer goodbye in view of your summer break. Thus far we continue to feel optimistic about the prospect of restarting our on campus classes on June 1^st.  Please remain engaged with all the relevant offices for specific information.  We will continue to take stock of the situation and I will update you all, at the beginning of next month.

I will close today with the help of two contemporary Urdu literature masters. .  Literature usually is a phenomenal portal for us to become conscious of our intuitions especially in face of such extraordinary experiences.  Iftikhar Arif Sahib signals to a profound possibility in our disengaged state from everyday mundanities.

امید و بیم کے محور سے ہٹ کے دیکھتے ہیں

ذرا سی دیر کو دنیا سے کٹ کے دیکھتے ہیں

In the other touching poem, Amjad Islam Amjad Sahib draws our attention to the magic of small contributions in reclaiming our agency and hope.

میں جانتا ہوں کہ میری کم تاب

روشنی سے سحر نہ ہو گی

مگرمیں پھر بھی سیاہ شب کا

غبار بن کر نہیں جیوں گا

کرن ہو کتنی نحیف لیکن کرن ہے پھر بھی

وہ ترجماں ہے کہ روشنی کا وجود زندہ ہے

اور جب تک

یہ روشنی کا وجود زندہ ہے رات اپنے

سیاہ پنجوں کو جس قدربھی درازکر لے

کہیں سے سورج نکل پڑے گا

Shams/Sooraj/Aftab is our cosmic protector, in more ways than one, InshAllah.

With duas and best wishes,
Wasif

Dear Habib University Community,

I hope and pray that you’re all safe and doing very well .

I want to start with sharing very guarded optimism about the coronavirus pandemic. There are ever so slight signs of slowing the growth of infection at a global level. Overall global mortality rate is slightly down as well. Pakistan continues to fare a bit better than the global average. It’s obvious that due to low testing rates in Pakistan, the overall numbers of infected can’t be ascertained. However extreme illness and mortality rates, which are difficult to ignore, remain manageable. In large part its due to good sensible local policies with the help of cooperation of a majority of citizens. There’s no other magic formula to manage this pandemic except to minimize exposure (stay at home), social distancing, and general disinfecting hygiene especially for hands. Major onus of responsibility to control the spread, remains on healthy and younger people who may be unwitting careers of virus, which we now know can infect others, just by having a normal conversation or even breathing.

As we move closer to our force majeure summer break, I have some updates;

For Students:

Student’s reflections & appreciation.

There are many reasons for us to be elated and humbled by the wonderful appreciation shown by a vast majority of our students for their faculty members and university at large. I want to especially acknowledge a beautiful tribute compiled by HUSG with the help of Marium Jamal & Maryam Feroze, for the whole faculty. Thank you Anzal, Roha, Safi & Mashal for showing such thoughtfulness. And thank you to all students who participated and graced this publication with their gratitude for the faculty members.

Similarly Omema Akhtar wrote a lovely and heartfelt blog about the tumultuous rollercoaster that coronavirus pandemic has put us on. This blog is written with a personal perspective of a senior’, who understandably are faced with many confusions and uncertainties. Omema’s reflections however are uplifting and hopeful and also filled with sincere gratitude and appreciation for her peers, faculty and the institution.

Summer Break:

Roughly six weeks of summer break start on April  18^th till May 31^st. Please coordinate with OAP and the registrar’s office for any clarification for individual and specific issues regarding catch up tutorials or summer classes.Right now we are hoping to commence on-campus classes on June 1^st. However in such a fluid and unpredictable situation please keep monitoring your emails for any change of schedule.

For Class of 2020:

We are hoping to host a controlled and small-size convocation on July 18^th on campus. It is however subject to further adjustment and change of format.

For Faculty & Community:

In spirit of our robust continuation of progress in spite of this big disruption, I am honored to announce a great deal of enhancement in support of the office of Vice President Academic Affairs effective retrospectively from March 1^st.

• Dr. Aamer Hasan has been appointed as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education
• Dr. Anzar Khaliq has been appointed as Associate Dean of Teaching, Learning and Research
• Dr. Shahid Shaikh has been appointed as Associate Dean of Academic Systems (Registrar) and operations.
• Dr. Massimo Ramaioli has been appointed as Assistant Dean of the School of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences
• Dr. Waqar Saleem has been appointed as Assistant Dean of the Dhanani School of Science and Engineering

Vice President Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, Dr. Chris Taylor, will be sending a detailed announcements of these appointments along with their scope of responsibilities.  All of these five faculty members are either from our founding faculty or have been with our young institution for few years. They have repeatedly shown exemplary leadership in various roles and assignments. Habib University is indebted to their service and dedication. Many congratulations to them.

For Staff:

Work is underway to reconfigure the campus when/if we return on campus. Let’s hope the warm weather is a good and positive omen for slowing down of the spread of coronavirus and with necessary precautions we can return to on campus work. Operations and HR will be in more detailed communications with everyone regarding that.

I want to close today with a simple tribute to extraordinary and noble heroes, from cleaning crew, doctors, nurses, and anyone staking their health on the front line of this pandemic around the world; “Not all heroes wear capes…but a whole dedicated bunch of them wear scrubs”.  Something to think about when we organize our next HU-CON.

With warm and sincere wishes & Duas,

Wasif A. Rizvi
President

The offices of Student Life, Health & Wellness and Residential Life are pleased to share with you our Activities Calendar – April 2020.
You will notice some activities offered by our student-led clubs and chapters. We would like to thank our patrons and especially student-leaders for taking excellent initiatives.
You will be notified with details on each activity including event date, time and duration, facilitator’s name, session link, etc. well ahead of time. We urge you to support us with your participation online.
In case of any queries, suggestions or for further details, please contact us on life@habib.edu.pk

We wish you good health – stay safe!

Regards
Shamez Mukhi
Director Student Life

Dear Students,

As you might have noticed, our settings in You Can Book Me did not previously allow you to book an immediate appointment – you had to book at least 30 minutes in advance. We have now changed that to 5 minutes to better accommodate all of you. You can now see a Writing Tutor within 5 minutes of having booked your appointment – this allows for the illusion of a walk –in.

All best,
The Writing Center Team.

Dear Habib University Community,

I hope and pray that you and your families are safe and healthy. Apologies for being a day late in sending this message.

There’s somewhat grim news on the coronavirus front. Since my last mail, the number of infections around the world is well over doubled  (350,0000 to 790,000). The death toll has risen by a horrific 250% in just last 8 days.  In Pakistan too the number of cases are steadily rising.  There’s a glimmer of good news in Pakistan that the rate of growth of this infection hasn’t reached ominous proportions yet. There are good and sensible steps being taken by the government of Sindh to continue to keep this problem within a manageable range especially in a densely populated city like Karachi. The onus of the success of this strategy is on all of us. While Pakistan can’t realistically mobilize testing and health management on a scale of South Korea, the basic formula of management everywhere in the world is exactly the same.  Modification of behavior (social distancing) and personal hygiene( repeated and proper handwashing).  Young people continue to be a key to keeping this epidemic under control. Young people are typically more mobile and can put the spread of this virus on steroids.  As I mentioned Pakistan in general has been among the more fortunate regions where severe illness and deaths are still relatively low. BUT the virus is lurking around and is gradually expanding its footprint and now is the time to show more resilience and patience to keep the spread as low as possible. Seemingly low numbers have led to catastrophic missteps by authorities around the world. An example of such a fateful miscalculation was of hosting of a football match in a packed stadium played in Milan in February. Almost 80% of infections in Italy and Spain are traced to have originated from that stadium.  More than 20,000 people have already died in these two countries.

It’s been exactly a month since our daily lives were abruptly transformed.  This disruption is particularly disorienting for educational institutions since we are strictly governed by calendars and timelines. Our students, faculty and staff have done a truly commendable job in handling this gargantuanly abrupt transformation.  Following are some updates;

For Students:

A big thank you to all of you for showing exemplary patience in dealing with unevenness and frustrations of online classes. Issues of technology, internet connections, confusions regarding content, instruction, assignments and assessment etc. are complex and annoying problems. Thank you for doing your absolute best to remain engaged with the process.

Grades and summer break:

• Our Faculty members have overwhelmingly supported the a pass/un-pass grading for spring of 2020 as an option for students. Students who wish to take a letter grade can still do so. In view of pass/un-pass semester, details regarding managing ongoing meritorious awards and commencement awards are being finalized and will be communicated to you shortly.
• Summer break is from April 18^th till May 31^st.  We are working on availability of tutors and counselors, to help those students who struggled with online learning due to many impediments, during this break.
• Academic leadership and OAP are also arranging for intensive summer offerings for those students who need some crucial credits to graduate and remain on track with their peers. These details will be sent out soon.
• We are all hopeful to return on campus on June 1^st. Detailed guidelines to observe health and safety protocols while being on campus are being developed.

For Faculty and Staff:

Please accept my gratitude for being such and inspiration in dealing with this crisis. You all have been continuously providing support to wherever it’s needed even during these challenging times. Thank you!

Timeline and some initiatives:

• Two of our young team members, Aqsa Junejo and Amar Sham are hosting an appropriate and much needed bulletin, Corona sey Agahi, on understanding Coronavirus through data analysis. They will be welcoming many faculty members who are experts in helping us understand various dimensions of this historic challenge.
• Some faculty members are working on a Pakistan specific dashboard, being inspired by Johns Hopkins university’s remarkable effort. Vice President for Academic Affairs will be updating us on this very important initiative.
• Timeline to return on campus for staff remains fluid and also depends on government directives. Whenever these restrictions are eased, we will NOT rush back to on campus work. The first step would be to reconfigure the campus physically in line with safety protocols of space and social distancing. Only after we have made appropriate arrangements, we will invite our staff back on campus.

I am closing today with a succinct quote from the grand ancient sage, Plato. “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.
2500 years old pithy advice, perfect for our times of rampant and toxic narcissism that are being shaken to the core by the sheer scope and speed of this pandemic. All around us these words are manifestly true. There’s a mandatory duty on all of us to offer a helping hand to those who are in the midst of fighting much harder battles than our own.

My absolute best wishes and duas,

Wasif A. Rizvi
President

Library and Information Commons Introduces Online Chat & Reference Service | Mon – Sat 10:00 am to 8:00 p.m. | https://library.habib.edu.pk

1. Through HU VPN, you can search articles from 7000+ online journals and browse 390,000 e-books from Home
   1. Open your computer’s web browser and type https://vpn.habib.edu.pk
   2. put your login id (for e.g. az01564) and HU e-mail password and click Login
   3. click on the desired database and start searching
2. The books you have checked out during 2nd week of February have been renewed till April 30th 2020
3. Library staff is happily available to respond to your queries and requests
   1. Write to library@habib.edu.pk faiz.ahmed@habib.edu.pk

Dear Students,

I hope you and your families are keeping well.

As you are aware, our mental health counselors provide confidential counselling service to our HU community.

We would like to inform you that in the present situation our counselors are offering confidential ‘online consultation’ to our community every day from 10am to 8pm.
For appointments, please visit the link given on the poster below. In case of any queries, please email our Health & Wellness Manager, Zain Abbas.
Thank you and please take care of yourselves and your families.

Sincerely,
Shamez Mukhi
Office of Health & Wellness

Dear Habib University Community,

First of all I hope and pray that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy.

In these uncertain and confusing times I wish to regularly communicate key decisions, announcements and information to our community.  Moreover I want to emphasize an important point. Coronavirus crisis is changing our structural relationship with time.  Plans, announcements and decisions are no longer about months, weeks or even days. We are in an hourly shifting reality now. I urge all of us to build conscious insight and appreciation about this new and confusing situation.

Since last Monday, confirmed Coronavirus infections around the world have nearly doubled from about 180,000 on March 16^th to 350,000 as of now. The death toll is also more than doubled in a span of a mere one week. Reminding us once again that we are required to navigate through denials, disbeliefs and panic to understand the grim scale of this exponentially growing threat.  I hope all of us are observing the safety and hygiene protocols which are now very well know. Paradoxically there is a heavy onus of responsibility on young and seemingly healthy people. They may not exhibit symptoms or feel any illness. However they can still be infected and spread the virus to more vulnerable members of their family and community. The protocol of social distancing and frequent hand cleaning then becomes more crucial for those who are physically healthy and mobile.

For Students:

First off, I am very elated to see the appreciation, support and acknowledgment of students for the faculty and staff who have worked heroically to shift in class instruction to online platforms in matter of days. Even courses and disciplines which are traditionally difficult to shift online have made the switch quite adequately. Thank you students for acknowledging the efforts of our wonderful faculty members. I have the following key announcements which I hope will further facilitate navigating through the limitations in which we are operating.

Financial adjustments and reliefs:

• We are extending the semester fee submission deadline by two months. Original deadline was March 13^th, the new deadline is now May 15^th without any late fee etc.
• Students who had lost their scholarships and financial aid for the Spring of 2020, their scholarship and financial aid will be restored, understanding that it may be an additional pressure point for them and their families.
• Performance in Spring 2020 semester will not be counted for scholarship and financial aid calculations.

Grades and completion of work:

• Faculty leadership are considering to allow students the option to take either a letter grade or pass/un-pass for courses being offered online right now (Spring 2020). This will give individual students the option to choose, considering that some students would want a letter grade on their transcript.
• We are optimistic to assemble on campus from June 1^st till mid-July to complete on campus (lab, studio) work required for various courses. At this point we have plans to host a graceful commencement ceremony for class of 2020 on July 18^th

Recognition & Gratitude:

• Reemphasizing the gratitude for our faculty members who have made rapid adjustments to adapt to teach online courses.
• Gratitude for our diligent and tireless staff members in all teams and departments, especially security teams, technology teams, health and wellness, cleaning staff, and administration and maintenance teams. Thank you for your hard and appropriate work in face of such confusion and demands to improvise in very short time windows.

I want to close by paraphrasing Mehmet Murad ildan (Turkish playwright).  People who feel sad that they did not witness extraordinary times of history, now have their wish granted, reminding us once again, ordinary days are usually the best days!

Best wishes and duas,
Wasif A. Rizvi

President

Dear All Students,

We hope you are keeping well and taking appropriate measures for your health and safety during these challenging times.

In view of the present circumstances and inaccessibility to campus resources, we at the Office of Career Services (OCS) would like to make sure that our team is available to support you with your queries and provide necessary guidance on Career Services related matters as per the standard protocols. In this regard, we would like to bring into your awareness the different ways of communication to get in touch with OCS representatives for any help that you may require. You may request an OCS representative for support/guidance via Email, Phone call or a Skype session, if necessary.

How to do it?
You can simply send an email addressing to a specific representative (mentioned below) and share your contact number/Skype id for us to contact you back. Please find below the information and contact details of OCS Representatives pertaining to your query.

For Student Employment: Please email Khurram.jamal@habib.edu.pk
For Grad School Application and General Career Counseling: Please email Urooj.Durrani@habib.edu.pk
For Employment Opportunities: Mohammad Owais and Leena Tayyaba: Please email mohammad.owais@habib.edu.pk and leena.tayyaba@habib.edu.pk

For any other general query, you may contact us on 0312-2338408 (Career Services) or drop an email to Career.Services@habib.edu.pk copying any of the respective team members mentioning the support required.

We have also introduced a WhatsApp group for the graduating Class of 2020 which will connect them with all the OCS members to urgently address all their career related queries.

Please do not hesitate to contact me on my email/contact number Shoaib.khan@habib.edu.pk in case you wish to speak directly with me.

Shoaib Khan
Head of Career Services