Welcome to the August edition of Habitus!
This issue celebrates a landmark quarter for Habib University, marked by the arrival of our largest-ever Class of 2029, supported by a record number of scholarships and financial aid—reinforcing our commitment to access and excellence. We honor the Class of 2025 with standout final-year projects and a powerful Convocation address by President Wasif Rizvi. Covering stories from June, July, and the first week of August, this edition features inspiring alumni journeys, distinguished academic offerings, Pedagogical Development Week 2025, and spirited community moments that together capture Habib’s intellect, spirit, and growing global impact.
Featured Section
Habib University Welcomes Largest Class of 2029 with Unprecedented Scholarships
On August 8, 2025, Habib University welcomed its largest incoming class, the Class of 2029, with record fully funded scholars and its most generous aid awards, beginning Zero Week, the signature program fostering holistic education, inclusive access, and a vibrant community.
Celebrating the Class of 2025’s Graduation
Habib University proudly hosted its 8th Convocation Ceremony, celebrating the academic excellence, and transformative journeys of the Class of 2025. The event honored 237 graduates shaped by Habib’s distinctive liberal arts and sciences education, rooted in the philosophy of Yohsin: thoughtful self-cultivation. This year’s ceremony reflected the impact of a reparative curriculum, one that challenges conventional norms, fosters critical consciousness, and empowers students to become ethical leaders and agents of change in an increasingly complex world.
President Wasif Rizvi’s Charge to the Graduates
In a stirring address, President Wasif Rizvi called graduates to moral clarity, conscious action, and remembrance. Rooted in Yohsin, Habib University’s philosophical core, his message urged them to enter the world not to conquer it, but to resist its violence and preserve its beauty. He reminded them that their education is not a credential, but a lamp to guide them through life’s storms. The convocation honored truth, gratitude, and dignity, inviting students to become stewards of memory and embodiments of inner beauty and ethical purpose.
SOARING SUCCESS
Students, Faculty Honored with 2025 Awards, President’s Medal, Teaching Excellence
Habib University hosted its annual Awards Night, honoring the academic excellence, leadership, and community contributions of the graduating Class of 2025. The evening featured Program and Teaching Awards, the prestigious President’s Medal, and the announcement of the Convocation speaker as class valedictorian. Celebrating outstanding achievements across all undergraduate programs, the event highlighted the wide impact of a Habib education and the diverse talents cultivated within its intellectually vibrant, socially conscious, and values-driven academic community
Alumni In Focus: Novaira Khan’s Career in Public Service
Novaira Khan, a Social Development and Policy graduate from Habib University’s Class of 2020, is redefining public service through empathy and intellect. Inspired by her heritage and shaped by Habib’s interdisciplinary education, she cleared the CSS exam on her first attempt and now serves in Pakistan’s Audit and Accounts Service. Her journey exemplifies how liberal arts graduates can lead transformative change, bridging policy with compassion, and affirms that purpose-driven education at Habib empowers individuals to pursue impactful, values-based careers in the service of society.
Interactive Urdu Console Dibi Developed by Communication and Design Student
Raised in Dubai with conversational Urdu but no formal instruction, Haya Imtiaz, a Communication and Design student at Habib University, found her passion for language learning through the Jehan-e-Urdu course of the Habib Liberal Core. This journey inspired Dibi – Huruf Abad Edition, her thesis project that reimagines Urdu education for children aged 5 to 9. Dibi is a play-based console with tactile inputs, making Urdu interactive, joyful, and developmentally engaging. It bridges cultural heritage with innovation, standing as a testament to thoughtful design.
FOSTERING INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
Pedagogical Development Week 2025: Reimagining Education Through Innovation
Habib University’s commitment to transformative education is anchored in pedagogical innovation. Through the Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL), faculty are supported in designing inclusive, contextually relevant courses that foster collaboration and critical engagement. OTL cultivates a vibrant academic community and leads Pedagogical Development Week (PDW), an annual initiative equipping educators with tools to meet evolving student needs. Through workshops and dialogue, PDW reinforces Habib’s values, advancing dynamic teaching practices that empower students to become thoughtful contributors in an ever-changing global landscape.
Course Spotlight: Teaching Saadat Hasan Manto in Our Times
“For me as an instructor, Manto Naama reaffirmed the power of literature to disquiet, to illuminate, and to transform.” Manto Naama, taught by Inamullah Nadeem, Associate Professor of Comparative Humanities at Habib University, was a rigorous and emotionally charged summer 2025 course exploring Saadat Hasan Manto’s provocative legacy. Through literature, ethics, trauma theory, and postcolonial critique, students engaged with themes of identity, violence, and resistance. The course transformed the classroom into a space of conscience, where Manto’s unsettling truths challenged students to see, reflect, and respond with intellectual and emotional depth.
Promoting Technical Advancement, Diversity, and Sustainability: DURS 2025
The Dhanani School Undergraduate Research Symposium (DURS) 2025 celebrated innovation, diversity, and sustainability at Habib University. Hosted by DSSE, the event spotlighted cutting-edge student research in AI, robotics, cybersecurity, and ethical tech. Featuring expert panels and a keynote address by Dr. Muhammad Sabieh Anwar, DURS convened students, academics, and industry leaders for a day of dialogue and discovery. The symposium underscored Habib’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning, technical advancement, and fostering a vibrant, inclusive culture of undergraduate research that responds to global challenges.
Impact Through Involvement: My Reflections from Imagining Futures Conference 2025
Volunteering at the Imagining Futures Conference 2025 became a defining experience for Habibah Rahman, a rising SDP major at Habib University. From interviewing UNDP representatives to supporting a live Policy Hackathon, she witnessed her classroom learning come alive through real-world impact. Her favorite moment? Participating in a roundtable with global human rights leaders: a conversation that left her inspired and reaffirmed her passion for advocacy. For Habibah, the conference was an opportunity to engage in meaningful work. It deepened her understanding of the complex challenges shaping our world and the collaborative spirit needed to address them.
Cultivating connections, nurturing community growth
Habib University Hosts its Inaugural Community Dinner in New York City
On June 13, 2025, Habib University hosted its inaugural U.S. community dinner at the prestigious University Club of Manhattan. Titled “The Beginning Belongs to You,” the event brought together business leaders, academics, philanthropists, and long-standing supporters for an evening of dialogue and reflection on Pakistan’s escalating higher education crisis. The gathering also spotlighted Habib’s pioneering, community-funded model, underscoring its unwavering commitment to expanding access, fostering intellectual rigor, and redefining excellence in liberal arts and sciences education for future generations.
Reimagining Education in a Fractured World: With Gratitude to Our Mohsineen
In a world grappling with deepening injustice, Habib University stands as a beacon of ethical education and inclusive access. In 2025, it welcomed its largest class to date: 370 students, with 86% receiving financial aid, made possible by the Mohsineen’s visionary support. Through HU TOPS and the Equal Opportunity Program (EOP), underserved students now enter transformative spaces of intellectual leadership. Habib is redefining higher education in Pakistan as a moral force, cultivating ethical citizens who lead with clarity, compassion, courage, and an unwavering sense of purpose.
President's Dinner: Class of 2025 Honored in Spirit of Generosity and Vision
Habib University launched Commencement Week with “Shaping Futures, Reshaping Philanthropy,” an evening of reflection, gratitude, and shared purpose. Celebrating the Class of 2025 and honoring the Mohsineen, the event highlighted the transformative power of access-driven, contextually grounded education. Held on campus, it brought together academic leaders, students, alumni, industry partners, and donors, reaffirming Habib’s commitment to making higher education a collective societal mission rooted in generosity, intellectual ambition, and a deep sense of responsibility.
