Academic Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2019-20 ACADEMIC REPORT Academic Report 2019-20 1 CONTENTS 02 Message from the Vice Chancellor 06 Suleman Dawood School of Business 20 Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences 30 Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering 48 Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law 56 Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education 69 Centres 102 Administrative Offices 146 Financial Highlights MESSAGE FROM THE VICE CHANCELLOR Dear Colleagues, Staff, Students, Alumni and members of the LUMS Community, This has been a year for the history books. It is a year that began strong when we welcomed 1,416 students from across Pakistan to our campus to kick-off an exciting academic year. By March, we found ourselves navigating unchartered territory with the outbreak of a pandemic. And with this challenge, we have been compelled to reflect and to take stock of our lives and our work. Together we have also supported families and friends who may have found themselves in extraordinary circumstances due to COVID-19. Despite these hardships, this has also been a year that we can be proud to say is ending even stronger than how it began. Through these times, we have developed a deeper appreciation for what it means to enact our core mission to serve others. The staff at LUMS exemplify service through courage and solidarity. Faculty have increased their efforts to serve students and ensure that the quality of their learning is not compromised. On many occasions they have demonstrated acts of empathy to our students across the country who found themselves in difficult circumstances. Students, and especially many of our female students, confronted the challenge of responsibilities for homework and housework, as they also had to learn online. Despite the disorientation and distress that COVID-19 unleashed, students still completed their courses and many showed their courage through countless acts of service in their own communities. It is to the credit of our staff, faculty and students that we stand to celebrate our collective achievements and the newfound strengths with which we will emerge from this pandemic. Their efforts have shed new light on what it means to serve through education. Responding to a Pandemic During the March break, several emergency meetings took place to initiate three response committees on Health and Safety, Pedagogical- Technology and Communications. Working groups of faculty, staff and students set the pace for a 2 Academic Report 2019-20 planned transition to remote work information. Several new centres Raza, Dr. Rasul Bakhsh Rais, Dr. Sadaf with recommendations for online were created, instilling a renewed Ahmad and Dr. Nadhra Shahbaz teaching and learning, and for living sense of purpose including the Khan. Their scholarly work has and working on campus with only following directors: Dr. Saad Azmat, made significant contributions to essential staff during a lockdown Office of Research; Dr. Bilal Malik, the fields of history, anthropology, period. Office of Academic Affairs; Dr. Waqar sociology and politics. The Learning Zaidi, Office of Internationalisation; and Mentoring Centre at MGSHSS The Office of Student Affairs was Dr. Ali Raza, Centre for Continuing provided increased support to equally vigilant with ongoing Education Studies; Dr. Zehra students who require additional efforts to create awareness on Waheed, Centre for Business and help in subjects like Math and mental health and wellness. The 31 Society; Dr. Ali Cheema, Mahbub ul English. To date, there are over 160 members elected to the Student Haq Research Centre; Dr. Suleman students enrolled in the Centre’s Council also gave valuable input Shahid, LUMS Learning Institute; Dr. programmes. into academic, extracurricular Zain ul Abdin, Rausing Executive and wider institutional issues. Our The Biomechanics lab at the Syed Development Centre; Dr. Sikander student-run societies continued Babar Ali School of Science and Shah, Centre for Chinese Legal their work to reduce inequity; Engineering (SBASSE) earned Studies and Dr. Angbeen Mirza, inviting speakers to participate prestigious accreditations from ICC Office of Accessibility and Inclusion. in online forums, and in serving making it the fifth in the world to marginalised communities in On the Administrative side, the earn such an accolade. Over the various capacities. And despite the decanal team now has direct year, we saw the School collaborate triple economic shocks of double- reports to the Office of the VC with several external partners digit inflation, skyrocketing energy including Dr. Kamran Asdar Ali, including PITC and USAID for work costs and currency depreciation, Interim Provost; Ms. Zara Qizilbash, on innovative developments in almost 90 percent of the class of Registrar; Ms. Nuzhat Kamran, the energy sector. The National 2019 secured employment within Director, Advancement; Mr. Zunair Centre for Big Data and Cloud five months of graduation. Zafar, CFO; Mr. Amer Khan, Director, Computing, as well as the National General Administration Services, Centre for Nanoscience and At a time when every economic and Mr. Faisal Kheiri, Acting Director Nanotechnology, put LUMS at the and public sector was disrupted, of HR and IST. nexus of research alliances among over 500 faculty, staff, students, several universities across Pakistan. and alumni gave generously to the The Suleman Dawood School Similarly, the National Incubation LUMS COVID-19 Campaign, setting of Business (SDSB), now AACSB Centre is a national asset that has a target to raise and disburse PKR accredited, has launched three new excelled in creating programmes 50 million. To date, over PKR 15 Master of Science programmes: for Incubation, Acceleration, Plug million has been distributed to Business and Public Policy, n’ Play and the Makers Lab for start- community members in need, Technology Management and ups, to encourage entrepreneurial within LUMS and beyond. Students Entrepreneurship, and Healthcare ways of thinking and innovation. and alumni responded with Management and Innovation. These courageous projects to alleviate shorter degree programmes are The Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School hardships in communities all across aimed to attract professionals to of Law (SAHSOL) inaugurated Pakistan. For example, Sarim Raza, further equip them with high-level Pakistan’s first Centre for Chinese BSc 2020, founded Riayat aimed at requisite knowledge and skills for Legal Studies in collaboration community development, while their respective industries. LUMS with the School of Law at Wuhan Warda Noor, a sophomore at LUMS, also offers scholarships to foster University in China. SAHSOL has and the LUMS Religious society and advance women’s leadership also continued the International conducted ration drives to reduce in business. By providing a 50 Moot Court Competition. The hunger in northern areas. Saman percent tuition fee waiver to all Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Khan mobilised her EMBA 2021 females admitted to MBA and Ali School of Education (SOE) has class to collect more than PKR 6 EMBA programmes, we have seen also been engaged in exciting million to aid families, and Rizq, record enrolment growth over the ongoing activity such as panels with its food-based philanthropy, past year. SDSB also became the and roundtables, partnerships, began the Ehsaas Karo programme proud home for a new bookstore leadership programmes, ensuring food distribution across that provides the broader public international faculty visits, and the country. with access to a range of learning creative practicum experiences for materials. students to work with schools and Centres and Schools in Action other educational organisations At the Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani across Pakistan. The SOE has also This year was also marked by School of Humanities and Social just graduated its first batch of achievements in governance Sciences (MGSHSS) we saw a series students who have completed the which saw the decentralisation of of prestigious research publications MPhil. academic operations and increased by faculty members, including Dr. transparency of shared operational Asma Faiz, Dr. Tania Saeed, Dr. Ali Academic Report 2019-20 3 New Fee Structure The assessment provided a system-wide programmes, Suleman Dawood School of perspective of challenges students and Business performed amongst the top 71 One of the most notable changes that we faculty faced, suggestions to improve course percent globally. made this year was to adopt a new fee assessments, and highlighted workload structure. With the former fee structure, related issues. The Committee also ensured Looking Ahead students paid a flat per semester fee, that internet devices were distributed where Despite the challenges of the pandemic, which resulted in several issues including a needed and wireless internet was accessible we are committed to a strong start to the disincentivisation to take summer courses, to students. The Committee recommended new academic year and that work begins course overloads during Fall/Spring terms different grading options for students who now. To end our current school year, we and other inequities. We learned that course may have required adjustments given their aim to honour our new graduates of 2020, overloads negatively impacted student remote learning circumstances during marking this milestone event with an online learning, increased stress, and prevented COVID-19. These options included Pass/Fail convocation in July. This summer, we are many students from enrolling in courses or deferring