Celebrating Our Friends and Patrons in Karachi

Changing lives through quality higher education is a deeply personal commitment, and one that patrons and friends of LUMS continue to do. To celebrate donors, alumni, and corporate leaders for their significant contributions and to appreciate their commitment to the University’s growth and success, LUMS leadership was recently in Karachi for the University’s Annual Dinner.

The top contributing donors were presented with shields. These benefactors, such as Atlas Foundation, Bank Al Habib Ltd, PSO CSR Trust and Lucky Cement Ltd., along with many others, have contributed their resources to establish the necessary infrastructure and provide financial assistance for talented students at the University.

The LUMS senior leadership, including Dr. Arshad Ahmad, Vice Chancellor; Dr. Tariq Jadoon, Provost; Mr. Mohammed Ali Khan, Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives and Dr. Sabieh Anwar, Dean of the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, used this opportunity to engage with the University’s benefactors.

Director, Office of Advancement, Ms. Nuzhat Kamran, started off the evening by extending a warm welcome to the guests and expressing her gratitude for their attendance. She reiterated the LUMS’ mission of empowering the youth of the country by providing them with accessible education and thanked the guests for their support in this mission. She shared stories of LUMS National Outreach Programme scholars, the transformative impact the scholarship has had on their lives and how the scholars are making a difference in their communities.

Dr. Ahmad extended his gratitude to the donors. He highlighted the University's accomplishments over the past year and outlined its vision for the future. Sharing insights on the initiatives that LUMS has taken to combat the challenges facing Pakistan, from a one-of-a-kind immersive learning partnership with the University of Baltistan, Skardu to the launch of LUMSx, Pakistan’s first online platform for high-quality learning, Dr. Ahmad stressed on the importance of amplifying our collective efforts for the national interest of the country. Dr. Arshad also discussed areas where LUMS can make a difference through centres of excellence. “In addition to offering executive education, LUMS has dedicated centres working to address today's most pressing issues – including climate change, energy, water, and gender equity. For example, Pakistan’s Electric Vehicle Policy was designed at the LUMS Energy Institute and adopted by the federal government.”

Following Dr. Ahmad's address, Dr. Anwar was invited to talk about the faculty and research programmes at LUMS. He shared that the innovative research being conducted at the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering at LUMS is focused on seven main areas including the food, water, energy nexus; quantum technologies; health and medicine; technology for development and the internet of things. He spoke about how these areas are used to solve grand challenges facing our world and help scale up research and improve living conditions in cities. He added that with the backing of generous donors, the school can sustain its innovative approach and provide the students with an exceptional learning experience at LUMS.

The evening gave the guests a chance to network with other similar people from various organisations and industries who are enthusiastic about higher education and philanthropy.