North South University

North South University
Seal of the North South University
Motto	"Center of Excellence in Higher Education"
Established	1992 by Ragib Ali
Type	Private, Coeducational
Chancellor	President Zillur Rahman
Vice-Chancellor	Dr. Hafiz G.A. Siddiqi
Academic staff	350
Students	10,000 (year:2009)
Location	Dhaka, Bangladesh 23°47′38″N 90°24′13″E / 23.794°N 90.4035°E / 23.794; 90.4035Coordinates: 23°47′38″N 90°24′13″E / 23.794°N 90.4035°E / 23.794; 90.4035
Campus	Urban
Colors	Blue and White
Nickname	NSU
Affiliations	University Grants Commission, Bangladesh
Website	northsouth.edu

North South University (Bengali: নর্থসাউথ বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়) or NSU is the first government-approved private university of Bangladesh.^[1] The university, where the language of instruction is English, offers a number of undergraduate and masters degrees in the fields of Business Administration, Computer Science, Electrical and Telecommunications Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Life Sciences, Pharmacy, Environmental Management, Economics, English, Architecture, etc. It also offers courses for general and continuing education. About 10,000 students are currently enrolled at North South University. In its 12th Convocation Ceremony in 2009, 1,074^[2] students were awarded degrees in undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

Zillur Rahman, President of Bangladesh, is the Chancellor of the university. Dr. Hafiz G.A. Siddiqi is serving as Vice Chancellor. NSU currently has around 200 full-time and 150 part-time faculty members, all of whom, as a requirement,^{[citation needed]} possess postgraduate qualifications from abroad: most of them from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.^{[citation needed]}

History

North University Campus Front View

The first cohort of freshman intake of January 1993 had 137 students^[3] enrolled in three departments: Business Administration, Computer Science, and Economics. The departments of Environmental Studies (DES), English and General and Continuing Education (GCE) were founded later.

The Masters Program in Economics was introduced in 1994. The MBA Program was launched in Summer 1997. The Masters in Development Studies and Bachelor in Computer Engineering were introduced in 2002. An MS in Computer Science was introduced in summer 2003. Bachelor in Architecture was introduced in fall 2004. Masters in English was launched in spring 2005. Pharmacy (undergraduate) and Executive MBA (EMBA) program launched in spring 2006 and Masters in Biotechnology and Masters in Public Health program launched in summer 2006. BS in Biotechnology, BS in Microbiology and BS in Biochemistry programs were introduced in spring 2007. BS in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Bs.EEE) was introduced in spring 2009. Old campus of North South University was in Banani, Dhaka. It had five buildings: Star Tower, Sher Tower, Lifo Tower, BTA Tower and GMQ Tower. The GMQ Tower was named in honor of the late proctor, G.M. Abul Quasem.

Administration

The President of the Republic is ex-officio Chancellor of the university. Vice Chancellor is the Chief Executive of the University.

Each academic department has its own head. Each academic department has a program director for every academic program.

On top of the administration, there is the Board of Governors (BoG), headed by a chairperson who oversees policy matters.^[4]

Academics

School of Business

The School of Business has the largest number of students. It is considered one of the largest business schools in Bangladesh. The school offers degrees in Business Administration having concentrations in Marketing, Management Information Systems, Human Resource Management, International Business, Business Policy and Strategy, Finance and Accounting.^[5]

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The department offers specialized degrees on Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering.^[6]

Department of Architecture

The architecture department pivots on local tradition, culture, building materials and modern means. The Department of Architecture offers a five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree in architecture.^[7]

School of Life Sciences

Department of Environmental Science & Management

The Department of Environmental Studies (DES) as a multi-disciplinary program was established in spring 1994. Upon UGC's approval the name of DES was changed to the Department of Environmental Science and Management (DESM). Instead of the earlier degrees of B.A and B.Sc, DESM now offers the degree of BS either in Environmental Science or in Environmental Management. The syllabus has been changed to reflect the changing curricula in the field over the last decade.^[8]

Department of Pharmacy

The Bachelor of Pharmacy offered by the Department of Pharmacy is a four-year degree program. The total credit offered is 155. etc.^[9]

Department of Life Sciences

The department offers Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Masters in Biotechnology.^[10]

Department of Public Health

This department is conducting a Masters in Public Health (MPH) program.

School of Arts and Social Sciences

Department of English

The Department of English offers graduate and undergraduate programs in English. For Masters, candidates may specialize in English Literature, English Language and Linguistics or TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).^[11]

Department of Economics

North South University established the Department of Economics the department is offering Bachelor of Science in Economics & Master of Science in Economics, Development Studies.^[12]

Department of General and Continuing Education

Individuals who have not participated in formal education for some time or who do not intend to become candidates for a degree may register for credits in undergraduate courses in this department as non-degree students. Applicants are admitted as non-degree students on a semester-by-semester basis without any obligation to continue. Such students may apply at any time for transfer to a degree program with or without the credits earned as non-degree students. The department is offering a Masters program in Public Policy and Governance (MPPG).^[13]

Academic programs at a glance

School of Business	Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science	Department of Architecture	Department of Environmental Science & Management	Department of Pharmacy	Department of Life Sciences	Department of Public Health	Department of English	Department of Economics	Department of General and Continuing Education
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)	BS in Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering	Bachelor of Architecture	Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science (BS in Env.)	Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm)	Bachelor of Science in Microbiology	Masters in Public Health (MPH)	Bachelor of Arts in English (BA in Eng.)	Bachelor of Science in Economics	Master in Public Policy and Governance (MPPG)
Master of Business Administration (MBA)	MS in Computer Science & Engineering and Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering		Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies (BA in Env.)		Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Biotechnology		Master of Arts in English (MA in Eng.)	Master of Science in Economics, Development Studies
Executive MBA (EMBA)					Masters in Biotechnology

Institutes

• English Institute
• Institute of Development, Environment and Strategic Studies (IDESS)
• Center for Information & Communication Technology (CICT)
• Confucius Institute: The Confucius Institute at NSU was established in February 2006, the only language institute in Bangladesh which offers only Chinese Language Training . Some 600 students have been enrolled and nearly 100 Bangladeshis are learning Chinese at the Institute now.^[14]

Campus

SAC and Admin Building

Bridge between SAC and NAC

NSU Reception Lobby

The university's campus is in Bashundhara, Dhaka. The foundation of the current campus was laid on January 30, 2003 by Begum Khaleda Zia.^[15] Classes started in the permanent campus from June 9, 2009.^[16]

This campus is capable of serving 12,000 students with modern amenities and facilities. It comprises six buildings with 3 basement on 6 acres of land having 125,000sq.ft. of floorspace.^[17]

The units are Administrative building, North Academic Building (NAC), South Academic Building (SAC), Open Theater Building, Library and the Auditorium. The School of Business and the School of Arts and Social Sciences are located in North Academic Building (NAC) and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the School of Life Sciences are located in South Academic Building (SAC).

Library

NSU Library consists of six floors with over 60,000 square feet (5,600 m²) floor area at the southeast side of the campus. This is the first fully automated university library in Bangladesh using self-developed library management software,^[18][19] which supports web-based online circulation system, full-text e-books and online journal article services. The library can accommodate over 1,200 students in its reading rooms. On average 2,000 students use the library each day.

As of March 2010, the library holds over 31,796 books, 5,700 bound journals and magazines, 1,277 CD-ROM databases and books, 103 videos, 159 audio-cassettes, and 62 DVDs.^[20] The library subscribes to 15 local journals, 18 foreign and 12 local magazines, two foreign dailies and most of the leading national dailies published from Dhaka. In addition to this, the library ensures easy access to the Internet for users to browse, download, and print full-text articles from over 10,000 journals from Blackwell, IEEE, Jstor, HINARI, OARE, AGORA, Oxford University Press, Wiley Interscience, Springer online databases etc.

Publications

The university publishes the journal Panini.^[21]

Student Activity Clubs

The university has the following clubs: AIESEC, Computer Club, Cine and Drama Club, Debate Club, Earth Club, English Club, Games and Sports Club, MBA Club, Media Club, Pharma Society, Photography Club, Shangskritik Shangathan, Social Service Club, Young Economists' Forum, Young Entrepreneurs Society, Wireless Forum, and NSU Canvas.

The North South University Shangskritik Shangathan (established in fall 1994) organizes cultural programs celebrating major national events. Young Entrepreneurs Society (YES) is an organisation for fostering entrepreneurship. NSU Wireless Forum and NSU Computer Club organize technology-related events. The NSU Debate Club is the first student activity club at NSU. In 2007 NSU Debating club won the bid of All Asians 2008 and got to be the first South Asian university to host this particular tournament. AIESEC in North South University is a local chapter of AIESEC Bangladesh.

References

1. ^ "Private Higher Education in Bangladesh, UNESCO Research Paper". http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001501/150151e.pdf. Retrieved 2010-03-07. 
2. ^ Convocation. "NSU holds 12th Convocation for first time at NSU Main Campus". http://www.northsouth.edu/php/news/view_details.php?d=237. Retrieved 2010-03-01. 
3. ^ "NSU: A Brief History". http://www.northsouth.edu/html/briefhistory.html. Retrieved 2010-03-07. 
4. ^ "NSU: A Brief History". http://www.northsouth.edu/html/briefhistory.html. Retrieved 2010-03-07. 
5. ^ http://www.northsouth.edu/html/sb.html
6. ^ http://www.northsouth.edu/html/dcse.html
7. ^ http://www.northsouth.edu/html/architecture.html
8. ^ http://www.northsouth.edu/html/des.html
9. ^ http://www.northsouth.edu/html/dphr.htm
10. ^ http://www.northsouth.edu/html/dls.htm
11. ^ http://www.northsouth.edu/html/de.html
12. ^ http://www.northsouth.edu/html/dec.html
13. ^ http://www.northsouth.edu/html/gce.html
14. ^ "Confucius Institute in Bangladesh cements relations". http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-08/21/content_8599027.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-01. 
15. ^ "New Campus Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony". http://www.northsouth.edu/html/Gallary/NCFSLC/Data/page.htm?25,0. Retrieved 2010-03-02. 
16. ^ "NSU commences classes at the new campus". http://www.northsouth.edu/php/news/view_details.php?d=242. Retrieved 2010-03-02. 
17. ^ "NSU holds Fall 2009 orientation Ceremony at its own campus". http://www.northsouth.edu/php/news/view_details.php?d=259. Retrieved 2010-03-02. 
18. ^ "Use of ICT in Libraries: An Empirical Study of Selected Libraries in Bangladesh". http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/shariful.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-07. 
19. ^ "Library Automation in Bangladesh: The Dhaka University Library Experiences". http://infosciencetoday.org/type/research-type/library-automation-in-bangladesh-the-dhaka-university-library-experiences.html. Retrieved 2010-03-07. 
20. ^ NSU Library. "Library At a glance". http://library.northsouth.edu/ataglance.php. Retrieved 2010-03-02. 
21. ^ PANINI. "Panini: NSU STUDIES IN LANGUAGE & LITERATURE". http://www.northsouth.edu/journals/panini/. Retrieved 2009-01-21. 

External links

• Official website
• NSU Library
• NSU Helpdesk
• Confucius Institute at NSU