FJWU VC visit to Washington DC to attend USAID’s HESSA Summit 

Rawalpindi, August 13, 2022 (PPI-OT):As part of the US funded HESSA Project, Vice Chancellors of Pakistan’s higher education institutions including Institute of Business Administration (IPA), Karakoram International University, Abdul Wali Khan University, Sindh Agriculture University, BUITEMS, Swabi Women University and University of Engineering and Technology and the country’s first women’s university, Fatima Jinnah Women University, visited University of Utah, US which in 2021, was selected as the lead implementation partner of USAID’s HESSA.

The US and Pakistani governments, a few higher education institutes (HEls) in Pakistan, as well as other stakeholders have partnered up on the USAID Higher Education System Strengthening Activity (HESSA) initiative, which will last for five years and cost $19 million USD. During their visit, the education leaders toured the University of Utah facilities and learned more about U.S. university management.

The primary goals of VC Dr. Saima Hamid’s visit were to enhance Pakistan’s higher education system and boost university graduates’ employability. Worthy Vice Chancellor attended workshops and meetings on campus with university officials, researchers, student life specialists, and state legislators. Numerous training sessions were carried out to provide opportunity to observe first-hand finest practices in American higher education management and then apply their findings within their local environment in Pakistan in future.

Among the subjects discussed during the visit included, Managing a research university in the “new normal”, the benefits of technology and venture commercialization, International research and collaboration to address global issues, Promoting an equity, diversity, and inclusion agenda, Integrating disability services across a university.

While lauding her stay at the University of Utah, VC Dr. Saima Hamid emphasised, “This experience was exciting and invigorating. The University of Utah is enormous in scope. It was crucial to observe the U’s operating systems. We have a lot to learn, and we are bringing home a lot of ideas to put into practise,” she remarked.

Fatima Jinnah Women University under the visionary leadership of Dr. Saima Hamid – Vice Chancellor FJWU is striving to progress leaps and bounds and is collaborating with various international universities for the future development of its degree programs. FJWU has established cooperative ties with 45 leading international universities and organizations across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Middle East so far. International Conferences and seminars are regular features of every department and international collaborations are underway in multiple disciplines.

The recent collaboration of FJWU with University of Utah is the continuation of its ongoing collaborations with international universities such as Huston-Tillotson University, University of Manitoba and so on. Most of the faculty is collaborating internationally to provide Pakistani students with the international experiences. Recently FJWU received another feather in its cap after being ranked 101 in Top 200 World Universities with Real Impact (WURI) Rankings 2022.

Fatima Jinnah Women University is geared towards contributing in the sustainable development of the country. The vision of the university is to aspire and innovate for a sustainable future by promoting higher education, research, collaboration and community engagement to achieve societal empowerment. The University is consolidating and advancing its academic achievements, international collaborations, research productivity and community impact by focusing on Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information, contact:
Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU)
Old Presidency, The Mall, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51 9270050 – 54
Fax: +92-51 9271168
Email: publicadmin@fjwu.edu.pk
Website: www.fjwu.edu.pk