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Volume: 14

Issue: 2

April 2011

Moments and Momentum

3x1 Mega EventMarch 28-29, 2011

Academia and the business world witnessed a remarkable constellation of luminar-ies and business tycoons in a 3x1 rare mega event in the cultural setting of Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore, the educational and commercial hub of Pakistan where 170 speakers from 15 countries converged to be part of UMT Idea Exchange 2011.

The UMT Idea Exchange 2011 attracted leaders and decision-makers from govern-ment, business, industry, corporate world, academia and civil society from inland and abroad. It turned out to be a 3-in-1 Mega Event defining the heights of UMT commitment to provide a platform for synergy of ideas and cross fertilization emanating from the convergence of experts and opinion makers in wide rang-ing and diverse fields. The International Conference on Business Manage-

ment (ICoBM), International Conference on Islamic Civilization - Poten-tials and Challenges, and 3rd International Conference on Textiles

and Clothing (ICTC) were held on March 28-29, 2011 at the Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore. The UMT Idea Exchange 2011

provided a unique opportunity to all those who have an interest in finding answers to questions that

have far reaching consequences for the future.

Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad,

theme

Science, Business and Society

Rector UMT, announces

UMT Idea Exchange 2012

SPONSORSORGANIZERS

The University initiated the UMT Idea Exchange 2011 in order to share the latest thinking on almost all issues ranging from business and finance to the decline in textile productivity, energy crisis and the challenges resulting from the onslaught of foreign cultures leading to defragmentation of our values. The UMT Idea Exchange 2011 presented a great opportunity to interact with people who have an innate ability for research in many dimensions, and seek new ideas and solutions.

Inaugural Session

Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, welcomed delegates, speakers, corporate representatives, educationists, journalists and students to the UMT Idea Exchange 2011. He said that initially only the International Conference on Business Management (ICoBM) had been planned for January but was postponed at the eleventh hour because of the unexpected demise of the late Salman Taseer, Governor of Punjab, who was a Patron of the University. UMT was already planning to hold two international conferences in March so it was only logical to consolidate and economize by converging the three events into one Mega-Event i.e. the UMT Idea Exchange 2011. The Rector said that the theme of the 3-in-one Mega Event represented a trilateral partnership of business, academia and government. He expressed his hope that this would lead to better coopera-tion between the three components and effective leverage of each other's strengths. He added that this partnership would open new avenues for global competitiveness, sustainable development and technological advancement. Dr Hasan said that conferences go a long way in determin-ing strategies and outcomes of collaboration between all the stakeholders. He added that there was an urgent need for the academia to realign itself with the needs of the business world and enrich theory and curriculum while the corporate world in turn must divert part of its revenues to help the academia. He urged the academia to come out of their campus for-tresses and join the ranks of the industrial world by entering factories, offices and boardrooms.

Reflecting on the strengths of the ICoBM, Dr Hasan said that this confer-ence is not open to scholars only: In fact two parallel tracks, corporate and academic, would be taking place simultaneously to explore a multidimen-sional strategy for future development. Concluding his remarks, Dr Hasan thanked the Textile Institute, UK, and APTMA for extending their support to the 'International Conference on Textiles and Clothing (ICTC) 2011'. He added that the rationale for organizing the conference on 'Is-lamic Civilization – Potentials and Challenges' was to deliberate on the issues and challenges facing Muslim society in order to move forward.

Andreas Weber, World President, the Textile Institute UK, said that painstaking research in libraries has now been replaced by Google. In fact, googling is now a term widely used by researchers and students but there is one aspect that has not been replaced and that is the aspect of human acquaintance and interaction. It is in this respect that conferences such as this one provide an avenue for cross fertilization of ideas and reinforce the passion for lifelong learning.

Iftikhar Ali Malik, Vice President, SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Guest of Honor, appreciated the endeavor of UMT in organizing the UMT Idea Exchange 2011. He lamented the fact that Pakistan suffered from mismanagement of the national economy. As the sixth largest populated country of the world with 45% of the population under the age of 18, Pakistan lags far behind in social development indicators. It is ranked 142nd in the human development index while 62% of the population has no access to clean drinking water.

Iftikhar Malik added that the Pakistani corporate sector was committed to social uplift. He said that business sector has opened its arms for govern-ment and academia for any joint initiative towards national development. He said that it is the job of the universities to open research avenues to resolve the problems of the national economy. It is the responsibility of the business sector to facilitate universities to promote research and de-

UMT Idea Exchange 2011March 28-29, 2011

velopment, he added. Speaking on the occasion, Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly, said that he was deliv-ering the same speech that had been prepared for the Chief Minister. On behalf of the CM, he said that building a knowledge-based society is a top priority of the Punjab Government. Universities all over the world serve as breeding ground for ideas. “The free flow of ideas and information is fundamental to economic and social progress. All that feed into the cul-ture of democracy and democratic norms. It is obvious that universities, beyond their academic role, have economic, social, as well as cultural impact. It is here that strategic alliance, linkages and bridges between academia, business and government become so crucial,” he said.

In a globalized world, we cannot lie in isolation. We must take the lead in the new order of things. He said that innovation is not a luxury but is es-sential for survival. Communication technology has revolutionized bank-ing, mass communications, print media, postal services while technologi-cal and economic forces have transformed the international landscape. Concluding the address, he said that while change has become normative, adaptation to that change is becoming a constant struggle for survival. Here then is the need to reflect upon the necessity to develop business, academia and government partnership for a better future.

Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, delivers the welcome noteduring the inaugural session of UMT Idea Exchange 2011

Andreas Weber, World President, the Textile Institute, UK,addresses the audience during the inaugural session

Delegates attend the inaugural session of UMT Idea Exchange 2011

Continued on page 11

Continued from page 1

Turkish delegation led by VCs of 5 universities snapped withDr Hasan Sohaib Murad at the UMT campus

VCs of 5 Turkish universitiesvisit UMT, ink MoUs

A high ranking Turkish delegation comprising of Prof Dr Serifali Tekalan, Vice Chancellor Fatih University Istanbul, Prof Dr Zafar Gul, Vice Chan-cellor, Marmara University Istanbul, Prof Dr Ibrahim Kafi, Vice Chancel-lor, 29 Mayis University Istanbul, Prof Dr Rashid Malik, Melikshah Uni-versity, Kayseri, Saodeffin Yucel, District Governor of Besiktas, renowned industrialist M Turan Eris, President MTE, Turgut Puyan, Chairman Pakturk Businessmen Association, and other officials visited the UMT campus on February 28, 2011. Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, University officials and faculty members received the delegation at the campus. Prof Dr Serifali Tekalan, leader of the delegation, led the flag hoist-ing ceremony. National anthems of the two countries were also played on the occasion. The Turkish delegation was then taken on a tour of the campus.

Later, addressing on the occasion, Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, gave a brief history of the University. Established in 1990, UMT soon built a name for itself on account of high quality professional and executive devel-opment programs. It was later affiliated with Hamdard University and began to offer degree programs from 1993 onwards. Dr Hasan said a milestone was reached in 2002 when it received the University Charter, thus gaining legal recognition for its academic programs. Today, UMT is a leading private sector University of the country with 4500 students, and 550 staff and fac-ulty members. At present, 6 schools, 3 institutes and 12 centers are working in UMT. Dr Hasan reminded a captive audience that not every University is strong in every respect and in this context UMT is distinct in three remark-able ways. UMT he said, is based on a philosophy of life - a philosophy that sets it apart from all other universities that focus only on teaching and career building. Dr Hasan said that UMT teaches about life, treating career as a subset of life. While most universities only teach students to ask what and how, UMT tests the intellectual capabilities of its students by encouraging them to ask 'why'. The second aspect that is important is UMT's concept of learning. UMT is not just a teaching university. Knowledge is useful but knowledge without character formation and moral values is meaningless in the wider societal perspective. Learning at UMT means purification of the soul, moral development and character formation besides imparting practi-cal career oriented skills for success.

Finally, Dr Hasan touched upon the third cardinal principle of UMT and that is leadership; not in the narrow sense of leading others only but in the broader sense of going through the tests that every individual faces in life and emerging victorious. Dr Hasan said that this combination of life, learn-ing and leadership is essential towards ensuring justice, happiness and peace in the world for humanity.

Dr Hasan took this opportunity to thank Turgut Puyan and his team for working towards strengthening the ties between Turkey and Pakistan. Later MoUs were signed between UMT and the Turkish universities to foster long term academic links, exchange programs and issues of mutual benefit for all stakeholders. On this occasion, Fatih University and UMT were also de-clared sister universities. Expressing his views, Dr Serifali Tekalan, VC of Faith University, said that the visit to the UMT campus was indeed a pleasant experience. He also invited Dr Hasan to visit Turkey. He informed everyone that a modern University is being set up in collaboration with Pak Turk Foundation and one hopes that this mission would be successful with the cooperation of UMT.

10 Universities participate inUMT Drama Festival

The first UMT Drama Festival was presented on stage at the Al-Hamra Arts Council to the audience of Lahore by OPA and the UMT Dramatic Club on December 30-31, 2010. The whole festival could be seen online through live streaming. Top 10 universities of Lahore along with a major social work organization took part in the festival. National College of Arts (NCA), Beaconhouse National University (BNU), University of Veteri-nary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Comsats and Voice Society per-formed on the first day while Lahore School of Economics (LSE), Sicas, University of Lahore (UOL), University of South Asia (USA), Superior University and University of Central Punjab (UCP) performed on the second day. Dr Tanveer-ul-Islam, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs, inaugurated the festival amidst huge applause. Addressing on the occasion, he appreciated the remarkable work of the UMT Dramatic Club for promotion of the performing arts. He said that events like these prove to be great learning experiences for young people. The NCA dramatics team performed on the first day. The name of the play was 'Kaha Suna Maaf Kijeye' and it was directed by students Huzefa and Waqas. Another play 'Mahno Kahani' was presented by University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. 'A Sailor's Life' was enacted by Comsats. The last play of the day, 'Peace and Discrimination' was performed by Voice Society. The drama concentrated on discrimination against handicapped people in Pakistani society.

Lahore School of Economics (LSE) was first to perform on the second day. The play was titled 'Main kon hoon' and it was a thriller based on dual personality and patriotic confusion in the mind of a young man. Next, Superior University performed a mime act 'Thinking from the heart', followed by 'Ruk Jaa Bande' by Sicas. Then came University of Lahore's 'Zindagi Ki Pehchan', followed by performance of the USA team. The last performance 'Diya Jalaye Rakhna' by UCP dramatics team earned stand-ing ovation from the audience. The closing ceremony was held on the second day. Souvenirs were awarded to the participating teams by the guests including Rana Iftikhar Ahmad, Director OPA, and scholar Haseeb Khan. Certificates and shields were awarded to members of the organizing committee of the drama festival. Rana Iftikhar congratulated the UMT Dramatic Club team members for organizing the theater festival successfully. On a special note, he appreciated the efforts of the OPA Team, specially Hafiz Umair Iqbal, Officer Participants' Activities, and declared this event a milestone in the history of UMT student life.

Participants of the UMT Drama Festival at Al-Hamra Hallwitness the performances of the young artists

Organizers of the Drama Festival snapped after the event

Students snapped with Firdous Ahmad, Head IPC,and Shakeel Sheikh, Regional Manager hi, after receiving laptops

The Knowledge School (TKS) Head Office after renovation

Institute of Islamic Banking (IIB) established, Dr Munawar Anees appointed DirectorThe Board of Governors has approved the establishment of the Institute of Islamic Banking (IIB) on the recom-

mendation of the Academic Council. Dr Munawar A Anees has been ap-pointed as Director IIB. The Institute of Islamic Banking (IIB) is a pioneering initiative under the patronage of Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT.

The IIB has been set up in recognition of the need for human resource develop-ment in the field of Islamic banking. It has embarked on an ambitious multi-dimensional program. Its activities and programs are geared towards becom-ing a leading source of education, research and information in Islamic bank-ing. At the same time, the IIB aims to become a self-sustaining arm of the University by generating substantial revenues through academic programs, consultancy and product sales. In the area of academic training and research, IIB is preparing to offer postgraduate degrees in three disciplines: Islamic Finance, Islamic Banking and Islamic Economics. Moreover, with the partici-pation of several reputed scholars from the Muslim world and elsewhere, IIB will launch a refereed quarterly journal titled Islamic Banking and Finance Review in June this year at the occasion of the World Islamic Banking Con-gress Asia Summit in Singapore. In order to fill the gap in trained manpower, IIB is launching a monthly series of Executive Development Programs for the banking industry.

With the cooperation of UMT's Center for Management Development, the monthly seminars will introduce the participants to the conceptual basis of Islamic Banking and how this can be translated into operational terms in this transition from conventional to Shariah-based financial practices. Fully cognizant of the fact that HRD and R&D resources in Islamic Banking are in disarray for lack of systematic approach, IIB intends to become a world leader in providing one-stop access to academic research and human resources in Islamic Banking and Finance. To accomplish these goals, IIB has initiated several projects to develop retrospective and current bibliography, glossary, monographs, database and a digital library on Islamic Banking.

IPC-UMT and Hafsa International facilitate students in getting laptopsHafsa International (hi) has initiated a project to offer laptops to students on affordable and flexible installments. This has been done on the recommenda-tion of Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, and in view of the demands of the students. The core objective is to facilitate participants, staff and fac-ulty members with mobile computing platform on easy and flexible monthly or semester-based installments. A formal ceremony to distribute laptops to the first few participants took place on February 03, 2011 in the Information Processing Center (IPC) at the UMT campus. Shakeel H Sheikh, Regional Manager hi, and Firdous Ahmad, Head IPC, distributed laptops to the first 9 applicants. Hafsa International (hi) received about 20 applications during the first phase of the project and finalized 09 candidates for receiving the laptops. Other applications received during the first phase are in process and will be finalized soon. The program started with recitation of some verses from the Holy Quran. Firdous Ahmad welcomed the hi team to the UMT campus and thanked them for facilitating UMT participants. He urged them to extend the offer to faculty, management and staff with more affordable and attractive packages. Shakeel Sheikh took the opportunity to thank the applicants for selecting Hafsa International (hi) for acquiring laptops. The ceremony ended with refreshments offered by the hi team.

TKS InitiativesLiving by its tradition of creativity and innovation in child education, The Knowledge School (TKS) Network, an ILM project, is taking some vital initiatives for the curricular and co-curricular well being of the Knowledgeans. Most important is the transition from traditional to inter-active mode of teaching. Model video lessons contrasting the two modes will be provided to schools for the teachers to follow the interactive method of teaching.

Another important initiative is to enhance activities in social studies. With atlas as part of the booklist and a world map available in classrooms, students will be provided progressive knowledge around the world. The other significant initiatives include revival of Urdu through instructional and co-curricular practicum and constructing an English speaking culture in schools. A teacher guide on improving spoken English is likely to be published soon.

UMT webmail shifted to GoogleThe Office of Information Technology (OIT) has shifted the UMT Email services to Google Apps to facilitate users by providing enhanced com-munications, better collaboration and easy customization. The new ser-vice offers a free set of customizable tools that enable faculty, staff and students to work together and learn more effectively. The Google Apps for education are being used by more than ten million users worldwide. Google Docs and Google Sites enable students and teachers to share documents online, at any time and from any location. The new service provides more than 7 GB of storage and an integrated calendar that in-cludes subscriptions, group calendars and resource scheduling.

School of Law and Policy (SLP) set up, Imad-ud-Din Asad appointed Director The Board of Governors approved the establishment of the School of Law and Policy (SLP) on the recom-mendation of the Academic Council. Syed Imad-ud-Din Asad has been appointed as Director SLP.

The SLP has strong collaborative links with CEVRO Institut and is cur-rently in the process of negotiations with Harvard Law School, Heidel-berg University, BU Law, BC Law, and Max Planck Institute of Compara-tive Public Law and International Law. The newly established School is offering LLM in Commercial Law which is an amalgam of pedagogic patterns followed by universities of the caliber of Harvard and Yale, thereby providing students an opportunity to acquire quality education of international standards at an affordable price. It is the first ever program of its kind in Pakistan; existing LLM programs in Pakistan do not offer courses that simultaneously prepare graduates for in-house work and law firms, thereby increasing their market demand.

University Representatives fromthe Turkish Republic of Northern

Cyprus Visit UMTA delegation from the Turkish Universities of Northern Cyprus comprising of Dr Tayseer Al-Shanableh, Director International Affairs of Near East Univer-sity, and Memet Yalcin, General Secretary of European University of Lefke, arrived at the UMT campus on March 10, 2011. They met Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for building institutional partnership. Addressing on the occasion, Dr Hasan said that UMT is distinct from other universities. The UMT philosophy focuses on developing the whole person. It aims not only at material success in this life but also on making a positive contribution to the welfare of the society. Dr Hasan said that UMT teaches about life, treating career as a subset of life. While most universities only teach students to ask what and how, UMT encourages them to ask 'why'. Dr Hasan said that learning at UMT means purification of the soul, moral development and character formation besides imparting practical career oriented skills for success. He added that UMT instills the principle of leader-ship among its students. Dr Hasan was of the view that the visit by representa-tives of the Turkish Universities of Northern Cyprus would open windows of cooperation, collaboration, and exchange of expertise and knowledge at every level. Dr Tayseer Al-Shanableh, Director International Affairs of Near East University, said that the visit to UMT presented a good opportunity to meet Pakistani educationists and work upon strategies to facilitate cooperation in the educational sector. Memet Yalcin, General Secretary of European University of Lefke, thanked the Pakistani hosts for the warm reception given to them and said that the two sides are bound by mutually shared customs and traditions that make it easier to adapt to each other's culture.

Robert Kvile, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, receivesUMT souvenir from Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT

Memet Yalcin, General Secretary of European University of Lefke, receivesUMT souvenir from Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT

Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, meets the Norwegian Ambassador

Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, held a meeting with His Excellency Robert Kvile, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway. A number of issues of mutual interest, especially in terms of the development of the educational sector in Pakistan and responsibilities of the international community, were discussed during the meeting. Mohammed Ibrahim Qazi, Director Foreign Relations, was present at the occasion. Dr Hasan also presented a souvenir to the Norwegian Ambassador as a good will gesture.

UMT students achieve 100% result in manual ACCA (UK) exams

The participants of UMT City Campus have secured 100% success in manual ACCA (UK) exams announced on Feb 21, 2011. This remarkable achievement is attributable to the excellent faculty members who taught with exceptional dedication. The students also deserve commendation for their hard work and commitment which ensured their success in the grill-ing examinations. The students on their part are overjoyed at this remark-able achievement and are looking forward to future challenges with opti-mism and confidence. Expressing his satisfaction at the excellent results, Muhammad Jawad Qureshi, Director Academics UMT City Campus, said that the City Campus is geared up to breed a new crop of profession-als in the world of accountancy.

Dr Naveed Yazdani, Director SPA, and Ali Kamran, ManagerLearning and Development, PEL, exchange document after signing the MoU

The School of Professional Advancement (SPA) signed yet another MOU with Pak Elektron Limited (PEL) on January 19, 2011 at the UMT campus. Dr Naveed Yazdani, Director SPA, and Ali Kamran, Manager Learning and Development, PEL, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations. According to the terms of the agreement, PEL will be an official partner of SPA in promoting its master degree programs within their organization. PEL will also give preference to UMT graduates for internships and job placement. Information sharing for customized learning and continuous liaison with the SPA academia to share the ever shifting needs and practices of their relevant sector will be important components of the program. During the three-year agreement, SPA will facilitate PEL employees and their immediate family members under the Higher Education Cover Initiative (HECI).

KFC and PEL ink MoUs with SPAThe School of Professional Advancement (SPA) at UMT, and Cupola Pakistan Limited (KFC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on February 24, 2011 at the UMT campus. Syed Ali Bukhari, Business Development Executive (SPA), summarized the objectives of setting up SPA and briefed the visiting delegation about future prospects of the School. The MoU was signed by Dr Naveed Yazdani, Director SPA, and Muhammad Suhail Masood, Senior Brand Manager KFC. Saqib Zaidi, Operation Manager North, Furqan Humayun Sheikh, Manager HR North, and Muhammad Usman Rafique, Manager Account North, were the honorable guests from KFC. Shaid Hussain, SPA Quality Assurance Officer, also participated in the signing ceremony. According to the terms of the MoU, KFC will be an official partner of SPA in promoting its master degree programs within their organiza-tion. In return, SPA will facilitate KFC employees and their immediate family members under the Higher Education Cover Initiative (HECI). KFC will also give preference to UMT graduates for internships and job placement.

Naveed Yazdani, Director SPA, and Suhail Musood,Senior Brand Manager KFC, exchange document after signing the MoU

Industry representatives and University officials at thelaunching ceremony of Master in Organizational Development and Change

Master in Organizational Development and Change launchedThe launching ceremony of Master in Organizational Development and Change was organized by the School of Professional Advancement (SPA) on January 19, 2011. Dr Naveed Yazdani, Director SPA, launched the program in the presence of industry leaders. The participants of the program belonged to top order management of famous commercial organizations like Servis, Surveyor Pharmaceuticals, Ali Akbar Group, and PEL Pakistan. The cere-mony started by recitation of some verses from the Holy Quran. Dr Naveed Yazdani introduced the salient features of the program to the audience. He said that the master program has been designed to cater for the needs of business executives in changing the environment of organizations. He said that the key to survival and success does not lie in the rational, quantitative and systems approaches to work and organizations. Organizational success lies in the commitment to irrational, difficult-to-measure things like people, quality, customer service, and above all, developing the flexibility to meet changing conditions. He further added that research confirms that the crucial compo-nent in adapting to even the most sophisticated technological change is the change in the human factor obtained through employee involvement and commitment. He said that the program curriculum has been designed to edu-cate students on increasing the effectiveness of individuals and organizations. At the end, participants held detailed discussions on various aspects of the program and gave some suggestions to make it more acceptable for the indus-try. These recommendations have been incorporated in the program. Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, also gave his remarks about the pro-gram. He appreciated the efforts of Dr Naveed Yazdani and the contribution of the corporate sector in designing the program.

Workshop on resume writing and winning interview skills

The Office of Participants Affairs (OPA) conducted an exclusive session of the career management workshop for School of Science and Technology (SST) final year engineering students on January 08, 2011.

Faisal Sarfraz, Manager Career and Placements, OPA, facilitated the session. He explained the difference between a resume and a CV and also elaborated why a resume is accepted or rejected. He briefed the participants on the importance of maintaining proper body posture during the interview process and gave tips on the Do's and Don'ts of an inter-view. Faisal also briefed them in answering commonly asked questions. Furqan Humayun Sheikh, HR Head North-Cupola Group, was especially invited to share HR perspective with students and tell them what hiring managers look for in a resume. He said that HR managers look for other requirements in addition to academics. Furqan involved students in different activities and said that grooming and other personal attributes may impress any HR man-ager or recruiter more than academics. Zafar Younas, Manager Academics SST, collected feedback from the participants. He said that students appreciate the style and content of the presentation and look forward to more training of this kind before their final terms. At the end, Rana Iftikhar Ahmad, Director Partici-pants Services, motivated participants and assured them that OPA would always be available to arrange career guidance trainings. He also thanked Furqan Humayun, Zafar Younas and Faisal Sarfraz for the training. Finally, he presented a souvenir to Furqan as a token of appreciation.

Seminar discusses role of mediaand civil society

Prominent intellectuals, media professionals and members of civil society participated in a seminar on media and civil society organized by the Depart-ment of Social Sciences on January 12, 2011 at the UMT campus. A large number of students, faculty and staff members of the University attended the seminar. The program commenced with recitation of some verses from the Holy Qur'an by Ahmed Shaheen. Ambreen Salahuddin, faculty member UMT, presented a short introduction of the seminar. She elaborated on the connection between media and civil society and how there is a persistence of failure to do justice to all inhabitants of society. Dr Afia and Asia Bibi are recent examples in this regard.

Dr Aslam Dogar, Director General Public Relations Punjab, spoke about the professional responsibilities of the media and how filtering information is one of the most important factors that our media seems to neglect. He explained how education can play a crucial role in developing our younger generation and create a healthy and tolerant environment. Journalists need to be given inde-pendence in fulfilling their role as analysts of society.

Salman Abid, a TV analyst opined that Participatory Organizations take up their due role as civil society does not comprise of NGOs only but also students and labor unions. He spoke of how media cannot be neutral because it has been established for profit and it will always broadcast news that makes the most money.

Dr Mughees-ud-Din Sheikh labeled civil society as a watch dog of the entire society. He argued how the civil society which is supposed to be free of govern-mental influence, has become a money making tool for people who want to project their images. The civil society has become the functionary of some external agents and is addressing selective issues that serve only certain vested interests. He explained how all important issues in our society such as child labor, beggary mafia and women's rights are easily neglected because they do not serve a political purpose. These rights have been given to them by religion without them having to raise a demanding voice. There are many NGOs si-lently working for the uplift of the down trodden but they have been pushed to the background because they cannot invest in the media.

Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami directed the attention of the audience towards the Press Council that was formally established a few years ago but has not become functional largely due to the negligence of the government.

Tehmina Daultana, former MNA and the chief guest on the occasion, said that we have to make a move to liberate our media, free our own morals and raise our voices to convert this frustration into a movement for freedom. She said that we need to empower ourselves and create awareness at the grassroots level to bring about a change in the society.

Dr A R Kausar, Pro-Rector UMT, closed the session by thanking the guests for their participation and for sharing their views. He stated that we need power to run our affairs but we need not to become slaves of this power. He also encour-aged UMT students to participate in the development of our country's future and to use their education and UMT as a platform to raise the country to new heights.

Later, there was an informal talk session over a cup of tea in which Tehmina Daultana, Dr A R Kausar, Dr Abdul Hameed, Head, Department of Social Sciences, Dr Iftikhar Ahmad, Ambreen Salahuddin, Salman Abid, Mehr Abdul Rauf and Akmal Owaisi discussed the seminar topic in detail. They also made plans to hold a series of similar seminars in the future as well. This, they hoped, would develop a new forum for a dialogue on media and civil society.

Tehmina Daultana, Dr Mughees-ud-Din Sheikh, Dr Aslam Dogar,Salman Abid, Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami and Dr A R Kausar

discuss the role of the media and civil society during the seminar

Furqan Humayun

Dr Abdul Raouf, SI, shares his insight with participants of theseminar on quality PhD supervision

Dr Mirza addresses the seminar participants

ADC and OHR organize seminar on 'Quality PhD Supervision'

The Academic Development Center (ADC) and Office of Human Resources (OHR) jointly organized a seminar on 'Quality PhD Supervision' on March 07, 2011 in the UMT Central Board Room. All the PhD faculty members were participants of this seminar. University Professor and Advisor Dr Ab-dul Raouf, SI, was the facilitator of this session. Explaining the objectives of the seminar, Dr Raouf said that it is designed to provide awareness about the fundamentals of PhD supervision, roles and responsibilities of supervisors, scholars and departments, and important values of being a supervisor. He also outlined the underlying principles of the relationship between a supervi-sor and scholar, and guided the participants on monitoring and reporting progress of a PhD Scholar based on a specific criterion. Dr Raouf said that the purpose of organizing this seminar is to enhance the performance of faculty regarding PhD supervision. He reminded everyone that students and scholars are our products and these products must be worthwhile with good skills and knowledge and that is only possible if we ourselves are capable of imparting such knowledge to them. Dr Raouf discussed the supervision value model and explained its eight operational roles (innovator, broker, producer, direc-tor, coordinator, monitor, facilitator and mentor). He emphasized that a PhD supervisor should be an integrator, critical observer and reflective learner who selects the most appropriate of the eight operational roles. He also dis-cussed the responsibilities of departments offering PhD programs. He de-scribed the three styles of PhD supervision, and the paradigm shift from PhD supervision to a good PhD supervision. Dr Abdul Raouf concluded the semi-nar by giving a glimpse of PhD supervision effectiveness.

From the DeskEDITORIAL

Dr Mirza from UK speaks on pro-fitability and the role of managers

The Department of Economics organized an open seminar on March 15, 2011 on “Profitability and the Role of Managers”. Dr M H Mirza, Management Development Consultant from the United Kingdom was the keynote speaker. Dr Mirza is PhD in management from the Oxford and Brooks University, UK. He has 23 years of teaching experience at post graduate level in the United Kingdom, and Middle East (Oman and Bahrain). He has served industry and commerce in the United Kingdom for 15 years. Dr Mirza started his lecture by explaining the concept of profit and profitability. While explaining the role of the manager, he integrated different disciplines like management, finance, marketing and economics. He summed up the discussion by defining three traits of effective management: APA (Aptitude, Potential and Attitude). After the lecture a question and answer session was held. Students were curious to know more about the managerial skills for a successful business. The seminar ended with a note of thanks by the chairperson Dr Rukhsana Kalim.

Anil John from Agility Logistics shares his insight with theaudience of the seminar on third party logistics

Anil John discusses third party logistics in 4th Supply Chain Forum

The 4th Supply Chain Forum, School of Business and Economics (SBE), invited Anil John, Regional Manager Agility Logistics, as the guest speaker in a seminar held on January 04, 2011on ‘third party logistics – challenges and opportunities’. The seminar was attended by more than 30 supply chain profes-sionals from different organizations, faculty members of the School of Busi-ness and Economics, UMT, and supply chain students. The seminar started after recitation of some verses from the Holy Quran by Muhammad Ahmad Afzal, student and an active member of OSCC, UMT. Ijaz Yusuf, Director, Center for Supply Chain Research (CSCR), welcomed all participants and explained the Center's activities for industry and academia. He also invited Anil, the guest speaker on the occasion, to share his views with all those pres-ent. Anil has a diverse professional experience to his credit. He has worked as import manager with Raaziq International and is a Leadership Trainer at sev-eral NGO's. Sharing his expertise with the participants of the seminar, Anil discussed the importance of third party logistics in supply chain management functions, and the challenges and opportunities associated with it in the modern business world. He also elaborated the scope and role of TPL, its functions and procedures, various forms and activities.

An active question and answer session was held after the presentation. The participants pointed out the challenges which they usually have to confront regarding transactions problems, demand and supply mechanism, and compet-itors' strategy related to third party logistics. The speaker gave detailed answers to all questions to the satisfaction of all concerned. At the end of the seminar, Ijaz Yusuf, Director CSCR, summed up the day's discussion and added his perspective as well. He thanked the speaker and all the participants. He also presented a shield to Anil John as a gesture of appreciation for coming to UMT. The seminar ended with light refreshments for the participants who enjoyed themselves and interacted with each other informally.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the new issue of the UMT News which highlights the significant 'moments and momentum' shared and witnessed by those who enjoy a stake in life, learning, knowledge, and leadership—all and everything that features UMT.

This issue covers the highlights of the UMT Idea Exchange 2011, the hallmark the 3x1 mega event as International Conferences on Business Management, Textiles and Clothing, and Islamic Thought and Civilization were held concurrently for two days in the seven conference halls purposefully converted to meet international standards, in a rare occurrence in the history of Lahore. The 3x1 mega event attracted representation by 170 speakers and research papers from 15 countries, besides active and meaningful participation of the corporate luminaries, public officials, and academic scholars.

UMT also surged ahead on the counts of education, research, training, consulting and publishing. The issue in hand provides a brief account of all such advancements. UMT News will keep you posted on the progress, as time progresses. The momentum gained by fast growing UMT is here to continue. Let us all get unified and in unison march on to achieve what is considered far, rare, and beyond the reach, but is worthwhile, commendable, and valuable.

– A G Ghaffari, Editor

Khurrum Shahzad's research proposal accepted

Khurrum Shahzad, MS Management student, presented his research pro-posal in a seminar conducted by the Graduate Research Center (CGR) on March 15, 2011. The title of his presentation was "Sources of Work Stress and their Relationship with Demographics in Pakistan". He identified the possi-ble sources of work stress and explained in detail the hypothesis of his study. The presentation continued for half an hour. Question and answer session followed the presentation and queries were made regarding the population, sample size and methodology of research. All PhD committee members of SBE attended the seminar and gave valuable suggestions to the presenter. MS students also attended the seminar and asked pertinent questions. Dr Rukhsana Kalim, Associate Dean (Research) requested the PhD committee members to submit their comments on the research proposal. All members unanimously approved the proposal with minor changes. The seminar ended with a note of thank by Dr Rukhsana Kalim.

Khurram Shahzad presents research proposal at the CGR seminar

Umer Ayub, MS student, presents his research proposal at the CGR seminar

MS students present research proposals in CGR seminar

The Center for Graduate Research (CGR) arranged a research seminar on January 28, 2011. The seminar was attended by MS-MGT and MS-SCM students, and by the faculty members of SBE. Four MS students presented their research proposals for approval. The details of their presentations are as follows:

– presented his research proposal on "Effects of Leader-ship Behavior on Learning Environment and Moderating Effect of Mender-mix and Professional Qualification".

– Ahmer Naveed Paracha presented his research proposal on "A Study of Relationship between Knowledge Management Enablers, Process and Organization Performance: A Case of Private Limited Bank of Pakistan".

– Sajjad Ahmed's proposal was titled "Leadership in Islamic Perspec-tive".

– Umer Ayub presented a proposal titled “The Impact of Human Capital on Organizational Innovative Capability in a Private Commercial Bank of Pakistan”.

After the presentations, a question and answer session was held during which the presenters got an opportunity to present their views more clearly. The seminar ended with the vote of thanks by Dr Rukhsana Kalim to all partici-pants.

Ahmed Zakariya

Dr A R Kausar, Salman Saeed Qureshi and Asif Saeed Haiderwelcome new entrants for Spring 2011

UMT welcomes studentsfor Spring 2011 intake

Dr A R Kausar, Pro-Rector UMT, welcomed new students for the Spring 2011Semester during a special orientation session held at the University campus on February 21, 2011. He urged the students to make the best use of their intelligence in order to make the most of their stay at UMT. Dr Kausar advised them to develop a habit of learning from the first day. He said that UMT has built a reputation for innovative, high quality academic programs and they could expect to graduate only through rigorous study and commit-ment to their education. The University of Management and Technology (UMT) organized the orientation for newcomers to give them glimpses of academic life and prepare them for what awaits them beyond the lectures and assignments. The orientation was attended by a large number of students, parents, senior university officials and faculty members. Special arrange-ments were made to make the event a memorable occasion for all. Senior University officials also addressed the students. Salman Saeed Qureshi, Registrar, informed the new comers that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has awarded “W” category to UMT in recognition of meeting the high standards of academic excellence. He said that these stan-dards have been maintained over the years on account of strict adherence to the rules and regulations of the University and all UMT students are expected to follow them in letter and spirit.Asif Saeed Haider, Controller of Examina-tions, imparted valuable information regarding various aspects of the semes-ter system followed at the University, especially in terms of marking. He said that students are graded through GPA and CGPA which is calculated accord-ing to grade points earned during the semester.

Dr Rukhsana Kalim, Associate Dean (Research), discussesthe MS Management program with the new students

SBE holds MS program orientation The orientation session for MS Management (MGT) and MS Supply Chain Management (SCM) was held on Feb 21, 2011 in the UMT board room. The session started with the formal introduction of students. Dr Rukhsana Kalim, Associate Dean (Research) highlighted the salient features of the MS-MGT program. Kamran Rashid, Chairperson of the Supply Chain Department, presented information regarding the MS-SCM program. Students were provided a kit containing the Spring 2011 time table, road map, graduating deadline and MS program brochure by Hanya Aslam, Academic Officer MS program. Registration of all stu-dents was done on the spot. The session ended with a note of thanks by Dr Rukhsana Kalim. At the end, students were taken for a round of the cam-pus by Hanya who also briefed them about the various facilities and re-sources at their disposal.

UMT organizes seminar on Inclusive Education

The Department of Special Education at UMT organized a seminar on “The Role of International Council for Education of Children with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) for the Promotion of Inclusive Education in Paki-stan” on February, 23, 2011. The seminar was attended by a large number of faculty members, students and experts on the subject. Professor Dr Abdul Hameed, Professor and Associate Dean, School of Social Sci-ences and Humanities (SSH) presided over the seminar. Addressing on the occasion, Dr A Rashid Kausar, Pro-Rector UMT, appreciated the contributions of Prof Dr Abdul Hameed in the progress of the Department of Social Sciences and recognized his efforts towards introduction of inclusive education in UMT. He said that educational professionals must review how inclusive education is implemented in different parts of the world. Dr Kausar emphasized that we should focus on our strengths so that we may channelize them for the betterment of the society.

Dr Abdul Tawab, child specialist and Chief Executive of Rising Sun Education and Welfare society, said that his institution has trained 500 teachers in inclusive education across the country besides giving educa-tion to children suffering from mental handicaps and multiple disabilities. Sallahudin Jaddi, Chief Executive Aziz Jehan Trust, expressed his views on inclusive education and shared his thoughts on the education of chil-dren with visual impairment. The Chief Guest of the seminar, Khalid Naeem, Country Head of ICEVI Pakistan, presented the latest statistics of education of children with disabilities. He stressed the need of inclusive education in Pakistan. Naeem explained the role of ICEVI for the promo-tion of inclusive education in the country. He informed the audience that 1710 children are being educated in special schools because of EFA-VI campaign in Pakistan. Earlier, Bushra Akram, Lecturer, Special Educa-tion, introduced the topic and threw light on the achievements of ICEVI globally. Addressing on the occasion, Dr Abdul Hameed said that every country has defined inclusion in its own way to make it meaningful for the educational system. He was of the view that we must redefine inclusive education in Pakistan. He pointed out that 99% of children with special needs do not have access to schools. He concluded by emphasizing that every effort should be made to provide education to these children at their door steps because our religion and multicultural traditions strongly support inclusive education.

Sallahudin Jaddi, Dr Abdul Tawab, Khalid Naeem,Dr Abdul Hameed and Amna Arif seen on stage

Participants of the seminar on Inclusive Education

L to R: Irfan Ashraf, GM Marketing Jang Group, A G Ghaffari, Director UMT,Sarmad A Ali, Managing Director Jang Group, Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT,

Saadia Shariff, Director Marketing and Noor Ullah, Manager Marketingfrom the Jang Media Group snapped on their visit to UMT

Dr Absar Ahmad shares his views with MPhil studentsduring the seminar on Islam and Secularism

Dr Absar Ahmad shares his views on Islam and Secularism

The Department of Islamic Thought and Civilization (DITC) organized a seminar on Islam and secularism on January 12, 2011 for all three batches of MPhil ITC. Dr Absar Ahmad, former Head of the Department of Philoso-phy, University of the Punjab, was the keynote speaker of the seminar. Dr Absar Ahmad said that secularism in epistemology is the advocacy of empir-icism while in ontology its paradigm can be defined by its faith on natural-ism and materialism. It leads to the exclusion of religion from public and private affairs in its extreme form. In the lighter form, secularism is the name of limiting religion merely to public life. This form of secularism advocates the separation of religion and state and is finding its roots very rapidly in the Muslim world.

Dr Absar Ahmad said that both Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Dr Fazl-ur-Rahman, two eminent Pakistani scholars denied the secularist approach in spite of being modern in their thought. Both of them were strong propo-nents of the role of Islam in affairs of the state. Allama Muhammad Iqbal emphasized that the state should be regulated on Islamic principles. Simi-larly, Dr Fazl-ur- Rahman also asserted that working of the state should be according to the guidelines of Quran and Hadith.

Presenting the other side of the argument, he gave the example of Ziauddin Sardar and Dr Shabbir Akhtar, Pakistani scholars who have settled in the UK. Both of them, particularly Dr Shabbir Akhtar have basic religious education acquired from a madrassa. He is in favor of exclusion of religion from affairs of the state. Similarly, Ziauddin Sardar is also of the opinion that religion should not interfere in the affairs of the state.

Dr Absar Ahmad said that Muhammad Arkoun and Bassam Tibi could be nominated as supporters of secularism in the Arab World. He said that Bassam Tibi's recent book “Islam's Predicament with Modernity” is a reflec-tion of his secular approach. Likewise, Muhammad Arkoun's “Elements of Unthought in Muslim Thought” indicates his secular mindset.At the end of his lecture, Dr Absar stressed the need of encountering secularism prevail-ing in the Muslim world. This requires reading of Islamic texts and grasping their meaning. He said that strong foundations in Islamic principles will definitely strengthen our faith and will be helpful in accepting the role of Islam in all worldly affairs. Finally, Dr Zafar Iqbal, Dean SSH, presented a souvenir to the guest speaker and also delivered the vote of thanks.

Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, addresses participantsof the congregation on the message of the Holy Prophet

Leaders Forum organizes Islamic Calligraphy and Naat CompetitionLeaders Forum organized a congregation on the “The Message of Mu-hammad (S.A.W.W)” on March 03, 2011 in the seminar room. Interna-tional gold medalist in qira't Qari Waqar Ahmad Chitrali and a re-nowned young naat khawan Hasan Afzal Siddiqui were invited as guests while Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT was the Guest of Honor.

The proceedings began with recitation of some verses from the Holy Quran by Abdullah Hasan, President Leaders Forum. This was followed by a naat competition. The panel of judges comprised of Dr Tahir Mustafa, Assistant Professor SSH, Ilyas Ansari, Assistant Professor SSH and Firdous Ahmed, Head IPC. Shehzad Ali, student of MBA-P, was announced as the winner of the competition.

Qari Waqar Ahmad Chitrali graced the occasion by reciting verses from the Holy Quran in a magnificent manner. Dr Hasan Suhaib Murad also took the opportunity to recite some verses of the Holy Quran. The naat recitations by Hasan Afzal Siddiqui won the hearts of the audience.

The Islamic calligraphy competition was judged by Alvina Fatima and Aadil Masood. Asma Zafar, student of MBA-P, was declared winner of the competition. Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, presented cash prize of Rs 2000/- and a book on Seerat-un-Nabi (S.A.W.W) “Mohsin-e-Insaniat” to the winners while the Rana Iftikhar Ahmed, Director Partic-ipants Services, presented a Seerat-un-Nabi (S.A.W.W) book “Muham-mad-e-Arbi” to the participants of the competition.

Addressing on the occasion, Dr Hasan advised the students to seek guid-ance from the life of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W). He said that we can only prosper and progress by following the teachings of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W). The conference concluded by a collective due conducted by Sufyan Jabbar, President Leaders Forum Professional Institutes.

Ijaz Yusuf conducts CSCR awareness session

Ijaz Yusuf, Director, Center for Supply Chain Research (CSCR), con-ducted an awareness session on Supply Chain Management from the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) plat-form in collaboration with the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Indus-try (SCCI) on March 10, 2011. The event was attended by 56 participants.

Faizan from SMEDA welcomed all the participants and introduced the speaker. Ijaz Yusuf spoke about the importance and scope of the supply chain process integration to bring efficiency, cost effectiveness and pro-ductivity in business process. He highlighted the need of streamlining the supply chain process in industry to give it a competitive edge. Qaiser Baig, Vice President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), concluded the event and presented a shield to Ijaz Yusuf.

Orya Maqbool Jan addresses the seerat conference organized bythe Department of Islamic Thought and Civilization

Orya Maqbool Jan addressesSeerat Conference

The Department of Islamic Thought and Civilization (DITC) at UMT has maintained a tradition of organizing seerat conferences to familiarize UMT students with various aspects of the life of the Holy Prophet. Keeping this tradition alive, the DITC organized a seerat conference at the UMT campus on March 09, 2011 and invited renowned intellectual Orya Maqbool Jan as the guest speaker. Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, Dean SSH, Dr Muham-mad Amin, Chairman DITC, Dr Zafar Iqbal, Professor / Chairperson Department of English Language and Literature, Dr Tahir Mustafa, Assis-tant Professor, SSH, Munawar A Anees, Director IIB, Ahmad Abdullah, Head OHR, Akbar Chaudhry, Treasurer UMT, and Shaukat Pervaiz, Deputy Registrar, were also present on the occasion.

The seerat conference was attended by a large number of students and faculty members. The conference began with recitation from some verses of the Holy Quran by Adnan, student of MPhil ITC. Sumera Mahmood, another student, presented a naat. Addressing on the occasion, Orya Maqbool Jan touched on a topic that is at the heart of every Muslim. He shared his views on the attitude of the West regarding Muslim culture and civilization and our reaction to it. Drawing from history, Orya gave various examples of the Western paranoia against Muslim domination of their territories and culture. He said that these misconceptions can only be removed if the Muslim Ummah takes a united stand and leads the way towards a just and humane social order by following the example of the Holy Prophet.

Ujala Forum organizes talkon the role of Muslim women

in the 21st centuryThe Ujala Forum has been launched by students of MPhil Islamic Thought and Civilization of DITC, UMT to organize various co-curricular activities for the grooming of female participants. It aims to become a platform for mutual interaction and open discussion on various issues confronting modern Muslim women. Following the exemplary lives of the great Mus-lim ladies, Ummul Mo'mineen, Ayesha RA, Khadija RA, and the Sahabiya Umme Warqa RA, Ujala aspires to tread middle ground be-tween the extreme Western feminism of 'masculinizing' the women along with their particular needs and specific issues on one hand and the irreli-gious 'mullaist' restrictions on the female Muslim populace on the other. The Forum arranged a talk on the role of Muslim women in the 21st century. The female faculty and students of UMT attended the event. The guest speaker was the scholar Alimah Sobia Ahmed, a graduate of the Univer-sity of Chicago and University of Illinois. Sobia highlighted the role of the Quran in modern day life of Muslim women all over the world. She stressed that an in-depth knowledge of the holy book was essential for attaining success in this world as well as in the afterlife and building up a closer and more intimate relationship on one to one basis with Allah-the Almighty. All the participants were greeted with rose buds. The students were also given registration form to register themselves for the Forum. At the end, Humaira Ahmad, faculty member and research scholar of the Department of Islamic Thought and Civilization (DITC), presented a bouquet and a souvenir to the learned guest of honor.

1st International Conference onBusiness Management (ICoBM)

Business, Academia and Government Partnership for a Better Future

The 1st International Conference on Business Management (ICoBM) was attended by CEOs, heads of international and multinational companies, policymakers, government officials, representatives from the corporate and social sectors, development experts, academicians, researchers, economists, representatives from financial institutes, NGOs, human resource development professionals and trainers, and PhD/ MPhil/ MS level university scholars. It was organized collectively by the School of Business and Economics, Univer-sity of Management and Technology, Lahore, Institute of Administrative Science, Punjab University, Lahore, and Institute of Business Administration, Sukkur. The Conference comprised of two tracks: academic and corporate. Around 35 research papers were presented in the 12 academic sessions of the ICoBM. The academic track included papers and presentations on manage-ment, economics, finance, human resource management, and marketing and information systems. The corporate track comprised of presentations by re-nowned business tycoons, industrialists and entrepreneurs on commercial issues. The ICoBM aimed at capturing both theoretical and empirical knowl-edge to assist in preparing organizations to manage business under the prevail-ing circumstances in the country. It provided a forum for discussion on key issues related to business, economics, finance, and society.

The Conference helped to identify strategies for improvement of policy effectiveness in business and management through research, pinpoint key constraints to progress in the post-crisis global regime, and develop interaction with foreign scholars and researchers essential for the enhancement of global knowledge. Some of the speakers of the ICoBM included Abid Farooq, CEO, Ali Akbar Spinning Mills, Dr Amjad Saqib, Founder and Executive Director, Akhuwwat, Sultan Tiwana, GM, Business Development Services, SMEDA, Salman Danish, CEO, Optimedia/Media Logic, Mansoor Hassan Khan, [LL.M. (London), LL.M. (Harvard); Advocate, High Court; Partner, Khan and Associates], Abdul Waheed Khan, Controller General, Accounts of Pakistan, Ijaz Rasool Choudhry, GM, National Productivity Organization (NPO), Dr Rasul Bakhsh Rais, Political Analyst and Prof at LUMS , Saeed Alvi, Chairman TEVTA, Dr Rashid Bajwa, Chairman NRSP, Ibrahim Qureshi, CEO, Raffles Systems, Waqar Ahmad, Agri-Sector Advi-sor, USAID-PAK, Saquib Mohyuddin, CEO, SME Business Support Fund, Syed Zahoor Hassan, Professor, LUMS, and Dr Mohammed Nishat, Associ-ate Dean, IBA, Karachi. Rizwan Razi also spoke during a special session on media in business management.

Topics of Conference Papers

Some of the important topics of the conference included: Determinants of Food Price Inflation in Pakistan, Export Price Competitiveness and Exchange Rate Risk in Pakistan's Manufacturing Sector, Evaluating Human Capital with Intellectual, Social & Emotional Capital, Globalization Trade Liberalization, Trade Flows and Economic Growth by Using CGE Model, A Comparative Study of Organizational Climate and Job Satisfaction in Public, Private and Foreign Banks, Management of Pakistan Higher Education in Emerging Scenarios, Determinants of Performance: A Case of Life Insurance Sector of Pakistan, Similarities, Differences and Emerging Trends in Higher Education Ranking Criteria: Using Interpretive Research for the Process Analysis of Critical Evaluation, Impact of strategic leadership on organizational commit-ment in telecommunication sector of Pakistan, Plastic Money in Retail: An Indian Experience, Volatility Spillovers between Stock Returns and Foreign Exchange Rate changes: Evidence from Three SAARC Countries, Capital Structure Determinants: An Empirical Study of Food & Personal Care industry of Pakistan, The Determinants of FDI: A Case Study of Pakistan (FY81 - FY09), Strategic Evaluation of Public Sector Universities in Pakistan.


Corporate session on geopolitical environment for business and changemanagement through leadership development in progress.

Seen on stage from L to R: Nazir Naqwi, Dr Rasul Bakhsh Rais,Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rehmatullah Javed, Saeed Alvi and Dr Sarwar Azhar

Dr A R Kausar, Dr Rashid Bajwa, Dr Amjad Saqib and Dr Faheem ul Islamin the corporate session on poverty alleviation and micro finance institutions

at the UMT Idea Exchange 2011

Speakers and participants of the corporate session onlegal environment for business

Academic session on research presentations in progress

Continued from page 2

170 speakers from

15 countries, more than

30 Chairmen, GMs, CEOs

and Directors converge at

UMT Idea Exchange 2011


Conference on Islamic Civilization-Potentials and Challenges

The Department of Islamic Thought and Civilization (DITC) organized an International Conference under the banner of UMT Idea Exchange 2011. The Conference was titled International Conference on Islamic Civilization – Potentials and Challenges. It consisted of 8 sessions includ-ing one session of Arabic papers. The first session of the Conference consisted of speeches by keynote speakers after the inaugural session of UMT Idea Exchange.

Dr S M Ghazanfar, Professor Emeritus, University of Idaho, USA, delivered his keynote address on “Civilization Links: Early Islam and Western Renaissance.” He said that many discourses clearly indicate that Muslim civilization played an important role in the rise and culmination of the movement of Renaissance in the West. He proved his point by citing Western authors and intellectuals admitting the role of the writings of Arabs and Muslims during the Renaissance.

Dr Adnan Aslan, Professor of Philosophy at Istanbul 29 May University, Turkey, addressed “Religious pluralism in Islam.” He said that Islam has encouraged pluralism and history of the Muslim world is full of examples where we see Muslims, Christians, and Jews living together in an envi-ronment of harmony and peace. Even the spirit of Islam allows the atmo-sphere of plural societies.

Dr Abdul Hameed, Dean, School of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), concluded the discussion. He also gave the vote of thanks to both the keynote speakers. Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, presented the souvenirs to the session chair and both keynote speakers. This session was moderated by Shagufta Jabeen, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, UMT.

The second session of the day was chaired by Dr Absar Ahmad, Former Head of the Department of Philosophy, University of the Punjab, Lahore. It was titled “Dynamics of Islamic Resurgence”. Dr Laszlo Csicsmann, Vice Dean, International Affairs, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute for International Studies, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary , pre-sented his paper on “Islamist Movements at the Crossroads: The Choice between Ideology and Context Driven Approach to Politics: Case Study on the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordon”. His paper was based on his recent research and stay at Jordon.

The second paper was presented by Gillian Kennedy, a doctoral candidate in Middle Eastern Studies, Kings College London, UK. The topic of her presentation was based on “The Transformation of Egyptian Islamists: Genuine Value Pluralism or Democratic Window Dressing”. She also discussed the dynamics of the recent revolution in Egypt. The third pre-sentation was by Dr Branislav Radeljic, Associate Lecturer at Univer-sity of London. Dr Radeljic talked on “Islam in European Union: Key Issues & Debates”.

In his concluding remarks, Dr Absar appreciated the three presentations. He said that this was an excellent effort by non-Muslims to express their understanding of Islam. He encouraged dialogue to discern one's self from others and create an atmosphere of harmony. The session ended with the distribution of souvenirs to paper presenters and the session chair.

There were two paper presentations in the third and final session that touched upon Muslim Intellectual Contribution. Zora Hesova, a Czech Republic National presented her paper on “Scheler and Ghazali: Explora-tions of the Finality of Knowledge between East and West”. Her presenta-tion was based on the exploration of the ways in which Islamic tradition in

Dr Spahic Omar, International Islamic University, Malaysia,answers questions during conference

Shagufta Jabeen, Dr Adnan Aslan, Dr Abdul Hameed andDr Hasan Sohaib Murad snapped during a session of the conference

Dr S M Ghazanfar, Prof Emeritus, University of Idaho, addressesinaugural session of the Conference on Islamic Civilization

Attendees at the inaugural session of the InternationalConference on Islamic Civilization-Potentials and Challenges


general and Islamic Philosophy in particular, contribute a constructive rethinking of modernity in a dialogue between Western and Islamic thought.

Dr Fraz Anjum, Assistant Professor at University of Punjab, Lahore presented his paper on the “Crisis of Muslim Civilization in Modern Times: Some Insights from Ibn-e-Khaldun's Thought and Ideals”. His research was an attempt to understand and explain the crisis of Islamic Civilization with the help of the social analysis and critical ideas of Ibn-e-Khuldun. Dr Noman-ul-Haq gave the concluding remarks on both the presentations.

The first session on the final day of the Conference explored Muslim cultural heritage. There were two presentations, one in Arabic and the other in English, based on the theme of Islamic Architecture. Dr Spahic Omar, a Bosnian national and Assistant Professor at International Is-lamic University, spoke on “Islamic Architecture and the Prospect of its Revival”. The paper concluded that Islamic architecture embodies the message of Islam through its multidimensionality. It facilitates the Mus-lim realization of Islamic purpose and its divine principles on earth, and promotes a lifestyle generated by such a philosophy and principles. Kamil Khan Mumtaz, famous architect of Pakistan and former Head of the Department of Architecture at National College of Arts, Lahore, delivered his concluding remarks on the paper.

The second paper was in Arabic language and covered the distinctive features of Islamic Civilization. Dr Mazhar Moeen, Principal Oriental College, University of Punjab, and Dr Khaliq Dad, Head, Department of Arabic, University of Punjab, jointly concluded the session.

The second session of the day was based on the theme of Inter Civilizational Dialogue. Dr Naveed Yazdani, Director, School of Profes-sional Advancement, presented his paper on “From Modernity to Postmodernity: A Historical Discourse on Western Civilization. He cov-ered the historical paradigm of Modernity and Postmodernity. He also analyzed the behavior of Western Civilization in this context. Memoona Sajjad, (pen name Maryam Sakeena) addressed on “Fraternity of Civi-lization: Prospects for Dialogue and Search for Common Thread”. She refuted the idea of the Clash of Civilizations and said that Islamic history is rich in narratives of pluralism, tolerance and peaceful co-existence with diverse communities. Muhammad Suheyl Umar, Director, Iqbal Acad-emy, Lahore, concluded the session and said that the role of Islamic tradi-tion is most important in this postmodern age.

The third session of the day was titled “Islamic Civilization: Emerging Issues and New Horizons”. The first presentation was a comparative study on religious pluralism based on the research of Dr Farooq Hassan, Assistant Professor at NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi. The topic of the research paper was “Pluralism in Islam: A Com-parative Study with Western Pluralism”. This was followed by a joint presentation by Dr Muhammad Iqbal Majooka and Habib Elahi Sahibzada from the University of Hazara, Mansehra. Their research was on the “Resources of Muslim World: A Reflection on the Muslim World's Resources, Their Development and Utilization”. The third presentation was delivered by a UMT faculty member at the Department of Social Sciences, Nighat Noureen, on the topic of “Islamic Globalization: An Urgent Need of the World”. Session Chair, Dr Syed Sultan Shah, Head, Department of Islamic Studies, GC University, Lahore, concluded the session.

The final and last session of the Conference was based on “Islam and Postmodernity”. Sabina Shah, Lecturer, at Department of English Lan-guage and Literature at University of Hazara, presented her paper on

Renowned architect Kamil Khan Mumtaz delivers concluding remarks on a paper on Islamic architecture

Volunteers get a standing ovation for their contribution in thesuccess of UMT Idea Exchange 2011

Abid Ganaie from the Textile Institute addresses the 3rd ICTC 2011

Corporate delegates at the Textile Conference


“Cultural Invasion through Media War: Islamic Civilization and the Challenge of Post modernity”. Her paper encompassed the notion of post-modern life in the Islamic world. She emphasized that importance of mass media in the post-modern world is beyond any doubt. She was of the view that through mass media, the Occident is trying continuously to impose its sensibilities on the Oriental mind. Dr Muhammad Zaid Malik, Assistant Professor at International Islamic University; Islamabad expressed his views on the topic of “Post-Modernity and Crisis of Muslim Identity”. Dr Zafar Iqbal, Head Department of English Language and Literature, UMT, chaired and concluded the session.

At the end, Dr Muhammad Amin, Chairperson, Department of Islamic Thought and Civilization, delivered the note of thanks and announced the closing of the Conference.

3rd International Conference onTextile and Clothing (ICTC 2011)

The Institute of Textiles and Industrial Sciences (ITIS) at UMT organized the 3rd International Conference on Textiles and Clothing (ICTC) 2011 in collaboration with the Textile Institute, Manchester, UK. Andreas Weber, World President, The Textile Institute, UK, addressed the plenary session of the UMT Idea Exchange during the inaugural session on March 28, 2011. He also chaired the first session of the ICTC hosted by Abid Ganaie.

The ICTC 2011 showcased sustainable products, and explored avenues for improving exports. Research papers comprising of original unpub-lished research were invited from textile professionals and experts from across the globe on major issues affecting the industry.

Topics included nano-science in textiles, non-wovens, geo-textiles, conductive textiles, recyclable textiles, enhancement of industrial R & D, textile management and marketing, enhancement of environmental and effluent treatments, new developments in textile machinery, guaranteed energy source, compliance and quality issues. Sessions of the Conference touched upon various themes ranging from challenges to Pakistan's value added industry to productivity and quality control issues.

The ICTC 2011 projected true value attached to technical textile as the major source of competition among textile players and promote smart textiles supported by modern technologies, equipments and innovative textile processing techniques through induction of specialized skills and high tech materials.

The select experts and textile professionals attending the Conference came up with a number of recommendations to encourage state institu-tions and other stakeholders to provide incentives for promotion of tech-nical textiles. It helped to bridge the gap and improve interaction between industry and academia through joint ventures of research and develop-ment as well as resource mobilization.

Key speakers included Syed Mahfooz Qutub, Chairman, The Textile Institute, Lahore Section, Nazia Nawaz, PhD Scholar, RMIT Australia, Dr Lubos, Technical University of Liberec, Czech Republic, Asif Shah, BTTG, UK, Kamran Sandhu, PRGTTI, Abher Rasheed, Muhammad Mohsin, Ayaz Kanjee, CEO Service Traders, Awais Khatri, Dr Arshad Chugtai, Dr Faheem Uddin, Haider, Dr Nabeel Amin, S A Hiremath, Dr Tahir Rajab Kaddar, Nadeem Faisal, Nadeem Shaukat, Saood Qasim, SGS, Faisal, Sareena, Muhammad Qamar Tusief, Hafsa Riaz, Assistant Professor, NTU, Hafiz M Tayyab, Sandal Dyestuff, Noor Ul Ain Bughi, A Wahab Jatoi, Nadir Ali Rind, Sheraz Ahmad, Arman Shafi, Farrukh Jamil, Awais Bokhari and M Aslam.

Textile professionals and students attend the 3rd ICTC 2011

Anees ul Haq, Secretary APTMA, shares his views with the audience

Dr Nabeel Amin, Director ITIS, addresses a session of the 3rd ICTC 2011

M Ayaz Cheema from Ravi Spinning Mills receives a souvenirfrom Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT

Turkish delegation visits UMTThe Office of Participants Affairs (OPA) facilitated a group of UMT students and arranged a meeting with the visiting Turkish delegation of university representative.

A group of UMT students comprising of Saad Khalid, Ahmed Abdullah, Imtiaz Tarar, Yasir Anjum, Fatima Zahid, Amna Anjum, Hajira Imtiaz and Asma Zia met Dr Tayseer Al-Shanableh, Director International Affairs of Near East University, and Memet Yalcin, General Secretary of European University of Lefke. Rana Iftikhar Ahmed, Director Participants' Services, and Hafiz Umair Iqbal, Officer Partici-pants' Activities, were also present on the occasion.

During this meeting, Dr Tayseer showed a presentation to the UMT stu-dents regarding study options at North Cyprus. The students asked a number of questions regarding the universities in North Cyprus and showed a keen interest in exploring further opportunities.

UMT students attend session of the Punjab Assembly

The Office of Participants Affairs (OPA) arranged the visit of UMT stu-dents to the Punjab Assembly session held on January 21, 2011. The objective of this visit was to familiarize the students with the working of the public representatives. The student group comprised of Sami Ullah Sheikh, Usama bin Shahid, Abdul Mohsin, Imtiaz Ahmed, Hood Laeeq, Qurat, Zainab Mushtaq, Mahrukh Ahmad, M Raheel Iqbal, Amna Anjum, Ahmed Abdullah, Sohaib Khuwaja, Yasir Anjum and Zain Khichi. The students were accompanied by Hafiz Umair Iqbal from OPA.

During the visit, students were taken on a tour of the Punjab Assembly including the huge library. They also met Senior Provincial Minister for Labor, Muhammad Asharaf Khan and Raja Riaz, Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader. They were invited to hi-tea in the Punjab Assembly Board Room by Ashraf Khan as well. A number of TV channels including GEO, EXPRESS, SAMAA and TV1 aired the views of the students re-garding the proceedings of the Punjab Assembly.

Turkish delegates snapped with UMT students and officials

UMT students snapped with Muhammad Asharaf Khan (third from L),Minister for Labor, and Raja Riaz (fourth from L),

Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader

Dr Ahmad F Siddiqui, Associate Dean SBE, addresses the participants

Entrepreneurial LeadershipSafari Follow-up

Follow-up session of the 1st Entrepreneurial Leadership Safari was held on March 01, 2011 at the University's seminar room. This memorable event was organized by the Leadership Club and Entrepreneurship Club. Dr Ahmad Siddiqui, Associate Dean SBE, was the chief guest for the follow-up session. It may be noted that the five-day safari was held from February 5-10 at the scouts camp Ghora Gali, Murree. During the safari, the partici-pants were given different self-dependency and entrepreneurial exercises.

The follow-up session started with recitation of a few verses from the Holy Quran by Mohammad Ahmad Afzal. A photo montage of images and videos created by one of the safari participants was shown to the partici-pants. The participants briefed the chief guest and the audience about the various activities undertaken by them and what they learnt from those activities. The participants exchanged views and shared their thrilling experiences during the safari with the audience. They also thanked faculty members for their dedication and supervision during the five-day safari.

Arslan Hyder Kalyani recalled the safari in a beautiful way by reading out “Ahwal-i-Safar”. The teachers encouraged students to participate in such healthy, thrilling and constructive activities in order to groom their person-alities. Moreover, the faculty members who accompanied the participants to the Scouts Camp shared their intriguing personal experiences and joyous moments with the audience. The concluding remarks were given by Ahmad Siddiqui. At the end, certificates were distributed to the safari participants on behalf of the Entrepreneurship Club.

UMT Business School participates in the Telenor OCMT Program

Telenor Pakistan selected UMT as one of the eight universities in Pakistan for an On-Campus Management Trainee (OCMT) Program that has been initiated to bridge the gap between academic learning and real world corporate sector requirements. The OCMT is part of 'Shaping the Profes-sionals of Tomorrow' program aimed at imparting corporate learning through a project-based approach. Only business school students are eligible for participating in the program.

The competing universities from Karachi comprised of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), Institute of Business Management (IoBM) and Iqra University. UMT and Foreman Christian College University (FCU) participated from Lahore while Bahria University, Fast-NU and Iqra University, Islamabad, competed from Islamabad.

Initially, more than 950 students took part in the competition including 52 students from UMT who participated in the first round. The UMT team members were all BBA students. Their names are: Faheem Dilawar Hussain, Waqas-ul-Hassan, Ali Hussain Chohan, Haseeb Javed, and Sulman Manawar. Although IoBM finally won the competition, UMT students impressed fellow competitors and judges by the firm grasp of business concepts and originality of ideas.

UMT students attend TI-P workshop in Bahawalpur

UMT Students attended a two-day workshop on 'Youth in Governance' organized jointly by the Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB) and Trans-parency International Pakistan on January 11-12, 2011 at Gotvi Hall, Abbasia Campus, IUB. Students of 15 universities from all over the coun-try were the target participants of the workshop. The participants of the workshop found it very informative and invigorating as it helped them come up with better strategies to combat corruption at every level.

The workshop was inaugurated by IUB Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mu-hammad Mukhtar. Speaking on the occasion, the VC said that good governance was vital for every field of life and could be ensured by acting upon Islamic jurisprudence and law. The VC said that the main objectives of the workshop were to highlight the importance of good governance, significance of the vote as well as to create awareness among youths about their rights and responsibilities.

Transparency International Director N I Khawaja lauded the role played by the IUB in South Punjab and said that universities were the best forum for creating transparency in society. Other resources persons like Prof Rizwan Faiz Muhammad, Faculty of Shariah Law, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Prof Dr Mansoor Kundi, Vice Chancellor Gomal University, D I Khan, Ali Nawaz Chohan, Legal Advisor to President of Pakistan and Prof Dr Ayaz Muhammad, Chairman, Department of Political Science and International Relations, BZU Multan, presented their points of view on corruption in Pakistan and strategies to make society free of all vices.

The Office of Participants Affairs (OPA) at UMT made arrangements for the students to travel to Bahawalpur along with Hafiz Umair Iqbal. The students included Abdul Mohsin Khawaja (BE-TE), Sheikh SamiUllah, Usama bin Shahid, Mahrukh Ahmad (BS-SS) and Rubab Hussain (BBA).

At the end of the first day, TI-P arranged a cultural dinner for the partici-pants during which students from each university represented the local culture and traditions of their home city. From UMT, Sheikh SamiUllah and Mahrukh Ahmad gave a presentation on their hometown 'Lahore' which was greatly appreciated by the audience. During the concluding session held on the second day, Sheikh SamiUllah presented his point of view regarding the conference. He said Pakistan can move forward through formulation of transparent and effective laws aimed at removing favoritism at all levels of society.

The participants of the workshop also toured the city of Bahawalpur. They visited the famous Noor Mehal as well. Finally, they returned to their home cities with a firm commitment to make the country a better place to live in.

Report by Mahrukh Ahmad (BS-SS)

Samiullah Hussain, Rubab Sheikh, Abdul Mohsin Khwaja, Mahrukh Ahmadand Usama Bin Shahid snapped after attending the workshop

Karen Armstrong lectures on need for compassion in society

Renowned British author and democracy advocate Karen Armstrong delivered a lecture on “Need for compassion in society” on February 03, 2011 at Peru's café, Lahore. The Office of Participants Affairs (OPA) made arrangements for a group of UMT students to attend the lecture. Those who attended included Abdul Mohsin Khawaja, Yasir Ahmed, Amna Anjum, Hajira Imtiaz, Asma Zia Ch., Ahmed Abdullah, Sohaib Khawaja, Wajahat Ullah Khan, Sidra, Anam Shahid, Azeera Iqbal and Asad Bin Farooq. Karen made a strong case for working towards a compassionate society to “alleviate suffering of our fellow creatures”. Compassion is not feeling “pity” for others, but to “discover what gives us pain, and then refuse, under any circumstance whatsoever, to inflict that pain on anybody else,” she told an audience of academicians and students at Peru's café. She began working on the Charter for Compassion, created online with input from hundreds of people and crafted by leading think-ers in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The charter was signed in November 2009 by religious and secular leaders. It is based on the Golden Rule “Do not treat others as you would not like them to treat you” or in its positive form: “Always treat others as you would wish to be treated your-self”. Armstrong said that all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions call “to honor the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.” She said that today the world is connected electronically, economically and politically as never before. “Our financial markets are inextricably connected: when one falls, there is a ripple effect worldwide. What happens in Afghanistan or Iraq today may well have repercussions tomorrow in New York or London.” Her book Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, setting out a program of a journey towards a more compassionate life, was also launched on the occasion.

IEEE certificate distribution ceremonyThe IEEE General Body Meeting and certificate distribution ceremony was held on January 20, 2011. The event was organized by Aqeel Tariq and Bilal Sheikh, students from the School of Science and Technology (SST). Special guests on this occasion included SST faculty members Rauf Ali, Muhammad Sadi, Abdullah Saqlain Sahi. Students were provided certificates for Electronic Projects completed in Fall 2009. The first position went to Nadia Yousaf, student of BS (EE) for her project titled “Rain Detector”. Addressing on the occasion, Col Khan M Nazir, Head Patron IEEE UMT branch, encouraged students to join IEEE and Engineers Forum. This he said, would help them in completing their final year projects and facilitate their studies.

UMT students snapped with Hafiz Umair Iqbal after attendingKaren Armstrong's lecture

Certificate winners snapped with Nauman Nadeem and Col Khan Nazir

Students shop at the jewellery stall in the evening

Marketing Club organizesYouth Festival 2011

The students of Marketing Club at the School of Business and Economics (SBE) organized the Youth Festival on January 10, 2011 at the UMT campus. More than thirty stalls were set up in the Festival. The stalls displayed various products such as garments, jewelry, edibles, games, IT products, creative works like carved mugs, and subsidized products like EVO, etc. A large number of students, faculty and staff members visited the Youth Festival throughout the day and enjoyed the festivities.

Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, was the Chief Guest of the Festival and inaugurated the event. Mobin-ul-Haque, Head, Department of Marketing, SBE, Rashid Hussain, Assistant Professor, Marketing and Ahmad Hassib Hassan, Lecturer SBE, organized the event and super-vised the arrangements.

The Youth Festival was the first activity initiated by the newly formed Marketing Club and the oath taking of office bearers was held during the closing ceremony. Mobin-ul-Haque took the oath from the elected office bearers.

Best performance of the stalls was judged by a group of jury comprising of Mobin-ul-Haque, Kamran Rashid, Assistant Professor, Department of Supply Chain Management, and Rashid Hussain. The first prize was given to “Chilli and Chow” stall. The second prize went to “Haji Bar BQ”. Cash prizes of Rs 3000 and Rs 2000 respectively were awarded to the winners.

The Youth Festival was covered by the electronic media as well. City 42, popular local TV channel interviewed Dr Hasan, Rector UMT. Dawn News gave coverage of the event in its transmission. Media professionals such as Juniad Haleem and Umair Minhas from Dunya TV, and Atif Ali from Royal TV also visited the festival. They appreciated the students and management of UMT for organizing the entire event as it provided a healthy outlet for the creative potential of the students.

UMT Fine Arts Club organizes Splash 2k11

The UMT Fine Arts Club invited artists from 17 educational institutes of Lahore to showcase their creativity in a special intervarsity painting competi-tion held at the UMT campus on March 02, 2011. Dr Ejaz Anwar, renowned artist, was the Chief Guest and Judge on this occasion. The participating teams included the School for International Sciences and Arts, Salamat Girls ICAS, King Edward Medical University, Queen Marry College, Superior University, GC University, Punjab University, University of Engineering and Technol-ogy, National College of Arts, Himayat-e-Islam Khawateen College, Lahore Grammar School, Home Economics College, Beaconhouse National Univer-sity, Ayesha Siddiqia Girl's College, Government Gulberg College for Women, and Hajvery University. The Splash 2k11 presented a unique oppor-tunity to young and budding artists to polish their creative skills. The teams were asked to make use of oil paints on canvas based on two themes: tolerance and self reliance. All paintings were later exhibited for two days in the UMT seminar room. Rushma Rana from Salamat ICAS was the winner of the inter-collegiate level competition while the second position went to Warda Nasir from Queen Marry College. The inter-varsity level competition was won by Saim Kazmi while Misbah Tahir was placed in the second position.

UMT celebratesInternational Women's Day

The University of Management and Technology, Lahore, celebrated the International Women's Day on March 08, 2011 to show solidarity with women's groups and organizations around the world. Gals Zone, an ex-clusive female club at UMT, organized special celebrations to promote women empowerment and create awareness about the rights and respon-sibilities of women among the female students. The celebrations com-prised of a floral decoration contest in which 6 teams from the University participated. Tehreen Rehman and Madiha Mushtaq won the floral competition while Faiza Liaqat and Rubab Hussain secured second position. Women entrepreneurs working at the small scale were also invited to set up stalls ranging from jewelry and handicrafts to homemade bakery items, garments, handmade bags and embroidered clothes. A large number of students, faculty and staff members visited the stalls and appre-ciated the hard work, creativity and business acumen of Pakistani women.

Dr Ejaz Anwar appreciates Splash 2k11 organized by UMT Fine Arts Club

Participants of the International Women's Day celebrations atUMT snapped with OPA officials Hafiz Umair and Faisal Sarfraz

Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, gets a briefingfrom the stall organizers at the Youth Festival

SSH welcomes new batch ofMA Special Education

The School of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) arranged a welcome party for students of MA Special Education on December 28, 2010. Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, Dr A Rashid Kausar, Pro Rector UMT, and Dr Zafar Iqbal, Dean SSH, graced the occasion with their pres-ence as guests. Dr Hasan warmly welcomed the students of previous and final batches of the Special Education program. He acknowledged the ef-forts of Prof Dr Abdul Hameed for establishment of Division of Special Education. He stressed the need for in-depth research in this area and ob-served that enrollment of the program must be increased to meet the needs of the job market. Addressing the gathering, Dr A Rashid Kausar said that Special Education is a challenging field that requires a unique perspective. He admired the passion of the students who have chosen this program as teachers trained in special education contribute significantly to society and are a blessing for special children. Dr Kausar was of the view that research should be undertaken on making use of IT in teaching all those who have special needs. Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal also spoke on the occasion and ensured his full cooperation in facilitating students in all aspects of their academic affairs. Dr Abdul Hameed, Chairman, Special Education Depart-ment, said that the UMT has taken an initiative to start this program and this shows the commitment of the management for the welfare of special chil-dren. He urged the students to strive for quality education which is the hall-mark of UMT and key to their success. At the end of the welcome party, Asmaa Nouman, faculty member, delivered the note of thanks to guests and participants.

SPA students at GEO 50 MinutesGeo TV invited students of the School of Professional Advancement (SPA) at their famous talk show “50 Minutes” which was shown live on January 14, 2011. Faculty members of SPA also participated. Famous scholar and literary figure Ghazi Salahuddin was the chief guest of the show. During the show, students and faculty members took active part in the discussion. The management of GEO appreciated the discipline, organization and arrangements made for the trip. At the end of the show, GEO representative Sohail said the UMT crowd was the best that they ever had on the show. At the end, students also got together for a group photo session with the guests.

2nd Mr UMT Bodybuilding Championship 2011

The UMT Sports Club organized the 2nd Mr UMT Bodybuilding Champion-ship on January 11, 2011 at the campus. A total of 8 participants took part in the championship. M Umair Butt (BBA – H) was declared the winner. Imtiaz Ahmed (MBA-P) secured the 2nd position. Abdul Moiz Atif (BS EE) got the third position.

Khalid Ali graced the occasion by his presence as judge and chief guest. He is a South Asian Gold Medalist and Mr World 2009 (4th position). He won the Mr Pakistan title twice and was also awarded the I.B.B.A in. 2008. Maqsood Yousaf, General Secretary of Lahore Amature Bodybuilder Gild, was also present as judge and Guest of Honor. He was Mr Pakistan (2005) and is ranked second among the Mr Pakistan Top Ten. Rana Iftikhar Ahmad, Director Participants Services, presented souvenirs to the distinguished guests.

Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Dr A R Kausar, Dr Zafar Iqbal andDr Abdul Hameed address students of MA Special Education

Winners of Bodybuilding Championship:Abdul Moeez, M Umair Butt (winner in center) and Imtiaz Ahmad

UMT wins Kricket Junoon 2011The 1st UMT Intervarsity Tape Ball Cricket Tournament 2k11was won by the home team in a thrilling match played on March 17 against the SKANS School of Accountancy. UMT won the match by 7 wickets and also received a cash prize of Rs 10,000. The runners-up received a trophy and Rs 5,000 cash. The UMT Sports Club organized “Spring Kricket Junoon”, the first UMT Intervarsity Tapeball Cricket Tournament from March 10-17, 2011. More than 20 teams from UMT took part in the tournament. Other teams from educational institutes from Lahore included Government College University (GCU), COMSATS, Fast National University, Beaconhouse National University (BNU), King Edward Medical University (KEMU), University of South Asia, National College of Arts (NCA), University of Education, University of Veteri-nary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), UCL, SKANS, The Trust College, Quaid-e-Azam Law College, Rise School of Accountancy, ILM College and Defense Degree College. UMT sportsmen put up a good show and walked away with the most coveted prizes. Shahid Ali was declared 'Man of the Series'. Adil Akhtar received the 'Man of the Final Match' award. Umar Gondal was the 'Best Bowler of the Tournament'. Zain Hussain and Awais received the Best Batsman of the Tournament' award. Dr A R Kausar, Pro Rector UMT, was the chief guest of the closing ceremony. Rana Iftikhar Ahmad, Director Partici-pants Services, congratulated the winning UMT cricket team. He appreciated the UMT Sports Club and Saleem Akhtar, Assistant Manager Sports, for organizing the event at the UMT cricket ground. Finally, Dr A R Kausar and Rana Iftikhar Ahmad distributed the prizes among the winners.

The UMT team snapped with the winner’s trophy after the tournament

The SKANS team snapped with the runners up trophy after the tournament

Girls Badminton Championship match in progress

Participants of the Girls Badminton Championship

Chess players contemplate moves before the game starts

Battle of the minds: contemplating to move

Players fight it out at the court UMT Table Tennis Championship 2010 participants snapped together

9th UMT Badminton Championship 2010

The UMT Sports Club organized Rackets Champ, 9th UMT Badminton Championship 2010 on December 7-10, 2010 at the UMT Badminton North court. A large number of students turned up to watch the matches and support their batch fellows. The championship was played on single knock out basis. A total of 16 selected players participated in the singles matches. Defending champion Zohaib Liaquat (BBA-H, 083805114) successfully defended his title. He holds the distinction of winning the championship consecutively for three times. The second position went to Syed Aamir Shah (BBA-H) and the third position went to Mobin-ur-Rehman (BS-TEL, 060820086). A total of 8 teams participated in the doubles. The winning team comprised of Zohaib Liaquat and Arslan Younas while Syed Aamir Shah and Tanzeel were declared runners-up.

6th UMT Girls Badminton Championship 2010

The UMT Girls Sports Club organized the 6th UMT Badminton Girls Championship 2010 on December 11 at the UMT Badminton Court North Block. A total of 20 participants took part in the championship. Hamnah Butt (073605-117, BBA-H) was declared the winner. The second posi-tion went to Rubab Hussain (094005-153, BBA-H) while the third position went to Maria Naheed (104205-025, BBA-H). Female students are especially encouraged to participate in all extra-curricular activities and sporting events as this is one of the best ways to groom their personal-ities and prepare them for future challenges.

9th UMT Table Tennis Championship 2010

The UMT Sports Club organized Rackets Champ - 9th UMT Table Tennis Championship 2010 on December 7-10, 2010. The championship was played on single knock out system and was eagerly anticipated by tennis enthusiasts. A total of 16 players were selected to participate in the cham-pionship. Defending champion Wajahat Ali Khan (BBA-H, 053205-023) successfully defended his title and won the championship. The 2nd position went to Asad Haroon (BS-CS, 040420073) while the third position went to Fawad Ajmal (BS-EE, 081220-198).

A total of 8 teams participated in the doubles. The winning team com-prised of Wajahat Ali Khan and Zain while the runners-up team com-prised of Hamza Rasheed and Ahmed Babar.

UMT participates in HEC AllPakistan Intervarsity Chess

Championship 2010-11The UMT chess team participated in the HEC All Pakistan Intervarsity Chess Championship 2010-11 held at the University of Faisalabad, Faisalabad on February 18-20, 2011. A total of 20 universities from all over Pakistan participated. The matches were divided into two groups. The UMT Chess team secured 3rd position in its group. The UMT team beat Air University Islamabad, Mehran University Jamshoro, Islamic International University Islamabad, King Edward Medical University Lahore, and COMSATS.

UMT Employees Tape Ball Cricket Tournament 2011

The Third UMT Employees Tape Ball Cricket Tournament 2011 was organized by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) in collaboration with the Office of Participants Affairs (OPA) on February 14-16, 2011. A total of 17 teams participated in the tournament. These included Well Done XI, OHR Fighters, Strikers XI, TXG, SBE Challengers, IAA Cricket Team, Silver Hawks, Xeon, UMT Badshah, OFM Tigers, IPC Shaheens, Mahmood & Brothers, OCE Rising Stars, Lahore Badshah, Stars XI, Hostel XI and Social Tigers.

The first semi final was played between Mahmood & Brothers and OFM Tigers. The second semi final was played between Well Done XI and Strikers XI. OFM Tigers and Strikers XI reached the final.

The final match was won decisively by OFM Tigers. It may be noted that this team has consecutively won the tournament for the third time. Strik-ers XI were declared runners-up. A beautiful crystal trophy and cash prize of Rs 11000/- was awarded to the winners. The runners-up received Rs 5500/- and a trophy as well.

Muhammad Nasir of OFM Tigers was declared Man of the Match of the final match. Muhammad Usman Aslam of Strikers XI was declared Man of the Series. He scored 27 runs and took eight wickets. Shahid Iqbal of Xeon was the Best Batsman of the Tournament. He scored 133 runs in 3 matches. Muhammad Nasir of OFM Tigers was declared the Best Bowler of the Tournament. He took nine wickets.

Waqar Ahmed, Director CMD, and Abdul Ghaffar Ghaffari, Director EFP, were the Chief Guests for the prize distribution ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, Waqar Ahmed appreciated this healthy activity and commended the organizing committee for managing the event so well. Dr Sarwar M Azhar, Professor SBE, Dr Tashfeen M Azhar, Professor, SBE, Ahmad Abdullah, Head OHR, Lt Col (R) Zafar Ali, Head OFM, Kamran Rashid, Assistant Professor, Rauf Ali, Assistant Professor, and Saleem Ata, Convener UMT Sports Committee and Assistant Professor also graced the occasion by their presence. The 3rd UMT Employees Tape Ball Cricket Tournament 2011 was a much anticipated event that allowed the UMT community to interact with each other in a friendly and competi-tive environment.

Sar-e-Dasht Gumanby Ambreen Salahuddin published

The second edition of , a compilation of poetic verses by Ambreen Salahuddin has just been published by Multi-media Affairs, a leading publishing house known for bringing out literary and scholarly works. The award winning book is the recipi-ent of the PEN Pakistan Best First Book Award as well. It is noteworthy to mention that PEN Pakistan is a non-profit association dedicated

to promoting the causes of the literary community and freedom of expres-sion. Ambreen is a faculty member of the Department of Social Sciences, UMT, and is a critically acclaimed writer and poet. She has won acclaim for her works by the likes of the late Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, Dr Wazir Agha, Amjad Islam Amjad and others who consider her one of the best contemporary Urdu poetesses of the country.

Sar-e-Dasht Guman is a reflection of her acute ob-servations on the experiences of modern Pakistani women coping with the pressures of a demanding society while trying to live fulfilling and meaningful lives. The vast collection of ghazals and poems also reflect other themes such as women's consciousness and existentialism. Ambreen’s second book of Urdu poetry and a compilation of her English poetry is under publication.

Sar-e-Dasht Guman

VDM Verlag Germany publishes book by UMT alumnus

The UMT community will be proud to know that Saood Qaseem, an alumnus of the University, has authored a book titled “Standards governing the supply chain of organic cotton”. The book has been published in Germany. It highlights the standards that govern organic cotton and discusses the challenges faced by their implementers. A comparison of standards and a model for the enhancement of organic cotton has also been presented. Recommendations have been made use to create ease in implementing standards that govern production and processing of organic cotton. Saood has an MBA degree from School of Business and Economics. He is a gold medallist as well. He holds a Bachelor of Textile Technology and Management (BTTM) from the School of Science and Technology. He did his MSc from the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, Germany. He is professionally associated with the Institute of Market Ecology (www.imo.ch) as Country Coordinator for Pakistan.

A player gives his best shot during the match

OFM Tigers, the winning team, snapped with the trophy

VDM Verlag Germany publishes book by Abdul Malik Abbasi

Abdul Malik Abbasi, a PhD Higher Edu-cation Commission (HEC) Scholar at the English Language and Literature Depart-ment, School of Social Sciences and Hu-manities UMT, Lahore, has authored a book titled 'The Production of English Consonants by Sindhi ESL Learners'. The book has been published by VDM Verlag Dr. Mül le r, Germany ISBN-10: 3639252810, ISBN-13: 978-3639252811.

Abbasi is also the author of another book titled “Peeps into English Literature” published by Cadet College Larkana, Sindh in 2006. He has also edited and compiled numerous research arti-cles on English literature by the CCL teaching faculty members and presented a research papers on 'A Survey of Strategies Used in Teaching Speaking Skills by English Lan-guage Teachers at Higher Secondary Level' in the '2nd Shaikh Ayaz International Conference

on Language and Literature' organized by Faculty of Arts, University of Sindh, Jamshoro.

Aqeel Ahmad presents research paper at the APBITM, Indonesia

The International Conference on Asia Pacific Business Innovation &Technology Management (APBITM) held in Bali, Indonesia on Janu-ary 23-25, 2011accpeted a research paper by Aqeel Ahmad, Dr A R Kausar and Umer Ayub from the School of Business and Economics, UMT, and Dr Mohmad Yazam Sharif, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia. The paper was titled “HR Professionals' Effec-tiveness in a Knowledge-based Organization at Lahore” and was pre-sented during the conference. The Conference provided a forum for ex-change of ideas on the latest business innovation developments in the field of management among researchers and practitioners in universities and industries in the Asia Pacific region, and to seek opportunities for collaboration among the participants.

Aqeel Ahmad responds to questions on his research paper

Dr Abdul Aziz Bhattinominated for Best Research

Paper Award 2008-09A research paper titled “Reduced Order Multiport Parallel and Multi Directional Neural Associative Memories” authored by Dr Abdul Aziz Bhatti, Dean, School of Science and Technology (SST) has been nominated for the Best Research Paper Award 2008-09 in the field of Engineering and Technology, under the Project HECs Outstanding Research Award series. The paper was published in a journal with impact factor 2.0.

The HEC Best Research Paper Award is given under the HEC's Outstanding Re-search Award Series which is a program for recognizing and rewarding research achievements through a series of annual awards.

Rector UMT Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad has appreciated Dr Bhatti's nomi-nation. He has also awarded Rs 100,000 to Dr Bhatti in recognition of this accomplishment in his particular field.

Rashid Malik wins CCIE certification

Rashid Ali Malik, Assistant Manager, Networks, Office of Information Technol-ogy (OIT), has won the Cisco Certified Internetworks Experts (CCIE) certifica-tion. His has majored in CCIE Routing and Switching (R&S) which certifies the skills required of expert-level network engineers to plan, operate and troubleshoot complex, converged network infrastructure.

The Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification is accepted world-wide as the most prestigious networking certification in the industry. The CCIE community has established a reputation for leading the networking industry in deep technical networking knowledge and are deployed into the most technically challenging network assign-ments. We congratulate Rashid on passing this certification and wish him the best for the future.

Farhan Iqbal appointed reviewer of ICCSIT 2011

Farhan Iqbal, Assistant Professor, School of Science and Technology (SST) has been appointed reviewer of the IEEE Interna-tional Conference on Computer Science and Information Technology (ICCSIT) 2011, an international IEEE indexed con-ference. The Conference is an international forum for the presentation of technological advances and research results in the fields of computer science and information technology. The conference will bring together leading researchers, engineers and scientists from around the world.

The 14th meeting of the Board of Governors UMT was held on January 18, 2011. A number of important decisions were taken during the meeting regarding various academic and administrative aspects of the University.

The Board of Governors has renewed the tenure of the following:

– of the Rector for a period of one year with effect from May 18, 2011.

– Ahmad Abdullah as Head, Office of Human Resources (OHR) for a period of three years with effect from May 08, 2009.

– Asif Saeed Haider as Controller of Examinations, for a period of three years with effect from September 15, 2009.

– Mohyuddin Tahir Mahmood as Associate Professor/Director IAA for a period of three years with effect from September 19, 2010.

– Dr Muhammad Amin as Chairperson, Department of Islamic Thought and Civilization on the recommendation of the Rector for a period of two years with effect from May 01, 2011.

– Muhammad Anwar as Chief Library Officer, LRC, for a period of three years with effect from July 02, 2010.

– Muhammad Nazim as Director, Center for Globally Responsible Leadership (CGRL), on the recommendation of the Rector for a period of two years with effect from December 03, 2010.

– Muhammad Taufeeq as Head, Office of Admissions (OOA) for a period of three years with effect from July 01, 2009.

– Rana Iftikhar Ahmed as Director Participants Services, OPA, for a period of three years with effect from July 01, 2009.

School of Business and Economics

The Board of Governors has approved the appointment of the following:

– Dr Ahmad F Siddiqui as Associate Dean, School of Business and Economics (SBE), replacing Dr Rukhsana Kalim on the recommenda-tion of the Rector for a period of three years with effect from January 20, 2011. He has also been appointed as Associate Professor / Chairman, Department of Quantitative Methods, SBE, for a period of three years with effect from August 02, 2010.

– Kamran Rashid as Assistant Professor/Acting Chairman Department of Operations and Supply Chain, SBE, for a period of three years with effect from August 02, 2010.

– Mobin-ul-Haque as Acting Chairman, Assistant Professor/Department of Marketing, SBE, for a period of three years with effect from August 02, 2010.

Tenure Renewals

Appointments

Dr Abdul Rashid Kausar as Pro-Rector UMT on the recommendation

– Naveeda Kitchlew as Assistant Professor/Acting Chairperson, Depart-ment of Management, SBE, for a period of three years with effect from August 02, 2010.

– Dr Rukhsana Kalim as Professor / Chairperson, Department of Eco-nomics, SBE, for a period of three years with effect from August 02, 2010.

– Syed Hussain Abbas Shah as Assistant Professor/ Acting Chairman, Department of Information Systems, SBE, for a period of three years with effect from August 02, 2010.

– Waqar Ahmad as Assistant Professor/Acting Chairman, Department of Skills Development, SBE, for a period of three years with effect from August 02, 2010.

School of Science and Technology

– Muhammad Ahmed Adnan as Assistant Professor/Acting Chairman, Department of Computer Science, School of Science and Technology (SST), for a period of three years with effect from February 01, 2011.

– Dr Muhammad Aziz-ur-Rehman as Assistant Professor/Acting Chairman, Department of Mathematics, School of Science and Technol-ogy (SST), for a period of three years with effect from January 20, 2011.

– Dr Sajjad H Shami as Professor/Chairman, Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Science and Technology (SST), for a period of three years with effect from January 20, 2011.

– Zaheer Hussain Shah as Assistant Professor/Acting Chairman, De-partment of Basic Sciences, School of Science and Technology (SST), for a period of three years with effect from January 20, 2011.

School of Social Sciences and Humanities

– Dr Abdul Hameed as Professor / Chairman, Department of Social Sciences, and Dean, School of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), replacing Dr M Zafar Iqbal on the recommendation of the Rector for a period of three years with effect from March 31, 2011.

– Dr Zafar Iqbal as Professor/Chairman, Department of English Lan-guage and Literature, School of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) for a period of two years with effect from July 01, 2010.

Institute of Textiles

– Dr Nabeel Amin as Assistant Professor/Acting Director, Institute of Textiles (IoT), for a period of three years with effect from July 20, 2010.

– Naveed Yazdani as Associate Professor/Director, School of Profes-sional Advancement (SBE/SPA), for a period of three years with effect from June 09, 2010.

Support Offices

– Imran Zahid as Head, Office of Information Technology (OIT), for a period of three years with effect from August 12, 2010.

ObituariesMembers of the UMT community suffered the loss of their loved ones during the past few months. Inna Lillah-e-Wa Inna Ilih-e-Rajioon.

– The mother of Dr A R Kausar, Pro-Rector UMT, passed away.

– Asif Saeed Haider sustained the loss of his father-in-law.

– The father of Tayyab Tufail, Electrician, UMT, passed away.

– The elder brother of Malik Masood, Security Guard, OFM has passed away.

– The newly born daughter of Muhammad Anwar, Senior Electri-cian passed away.

All of us share their grief and pray for the salvation of the deceased. May Allah bless the souls of the deceased and give strength to the bereaved families to sustain the loss of their loved ones.

Tenure renewals and appointments

Professor Khurshid Ahmad presides over a meeting of theBoard of Governors at the UMT campus on January 18, 2011

– A research paper titled "Determinants of Capital Structure: A Case Study of Automobile Sector of Pakistan" authored by Amer Hussain, Lecturer, IAA has been published in Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business (IJCRB) in February 2011, Vol 2, No. 10.PP.219-230.

– A research paper titled "Screening of aerial parts of Abutilon bidentatum for hepatoprotective activity in rabbits" authored by Dr Sammia Shahid, Assistant Professor , School of Science and Tech-nology (SST) has been published in the Journal of Medicinal Plants Research Vol. 5(3), pp. 349-353, 4th February, 2011, ISSN 1996-0875 201. The paper was published in ISI-indexed Journal with an impact factor 0.590.

– A research paper titled "A Study of the Attitude of Teachers towards Monolingual Urdu Dictionaries" authored by Dr Zafar Iqbal, Pro-fessor and Chairman Department of English Language and Literature, School of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) has been accepted for publication in Almas, Vol. 12. for April 2011.

– A research paper titled "Comparative analysis of marketing externali-ties and process knowledge spillovers among various industrial clus-ters of Pakistan (2010)" authored by Khalil A Arbi, Assistant Profes-sor, School of Professional Advancement (SPA), has been accepted for publication in the European Regional Conference on Inspiring Clusters in the Beginning of New Decade to be held on March 30-31, 2011 in Tallinn, Estonia.

– The manuscript titled “Conservation laws of the heat equation on curved surfaces” authored by Adil Jhangeer, Lecturer, School of Science and Technology (SST) has been accepted in the journal Non-linear Analysis: Real World Application. Its Doi number is 10.1016/j.nonrwa. 2010.09.024. It is worthwhile to mention that it is an ISI journal with impact factor of 2.381.

– A research paper titled "Proposal for Low Cost GSM based Electric Meter for Efficient and Automated Meter Reading for Developing Countries" authored by Muhammad Saadi, Lecturer, School of Science and Technology (SST), has been accepted for publication in World Congress on Engineering (WCE) 2011.

– A paper abstract titled “Commitment for Sustainable Quality Re-forms in Higher Education Arena” authored by Asif Saeed Haider, Controller Examinations, UMT, has been accepted for the APQN Conference held on March 02-03, 2011 in India.

– A paper abstract titled “A critique on global ranking system - Evolv-ing a university ranking model” authored by Salman Saeed Qureshi, Registrar UMT, has been accepted for the Asia-Pacific Quality Net-work (APQN) Conference held on March 02-03, 2011 in India.

– A research paper titled “Entrepreneurial Intentions Among the Busi-ness Students of Higher Education Institutes of Punjab” authored by Muhammad Jawad Qureshi, Lecturer and Director Academics, UMT City campus, IAA, has been published in January 2011 issue of IJCRB, Volume 2, No 9, ISSN (2073-7122).

– A research article titled "From Modernity to Postmodernity: A Histor-ical Discourse on Western Civilization" authored by Dr Naveed Yazdani, Associate Professor and Director SPA, and Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, has been accepted for presentation at the Cambridge Business and Economics Conference to be held in Cambridge, UK, from June 27-29, 2011.

– A contribution titled "Indigenous Development of Fuzzy Logic Based Smart Laundry System” authored by Muhammad Saadi, Lecturer, SST has been accepted for poster presentation during the 5th Interna-tional Conference on Advanced Computational Engineering and Experimenting (ACE-X2011) to be held at Algarve, Portugal, from 03-06 July, 2011.

– A research article titled " The Big Five Personality Inventory: Perfor-mance of Students and Community in Pakistan" authored by Dr Iftikhar Ahmad, Associate Professor, SSH, has been published in the Journal of Behavioral Sciences (Volume 20, Number 2, 2010).

– A research article titled “Predictive Ability of Ability-Based Versus Self-Report EI Measures For Academic Performance” co-authored by Dr Iftikhar Ahmad, Associate Professor, School of Social Sci-ences and Humanities (SSH) has been published in the Pakistan Journal of Psychology Vol. 41. No.2. December 2010.

– A research article titled “Measuring the Learning Organization's Construct in Pakistan: A Case of Public Sector Educational Institutes” authored by Rana Zamin Abbas, Research Associate, School of Business and Economics (SBE), and co-authored by Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Professor and Rector, A G Ghaffari, Head Office of Communications and Media (OCM), Dr Ahmad F Siddiqi, Associ-ate Professor, SBE, Dr Zulfiqar Ahmad, Assistant Professor, Hailey College of Commerce, Zia-ur-Rehman, Lecturer, Hailey College of Commerce, and Muhammad Ashraf, MS Student, Superior Univer-sity, has been accepted for publication in the European Journal of Social Sciences, Volume 18, Issue 4.

– A research paper titled "Neo-Orientalism and Islamophobia: Por-trayal of the Prophet in the Post-September 11 World" authored by Dr Munawar A Anees, Director, Institute of Islamic Banking (IIB), has been accepted by the Review Committee of the International Seminar on Modern Trends in Sirah writing to be held on March 26-28, 2011.

– A research paper titled "A Study of Strategic Orientations, Pakistani Brands and Implications" authored by Rana Zamin Abbas, Research Associate, SBE and co-authored by Abdul Rafay, Assistant Profes-sor, SBE has been accepted for publication in IJCRB February Edi-tion 2011-IJCRB Vol. 2, No.10.

– A research paper titled "Measuring the Attitude Towards Science in Pakistan - A study of Secondary School Students" authored by Rana Zamin Abbas, Research Associate, SBE, and co-authored by Dr Usman Khalil, Associate Professor, SSH, has been accepted for publication in IJCRB February Edition 2011-IJCRB Vol.2, No.10.

– A research paper titled "Muslim Response to Modernity and a New Strategy of Peace in the World" authored by Rana Zamin Abbas, Research Associate, SBE and co-authored by Dr Muhammad Amin, Professor, SSH, has been accepted for publication in IJCRB January Edition 2011-IJCRB Vol. 2, No. 9.

– A research paper titled "TEC Mapping for the Determination of Seismo-lonospheric Anomaly Behavior" authored by Muhammad Saadi, Lecturer, School of Science and Technology (SST), has been accepted at the International Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (ICEES) to be held on April 24-26, 2011 at NUST, Islamabad.

Research papersResearch is an integral part of academic life at UMT. Faculty members are especially encouraged to undertake research in their specific domains in order to generate new knowledge. UMT faculty members are actively engaged in research work in their respective disciplines. Research papers by faculty members emphasizing critical and thoughtful levels on enquiry in their respective domains are regularly accepted in prestigious national and international journals and conferences. A list of some of the scholarly work carried out by our faculty members follows.

EDITORIAL

A G GhaffariArjmand ZahraZafar Siddique

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Zaheer Sultan

PHOTOGRAPHY

Mehr Yaqoob

University of Management and TechnologyC-II, Johar Town, Lahore-54770 Pakistan. Ph: (042) 35212801-10

Fax: (042) 35212819 Email: [email protected] Web: www.umt.edu.pk

Dr A R Kausar, Pro-Rector UMT, visited Qatar and Saudi Arabia from March 05-14, 2011 to project the University as one of the leading institutions of higher education in Pakistan and to encourage the expatriate Pakistani community as well as foreign students to pursue education at UMT. He was accompanied by Muhammad Taufeeq, Head, Office of Information and Admissions (OIA) at UMT.

Dr Kausar conducted a series of presentations for high school overseas Pakistani students. He drove home the point that UMT matches interna-tional standards of education while offering a fee structure and scholar-ships that make it possible for the best and the brightest from all segments of society to pursue higher education at the University. He also met with the faculty and the principals to share with them the latest academic op-tions available to them to rise in their respective areas of studies. Hun-dreds of interested participants gathered at every venue to listen to Dr Kausar who has built an international stature as an authority on Knowl-edge Sharing and Personality Development.

As a consequence of the un-paralleled efforts of the Pro-Rector, UMT is now a recognizable name in the Pakistani community many of whom are considering it as a viable option for the higher education of their children. Dr Kausar has succeeded in establishing a strong network of UMT loyal-ists who are ready to work on a honorary basis to promote the University.

Qatar

In Doha, Qatar, Dr Kausar made presentations at the Bright Future Acad-emy and Pakistan Education Centre. The Chairman Bright Future Acad-emy invited the Pro-Rector to share his ideas and expertise for making the Academy among the leading educational institutes of Doha. He thanked him for visiting Doha and for sparing some of his precious time to address the students and faculty.

Dr Kausar also met with the Pakistan High Commissioner during a lunch hosted by the Pakistani community. The lunch was attended by a select galaxy of Pakistani professionals working in different key positions in Doha. The event provided a good opportunity to promote UMT as a qual-ity learning university for higher studies. Dr Kausar's visit attracted con-siderable media attention and he was interviewed by leading newspapers such as the Qatar Tribune, Gulf Times and The Peninsula. These newspa-pers represent all segments of the community including the government, ordinary people and business community of the country. During the inter-views, Dr Kausar answered multifaceted questions and highlighted all the programs and facilities offered by the University.

Saudia Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, Dr Kausar made presentation at the Pakistan Interna-tional School and Pakistan International A-Level School in Jeddah. In Medina Manuwara, he visited Dar ul Hijra International Pakistan School and Al-Aqeeq International Pakistan School. In Makkah Muazzma, he presented UMT at the Al-Eyman International Pakistan School.

Dr Kausar attended a reception hosted in his honor by the Chairman and members of the Pakistan National Circle, Jeddah. Addressing on the occasion, he traced the history of UMT and highlighted the milestones achieved so far. He also threw light on the future development plans and prospects of the University. In view of the large number of participants desirous of pursuing their education at UMT, it was decided that UMT would open a regional campus in Jeddah to cater for the needs of Pakistani students, especially girls, who for one reason or another, cannot go be-yond Jeddah. The forum also extended their services and full support for establishing a learning unit in Jeddah.

Dr A R Kausar promotes UMT in Qatar and Saudi Arabia

Dr A R Kausar, Pro-Rector UMT, briefs prospective studentsin Jeddah about UMT, its history, programs and facilities

Dr A R Kausar snapped with the Principal and Chairman Board of Governorsof Bright Future International Pakistan School, Doha, Qatar

Dr A R Kausar presents UMT souvenir to the Principal ofAl-Aqeeq Pakistan International School, Medina Manuwara

A view of the large gathering at Pakistan International School Jeddah.Muhammad Taufeeq, Head Admissions, is also seen in the picture

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