Sir Fazle Hasan Abed founded BRAC University in 2001, under the Private University Act.[7] The university was formally inaugurated by thePresident of Bangladesh and the Chancellor of BRAC University,Shahabuddin Ahmed, at Osmani Memorial Hall, Dhaka, on 16 June 2001.[8] Based on the American liberal arts college model, the university began with just three departments and around 80 students in 2001 atMohakhali, Dhaka.[9][10] It held its firstconvocation in January 2006. As the university grew, it increased the number of programs and introduced master's degrees.[11] The development of a library with high academic standards was important to Sir Abed. The Ayesha Abed Library was digitized shortly after its inception.[12] The university had 11,200 students in 20 schools, departments, and institutes in 2020.[citation needed] In 2023, Brac University authorities proposed to change its name to "Sir Fazle Hasan Abed University".[13] But theUniversity Grants Commission declined it.[14] Now, BRAC University has a permanent city campus in Merul Badda, Dhaka.[15][16]
BRAC University has a permanent city campus inMerul Badda,Dhaka, a campus designed byWOHA Designs Pte Ltd., an architectural firm based in Singapore.[17] Construction of this facility began in 2017. The university building has 14 floors and a total area of 157,935 sq. meters. The facilities include an auditorium with 700 seats, a multipurpose hall used for large gatherings and indoor sports, classrooms, labs, design studios, lecture theaters, anIT data center, UPS, CCTVs, a cafeteria, ane-library, a parking lot, recreation facilities, and a rooftop playground.[18] The new campus is 2017 LafargeHolcim Asia Pacific- Bronze Winner awarded byLafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction. Until November 2023, the educational programs were conducted at the temporary campus ofMohakhali, but from then on, all the activities were to be conducted at the permanent campus of Merul Badda.[19][20]
Inside the BRAC University residential campus (Tarc)
The Residential Campus atSavar was founded in 2003 and substantially expanded in 2012.[21] Students spend a semester on the Residential Campus, where they take courses on the Bengali language, Bangladesh history, English language, and ethics. All students are assigned to partake in community service activities, and are incentivised to sign up for further community-driven opportunities. Residential Semester is mandatory for every undergraduate student, and is a requirement for graduation.[22]
The current structure was established in 2011.[26] The President of Bangladesh is BRAC University's Chancellor. The board of trustees is the highest policy-making body of BRAC University.[27] It has 12 members, one of them being the Vice-Chancellor. Chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, the Syndicate supervises the academic and administrative functions of the university.[27] The Academic Council, also chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, makes education policy recommendations and reviews curricula and academic progress.[27]
Diverse academic units serve the mission of BRAC University. Departments have degree-granting programs, schools support strategic initiatives, institutes are autonomous research entities, and centers are project-based entities.
University founder SirFazle Hasan Abed delivering speech at the 11th Convocation
BRAC University was founded to support financially disadvantaged students. One of the early donors was the BRAC Ford scholarship program. The university has developed several scholarship programs for national and international students. TheOpen Society Foundation and the Open Society University Network have supported student activities and education.[citation needed]
The Office of Student Life (OSL) was created in 2019. OSL supervises the Department of Career Services, Alumni Affairs, and Clubs & Societies.
Many of the private university students of Bangladesh live with their parents during their university life. However, BRAC University has a mandatory residential semester at theirSavar residential campus.
Asif Mahtab, a part-time teacher of BRAC University[42] held a teacher's conference in January 2024 following the continuation of the textbook controversy in Bangladesh, demonstrated anti-transgenderism by tearing the pages of the seventh grade textbook.[43] In response to this protest, BRAC University authorities fired Asif Mahtab.[44] When the incident went viral on social media, many criticized BRAC and called for a boycott of allBRAC-related products and services.[45]
A group of people and some students of BRAC University staged a protest in response to the dismissal of teacher Asif Mahtab and calling for clarification of BRAC University's position ontransitioning.[46] In the protest rally, they announced a boycott of all BRAC-related products, services and university classes. In addition, theIslami Andolan Bangladesh called for a boycott ofAarong and BRAC university as part of the anti-transition protest.[47][48]
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Media related toBRAC University at Wikimedia Commons
