CONNECTING DIASPORA TO A DEFINING INSTITUTION FOR PAKISTAN A HISTORICAL MOMENT Pakistan clearly finds itself in a paradox. While the country with the 6th largest population in the world represents huge potential, Pakistan has failed abysmally to create any institution of world stature that could create leadership for an inclusive change process.
HABIB UNIVERSITY A DEFINING INSTITUTION
Ch
i
Ph
i
p lip
in
es In
do
s ne
ia Th
a
ila
nd In
di
a
k Pa
t is
an Ni
g
ia er
a Rw
a nd
a Br
l zi
M
ex
o ic
Ira
n
n ia tio n ss ra pa Ru ede Ja F
Un
d ite
St
es
at
HDI Rank, UNDP, out 188
HE Quality, WEF, out of 138
Tu
na
In the USA, philanthropists have always been at the forefront of creating world class institutions of higher learning such as Harvard, Yale, and Columbia Universities. For centuries, the USA was the only country to have such private institutions; many were well established before the creation of the American nation-state. This long tradition inculcates a number of conscious and unconscious philanthropic values, which are unique to the USA. As seen in the graph below, philanthropists in the USA are most inclined towards creating institutions, supporting higher learning, as well as promoting arts, museums, and culture.
Correlation between Higher Education Quality and Human Development Rankings ey rk
OPPORTUNITY FOR THE US DIASPORA
Source: Human Development Report 2016, UNDP; The Global Competitveness Report 2015-16, WEF
To perform so poorly in the quality of higher education – Pakistan ranks 123rd out of 138 countries – is nothing short of catastrophic. Pakistan is amongst the lowest performing in human development in the world due to its poor quality of higher education, as seen in the above graph’s direct correlation.
As a result of Pakistanis’ wonderful generosity and with the largest-ever donation to an educational institution in the country by the Habib family, Habib University has launched itself on a journey to address the challenges faced in this historical moment.
Unique Intellectual Fabric (Read more: https://bit.ly/2COOEYA) Habib University offers one of the most inspiring academic experiences available to students anywhere in the world. This includes a number of innovative curricular features, such as the Habib Liberal Core in which students of all programs engage with seven Forms of Thought and Action, or the inclusion of Design Thinking. This remarkable intellectual fabric has been celebrated by world centers of excellence that are Habib University’s core intellectual partners, which include the University of California – Berkeley, Stanford University, Claremont Colleges, Michigan University and many more. Our partnerships have ensured unprecedented global exposure for faculty and students, while allowing these fine institutions to build research ties with Pakistan.
Human Services
Charitable giving in USA by sectors (2016)
12%
Church
33%
Others
19% Education
16%
Supporting higher education
The Access Conundrum One of the key features compounding the situation of higher education is that over 90 per cent of high school graduates are denied access to quality higher education. High cost and undersupplied intellectual skills are the main reasons that inhibit students to continue to tertiary education.
Opportunities Inherent in Pakistan Owing to the aforementioned challenges in the education system, we are unable to optimize the phenomenal inherent opportunities in our home land; these include immense diversity, historically important eras, an economically strategic location, and many more factors. Most importantly, the local and the diasporic populations’ historical and cultural spirit of philanthropy is amongst the most generous in the world. Pakistan ranks 6th most generous in terms of per capita giving and thus far higher than most developed countries.
Solving Access Problem (Read more: https://bit.ly/2RaRzkd) At Habib University, we are both humbled and proud to be amongst the most generous private universities in the world, maintaining a tuition discount close to 80 per cent. This generosity has ensured the most diverse student body with about one-third from the hitherto disenfranchised majority of high school graduates. Furthermore, all high merit students are entrusted with scholarships regardless of their background.
Distinctive Institutional Features (Read more: https://bit.ly/2HsBeaX) As a private institution, Habib University displays a number of features, such as its world class governance and seeking the gold standards in accreditation, that set it apart and provide for long-term sustainability. Allowing the university to operate independently of tuition income is made possible by engaging the community of philanthropists locally and abroad. This model of societal ownership drives accountability and good governance.
The Pakistani diaspora in the USA has a unique dual insight, on the one hand knowing institutional philanthropy and on the other hand maintaining a strong cultural affinity to Pakistan and its needs. Habib University aims to connect the richness of unique philanthropic insight with institution building in Pakistan to transform the country’s higher education landscape and, through it, national development. Evidence of this transformative commitment is the landmark contribution by the Dhanani family, which has endowed the Dhanani School of Science and Engineering.
We invite you to join in building Habib University’s long-term sustainability, as detailed on the flip page.