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Charismatic Leadership of a Vice-Chancellor: Professor Dr. Major Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, BNCCO
Sajal Roy
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The Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR) was established with an aim to build up and illuminate human resources having both time-oriented and tech-facilitated global education in the northern Bangladesh. From the establishment of BRUR in 2009 to 15 May 2017, this academic institution has passed through several transition phases for lacking the top-notch execution of high-level administrative, academic and political leadership and months of unwanted strikes. Immediately after the joining of Professor Dr. Major Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah as a Vice Chancellor at the BRUR, the previously broken administration, commercialisation of admission test and recruitment completely stopped. To brand this university, the new leader commenced to restructuring age-old bureaucratic system introducing e-filing method in which physical presence of official is not mandatory. I appreciate the productivity of administrative and academic units restructured by the arrival of Prof. Kalimullah, who possesses long-established academic and research leadership and certainly the top-rated calibre to lead from the front. Since 2017 to date, undoubtedly Prof. Kalimullah has been immensely successful as an executive by bringing back and re-setting congenial academic and professional atmosphere for faculty members, professional staffs and students establishing digital classroom, professional development training package (indeed a rare opportunity in South Asia) and increased numbers of early career research grant. Overall, these initiatives are contributing to converting the BRUR as a centre for research excellence. The sense of respect along with friendship of Professor Dr. Major Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah makes him a leader of academic excellence and position him to cultivate warm collegiality amongst colleagues, administrative staffs, researchers and students. The introduction of 6-months foundation training courses for advancing pedagogical skills and research capacities undoubtedly deserve appreciation. This training offers heaps of opportunities to a new lecturer to digest the approach of blended learning and curriculum development and equip to develop interdisciplinary research projects. I would term this foundation course as a ‘pathway program’ for establishing a new lecturer as a promising early career academic. This in indeed unique in Bangladesh! Among other initiatives, the introduction of on-campus radio, covering the entire campus via free Wifi and establishing women peace café truly deserve appreciation. I would like to congratulate the honourable Vice-Chancellor, BRUR for his outstanding academic and administrative leadership. Writer: Sajal Roy PhD Candidate, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University Department of Gender and Development Studies, BRUR
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