Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, welcomed His Excellency Malik Rafique Rajwana, Governor Punjab, Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan, Punjab Education Minister, Members of the Board of Governors and Board of Trustees, faculty members, and all the distinguished guests to the 13th UMT Convocation. He said if we consider the earlier convocations held under ILM, then this would be the 20th UMT Convocation and this indeed is a great milestone achieved. Tracing the historical evolution of convocations as universities evolved in the 7-8th centuries in Cordoba and Grenada, or when the Greek civilization was at its peak during the time of Plato and Aristotle, Dr Hasan said that it can be said the earliest convocation was held in the heavens and Adam was the first graduate who earned this distinction after answering a series of questions. This is important because this was the first convocation in the history of mankind when man graduated on the basis of knowledge alone and not on race or color.
Dr Hasan said that Convocation is the supreme reflection of what humans can do for other human beings, i.e., to disseminate knowledge, guide them and coach them. That is why convocation holds a degree of sanctity in the life of those who have taught and those who have been taught. Convocation symbolizes the aspirations of the future.
The Rector added that is it not possible to summarize all the individual achievement or the progress made by the university over the past year. However, the journey towards excellence is perpetually on. We have built a momentum with about 11,000 students, 160+ degree programs and 600 faculty members (including 450 fulltime members). He said that faculty members are the critical mass of the university. Summarizing research output of UMT faculty, Dr Hasan said that 161 research papers were authored by UMT faculty members with 94 presentations in various national and international conferences.
The Rector concluded his address by saying that UMT is at the cutting-edge of a learning style that is unique and UMT specific. We conceive UMT as a proactive hub to integrate academia, business, government, corporations, SMEs and NGOs. Dr Hasan said that the pace of development in UMT is proceeding at full pace. A new building for the School of Textile and Design is under construction. UMT has also initiated the launch of School of Food and Agricultural Sciences which will offer programs from next year.
At the end, Dr Hasan advised the graduates to be truthful and just, be futuristic in their mindset, have a vision for themselves and become global citizens.