Happy New Year 2022! May this year bring tranquility and safety to us all!
I am elated to know that the Okayama University International Alumni Association (OUIAA) is preparing to publish a newsletter on the occasion of its 10th anniversary. Indubitably it is a grand undertaking and we do hope that the intention behind it will flourish via the exchange of ideas it will enable.
Alumni are brand-ambassadors of their alma maters. An institution’s alumni are the reflection of its past, representation of its present, and a beacon towards its future. Alumni can help students get placed in their respective organizations. They can play an active role in voluntary programs such as mentoring students in their unique areas of expertise and contributing towards scholarships for deserving students. Thoughtful contributions of alumni and their involvement are crucial for achieving an institution’s vision and mission. Without strong alumni relations, the prospective pool will be significantly reduced and the potential of meaningful progress may be hindered. Alumni relationship is a key ingredient for an institution’s advancement for many reasons. Alumni are an institution’s most loyal supporters and can generate invaluable word-of-mouth marketing among their social and professional networks. By engaging alumni, an institution can continue to benefit from their skills and experience. Alumni are great role models for current students. They take their knowledge of the institution to their hometowns, countries, and their professional and social networks. Maintaining a positive relationship with the alumni means the messages they share about the institution will be current and mirror that positivity. Maintaining communication channels with alumni means we can keep them informed of our achievements and make them part of our institution’s future, not just its past. Good alumni relations benefit alumni as well as the institution. If we support our alumni in their professional and personal lives through activities such as the facilitation of social and professional networks, preferential access to on-campus expertise and facilities, and negotiated benefits with third-party suppliers, they are likely to continue to be our loyal life-long supporters. Alumni support may also help the alumni to achieve positions of success and influence, which will in turn benefit the institution as they begin to give back. Helping the institution become bigger, stronger and more successful, alumni are also enhancing the value of their own degree qualification. We the OUIAA members here in Bangladesh are working together to uphold these themes.
On behalf of the OUIAA Dhaka Branch, I would like to extend my sincere thanks/heartiest gratitude to the Japanese people due to their generous support regarding our recently observed grand occasions on the (i) Birth Centenary (2021) of the Father of the Nation – Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, (ii) Birth Centenary of the University of Dhaka (2021), Golden Jubilee (2021) of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, and (iv) Platinum Jubilee (2021) of our Hon’ble Prime Minister (Govt. of the PR-Bangladesh) Sheikh Hasina.
On this auspicious occasion, I would like to express my deepest respects and best wishes to the Hon’ble President, Deans, Academicians, Staff, Students, and Alumni of the Okayama University. Special thanks and regards are due to the President and Secretary of the OUIAA, and the organizers associated with the publication of this newsletter.
Lastly, we should pray for all the souls departed due to COVID-19. May God bless them and may their souls rest in eternal peace.
God bless us and save us all! Take care!
Prof. Dr. Md. Harunor Rashid Khan
Tel.: 880-2-01729095776; profhrkhan@du.ac.bd