Showcasing 26 films made by mobile filmmakers from 25 different nations, the 9th edition of Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival (DIMFF) was inaugurated on Saturday at the permanent campus of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) campus in the capital’s Mohammadpur. A flagship event of the Media Studies and Journalism Department of ULAB, the festival’s inauguration ceremony was joined by media personality and Grey Group Bangladesh Managing Partner and Country Head Syed Gousul Alam Shaon as the chief guest. The jury chair for the newly introduced Open Door and Vertical Film categories and ‘Hawa’-famed executive producer-filmmaker Shimul Chandra Biswas also joined the inauguration ceremony as the special guest. ULAB Media Studies and Journalism Head of Department Professor Dr Jude William Genilo inaugurated the screening sessions at the ‘Black Maria', a dark tent set at the ULAB open ground for film screenings at daylight. “No matter what type of ethnicity you belong to, films bring us all together,” Dr Genilo said at the ceremony. Gousul Alam Shaon congratulated DIMFF for successfully continuing the festival over the years, saying: “To continue the magic of storytelling, we need to create myths - and films are the best medium for that. Our film industry is continuously growing and mobile filmmaking is certainly a great addition to that, and I am honoured to share the day with young film-enthusiastic filmmakers-audiences here.” Festival Director Md Sambitul Islam said, “I am very grateful to my team who worked hard the entire year together since our last festival to make this event a reality.”

The Department of English of East West University (EWU) recently won the cultural competition of the 8th Inter-University Student Conference and Cultural Competition 2022. Hosted by ULAB's English and humanities department from October 20-21, 17 public and private universities competed in this year's edition of the conference. The inter-university student conference and cultural competition explored different facets of conflict and avenues for conflict resolution within topics in literature, language, linguistics, cultural studies, communication studies, translation studies, and digital humanities. Nine universities competed in the cultural competition. EWU defeated DU, AIUB, NSU, UITS, SUST, CU, SUB, and the host ULAB. EWU won the same competition for the second time after six years.

The Department of Media Studies and Journalism (MSJ) of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) organised the Curriculum Integration (CI) programme for its Summer 2022 semester at the Bangladesh Film Archive in Dhaka's Agargaon, with the theme "Pathos." Following ULAB's liberal education system, every semester the Department of Media Studies and Journalism comes up with a theme for better learning for the students. Pathos is the practice of paying attention to the emotions of the audience, according to the great philosopher Aristotle. It refers to how the audience is put in the right frame of mind by appealing to their emotions. This, in turn, can influence the perceptions of the audience. "Hawa" director Mejbaur Rahman Sumon was present as the special guest at this event. Acknowledging that the personal and microscopic perspective of storytelling helps his films communicate with the audience, Sumon said. "I always keep the audience in my mind. Their emotions are my emotions." Professor Jude William Gennilo, dean of the School of Social Science of ULAB, introduced the theme Pathos from different theoretical approaches. Read: ULAB celebrates 18th Foundation Day There are three, not two, tools to persuade an audience, which are: emotion, logic and pathos, which highlights the speaker's character, he said. Among these tools, pathos reaches out to people with a strong efficiency due to its power of exploring the depth of human emotions, he added. At the programme, the audience explored the innovative projects on screen such as documentaries, short films, and animations, made by the students. Mohammad Abdul Kader, assistant professor and the coordinator of ULAB's Brian Shoesmith Media Lab, concluded the programme with his vote of thanks to the teachers, students and audience.

The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) held a scholarship award ceremony Wednesday at its permanent campus in the capital's Mohammadpur. Crests and certificates were given to 163 students who received scholarships of Tk95 lakh in total. Professor Biswajit Chanda, a member of the University Grants Commission (UGC), joined the ceremony as the chief guest and Omar Faruque, director of the Private University Division of UGC, as special guest. Biswajit encouraged ULAB to have its eyes set on becoming a globally renowned university like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) or Harvard. ULAB Vice-Chancellor Professor Imran Rahman delivered the welcome address and Professor Dr Shamsad Mortuza gave the vote of thanks. ULAB Treasurer Professor Milan Kumar Bhattacharjee, Registrar Lieutenant Colonel Md Foyzul Islam (retired), faculty members, and administrative officials were also present.  Also read: ULAB Moves Up in WURI’s Global Top 100 Innovative Universities

The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) organised the PR Summit in the capital's Dhanmondi Friday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of PR4U, an apprenticeship programme of its Department of Media Studies and Journalism. Jaffri Osman, chief executive officer of World Communications Malaysia, joined the event as the chief guest. Helal Hussain, head of portfolio, at Swisscontact Bangladesh, was present as the special guest. The practice of public relations today is visual, Jaffri said. "A person in public relations must understand empathy and deal with empathy in the current world scenario." Read: ULAB celebrates 17th Foundation Day Helal Hussain, the other special guest of the event, discussed the rising need for public relations in international and national organisations. Faruq Faisal, regional director of Article 19, Moniruzzaman, head of marketing and brand communication at SIBL, and Syed Rayhan Tarique, director of client relations at Forethought PR, also spoke. Professor Jude William Genilo, head of the Department of Media Studies and Journalism, chaired the event. Dr Habib M Ali, assistant professor at the department, also spoke at the programme.

The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) will host the third session of its Literary Salon Saturday, from 5pm to 7pm, in Dhaka's Dhanmondi to celebrate "Bangladesh's favourite literary passion – short stories." The ULAB Literary Salon will acknowledge Bangladesh's passion for short stories by showcasing three remarkable recent collections – "When the Mango Tree Blossomed" (edited by Niaz Zaman), "Our Many Longings" (edited by Sohana Manzoor) and "Golden Bangladesh at 50" (edited by Shazia Omar). Noted editors and writers Rifat Munim, former Literary Editor at Dhaka Tribune, and Sohana Manzoor literary editor of The Daily Star and associate professor of English at ULAB, will lead the conversation with other writers, including several contributors to these volumes. They will discuss their work and the ever-enriching context of Bangladesh. Read: ULAB Moves Up in WURI’s Global Top 100 Innovative Universities All three collections will be available for display and sale of signed copies at the venue. The Literary Salon, organised by the English and Humanities Department, brings together writers, readers and publishers from Bangladesh and elsewhere in South Asia in an informal, engaging setting. Once a month, each month, the Salon offers Dhaka's literature enthusiasts Saturday evenings of book launches of leading authors, book readings, discussions, book signings, and the sales of books at discounted rates by The Bookworm and ULAB Press, ULAB Lit Salon's partners.

The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) held two virtual events, one on December 14 in remembrance of martyred intellectuals of Bangladesh, and on December 16, celebrating 50 years of victory on the Victory Day. Akku Chowdhury, valiant freedom fighter and a founding trustee member of the Liberation War Museum, was the keynote speaker at the Victory Day event. "We fought to ensure the freedom of all citizens, irrespective of their race, religion and gender. It is time for us to reflect whether we have truly been able to establish that freedom today. During the war, our weapon we fought with guns, but today the weapon for moving forward is technology," Akku said.   Also read: UN lauds Bangladesh’s massive successes as it celebrates Victory Day He added, “We have to stand out in the modern world by utilizing the benefits of Digital Bangladesh that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given to you all.” In his introductory speech, ULAB’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Imran Rahman highlighted the country's achievements in the 50th year of the great victory. "We have built a prosperous country in the last fifty years. The task of bringing the country to the peak of prosperity in the next fifty years must be done by the youth of our society," he said. ULAB’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Shamsad Mortuza, said “At the time of independence, about 80 per cent of the people of Bangladesh were below the poverty line. Today that has completely changed. Eighty per cent of the population now live above the poverty line. But we cannot avoid our responsibility to the remaining 20 percent of people who still live below the poverty line.” On December 14, Dr Md Fazle Rabbi and Dr Jahanara Rabbi's daughter, Dr Nusrat Rabbi was the keynote speaker of the program 'Remembering Martyred Intellectuals, The Spirit of 1971: A Discussion'. ULAB Board of Trustees member Ms. Ameena Ahmed, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Imran Rahman, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor professor Shamsad Mortuza spoke on the occasion. Also read: Bangladesh set to celebrate 51st Victory Day Thursday In their speeches, they all highlighted the irreparable loss the country has had, due to the killings of the intellectuals. They all thanked Dr Nusrat Rabbi for her presenting her father’s story through her book for the entire country to know and appreciate. Dr Nusrat Rabbi reflected on the ultimate "Sacrifices and strides made by the relentless champions of the first few decades of the nation and the martyrs for the cause of Bangladesh" with reference to her book, "The Spirit of 1971: A Memoir." Both the events were attended by ULAB’s Treasurer, the Registrar, Deans, Department Heads, faculty members, officials, and students of ULAB.

National Professor Rafiqul Islam, also the Chairman of Bangla Academy, passed away at Evercare Hospital in the capital on Tuesday. He was 87. “The eminent professor breathed his last at 2:30 pm,” a source close to his family told UNB. The body of Dr Rafiqul Islam will be taken to the Central Shaheed Minar on Wednesday at 2 pm for people to pay their last respects. He will be buried at Azimpur Graveyard after Asr prayers on Wednesday, according to his family sources. Prof Rafiqul Islam, also the Director of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB)’s Centre for Bangla Studies, was put on life support at the Evercare Hospital on November 26. Prof Rafiqul, also a teacher of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was admitted to the hospital a week prior to that, and got shifted to the High Dependency Unit of the hospital after his condition worsened. On October 7, he was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) with abdominal pain. After tests, doctors confirmed that water had accumulated in his lungs, which was later extracted. According to the family, Rafiqul Islam wanted to be treated in the country. He did not even want to come to Evercare Hospital and was willing to continue receiving treatment at the BSMMU. Read: National Professor Rafiqul Islam on life support, says family Born on January 1, 1934 at Kolakanda village, Matlab upazila in Chandpur district to Dr Md Zulfiker Ali and Jannatunesa, Prof Rafiqul Islam completed his MA in Bangla from Dhaka University in 1956. He was an active participant in the 1952 Language Movement. Later, he completed his MA in Linguistics from Cornel University, USA in 1960. He obtained his PhD from Dhaka University in 1976. He started his glorious career in academia at Dhaka University in 1957 and taught Bangla and linguistics there till 1958. Inducted as a National Professor in 2018, Dr Rafiqul Islam later became head of the Bangla department at Dhaka University. Later, he became the Vice-Chancellor (2007-2011) of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). One of the most respected Nazrul researchers, Rafiqul Islam was the first Nazrul Professor at the Bangla department of Dhaka University and the first director of the Nazrul Research Centre. He has penned about 30 books, including the first book on martyred intellectuals and the first book on the centenary history of Dhaka University. For his excellence in the field of academia and culture, Professor Dr Rafiqul Islam has received Independence Award (2012), Ekushey Padak (2001), Bangla Academy Literary Award (1994) and International Mother Language Award. Read:KM Khalid visits ailing Dr Rafiqul Islam at BSMMU President, PM mourn President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, among others, expressed profound shock at his death. In a condolence message, the President said the death of the eminent academician was an irreparable loss to the country's education and culture. Hamid recalled Prof Rafiqul's role as the chairman of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Birth Centenary Celebration National Implementation Committee. The President said he played an important role in spreading Bangabandhu's principles and ideals at national and international levels. The country and the nation will forever remember his contribution to the promotion of the spirit of independence and liberation war in Bangladesh, he said. Expressing deep shock at her teacher’s death, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said National Professor Rafiqul Islamwill ever remain alive as a shining star in Bangla literature and research. In a condolence message, Hasina said the history Dr Rafiqul Islam had written as an eyewitness following his active participation in the Language Movement and the great Liberation War are invaluable resources for Bengali literature. Hasina said he had an outstanding contribution to Nazrul research. “The literary work of this eminent writer and researcher will always inspire the Bengali nation with the spirit of Liberation War and patriotism. He will remain alive as a shining star in Bengali literature and research,” said the Prime Minister. “With his death, I’ve lost my teacher, mentor and guardian. My beloved teacher’s encouragement and motivation on various nationally important issues gave me courage and strength to move forward,” she said. The Prime Minister prayed for the salvation of the departed soul and expressed deep sympathy to bereaved family members.

The Chancellor of universities President Abdul Hamid has appointed Professor Imran Rahman as the next Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), for a four-year term with effect from November 2, 2021. This will be Professor Rahman’s second term as the Vice-Chancellor of ULAB, having previously served as the VC from 2011 to May 2017. Professor Rahman joined ULAB in 2006 as the Dean of ULAB School of Business, and later served as the Pro VC from 2009-2011. He last served as the Special Advisor to the ULAB Board of Trustees. Prior to joining ULAB, he served in IBA, Dhaka University for 28 years, as a finance faculty, Chair of the BBA Program and Chair of the Computer Center. In his eventful career, Professor Imran Rahman co-founded and led a merchant bank in the 1990s for six years. He studied at the Manchester Business School, Dhaka University, and the London School of Economics. Apart from his prolific academic and corporate career, Professor Imran Rahman is also a member of the popular Bangladeshi band Renaissance as its vocalist and guitarist.

University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) celebrated its 17th Foundation Day on October 1, with a special online event. British Deputy High Commissioner Javed Patel joined the virtual event as the chief guest, while ULAB's trustee MP Kazi Nabil Ahmed was the guest of honour. Prof Imran Rahman, the special advisor to the university’s board of trustees, reflected on the journey of the varsity through which it has positioned itself among the best in Bangladesh, mentioning ULAB graduates are making their mark in the jobs market. Deputy High Commissioner Patel congratulated ULAB for its 17 years of successful journey. Referring to the 50 years of partnership between Bangladesh and the UK, he emphasised the significant links between the two countries, particularly in the areas of education, economic growth and social development. READ: ULAB organises week-long WURI ranking celebration Patel also expressed his satisfaction over the way ULAB was offering quality education and adopted to the pandemic. Referring to the liberal arts ethos of the university, he emphasised the need for free thinking for lifelong learning. Kazi Nabil, on his part, highlighted the contributions of the institution's founder Kazi Shahid Ahmed, who established the university as a place that would make a difference and develop young minds to their fullest potential. In his concluding remarks, ULAB’s acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Shamsad Mortuza said, "The university has now come of age and wants to benchmark itself against international standards. Our next priorities will be internationalisation, and we are looking for meaningful partnerships with our international partners." READ: ULAB's DIMFF places 28th in 2021 WURI Ranking The University's new website was launched to celebrate the occasion. Anchored by Nadia Rahman, the virtual event was also joined by ULAB’s treasurer Professor Dr Milan Kumar Bhattacharjee and Registrar Lt Col Md Foyzul Islam (retd).