Western president Amit Chakma was honoured Friday as University Chancellor, Jack Cowin, BA’64, LLD’00, and his wife, Sharon, BA’64 announced they had donated $5 million to support Western Engineering and to name Western’s newest building the Amit Chakma Engineering Building. “Like all universities worthy of the name, UWA is a creator of new knowledge and a custodian of intellectual endeavour, evidence-based enquiry and academic freedom. [15] The award is meant to provide national recognition for a career of outstanding contributions to further international education at state and land-grant institutions. [7] His research interests are natural gas engineering and petroleum waste management. Amit Chakma answers questions at a news conference in London, Ont., Tuesday, Dec.20, 2011. Professor Chakma joins UWA as its 19th Vice-Chancellor following an outstanding career in higher education leadership and academia in Canada, most recently 10 years as President and Vice Chancellor of The University of Western Ontario in Canada. “My main focus will be to connect with the UWA community as we look to recover and rebuild following the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. He served as a member of Canada's Science and Technology Innovation Council from 2011 to 2017[25] and co-chaired the working group for the State of the Nation Report 2014[26] that benchmarks Canada's science, technology, and innovation performance against international standards of excellence. Read the full article. October 09, 2018. The effects of the current crisis have been experienced differently in different places, but they have been remarkably widespread. [13], In 2014 Chakma was awarded a Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award. This achievement is especially notable since only four of these awards may be granted each year and students across the University are eligible. Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Reza Moridi replied that a bill had been passed the previous year allowing public sector executive compensation to be capped, but that Chakma's contract was signed before this legislation came into force. In 2012, Chakma received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to Canadian post-secondary education. (Sponsor Content) Professor Amit Chakma and his wife Meena flew to Perth from Canada last month and spent 14 days in self-isolation in accordance with Government requirements. Western president Amit Chakma was honoured as University Chancellor, Jack Cowin, BA’64, LLD’00, and his wife, Sharon, BA’64, announced they've donated $5 million to support Western Engineering and to name Western’s newest building the Amit Chakma Engineering Building. In a statement, Western said the name was "inspired by Chakma's leadership and vision to grow Western's competitiveness on the world stage". Kalpana Chakma is a human rights activist and feminist from Bangladesh who held the position of Organizing Secretary of the Hill Women's Federation. “Professor Chakma has a proven track record and the necessary combination of experience, skills and capacity to lead the University at this important time in its history.”. Innovations from partnerships to online messaging are bringing new approaches to today’s philanthropic efforts. [33][34] Chakma's pay was a result of "double-dipping," allowing him to collect a second full salary for choosing to work during his paid administrative leave. Amit Chakma, London, Ontario. The Government of Canada has endorsed this key recommendation and adopted its International Education Strategy in 2014. “I’m very much looking forward to meeting the wonderful staff and students at UWA and finding my way around this very beautiful campus,” Professor Chakma said. During his time at the University of Regina, Chakma was named to Canada's Top 40 Under 40 list. It follows an outstanding career in higher education leadership and academia in Canada, most recently 10 years as President and Vice Chancellor of The University of Western Ontario in Canada. The University of Western Australia acknowledges that its campus is situated on Noongar land, and that Noongar people remain the spiritual and cultural custodians of their land, and continue to practise their values, languages, beliefs and knowledge. [22] The Senate of The University of Western Australia has appointed Professor Amit Chakma as its next and 19th Vice-Chancellor commencing in July 2020. Amit Chakma (born 25 April 1959)[1] is the current Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia since July 2020. “She has given service of the highest order to the University and has set an outstanding example of what can be achieved by the combination of intellect, humanity and honesty.”, Simone Hewett (UWA Media and PR Manager) 08 6488 3229 / 0432 637 716, 35 Stirling Highway Professor Amit Chakma and his wife Meena flew to Perth from Canada last month and spent 14 days in self-isolation in accordance with Government requirements. [5] Having left the University of Waterloo, he has been noted for his service to both the university and the academic and business community of Kitchener-Waterloo. "[31] Nguyen taught at Regina for two years before students and faculty, suspicious on account of Nguyen's apparent lack of knowledge, discovered that she had defrauded the University by claiming her ex-husband's doctoral degree as her own. Royal Chakma Kingdom - Greater Chittagong Hill Tracts Region [4] He was the eldest among four siblings. [2] Previously he served as the 10th president and vice-chancellor of the University of Western Ontario from 2009 to 2019. From 2001 to 2009 Professor Chakma served as Vice-President (Academic) and Provost of The University of Waterloo in Canada. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the Asian University for Women, an international liberal arts university located in Chittagong, Bangladesh[29] from 2012 to 2015 as Vice-Chair and Acting Chair. He was inaugural Chair of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities and has held senior advisory … The award is named after Michael P. Malone, an American historian and 10th president of Montana State University. The University of Western Australia is offering more courses than ever before. He was elected as Chair of Council in 2017. Professor Chakma joins UWA as its 19th Vice-Chancellor following an outstanding career in higher education leadership and academia in Canada, most recently 10 years as President and Vice Chancellor of The University of Western Ontario in Canada. Early life and education. Douglas Tyndall WRIGHT passed away in Waterloo, Ontario. 2.3K likes. He became vice president academic and provost at the University of Waterloo in 2001. An academic, public policy enthusiast and a global citizen interested in education, environment and global issues. “Stepping into the role of Western’s tenth president is a humbling and energizing experience”, says Amit Chakma. Chakma wasn’t paid for a year after that in an effort to refund half of the salary. At the University of Western Ontario, Chakma led a rebranding exercise in 2012 that resulted in rebranding the institution as Western University[8] He was reappointed to serve a second five-year term the same year. Jack Cowin, BA’64, LLD’00, Western University’s 22nd Chancellor, and his wife Sharon, BA’64, have generously donated $5 million to support Western Engineering and to name Western’s newest building in honour of the University’s 10th president, Amit Chakma.. "It is very clear that I shall be working with people of remarkable resilience and strength, with the capacity to act innovatively, compassionately and energetically.". [30] Chakma said in his recommendation that "Nguyen's candidacy has been the fruit of our relentless proactive efforts in identifying potential women faculty members. [4] He passed his HSC examination from Dhaka College in 1976. [19], Chakma is an advocate for promoting international education and has written and commented extensively on this topic. [10], Chakma served as the Chair of U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities from 2012-2014. Western president Amit Chakma was honoured by University Chancellor, Jack Cowin, BA’64, LLD’00, and his wife, Sharon, BA’64 when it was announced they had donated $5 million to support Western Engineering and to name Western’s newest building the Amit Chakma Engineering Building. “Professor den Hollander’s leadership in the most trying of times has been extraordinary,” he said. UWA Chancellor, Robert French AC, said Professor Chakma came to UWA with demonstrated success in developing high quality teaching and learning while building research capability and important partnerships across academic, government and industry sectors. From 2001 to 2009 Professor Chakma served as Vice-President (Academic) and Provost of The University of Waterloo in Canada. We have important roles to play in both. “Like all universities around the world, we face great challenges. Western’s Chancellor Jack Cowin, along with his wife Sharon, donated $5-million to the building to have it named after his colleague and long time friend. The obituary was featured in Waterloo Region Record on May 22, 2020, and The Globe and Mail on May 22, 2020. [3], Chakma was born in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of the then East Pakistan now Bangladesh to Prabhat Chakma and Alo Chakma. The University of Western Australia’s new Vice-Chancellor takes up his role this week and is looking forward to building on the strengths of the University’s staff, students and wider community. Chakma has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of a Canada-based development organization of long standing the World University Services of Canada (WUSC)[28] from 2011 to 2015. He then moved to Canada and earned a Master of Applied Science and PhD in chemical engineering from the University of British Columbia in 1984 and 1987 respectively.[6]. In 2015 Chakma received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Engineering Alumni group at the University of British Columbia. Professor Amit Chakma has been appointed at the University of Western Australia as its 19th Vice-Chancellor. [17], On March 4, 2017, he was the convocation speaker at the 50th convocation of the University of Dhaka, the pre-eminent university locally known as the Oxford of the East, ranked In the top 1000 globally per QS World University Rankings, where he was bestowed Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) by President Abdul Hamid of Bangladesh, the Chancellor of the University for his outstanding leadership in education and research. He was inaugural Chair of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities and has held senior advisory positions with the Canadian Government on international education strategy and science, technology and innovation. Professor Chakma is a Professor of Chemical Engineering and holds a Master of Applied Science and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia. Chakma Raj, Rangamati, Chittagong, Bangladesh. #purpleandproud #westernu Successful advocacy during this period led to the creation of the $1.2 billion "The Canada First Research Excellence Program" by the Government of Canada to support competitively selected Canadian post secondary institutions to turn their key strengths into world-leading capabilities.[11]. [35], builds and maintains the province's health human resources capacity by supporting the government's strategic direction of health workforce planning, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, "Dr. Amit Chakma - Office of the VP Academic and Provost", "UWO rebrands to a familiar name: Western", "Amit Chakma re-appointed to second term", http://president.uwo.ca/pdf/strategic-plan/WesternU_StratPlan_Summary_2014.pdf, http://www.cfref-apogee.gc.ca/home-accueil-eng.aspx, "Waterloo will award 16 honorary degrees at spring convocation", "One more time for the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal", "50th convocation of Dhaka University (DU) held", "Western University naming newest building after departing president Amit Chakma", "International students are an opportunity, not a cost", "Canada Beckons International Students With a Path to Citizenship", "Report urges Canada to double down on foreign students to fuel innovation", "International students surpass 2022 goal", http://www.stic-csti.ca/eic/site/stic-csti.nsf/eng/Home, http://www.stic-csti.ca/eic/site/stic-csti.nsf/eng/h_00083.html, "Students, faculty, lawmakers take dim view of Western's decision to double-pay its president", "Sunshine List shows London schools and hospitals have top public salaries", "Liberal cabinet ministers won't say whether $1M university salary appropriate", Official Website at the University of Western Australia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amit_Chakma&oldid=997863032, University of British Columbia Faculty of Applied Science alumni, Presidents of the University of Western Ontario, Canadian university and college vice-presidents, Canadian university and college chief executives, University of Western Australia vice-chancellors, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 2 January 2021, at 16:28. He then served as Regina's vice president research from 1999 to 2001. [5] He studied in Ispahani School in Comilla and completed his secondary education from Rangamati Government High School. Dr. Amit Chakma, a dynamic and gifted academic leader, is the 10th President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. Just yesterday, a handful of Senate members called for a special meeting to discuss a motion of non-confidence in the president. [18], On October 12, 2018, University of Western Ontario announced that the University's new engineering building would be called the Amit Chakma Engineering Building. Professor Chakma joins UWA as its 19th Vice-Chancellor following an outstanding career in higher education leadership and academia in Canada, most recently 10 years as President and Vice Chancellor of The University of … As per the Atrocities Rules of 2016, Pindulal’s relatives have to be paid Rs eight lakh, pension of Rs 5000 per month to his wife, education upto graduation level for children and food for three months. Professor Chakma also acknowledged interim Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane den Hollander AO for her exceptional contribution to UWA during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I have been deeply impressed and moved by the responses of the students and staff of the University that I have seen to date. In 1982, he graduated at the top of his class. While he was dean of engineering at the University of Regina in 1998, Chakma hired Lana Nguyen as a professor of systems software engineering. Perth WA 6009 Australia. “We should also be mindful that challenges and opportunities go hand in hand. The outgoing president of Western University, Amit Chakma, is getting a building named in his honour. “I want to bring a renewed focus on the student experience. "I didn't even know we were building a statue till the Chakmaster hit me up," Cowin explained. Wednesday, June 17, 2020 The School is proud to announce that graduate students Dania Abuleil and Amy Chow have each won the Amit & Meena Chakma Award for Exceptional Teaching by a Student. One of the key recommendations was to double the number of international students in Canada by 2022. In 2014 Chakma was the recipient of the Michael P. Malone International Leadership Award. His substantial record of research has covered greenhouse gas control technology, energy and environmental model system modelling, petroleum waste management, gas separation and processing and mass transfer. In this 2018 Facebook (Amit Chakma) photo, Prof Chakma welcomes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Western University’s Alumni Hall for a Town Hall meeting. Amit Chakma doesn’t pull any punches when discussing the challenges he faces in his new role at the University of Western Australia. A look at how discrimination has driven Chakma and Hajong tribes, refugees from Bangladesh, who settled in Arunachal Pradesh in 1964, to the brink of starvation and statelessness . Professor Amit Chakma and his wife Meena flew to Perth from Canada last month and spent 14 days in self-isolation in accordance with Government requirements. [12] Chakma was recognized for playing a leading role in the establishment of a new health sciences campus in Kitchener and the relocation of the school of architecture to Cambridge during his tenure as vice-president at Waterloo. The award citation described how Chakma used education as the basis for his remarkable journey as a young boy from a tribe in the hills of southeastern Bangladesh to becoming a university president in Canada.[14]. On June 19, 2010 Chakma received an honorary doctor of engineering degree from the University of Waterloo. She and her two brothers were abducted on 12 June 1996 from her home at Lallyaghona village allegedly by the members of the Bangladesh Army.Kalpana Chakma is still missing. Prof Chakma and his wife Meena Chakma had to spend 14 days in self-isolation due to Covid-19 regulations after they flew to Perth from Canada late last month. “Research-intensive universities, as a group, have significant weakness in terms of the attention, the care we have been able to give to our students,” Professor Chakma told Business News. [4] He received a scholarship from the Algerian government, along with nine other Bangladeshi students, to study natural gas processing engineering at Algerian Petroleum Institute in Algeria. In October, former Western Chancellor Jack Cowin (left), BA’64, LLD’00, and his wife Sharon, BA’64, donated $5 million to support Western Engineering, and to name the Amit Chakma Engineering Building in honour of their friend and the university’s 10 th President (right). Dr. Amit Chakma, a dynamic and gifted academic leader, is the 10th President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. [20][21] He chaired an Advisory Panel on Canada's International Education Strategy in 2011–12. [32], On March 27, 2015, Chakma came under criticism after reportedly earning $967,000 in salary and benefits in 2014, a year in which class sizes grew as Western administrators squeezed faculty, shrunk staffing and left empty vacated positions. 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