How she survived in the game of “Snakes and Stairs: Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain’s Thrilling Journey to the Top”

From Youngest VC of Any UET to the Most Brave VC: A Journey of Excellence and Confidence

“Rolling the Dice: How Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain Climbed the Ladder of Success”

Snakes and Stairs: Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain’s Thrilling Journey to the Top

In the game of life, Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain has played the board with finesse, navigating through the twists and turns with courage and determination. As the Vice Chancellor of Dawood University of Engineering and Technology, she has climbed the ladder of success, overcoming obstacles and defying expectations along the way. Her journey is a testament to her unwavering commitment to excellence and her unrelenting passion for education.

From being the youngest VC of any UET to becoming one of the most respected leaders in the field, Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain’s story is a thrilling tale of perseverance and triumph. With a career spanning over two decades, she has rolled the dice, faced challenges head-on, and emerged stronger with each passing day. Her remarkable journey is a shining example of how one can turn the tables and achieve greatness, no matter where they start in the game of life.

Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain, the Vice Chancellor of Dawood University of Engineering and Technology, has proved that age is just a number when it comes to leadership and vision. As the youngest VC of any UET, she has defied expectations and taken the university to new heights. With a career spanning over two decades, Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain has established herself as a trailblazer in the field of education.

Under her leadership, Dawood University has made significant strides in various areas, including academic programs, research, and infrastructure development. The university has expanded its reach to new sites in Gulberg and Sukkur, providing opportunities for students to access quality education and resources. The establishment of the Directorate of Alumni Affairs has also helped to foster a sense of community and connection among graduates.

Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain’s vision for graduate success is built on a three-pronged approach: Lifelong Learning, Industry Placements, and Entrepreneurship. The university has implemented various initiatives to empower students, including international mobility programs, industry-academia partnerships, and entrepreneurship incubation centers. As a result, the employability ratio of recent graduates has reached an impressive 80%.

The Vice Chancellor’s commitment to excellence is reflected in her own achievements. She is a recipient of two civil awards, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz and Sitara-e-Imtiaz, and has published over 50 research articles and 5 patents. Her leadership has been recognized by various organizations, and she has been nominated to several high-level committees, including the Syndicate of MUET, SALU, IBA Karachi, and Jinnah University for Women.

Despite facing numerous challenges, Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain has remained steadfast in her commitment to transforming Dawood University into a world-class institution. Her courage and confidence have inspired her team, and the university is now on a path of rapid growth and development. As she continues to lead the university, she remains focused on creating a culture of innovation, entrepreneurship, and social responsibility, ensuring that Dawood University remains a beacon of excellence in the field of engineering and technology.

Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain’s courage in the face of adversity is truly inspiring. She has faced two harrowing incidents, one where she was attacked and survived, and another where a student mob attacked and misbehaved with her. In both instances, she showed remarkable bravery and composure, refusing to let the incidents deter her from her goals. An FIR was lodged in the first incident, and she continued to lead the university with strength and conviction. Her ability to stay calm under pressure and lead with dignity, even in the face of hostility, is a testament to her exceptional leadership and character.
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I bow my head before Allah the Almighty for all His blessings and delighted to share the progress Dawood University of Engineering and Technology has made over the past year. Our vision for graduate success is built on a three-pronged approach:

1. *Lifelong Learning*: Through international mobility programs, we are trying to empower our students to stay ahead in their fields. At campus, Directorate of Career Counselling & International Mobility is providing substantial guidance and support for Post Graduate studies abroad as well as in Pakistan.

2. *Industry Placements*: We bridge the industry-academy gap by fostering strong partnerships, ensuring our graduates are industry-ready. The Employability ratio for recent graduates has reached to 80% by the unwavering commitment shown by Directorate of Industrial Liaison and Placement Bureau.
The Micro Degree Program is pivotal in achieving this remarkable employability of DUET graduates and the efforts of the Continual Professional Department are laudable for the successful execution of MDP.

3. *Entrepreneurship*: Directorate of Research Innovation & Commercialization has got the full-time Director and is pushing the commercialization part very aggressively. Our recently coined idea of establishing “Research Project Development Unit” at the Silicon Valley NASTP Karachi is ready to launch by mid July. It shall incubate innovative ideas, ready to market products’ start ups promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in the best possible ECO system required for such activities.

Our focus on out-of-the-box solutions for revenue generation and aggressive investment policies has brought financial stability to the university. This stability enables us to invest in infrastructure development, faculty, and student programs, ensuring a bright future for our institution.

Our students are now engaged in various extracurricular activities, including student weeks and sports and literary events. We have expanded our reach to new sites in Gulberg and Sukkur, providing opportunities for students to access quality education and befitting resources required for learning and best campus life experience.

We have made significant strides in gathering our alumni and are in process of forming a strong alumni base through the establishment of the Directorate of Alumni Affairs. This initiative aims to promote the university’s alumni association, fostering a sense of community and connection among our graduates. We are proud to have named our library “Engr. Shafiq Ahmed Memorial Library” after a distinguished alumnus, Engr. Shafiq Ahmed (Late) recognizing their contributions and legacy.

As we move forward, we remain committed to our mission of producing graduates who are not only technically proficient but also innovative, entrepreneurial, and globally competitive with great sense of social responsibility and moral values.

I am grateful to my whole team which includes faculty, officers, staff and students, who backed all the reforms and contributed towards this journey of progress. I also want to say Thank you to the Honorable Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Our Chancellor Mr. Kamran Khan Tessori , and members of my statutory bodies for their continued guidance and support.

Sincerely,

Engr. Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain (S.I, T.I)
Vice Chancellor, Dawood University of Engineering and Technology

Brief Profile of Engr. Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain (S.I, T.I)
Prof. Dr. Samreen Hussain is currently working as Vice Chancellor of Dawood University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi. She is the recipient of two civil awards; Tamgha -e- Imtiaz and Sitara-e-Imtiaz.
She holds a national record of first ever female vice chancellor of any engineering ever in Pakistan in the history of 77 years. She has added value to Higher education landscape of Sindh & Pakistan.
An Electronic Engineer. Member Sindh HEC, HEC Pakistan and Member of the Board of Governors of Pakistan Engineering Council. In her last tenure as an elected GB member she served as Deputy Convener Engineering Accreditation Board, Convener Innovation & Entrepreneurship Committee & member PEC Think Tank.
She’s also nominated on Syndicate of MUET, SALU, IBA Karachi , SSUET and Jinnah University for Women and University of Larkano.
She has also served as Deputy Chief of Party USAID/ Pakistan HESSA (Higher Education System Strengthening Activities) project and received great recognition for her work in making the project up & running. Her services are noteworthy in conducting baseline study of various HEIs of Pakistan for gap analysis and designing activities to improve Governance, Faculty development, Market driven curriculum design & student support services.
She has been part of several Mid-Career Management Domain Component trainings as trainer on topics of Leadership skills and Whole Brain Model.
Dr. Samreen Hussain is a Prolific Professional. She has profound experience of Research and Administrative Management.
As a researcher she has produced more than 50 research articles published in international Journals and Conferences and has got more than 300 citations and 05 patents. She was also the sole PI for one of the affiliated labs of National Centre for Big Data & Cloud Computing worth 58M.
She’s the founding Vice Chancellor of two public sector universities namely Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University, Sukkur and Aror University of Art, Architecture, Design and Heritage, Sukkur.
She was trusted by Competent authority to establish Aror University since she had established Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women university in the similar region in record time maintaining high quality & best practices of higher education & good governance.
She proved herself yet again and within 06 months, she managed to make this university fully operational and recognized by various regulatory bodies and professional councils. Her endeavors like Aror boutique, open air museum, introducing wax sculpture, art & crafts gallery in this university are highly appreciated.
She was the first Dean of faculty of Engineering at Ziauddin University and was the pioneer in establishing the faculty of Engineering with 11 UG and 3 PG programs in record time and construction of the Zaiuddin University campus at the Education City.
She has remained with DUET from 2015 to 2017 as Professor. Her achievements at Dawood university are worth mentioning as she had multiple portfolio like Chairperson Electronic Engineering Department, First Director IT, First Director Post Graduate Studies, Director Industrial Liaison & Alumni Affairs (DILAA), Project Director of Strengthening of Dawood UET amounting 579M. She was rewarded as Best Performance Award in recognition to her services at DUET and above all playing a major role in the transformation of Dawood University.
Her achievements at Dawood university are worth mentioning as she had multiple portfolio like Chairperson Electronic Engineering Department, Director IT, DILAA, Project Director of Strengthening of Dawood UET amounting 579M. She was rewarded as Best Performance Award in recognition to her services at DUET.
At Dawood university, she assumed the charge of VC with deficit of 451M and liabilities of more than a Billion. In less than two years, she not only brought the deficit down but added two new locations of Dawood UET; one as Faculty of Information & Computing Sciences another in Sukkur as Centre for Entrepreneurial Management & Emerging Technologies (CEMET).
Her visionary leadership is shaping up Dawood UET into a quality conscious institution with gradual shift to become a self-reliant institution.

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By Salik Majeed editor Jeeveypakistan.com Karachi