COMSATS Wah Campus Convocation 2012

Graduation tends to be a bittersweet moment for university students, who, after four years of a bubble-like existence, embrace a practical life with challenges and exciting prospects. Same like situation was seen at the convocation held by COMSATS Institute of Sciences and Technology (CIIT) on Tuesday April 17, 2012.

The 43rd annual convocation was held for the bright-eyed students of the university’s Wah and Attock campuses. Seated in ordered rows for the ceremony, the young men and women of Comsats radiated pride and confidence.

Valedictorian Saba Hafeez, while speaking on the occasion, said that a university degree is more than just a piece of paper but an acknowledgment of the arduous process students have gone through. It represents “the process of learning, of growing, of failure and success,” she added nostalgically.

In total, 165 students, 142 of Wah Campus and 23 of Attock Campus, were awarded degrees at master and graduation levels in the disciplines of Management Sciences, Computer Science and Computer Engineering. At the convocation, 11 Campus medals (4 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze) and 4 Institute medals (1 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze) were also awarded to the outstanding position holder students in various programs of the two Campuses.

But at the same time concerns were voiced by graduates over future employment opportunities. BBA graduate and silver medalist Sana Iqbal described the job market as tough. She plans to pursue a masters degree but would also like to gain work experience.

Usman Rasheed, another young graduate said that jobs advertised in the newspaper required a masters degree and he had therefore decided to continue his studies rather than to gain experience in what seemed like a shrinking job market.

Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration Prof. Dr Syed Amjad Farid Hasnu shared that out of over 200 graduates, 60 per cent were already employed, adding that Comsats graduates are in high demand in the market.

“Youth unemployment stands at seven per cent in Pakistan, though the figure only brackets the youth between the ages of 15 to 24, which is not representative of all college graduates,” he added.

The words, “This is not the end but a new beginning” rang in the ears of the fresh graduates branded as the future architects of Pakistan.

Director Wah Campus, Dr Tayyab Akram informed the audience about scholarships being provided to intelligent and deserving students from underdeveloped and far-flung areas like the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, DI Khan and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Discussing strategic plans of Wah campus, he said that CIIT Wah was focused on providing highly skilled manpower to industries in the surrounding areas.

The director told the audience that CIIT had a student population of 17000 out of which 1700 were enrolled at Wah campus. He called upon the campus faculty to focus on research and publications so as to contribute to new developments in their fields.

Prof. Dr. Junaid Zaidi, Rector CIIT, expressed his satisfaction over the functioning of the institute and acknowledged the efforts of the faculty in the academic development of their students. He called upon the graduating students to be composed and encouraged them to play their new role effectively in the society. He advised the graduating students to utilize their full potential for the benefit of the nation.