Abdul Mannan
| Former Chairman of UGC |
| Educator |
Full Name: Professor Abdul Mannan
Affiliation: University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB)
Current Position: Advisor to the Board of Trustees
Place of Birth: Bangladesh
Home District: Chittagong
Nationality: Bangladeshi
Profile:
Professor Abdul Mannan is a Bangladeshi educator. He served as the 12th chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh during 2015–2019 and the vice-chancellor of the University of Chittagong during 1996–2001.
Mannan was born in Chittagong. He completed his early education from the St. Placid’s High School (Established in 1853), Chittagong, Government Commerce College of Chittagong and University of Dhaka. Later he completed his graduate and post graduate studies from the University of Hawaii and the Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA, under the East West Center, US Government Fellowshipin 1978. Throughout his academic career he passed all his examinations with extraordinary distinction, always occupying the top position in his class. Later on he attended the Ohio State University and London School of Economics under a World Bank Fellowship and participated in courses relating International Business. He joined the Business School of the University of Chittagong as a Lecturer in 1973. Later he served as the Chairman of the Department of Management and Dean of the Business School in the same University. During his tenure as the Dean of the Business School he introduced the BBA program at Chittagong University and incidentally this was the first program of its kind in this region. He also served as the member of the University Syndicate, Senate, Academic Council and Board of Advanced Studies and edited the Business School Journal from 1987 to 1989. In 1984 the Chittagong University administration appointed him the Director of Bureau of Business Research in which capacity he served for three consequitive terms (1984-1993). As recognition of his contribution in Business Education in Bangladesh, Mannan was appointed the Co-Project Co-coordinator, Bangladesh Management Education and Training Project (BMETP) of the World Bank for a five year term in 1984.
In 1997 the Government of Bangladesh appointed Mannan a member of the Dhaka University Senate. He was also awarded fellowship by the British Council to attend workshop on Management of Universities at Critical Times in 1999. The weeklong workshop was held in the University Of Chester, England. On November 6, 1996 he was appointed the Vice-chancellor of Chittagong University by the Chancellor (Prime Minister). He was the youngest Vice-chancellor of the country at that time. He served in this position till February 13, 2001. He was elected as the Chairman of the Association of Universities of Bangladesh and the Standing Committee of the Vice-chancellors (1997-99). During this period Professor Mannan also served as the Executive Committee and Council Member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, London. Before he was appointed Vice-chancellor he was elected twice as the General Secretary of the Chittagong University Teachers’Association (1981 and 1982) and once the President of the same Association (1984). In 1981 he was also elected the Secretary General of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Association (1981).
In 1997 Professor Mannan was appointed a Part Time Member of the Bangladesh University Grants Commission and a Member of the Steering Committee of Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO. He served as a member in the National Education Commission (Prof. Shamsul Hoque Commission) during 1998 and 1999. When the Association of Management Development Institution (AMDISA) was established in 1988 he was one of the co-founder and became a member of the Board of Directors in 1991. From 1989 to 2012 he also served as the member of the Editorial Board of the South Asian Journal of Management, published by AMDISA. AMDISA is a SAARC affiliated body committed to the development of management education in the region having its permanent Secretariat at Hyderabad, India. Currently he is a member of the South Asian Quality Assurance System (SAQS) of AMDISA and Education Quality Assurance Foundation, Bangladesh (EQAF). He is also an ex-officio member of the Board of Governors, South Asian University, New Delhi.
Mannan was appointed the 12th Chairman of the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC) by the Chancellor of the Universities of Bangladesh for a four year term beginning May 8, 2015. UGC is the apex body that monitors the development of and quality enhancement of higher education in Bangladesh. It is a statutory body createdby the Government of Bangladesh in 1973 through a Special Presidential Order. As recognition to his contribution to education he was awarded the prestigious Mercantile Bank Gold Medal in 2012 and UNESCO Medal for his contribution in the field of education in Bangladeshin same year. In December 2015 the American Alumni Association of Bangladesh recognized the contribution of Professor Mannan in the field oeducation by awarding him the Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic Excellence. In January 2016 the Australian Association of Business Leadership awarded him a special award for his contribution in development of Higher Education in Bangladesh. Professor Mannan has published extensively research articles in national and international journals and so far has published ten books and co-authored four other books on business cases and marketing funded by the World Bank and published by the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh. He is expected to publish four more books in February and March of 2016 on issues relating to contemporary political affairs. Mannan took an early retirement from the University of Chittagong in 2005 and was appointed as an Advisor to the Board of Trustees of the University Of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), a leading private university of the countryin 2011. He also served as a full time Professor in the Business School of the same University. From 2001 to 2007 he was also a Professor in the Department of Business and the Dean of Faculties at the East-West University. He regularly lectures at the Police Staff College, Bangladesh Public Administration Training Academy, Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management, Bangladesh Air Force Training and Staff Academy. Previously he was an adjunct faculty member of the Bangladesh Military Academy and Bangladesh Naval Academy. He is also a member of Managing Committee of Climate Change fund of the Ministry of Environment. The Committee administers funds allocated by the World Bank and other international agencies for the management of climate change effects in Bangladesh.
Register for comment
