AUW confers seven honorary doctorates, 235 graduate students from 11 countries on 12th Commencement

The Asian University for Women (AUW) today (10 January) conferred honorary doctorate degrees on seven distinguished individuals from home and abroad and graduated 235 women from 11 countries at its 12th Commencement Day, marking another milestone in the university's mission to expand access to higher education for women across Asia and beyond.

The ceremony, held at a city hotel in Chattogram, brought together global academic leaders, policymakers, diplomats, journalists, development partners, students, and families to celebrate the achievements of the graduating class and the broader AUW community.

Those awarded honorary doctorates included Irene Tracey, vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford and professor of Anaesthetic Neuroscience, who was conferred Honorary Doctor of Sciences for the Advancement of Humankind and former first lady of Japan Akie Abe, who received a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.

Other recipients were Baroness Janet Royall of Blaisdon, former principal of Somerville College, University of Oxford, who was awarded Doctor of Arts for Leadership and Educational Equity; former Bangladesh education minister M Osman Farruk, Doctor of Sciences in Educational Development; President of the University of Tokyo Teruo Fujii, Doctor of Sciences; former Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh and current ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki, Doctor of Arts for the Advancement of Peace; and Editor and Publisher of Prothom Alo Matiur Rahman, honoured with a Doctor of Creative, Responsible and Courageous Journalism.

Of the 235 graduates, 152 were from Bangladesh and 51 from Afghanistan. The cohort also included students from India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, and Yemen, underscoring AUW's increasingly regional and global footprint.

AUW Chancellor Cherie Blair, who presided over the ceremony, congratulated the graduates, describing the occasion as "a day of celebration and of pride" not only for the students but also for the families, faculty, and supporters who stood beside them throughout their journey. She urged the graduates to savour the moment and reminded them that while the world of work would be transformed by artificial intelligence and rapid technological change, the values and leadership skills they gained at AUW would matter even more. 

"The skills and qualities that you have gained here go far beyond the technical," Blair said, adding that the graduates were equipped to become thoughtful leaders and change-makers. She stressed that innovation and scientific progress must serve social and economic justice and be grounded in respect for human rights, particularly in a world still marked by inequality, conflict, climate change, and public health crises.

AUW Vice-Chancellor Rubana Huq said the graduating class reflected what made the university distinctive, calling AUW "a special place where special people arrive and leave as extra special ones." She highlighted the diversity of the cohort, noting that it included Afghan women, Rohingya refugees, and former ready-made garment workers who once believed their lives would never extend beyond factory floors. "This probably makes it clear that we are not just a university," she said, emphasising AUW's commitment to inclusion alongside academic excellence.

Huq urged the graduates to practise ethical leadership rooted in fairness, compassion, and the ability to listen, warning that "the greatest danger is the loss of one's humanity." She said investing in women's education remained one of the most powerful tools for achieving justice, peace, and long-term progress.

AUW founder Kamal Ahmad reflected on the university's growth over the past 18 years, from 127 students from six countries to more than 2,000 students representing 22 countries today. She said AUW had strengthened its focus on science, technology, and climate-related disciplines, while also building a strong humanities programme to bridge science and the arts.

Ahmad said the university was now the world's largest host of Afghan and Rohingya women in higher education and had committed, in partnership with UNHCR and others, to educate and help professionally place 10,000 displaced and refugee women. She also highlighted progress on AUW's permanent campus, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, describing education as "the smell of the earth after rain," a force that restores dignity, possibility, and hope.