CA Yunus to receive D Litt as CU hosts convocation 14 May

Chittagong University is set to host "the country's largest convocation" on 14 May, with around 25,000 participants, including nearly 23,000 graduating students, faculty members, and guests.

Nobel laureate and chief adviser to the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters (D Litt) degree in recognition of his remarkable contributions to poverty alleviation and global peace.

He will also deliver the convocation speech.

The convocation details were shared at a press conference held at the Chattogram Press Club today (12 May).

Md Enayet Ullah Patwari, acting controller of examinations and member secretary of the convocation committee, delivered the written statement. Vice-Chancellor Muhammad Yahia Akhter, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Mohammad Shamim Uddin Khan, and Md Kamal Uddin also spoke at the event.

At the press conference, CU authorities announced that the campus may see a gathering of nearly one lakh people on convocation day, including graduating students and their families.

From 10am to 12pm on the day of the event, graduates can collect food and gift items from their respective departments or institutes. Gift packages will include a bag, souvenir booklet, pen, pin, wallet, and a convocation cap – which will be considered an official gift by the university.

Due to the campus being 22 km from the city, alongside shuttle trains, 100 buses will begin operating from 6am to transport participants. Except for CU buses, no other vehicles will be allowed on campus that day, though shuttle buses will operate from Gate 1 to the main venue.

In its fifth convocation, the university will confer degrees to a total of 22,586 students, including 42 PhD and 33 MPhil recipients. Among the graduates, 4,988 are from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, 2,766 from science, 4,593 from business administration, and 4,158 from social sciences. Additionally, 1,685 students will graduate from biological sciences, 796 from engineering, 703 from law, 317 from education, 284 from marine sciences, and 2,296 from medical sciences.

The estimated budget for this year's convocation stands at around Tk14 crore, with around Tk6.5 crore collected from students as registration fees. The largest share of the expenses is allocated to setting up the event venue, decorations, and seating arrangements.

The story was updated to correct the date of convocation from 15 May to 14 May