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The Aga Khan University (AKU) is a coeducational research university spread over three continents. It was granted its charter in 1983 as Pakistan's first private, autonomous university. AKU was founded by His Highness the Aga Khan, and is part of the Aga Khan Development Network. AKU is an international university with 11 teaching sites spread over eight countries - Afghanistan, Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Syria, Egypt and the United Kingdom.

Its principal campus is located in the metropolitan city of Karachi, Pakistan with another major teaching hospital in Kenya. A 450-million dollar campus is planned for Arusha, in north-eastern Tanzania to be built in the next 15 years.

According to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) ranking of Universities in Pakistan, The Aga Khan University is ranked first in Health Sciences, with a cumulative rank score higher than any other university in Pakistan. The HEC also ranked the University number one overall in Pakistan based on the global impact of its research.

Scientific research and clinical trials

The Aga Khan University accounts for 70% of all biomedical research in Pakistan while the remaining 30 per cent is shared by all the other institutions. AKU publishes more research articles in peer-reviewed, indexed internationally recognised journals than any other university in Pakistan. Faculty promotions are dependent on publications in indexed journals while most medical students have published by the time they graduate.

The university maintains a Research Office to guide and support research conducted at the University. A University Research Council also funds grants after a competitive review process facilitated by a Grants Review Committee. Particular emphasis is also placed on community related health sciences research. AKU organizes international and national research workshops and seminars. A Health Sciences Research Assembly is held annually in which faculty and students present their research.

The university is the site for NIH clinical trials.

Campuses and facilities

The Aga Khan University is an international university, operating on campuses in Central and South Asia, East Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Existing campuses and international programmes include:

• Faculty of Health Sciences located on a 84-acre (340,000 m) campus in the heart of Karachi, Pakistan, built in the 1980s
• Aga Khan University Health Sciences campus in Nairobi, Kenya
• A USD 500 million campus for the university's Faculty of Arts and Sciences is under development in Karachi Pakistan. An area of 1,100 acres (4.5 km) has been acquired just outside Karachi, and Payette Associates are the project architects.
• Institute for Educational Development in the Karimabad area of Karachi, Pakistan and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in London, United Kingdom;
• A USD 450 million campus planned for Arusha, in north-eastern Tanzania to be built in the next 15 years.
• Advanced Nursing Studies (ANS) Programmes at campuses in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda;
• Programmes for capacity development for teachers and nurses in Afghanistan, Egypt and Syria;

Impact of AKU on society

• AKU played a major role in the relief efforts after the 2005 Pakistan earthquake

Role of religion in the University

Although AKU was established by the Imam of the Ismaili Muslims, the university is open to people of all religions and does not discriminate on the basis of religion. The campus has students, faculty and staff of both genders and a variety of religious backgrounds, including Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Parsis, Sikhs, agnostics, Humanists, and atheists. The fact that the number of Ismailis among the student and faculty body is low, is a testament to the merit-based admissions and hiring process at the university.

Seal

The seal (logo) of the Aga Khan University is a visual representation of the principles which underlie the founding of the university. The circular form of the seal has its roots in the rosettes of early Islamic periods. It also symbolizes the world and reflects the internationality of the Aga Khan University. At the centre of the Seal is a star or sun representing light – a universal symbol of the enlightenment that education provides. The light is also symbolic of Nur (Divine light). The star incorporates 49 points to commemorate the university's founding by Prince Karim Aga Khan, the Forty-Ninth Imam of the Ismaili Muslims.

The outer ring circumscribes a Quranic Ayat (3:103) rendered in classic thuluth script and reads as follows:

وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتََ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ اِذْ كُنْتُمْ اعْدَاءً فَالَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَاصْبَحْتُمْ بِنِعْمَتِهِ اِخْوَنًا وَكُنْتُمْ عَلَى شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِنْ النَّارِ فَانْقَذَكُمْ مِنْهَا كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ءايَتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

The English translation reads:

And hold fast,
All together, by the rope
Which God (stretches out for you),
And be not divided among yourselves,
And remember with gratitude
God's favour on you:
For ye were enemies
And He joined your hearts
In love, so that by His grace
Ye became brethren
And ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire,
And He saved you from it.
Thus doth God make His Signs clear to you
That ye may be guided.

Notable alumni, professors and staff

A list of notable alumni, professors and staff affiliated with the Aga Khan University can be found here.

Aga Khan University in popular culture

In international news

• BBC News: AKU, Leading the Y2K campaign
• BBC News: the remains of a Persian Princess found in Pakistan were X-rayed at AKU. Dr. Jeffrey Rees of AKU was interviewed by the BBC, however, CAT scans done at AKU confirmed the mummy to be forged.

See also

• Aga Khan University Hospital
• Aga Khan Development Network

References

1. "Aga Khan University Charter". Archived from the original on 8 December 2006. Retrieved 4 December 2006. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
2. ^ "Aga Khan Announces the East African Community's First Regional University to be based in Arusha". Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 19 August 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
3. - Ranking of Higher Education Commission (HEC) Recognized Universities in Pakistan
4. "HEC Ranking of Universities based on impact of research". Retrieved 9 April 2007.
5. ^ "Need stressed to promote research". Retrieved 29 March 2007.
6. "AKU Research Office". Retrieved 8 April 2007.
7. "AKU Grants Review Committee". Retrieved 8 April 2007.
8. "Health Sciences Research Assembly 2006". The Aga Khan University Newsletter. Vol. 7, no. 2. September 2006. p. 4. Archived from the original on 1 April 2007. Retrieved 8 April 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
9. "NIH trials at the Aga Khan University". Retrieved 21 December 2006.
10. "HARVARD TO AID IN DEVELOPING PAKISTANI TEACHING HOSPITAL". The New York Times. 1981-12-21. Retrieved 1981-12-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
11. "Aga Khan University Announces the Faculty of Health Sciences in East Africa". Retrieved 19 March 2007.
12. "News on AKU Efforts for the Earthquake Relief Operations". Retrieved 2 December 2006.
13. "The Seal - AKU Convocation 2006". Archived from the original on 6 February 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
14. "AKU leading the Y2K campaign". BBC News. 1999-08-24. Retrieved 1999-09-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
15. "The Mystery of the Persian Mummy". Retrieved 20 September 2001.

External links

• Aga Khan University (website)
• Aga Khan University Alumni Association (website)
• Video: AKU President Firoz Rasul speaks on next 25 years of the Aga Khan University

24°53′34″N 67°04′29″E / 24.8928°N 67.0747°E / 24.8928; 67.0747

• Use dmy dates from May 2011
• Aga Khan University
• Educational institutions established in 1983
• Aga Khan Development Network
• Schools of medicine in Pakistan
• Universities in London
• Private universities and colleges in Kenya
• Private universities in Pakistan
• Universities in Uganda
• Universities in Tanzania
• Universities in Karachi
• Association of Commonwealth Universities