What is the mission of AUW and when was it founded?
AUW prepares women of high ability and potential to meet society's challenges and effect positive change through an innovative rigorous curriculum that encompasses the liberal arts, sciences, and professional training, and develops thoughtful and ethical leaders.
The first group of undergraduate students will begin studies in August 2009. Similarly, AUW's Access Academy is the college preparatory programme, the first group began
in March 2008 and will finish in July 2009, and then join the undergraduate class.
Is there a need for an all-women's university in the 21st century?
I think that in areas of the world where women have been oppressed for so long, a safe place where women are nurtured as leaders before engaging fully with the world is still important. AUW educates only women but the faculty comprises both men and women and the curriculum will be very much focused on realworld issues. So, our curriculum ensures that students are actively engaged with the community outside the classroom. Finally, it is important that in a women's university, we value women in a way that most co-ed institutions and society still don't.
How many students have been enrolled and from which countries?
The first class of the Access Academy had 129 students from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. We are currently admitting from these countries for our next session, and as well as from Vietnam, Bhutan, People's Republic of China, Malaysia and Myanmar, among others.
What is the admission criterion and are there any scholarships?
AUW is accepting students aged 17-26, who have completed 12 years of school with acceptable marks in secondary school exams and who have demonstrated a desire to lead and contribute to their societies. At least 50% of the students will receive need-based financial support.
What are the key courses being offered?
Students will receive training in humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, with an emphasis on problemsolving and evidencebased learning. Currently, AUW offers majors in literature and women's studies, politics, philosophy, economics, biological sciences, computer science and information technology.
To empower women, is it enough to just educate them or also teach them vocational skills to make them financially independent? Can you elaborate on the university's role?
AUW aims to connect classroom learning with real-life experiences and offers a liberal arts education in conjunction with socially applicable graduate and professional training.
What is the key lesson that the university imparts to the women?
That they have the ability to become thoughtful and ethical leaders to meet society's challenges and effect positive change in their lives, community and the world. It is called the Asian University for Women,
Universities India
What made you all decide to locate it in Bangladesh?
Bangladesh's history of state and private sector commitment to advancing education, as well as its secular political culture and a number of notable NGOs involved in women's empowerment, provided an excellent context for AUW. Additionally, the Bangladesh government has been very supportive of AUW's vision and has granted 100+ acres of land to the university, while also signing a farreaching and empowering charter, ensuring academic freedom and institutional autonomy which is critical to the success of the university's mission.