College of Education and Human Development
Faculty from NUST University in Pakistan Arrive at Mason
July 1, 2013
This summer, George Mason University is hosting a group of faculty members from Pakistan’s prestigious National University of Science and Technology (NUST).
The 15 faculty members are on campus to participate in professional development seminars in effective instruction and assessment practices for teaching university engineering students. They are learning from George Mason faculty while also experiencing some Mason-style friendship and collaboration along the way.
Hamood Ur Rahman, NUST faculty member and delegation team leader; Siddique Sheikh, Mason Board of Visitors; and Eirini Gouleta, Associate Professor for International Education, College of Education and Human Development.
The three-week professional development program is designed to enrich the faculty’s pedagogical skills and effectiveness in teaching undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the STEM disciplines. The program is provided by faculty from the College of Education and Human Development’s Graduate School of Education and Center for International Education.
Many special guests attended the luncheon held to welcome the faculty, including H.E. Ambassador-at-Large for Pakistan Rafat (Ray) Mahmood and his wife Shaista Mahmood; Mr. Siddique Sheikh and B.G. “Buddy” Beck, members of the university’s Board of Visitors; Peter Stearns, Provost; Douglas Johnston, president and founder of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD): and Hina Jawaid Kayal, a NUST visiting scholar and liaison between the two universities.
H.E. Ambassador-at-Large for Pakistan Rafat (Ray) Mahmood and his wife Shaista Mahmood; Peter Stearns, Provost; and Mark R. Ginsberg, dean of the College of Education and Human Development.
While at Mason, the NUST faculty members will attend a series of seminars, workshops, and professional development activities to strengthen their instructional, assessment, and education research capabilities. The overall goal is to provide the faculty with research-based information and experiences that they can bring back to Pakistan to improve learning outcomes for students.
NUST is a renowned university with a multidisciplinary framework focusing on science, technology, engineering, and other disciplines, with campuses in Islamabad, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Risalpur among others, including medical and engineering schools, army and military colleges, and an Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.
A partnership between NUST and Mason aims to help strengthen ties between the people of Pakistan and the United States, and to create a better, more peaceful and interconnected world through education. Pakistan, a country of more than 176 million people, faces an education emergency – illiteracy levels are dire and up to six million school-age children are not in school, the majority of them girls.
In line with the Mason IDEA to be a university for the world, this initiative is ideally the beginning of a partnership that will lead to opportunities for further collaboration and exchange between the two institutions, their faculty, students, research programs, and centers.
About CEHD
George Mason University's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) includes two schools, the Graduate School of Education, one of the largest in Virginia, and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism. CEHD offers a comprehensive range of degrees, courses, licensures, and professional development programs on campus, online, and on site. The college is distinguished by faculty who encourage new ways of thinking and pioneering research supported by more than $75 million in funding over the past five years.
For additional information:
- CEHD Communications: cehdnews@gmu.edu
- Graduate School of Education: gse.gmu.edu
- Center for International Education: cehd.gmu.edu/centers/cie
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