Institutions <strong>of</strong> higher learning have fast assumeddiscernible role in building economies, producing futureleaders and encouraging civic engagements. There isgreater awareness than ever before in the light <strong>of</strong> HigherEducation Commission guidelines and directives, amongPakistani universities about what they must do to makestudents not only pr<strong>of</strong>essionals, but also compassionateand humane citizens.
<strong>NUST</strong> <strong>Community</strong> <strong>Service</strong> <strong>Strategy</strong>(NCSS)General1. Established in 1992, <strong>NUST</strong>’s curricular focus, during its earlier years, remained restricted to the academiccontent and its application in the field <strong>of</strong> science and technology. Addition <strong>of</strong> <strong>NUST</strong> Business School in 1999expanded the domain in diversity somewhat, but did not go beyond the inclusion <strong>of</strong> a few more disciplinesi.e., management science and business studies. However, establishment <strong>of</strong> Higher Education Commission in2002 urged the universities to review their curricula and mandated them to introduce social sciences withminimum <strong>of</strong> 30% credit hours dedicated to foundation courses and social sciences. This step resulted infilling the void which existed before giving wider coverage to humanities and social sciences.<strong>NUST</strong> <strong>Community</strong> <strong>Service</strong> <strong>Strategy</strong>2. A revisit <strong>of</strong> our vision and strategy revealed several serious curricular deficiencies in the social andhumanistic context. The revised vision thus clearly articulates “a discernible positive impact on the society”as one <strong>of</strong> the five major strategic thrusts. It is especially for this very reason that <strong>NUST</strong> has joined TalloiresNetwork which promotes <strong>Community</strong> <strong>Service</strong> through active citizenry. Presently, <strong>NUST</strong> pursues a clear<strong>Community</strong> <strong>Service</strong> <strong>Strategy</strong> (CSS) which encompasses the following:• Objectives• Scope• Means and Instruments• Implementation Methodology.3. Objectives: We are living in an information age and a globalised world in which physical borders<strong>of</strong> nation states are losing their meaning and transnational challenges call for collective response by theglobal community. The major challenges facing the human society are ideological, intellectual, psychosocial,environmental, economic, technological and political. The national, regional and international issuesare so inter-connected that human beings find it extremely difficult to cope with them. The educators<strong>of</strong> today too confront these challenges while they try to groom and develop future citizens and leaders<strong>of</strong> their countries, helping them understand themselves and find true meaning in their lives. To educatetheir students so as to make them useful citizens, it is essential to involve local communities to work withstudents in their efforts to build a healthy society. The objectives <strong>of</strong> <strong>NUST</strong> <strong>Community</strong> <strong>Service</strong> <strong>Strategy</strong> areas under:-3• Develop <strong>NUST</strong> graduates into socially active citizens with a global vision and a clearconception <strong>of</strong> the integration <strong>of</strong> science and technology with the socio-economicenvironment <strong>of</strong> the country.• Create opportunities for vertical social mobility for talented students from socioeconomicallydisadvantaged sections <strong>of</strong> the society.• Help minimize conflict within society and between society and the environment, therebypromoting sustainable culture <strong>of</strong> socio-economic development.4. Scope <strong>of</strong> community <strong>Service</strong> <strong>Strategy</strong> (CSS): The objectives <strong>of</strong> <strong>NUST</strong> CSS are both vastand multi-dimensional in scope. However, the focus will primarily be on education, health, environment,sustainable development and conflict resolution. It is within these broad disciplines that <strong>NUST</strong> has to findits main focus. Some <strong>of</strong> the possible areas <strong>of</strong> major thrusts are as under:<strong>NUST</strong> <strong>Community</strong> <strong>Service</strong> <strong>Strategy</strong>
Change language