HISTORY:
Between 2005 and 2010, there had been five NED Alumni Conventions, in addition to several formal and informal gatherings of NEDians across North America. At each event, one of the common themes had been that we, the NED Alumni in North America, should come together and reconnect. Then, we could jointly undertake organized efforts to help the Alma Mater.
NEDians of America’s heartland took the initiative. In hosting the NED 2010 Chicago – 6th NED International Alumni Convention with the theme ‘Bringing NEDians Together’, the objective was not just to bring them together for the weekend, but to create a broad, h3, and long-lasting NEDian alliance. In the fall of 2009, an “Alumni Outreach Committee” was formed with three representatives from each of the eight existing NED Alumni Associations (in North America) plus individuals from regions with a large NEDian population, but no formal Alumni Association. The first teleconference featuring almost every member of the team was indeed a great thrill and delight – and a moment of significance in the ninety-year history of NED. Using teleconferences during the ensuing months, the team worked at developing consensus and documentation that finally led to the declaration of the forming of NEDIAN-NA, made on a hot summer Chicago evening – on July 31st, 2010.
GOAL:
The organizational goal of NEDIAN-NA is to bring together the alumni associations across North America under one umbrella and provide a platform to work cogently for the welfare and betterment of the Alma Mater and its alumni.
Thankfully, there are NED Alumni organizations throughout North America, serving their members as well as NED, independent of each other. While the member organizations continue to serve their respective memberships, NEDIAN-NA works on matters of common interest. During its eight years of existence, NEDIAN-NA has grown to play a pivotal role in the efforts to enable the alumni to contribute to the University in a coordinated and meaningful manner.
Since we believe that “the sum of the parts, is greater than the parts”, an “umbrella” organization is more effective in coordinating efforts towards realizing goals that are common to all these groups. Working together, we can achieve not only what we are dreaming of, but also the unthinkable.
CURRENT:
NEDIAN-NA through its various association members has established a tradition of holding yearly conventions in the major cities across North America. These conventions have become the highlight of the alumni cooperation and networking efforts and provide a platform to NEDians to not only, collectively design and execute plans for enhancing the status of the Alma Mater, but also benefit from the association with their fellow alumni.
Through a variety of initiatives, NEDIAN-NA is working to:
- Prepare and provide a comprehensive database of NED alumni all over the world so that they can reach out and interact with each other
- Facilitate professional development of its alumni by organizing technical seminars and professional development courses
- Bring the new generation of NED alumni to the fore and develop leadership to support and strengthen the ties with each other and with their alma mater.
However, perhaps the singular biggest achievement of NEDIAN-NA is the formation and startup of an endowment fund NED-ALEF (NED Alumni Endowment Fund). Even though still in the early stage of its development, NED-ALEF’s impact is beginning to be felt. In addition to collecting monies for investing and funding projects, NED ALEF has a $ 300k commitment for five years for the JPC Chair at the Department of Civil Engineering. This position is in the process of being filled. Also, a 3D printing laboratory and a BIM lab have been set up at NED University, in addition to funding other smaller research projects. We certainly have a long way to go but hope that NEDIAN-NA will be a significant partner in making NED University a premier learning and research institute.
FUTURE:
With the passage of years, NEDIAN-NA has become the point of contact between the University and the alumni community of North America. Substantive dialogues (with the University administration on a regular basis) have brought about a much better understanding of the problems and needs of the Alma Mater, have developed a high level of trust and cooperation between the alumni community and the University, and have finally started bearing concrete results in the form of tangible projects and initiatives.
The vision for the future is to broaden this coalition to include other NED Alumni Associations (Middle East, Pakistan, etc) to create a “global” NEDian alliance and be a force and partner in making NED University a world-class university and a leader in technological advancement and sustenance in Pakistan.