The AUW stakeholders said this at a press meet at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre yesterday. They also unveiled the campus master plan and forthcoming site development plans.

World-renowned architect Moshe Safdie is the visionary behind the AUW campus master plan and Christopher Mulvey, principle of Moshe Safdie and Associates (MSA), was the project architect for the AUW campus master planning effort. 'Vitti Sthopoti Brindo' of Bangladesh is in charge of establishing the residential university.

The campus will be built over 104 acres of land in Chittagong. According to the organisers, the campus can be envisioned as a microcosm of a village or a small town.

With the slogan, 'Together -- Educating tomorrow's leaders', the AUW is moving towards its goal.

Speaking at the press meet, Kamal Ahmad, president and CEO of AUW Support Foundation, stressed the need for regional co-operation in this age of disturbance.

The AUW would educate promising young women from all cultural, religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds across South and South East Asia, with an emphasis on reaching women from rural, refugee and underserved communities, he added.

Replying to a query about the tuition fee of US $10000 per year, which is much higher in the context of Bangladesh and other developing countries, Kamal Ahmad said this university is not just for super elite.

"Those from the marginalised group will be offered full scholarship. We are even going to start a one-year pre-collegiate programme 'Access Academy' to prepare the girls for the university," he said.

The university will offer a five-year programme leading to a combined bachelor and graduate degree. The one-year long Access Academy programme, which is going to start in March 2008, is designed with intensive courses in English, mathematics, and computer skills.

Initially, 150 students will enrol on the Access Academy course, while, from September 2009, 300 students will be attending regular courses. The three-year curriculum will be providing liberal arts education with an emphasis on math, science and languages.

Twenty five percent of total students will be from Bangladesh.

The AUW will attract faculty of Asian descent who currently teach in the West and wish to return to the region, as well as leading faculty from Europe and the United States.

Besides, AUW hopes to partner with several highly reputable global institutions. It has already initiated a collaborative partnership with Aalborg University.

Zarina Hossain, a member of AUW foundation, moderated the programme attended by architect Iqbal Habib of Vitti Stahpati Brindo Ltd, Mohammad Omor Sharif of the AUW foundation and architect Saiful Hauqe.

The Asian University for Women also held a Regional Symposium 2007 at the same venue in the afternoon.

Speaking at the symposium, Rokia Afzal Rahman, chairman of the AUW Support Foundation Bangladesh Board of Advisers and president of the Women Entrepreneurs' Association, said the main vision of AUW is to be a world-class institution of higher education dedicated to preparing skilled women leaders.

She also said the university will help increase regional understanding among the countries and encourage women to contribute their ability to sustainable human and economic development in Asia and throughout the world.

Rukmini Bhaya Nair, professor of linguistics and English and head of the department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi, presented a keynote paper on 'A University of One's Own : Envisioning Education and Empowerment'.

She highlighted the importance of women's education in achieving women's empowerment.

Dr M Osman Farruk, former education minister, said the AUW has to be given full academic autonomy and it is a unique institution that will provide high-quality education for women.

He urged the architects of the AUW Master Plan to construct buildings considering the local condition and weather of Chittagong.

AUW Support Foundation President & CEO Kamal Ahmad and Architect Iqbal Habib Kamal also took part in the symposium.