Laura Bush, former first lady of the United States, will serve as a patron of the Asian University for Women in Chittagong, a press release of the Bangladesh embassy in Washington said yesterday.

She served as the first lady from 2001 to 2009 when her husband George W Bush was the US president.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chairs the council of patrons of the University founded in 2008. The AUW graduated nearly 550 women from 15 countries, the embassy quoted an AUW release as saying.