Anwara Begum (died on 21 April 2018) was a Bangladeshi academic. She was the first ever female to serve as a

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of a university in Bangladesh. In 2006, she was awarded

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak ( bn, একুশে পদক; lit. "Twentyfirst Award") is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contribut ...

by the

Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...

for her contribution to education. She was married to the 14th

President of Bangladesh The president of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের রাষ্ট্রপতি — ) officially the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশে ...

Iajuddin Ahmed Iajuddin Ahmed (1 February 193110 December 2012) was the President of Bangladesh, serving from 6 September 2002 until 12 February 2009. From late October 2006 to January 2007, he also served as Chief Advisor of the caretaker government. From Oc ...

, and served as the

First Lady of Bangladesh First Lady of Bangladesh is the unofficial title given to the spouse of the president of Bangladesh. Prominent former first ladies include former prime minister Khaleda Zia and former opposition leader Rowshan Ershad. The incumbent first lady is ...

from 2002 until 2009.

Career

Begum was a professor of the Department of Zoology at the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

. She later served as the chairman of the Department of Zoology and the provost of the Shamsun Nahar Hall. She was the first chairman of the board of trustees and the founding vice-chancellor of

Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology Atish Dipankar University of Science & Technology ( bn, অতীশ দীপঙ্কর বিজ্ঞান ও প্রযুক্তি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়), abbreviated as ADUST, is a private university in Uttara, ...

, a private university in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

. She is the first women vice-chancellor for university in Bangladesh.

Personal life

Begum and her husband

had a son, Imtiaz Ahmed Babu.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Begum, Anwara 1930s births 2018 deaths Bangladeshi women academics University of Dhaka faculty Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Date of birth missing Place of birth missing First Ladies of Bangladesh Burials at Banani Graveyard Vice-Chancellors of Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology