Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)
The “IBA Orientation Gala 2022 (OGala ’23)” was organized by the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi’s Office of Student Affairs (OSA) from 16th to 19th August 2023 to welcome the new incoming batch of 2023. This is the first time in IBA’s history that a four-day orientation has been organized, which was attended by the parents of the new students as well. Around 1600 people including the new students and parents, faculty, staff and alumni attended the event.
Welcoming the new students at the IBA Karachi, Dr. S Akbar Zaidi said, “Welcome to a new world, one full of excitement, curiosity, and joy. The best four years of your life lie in front of you – make the most of this opportunity. While you study and learn, don’t forget to enjoy yourself! Fortunately, at the IBA, there are far too many extracurricular activities to distract students from their studies.”
Shedding light on the purpose of the event, Dean Student Affairs, Ms. Maheen Ghauri shared, “The aim of the OGala is to welcome you all to the IBA community, where you will explore both the Main and City campuses through campus tours, meet with faculty and staff from all three Schools, discover student support services and resources, engage in fun games and activities, and witness the entrepreneurial spirit of the IBA community through iShop, iVenture and IBAzaar.”
Orientation sessions were conducted by the School of Business Studies (SBS), School of Mathematics and Computer Science (SMCS), and School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS) where Professor & Dean SBS, Dr. Abdullah Z. Sheikh, Professor and Dean SMCS, Dr. Shakeel Ahmed Khoja, and Professor and Dean of SESS, Dr. Asma Hyder, along with their respective chairpersons, briefed students about their academic programs and courses.
Meet and Greet sessions were also organized by all three Schools, where deans, faculty, and program directors met with their respective new students and parents.
The IBA Center for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) collaborated with the OSA at the OGala ‘23 and organized the iVenture, iShop launch – iShop is a student-owned IBA merchandise shop and iVenture is an exhibition space for students to showcase and promote their businesses. An IBA zaar was also organized at the City Campus where 55 exhibits including eco-friendly initiatives, tech, fashion, health, and beauty startups were set up.
Students enjoyed a range of activities on all four days, participating in games such as scavenger hunt, squid game, bingo, zorb ball, soap soccer, and more, as well as the open mic event which gave an amazing opportunity for students to showcase their talent.
The IBA OGala was co-sponsored by Pepsi Pakistan, Tapal Tea, Omore Pakistan, Shan Foods, Dipitt, and Hilal Foods.
The OGala ‘23 concluded with a Qawwali by Majid Ali Sabri and his group. The IBA students and staff had an engaging and diverse experience and look forward to their future at the IBA.
