Switzerland's oldest university, the University of Basel, will be honoring its President, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Andrea Schenker-Wicki, with a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at a special ceremony on April 5th, 2023.

Switzerland's oldest university, the University of Basel, will be honoring its President, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Andrea Schenker-Wicki, with a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at a special ceremony on April 5th, 2023.

The event will be held at the Asian University for Women (AUW) in Chittagong, Bangladesh, and will be presided over by Dr. Dipu Moni, Bangladesh's Minister of Education and Chairman of the AUW Board of Trustees, along with Dr. Rubana Huq, the Vice Chancellor of AUW.

The ceremony will feature Dr. Hasan Mahmud, Bangladesh's Information Minister, as the Chief Guest and the AUW Choir will perform the national anthems of both Bangladesh and Switzerland.

AUW's relationship with the University of Basel began in January 2022 when the university provided scholarships for Afghan students who were evacuated to AUW due to the ban on women's education in Afghanistan.

Today, AUW is the single-largest host of Afghan female university students with close to 500 students already enrolled and another 500 expected to join within the year. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh has expressed her support for AUW's initiative in support of Afghan women's education and believes that equal opportunity should be given to women and men.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Andrea Schenker-Wicki earned a licentiate in Business Administration at the University of Zurich, a doctorate degree from the University of Fribourg, and completed her habilitation thesis at the University of Zurich.

She serves (or served) on numerous committees and boards across Europe including as President of the Advisory Board of the Swiss Center of Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education and as a Member of the Austrian Science Board.

Her visit to AUW is particularly significant in light of the university's initiative to explore the establishment of a comprehensive medical college and hospital and the supporting life sciences education and research, as Basel is the home of two of the largest pharmaceutical houses in the world – Novartis and Roche.

Founded in 2008, AUW is an international institution located in Chittagong, Bangladesh, dedicated to women's education and leadership development through liberal arts and sciences education. It is rooted in the contexts and aspirations of the people of Asia and exists solely to support a rising network of women leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from across the region.

To date, it has graduated over a thousand students, and over 85% of its current 1345 students from 17 countries are on full or near-full scholarships funded by supporters from around the world.