Daffodil International University collaboration with PFW Honors Program sparks return trips to each campus

During the spring semester of 2024, administrators from Daffodil International University in Bangladesh were touring the Purdue University Fort Wayne campus with Ahmed Mustafa, professor of biology, when they crossed paths with Farah Combs in Helmke Library. Combs explained her role as PFW’s Honors Program director for about 30 minutes, and was surprised a couple of weeks later when Daffodil officials asked if she would help them start an honors program of their own.

Combs agreed, leading to a visit to DIU with Bangladesh-native Mustafa, and Ron Friedman, dean of the College of Science. Following that trip in June 2024, Combs regularly met with the DIU team and their new honors program director. She is scheduled to return to Bangladesh in July to celebrate that program’s grand opening.

The work of Combs was highlighted Friday during a visit to PFW from Sabur Khan, chairman of the board for DIU. Khan founded the university in 2001 after starting a successful entrepreneurship career in Bangladesh a decade earlier with World Information Technology.

“We always try to get the best practices, because if we do our students will always benefit the most,” Khan said when asked to describe what he hoped to gain from this most recent trip to Fort Wayne. “This will be one of the signature programs of our university. It will be one of the incentives for our students to come to the U.S., because they have already completed the requirements to study in master’s programs.”

It was a quick visit to PFW for Khan, who attended with 20 other DIU representatives the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Indianapolis last week. After lunch with Mustafa, Friedman, and Combs, Khan returned to Indianapolis for the flight home.

Though helping DIU sometimes meant joining 4 a.m. meetings, Combs said she has enjoyed the experience and what the collaboration means for PFW and the Honors Program.

“I’ve loved every minute of it,” Combs said. “Having a highly regarded university working to model something we do speaks volumes about our campus and all the faculty, staff, and students over the years who helped build this program. Without help from limited-term lecturers all the way to full professors, none of this could have happened without their dedication providing our students these opportunities.”

The PFW Honors Program has more than 400 students participating in pursuit of honors certificates. Students are selectively invited into the program based on high school achievements or test scores, and can also apply once they become a PFW student. Honors Program participants have the opportunity to enjoy various academic experiences, including exclusive classroom interactions with guests of the Omnibus Speaker Series.

Mustafa was named “A True Friend of Daffodil International University” in 2022 for his continued relationship with the institution. Part of last year’s trip included DIU honoring the Tazkera & Golam Mustafa Center for Teaching & Learning of the Human Resource Development Institute. Named for Mustafa’s parents, the institute follows the programing pattern of PFW’s Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching.