M. A. Rashid (January 16, 1919 – November 6, 1981) was a Bangladeshi educator. He served as the 1st vice-chancellor of

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology The Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology () commonly known by its acronym BUET, is a public technological research university in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. Founded in 1876 as the Dacca Survey School and gaining univer ...

during 1962–1970. He was awarded

Independence Day Award The Independence Award (), formally known as the Independence Day Award or Swadhinata Padak (), is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. Introduced in 1977 by President Ziaur Rahman, this award is bestowed upon Banglade ...

in 1982 by the

Government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

Early life and education

Rashid was born in Bogadubi, Chunarughat. He passed matriculation exam from Habiganj Govt. High School and intermediate exam from Sylhet Murari Chand College in 1936 and 1938 respectively. In 1942, he completed his bachelor's in civil engineering from Bengal Engineering College (later

Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur ( abbr. IIEST Shibpur) is a public technological university located at Shibpur, Howrah, West Bengal, India. Founded in 1856, it is one of Institute of National Importance funded ...

) at

Shibpur Shibpur is a neighbourhood in Howrah of Howrah district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is well known for being the ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. He served as an assistant engineer in the Public Works Department of the

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

government during 1942–1945. With an Indian government scholarship, he earned his master's degree and DSc degrees in civil engineering from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (later

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

) in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

First doctorate degree in East Bengal

He was the first in

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

to have a doctorate degree in engineering.

Career

After returning from the United States in 1948 Rashid joined the Ahsanullah Engineering College (later

) in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

as an assistant professor He became a professor in 1952 and the first

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

principal of the college in 1954. In 1958, he became a member of the Education Commission of Pakistan. After the independence of Bangladesh, he became a member of the National Pay Commission, Industrial Workers Wages Commission and President's Council of Advisors and was put in charge of the Ministry of Works in 1975.

Personal life

Rashid married Tajunnessa Khatun in 1941.

Death and legacy

On October 28, 1981, Rashid was severely injured in a car accident on his way from

Pabna Pabna () is a city of Pabna District, Bangladesh and the administrative capital of the eponymous Pabna District. It is on the north bank of the Padma River and has a population of about . Etymology * According to the historian Radharaman Saha ...

Bogra Bogra (), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, officially Bogura, is a city located in Bogra District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. The city is a major commercial hub in North Bengal, Northern Bangladesh. It is the second largest city in te ...

. He was admitted to P.G. Hospital ( Institute of Postgraduate Medicine and Research). He died on the afternoon of November 6, 1981. Dr M. A. Rashid Hall, a students' residential hall of the BUET is named after him.

Awards

* Slater Memorial Gold Medal (1941) * Tate Memorial Medal (1941) * Trevor Memorial Prize and Gold Medal (1942) * Sitara-I-Pakistan (1966) *

(1982)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rashid, M. A. 1919 births 1981 deaths Carnegie Mellon University alumni Academic staff of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Vice-chancellors of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of the Independence Award Road incident deaths in Bangladesh People from Chunarughat Upazila