Mohammad Riaz, BAU:Students of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) have accorded a grand farewell to Professor Dr Md Abdul Baten, founding Director of the Institute of Environmental Science and Disaster Management (IESDM), with a red-carpet reception and a horse-drawn carriage procession in recognition of his 38 years of distinguished academic service.
The farewell ceremony was organised on Wednesday to make the retirement of the veteran teacher a memorable occasion.
Professor Baten has joined BAU as a faculty member in 1988. He served as general secretary of the BAU Teachers' Association in 2004 and later as general secretary of Sonali Dal, a teachers' organisation aligned with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in 2007. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Institute of Environmental Science and Disaster Management in 2025 and had been serving as its founding director since its inception.
After earning his PhD in Japan, Professor Baten has published more than 100 research papers in national and international journals. Six scholars completed their PhD degrees under his supervision during his academic career.
Overwhelmed by the students' gesture, Professor Baten said he had never imagined receiving such affection from them.
He said I cannot express this feeling in words. I never imagined my students loved me so much. Tears came to my eyes with joy when they laid a red carpet in front of my office and arranged a horse-drawn carriage to bid me farewell.
He said the students had initially planned to accompany the procession with drums and musical instruments but refrained from doing so at his request to avoid disrupting ongoing classes on the campus.
He said they later escorted me to my residence in a very disciplined manner on the horse-drawn carriage. My wife, who is also a former BAU student, watched the entire procession from the balcony of our residence.
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