KARACHI A grand convocation of IBA was held recently. Around 800 people including jubilant students, proud parents, faculty, philanthropists and eminent personalities from the various spheres of life attended the auspicious occasion, says a press release. A total of 610 students were conferred degrees this year including 67pc male and 33pc female graduated under various Bachelors and Masters Programs including seven Executive MBA students. A unique feature of the convocation this year was the conferment of the first PhD. degree by IBA to Quratulain Nizamuddin who recently completed her PhD under the faculty of Computer Science. Addressing the participants, Dr Ishrat Husain, the Dean and Director IBA declared 2011 A year of Progress and Execution the best in his three-and-half year tenure at IBA that rooted successful culmination of a series of initiatives forming part of the multi prong IBA Strategy which was adopted in 2008 to achieve the ambition of becoming the top class business school in Asia and in the world. He enlightened the audience on the recently received accreditation by the highly regarded South Asia Quality Assurance System (SAQS), thereby earning the distinction of becoming one of the eight institutions to be accredited by the SAQs in South Asia.