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Fahima Aziz has promised a collaborative leadership style for Bangladesh's young university, which has seen rapid turnover at the top.
The State Department's advisory for Bangladesh might give pause to even the most intrepid travelers. In addition to warning of cyclones, anthrax, rabid dogs, and kidnappings, the U.S. government urges its citizens to be cautious about visiting Bangladesh's colleges and universities because of spontaneous demonstrations that can unpredictably turn violent.
But Fahima Aziz, a professor in the economics department at Hamline University, in St. Paul, can hardly wait to get there.
Ms. Aziz was recently named vice chancellor of the fledgling Asian University for Women, in Bangladesh's chaotic port city of Chittagong. The professor, who has survived three decades of Minnesota winters, says scorching heat and power outages will be more annoyances than anything else.
The university "is such a unique model, with its scholarship and access for all," says Ms. Aziz. Founded to provide an international-standard education...