Overview

OSAF has been working incessantly for the past five years in order to achieve its goals. It has been successful in making significant contributions in assisting the university academically and financially. The association has established five major programs.

OSAF Financial Assistance Program

The primary focus of the OFA program is to provide financial support to students who are unable to continue their studies at FAST-NU due to financial constraints. This program was officially started in 1999 and since then OSAF has managed to continuously increase contribution to the OFA fund by 10 to 20 percent annually, the only source of this funding being the alumni themselves. OSAF now intends to engage corporate funding for the OFA, with this inclusion OSAF envisions a tremendous boost in the OFA fund.

If there are 5 FAST-NU graduates working at some software company, one of them is appointed OSAF-Rep and he collects money from other 4 graduates every month. Every OSAF-rep submits the money at the end of 6 months to OFA (OSAF Financial Assistance) committee (currently consisting of people from 97, 98 and 2001 batch of FAST-NU). The OFA committee receives applications at the beginning of every semester from students who want to apply for financial assistance. Interviews are scheduled where case of every student is discussed and some amount is sanctioned to him.

Financial Assistance activity was initiated by Adil Akif (earlier at SUN Microsystems, currently at MICROSOFT) and Qasim Javed (Sahics 96, currently at UK) but there are many others volunteers working diligently for it.

The amount which is sanctioned by OSAF to students is deposited directly in FAST-NU account and no money is ever handed to any student.

Amount allocated in 2008 (Spring Semester) is Rs.4,97,000.
Amount allocated in 2007 was Rs.9,44,400.
Amount allocated in 2006 was Rs.7,97,400.
Amount allocated in 2005 was in excess of Rs.727,000.
Amount allocated in 2004 was Rs.600,700.
Amount allocated in 2003 was Rs.388,000.
Amount allocated in 2002 was Rs.199,000.
Amount allocated in 2001 was Rs.189,000.
Amount allocated in 2000 was Rs.139,000.
Amount allocated in 1999 was Rs.32,000.

Annual Alumni Homecoming

Alumni Homecoming is one of the most prestigious events organized by OSAF. The aim of the event is to bring alumni, faculty and administration of FAST-NU at one platform and let them share their experiences and ideas. Alumni get the opportunity recollect their golden memories related to their stay at FAST. People get to regroup and meet old friends and have a nice informal chit chat. The event is complemented by few dramas, skits etc and a dinner.

Alumni Sports Activities

In 2006 OSAF launched the sports activities program for the respected alumni. At the homecoming 2006 OSAF organized volleyball, cricket and football matches among alumni and the current students of FAST-NU also took part in it. It was a nice refreshing experience for alumni and after getting a healthy response to it OSAF is planning to launch a full fledge 2-3 day Sports Extravaganza for alumni.

Final Year Project (FYP) Orientation Seminar

OSAF has always tried its best to support the students of FAST in whatever way it can. In this regards OSAF regularly arranges a FYP orientation seminar for the students each year in which alumni and people of software and telecom industry are invited. They give their ideas/suggestions to the students and the students can then work on those ideas as their FYPs. In this way students get ideas and guidelines regarding the latest trends and technologies and it keeps them well in touch with the industrial happenings.

Career Development & Higher Studies Seminar

Before the students get graduated they start planning about job and higher studies. It is the dream of an individual to get a good job and/or quality higher studies. In order to fulfill their dreams OSAF comes forward, as always, and arranges a seminar on career development and higher studies. Professionals from software houses, multi nationals, banks and scholarship holders are invited to guide the students about their future. It is mostly a question answer session in which students raise their concerns and queries and the speakers guide them based on their experiences.

OSAF Gazette

In order to strengthen the alumni network OSAF has recently started the OSAF gazette activity. It is basically an e-magazine which is focused to keep the alumni, faculty and administration in touch with each other. High level contents are alumni achievements, alumni engagements, OSAF achievements and future plans, faculty comments and technical, political, religious etc articles as well.

Alumni Networking

OSAF is nothing but a network of positive minds. Hence, Alumni network comes first to any real activity. We believe that the more cohesive the alumni body is, the better, the more effective is our organization. OSAF is lining up projects to facilitate its alumni network in terms of get-togethers, dinners, excursions, library access, forwarding e-mail address, job placement and all sorts of benefits we can render. Beginning spring 2006, OSAF has launched its membership drive to bring the network in black and white.

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Student Mentoring Program

Students are the to-be Alumni. As an extension to the Alumni network, we are focusing on our future network's fresh blood. The mentoring program has been launched in spring 2006 where members of the Alumni network patch with groups of students and mentor them throughout there course of study, till the day they are effective part of the Alumni network. The student mentoring program provides students with informal and brotherly help and advice in all sorts of scenarios ranging from boarding and lodging, course registration, semester planning, crises handling, and job search.

OSAF FAST-NU Employee's Kids Education Fund

OSAF is supporting FAST-NU employees to get their kids educated in high standard schools. For this purpose, some amount of the money collected for financial assistance is distributed among the deserving employees of FAST-NU to help their kids in continuing their education.

OSAF Volunteer Program

The OSAF Volunteer Program focuses on developing a technical liaison between FAST-NU and the IT industry. For this purpose OSAF is involved in organizing events and workshops, providing advisory assistance to students in their projects, and contributing to the FAST-NU human resources by providing instructors, assistants and technical staff.