Education in Pakistan, by and large, remained for years stuck in a state of disarray. It seemed to have been caught in the fury of a whirlwind spawned by neglect, an entrenched incompetence and 'lack of foresight on the part of those calling the shots from their positions of responsibility. Higher education in particular suffered the most. Given a cold shoulder, it tended to denigrate and had all but lost itself in the blind alleys of ignorance and mismanagement. The upshot of this deepening decadence was a comedown on university campuses, witnessed in the falling standards of academic excellence, and in the eroding luster of their names and prestige. Sustained strategic vision, drive and ambition for the pursuit of excellence and motivated service to society do reckon as some of the essential marks of distinction of an institution of higher learning. Which in our case had over time vanished into an oblivion leaving behind mediocrity instead of brains to rule the roost with obvious consequences. There was a rot that had set in and called for redress. All this while the nation, impaled in a straitjacket of status quo yet anticipating dawn of better days for this creative field, had been attempting to make do with a ramshackle system that risked losing out to a highly competitive world. Fortunately, however, things started taking an extraordinary turnaround, sparked by a combined force of a reconceptualized and reinvigorated Higher Education Commission and the blazing leadership provided by Chairman Dr Atta-ur-Rehman a superbly qualified academician and highly acclaimed scientist the world over for his outstanding contributions. His appearance on the scene and taking in hand the reins of higher education was a historic event. It signalled a reversal of fortunes for the mismanaged and enfeebled higher education sector. Dr Atta-ur-Rehman was excellently fitted to play the role and created an esprit de corps between various universities of the country and led them through a process of transformation to achieve a level of excellence in higher education comparable with that of contemporary sister institutions elsewhere in the developed world. His success stories have done us all proud. A few may be specifically narrated here to help the reader fully grasp their impact. *    The nation's universities that had felt stalled for years and forced to lead a cash-strapped, unfulfilled life were for the first time delivered from this handicap. Their operating budgets were rationalized and revised upward commensurate with the creative nature and volume of their mandated responsibilities. This was a most progressive step ever taken as also a candid message for the universities to run full steam and deliver. *    Again this happened for the first time. The university faculty, bracketed all its lifetime with ordinary cadres of public service, was lifted way above other categories of routine occupations, by introducing handsomely revised terms and conditions of service. On the one hand, this was a big step forward to brighten up campus atmosphere and, on the other, it meant to be an acknowledgement of the important role the faculty played in the process of improving higher education. *    On the physical side, the university infrastructure was updated, covering each and every department and discipline maintained on a campus hopefully to create a workplace furnished appropriately to stimulate unfettered growth of high-profile creative activity. The installation of certain state-of-the art electronic fixtures on university campuses has provided exceptional communication facilities greatly impacting the-time-and-space relationship on campuses. *    A widely held public impression on the state of the health of higher education in the country was that there existed a strong tendency on the part of many universities to go about conducting their study programmes regardless of an ageing curriculum that had lost touch with time. Thus more often than not their programmes ended up partronizing inanities and redundancies at great peril to the national interest. This is wasteful and unbecoming to an institution of higher learning and had to be addressed on a priority' basis. The Higher Education Commission moved swiftly on this issue and prevailed upon the universities to revise and rewrite their entire body of laws and curriculums comprehensively in order to steer clear of obsolescence and stay abreast of time as viable institutions, which are focused on promoting orderly change, people's well being, happiness and a life with a purpose steeped in human values. *    Production of a highly qualified and properly trained workforce is an achievement that the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan has done an excellent job pulling off in a limited timeframe. This is a welcome outcome of their launching carefully developed policy initiatives targeting capacity building in universities, improvement of quality and credibility of research programmes and what is very important, the output of postgraduates who feel enthusiastic about the challenges in the years ahead, in particular Ph.Ds coming out of them. Attractive incentives for Ph.D. studies to go through on local campuses and abroad have been prescribed as an effective instrument to accelerate production of future leaders of our destinies. Very deservedly, the Higher Education Commission merits our sincere compliments for having sponsored ways and means that can inspire sustained growth of high-class creativity. In this manner, campuses could become the real citadels of higher learning HEC is aiming at. *    The reincarnation of the former University Grants Commission as Higher Education Commission of Pakistan was well conceived and well designed to tread a path well laid out and to make the best of the Chairman's inexhaustible energies. Under his dynamic stewardship HEC has already logged a great mileage in terms of reform and renewal of things on campuses. Figuratively, as the guardian angel of higher education the commission is pulling its weight to step up the process of change and develop the lagging sector to a level of its lost glory. It is gratifying to see HEC brilliantly succeeding in the fulfillment of its mission and winning its spurs. May it stay the course The writer is former Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.