The Centre for Educational Research, Evaluation and Development (CERED) conducted a two-day workshop on the theme, “Research and Publication for Early Career Researchers” for faculty members of the Mt Mary College of Education, Somanya. The training was organized at the invitation of management of the College. The training was held at its campus in Somanya on the 14th and 15th of March, 2017. The two-day workshop was aimed at introducing early higher education academics to writing tit-bits. It also looked at how to prepare grounds for institutions to know how to develop research agenda at institutional, departmental and individual levels. The team led by the Coordinator of the Centre in the person of Dr. Mark Amponsah effected this assignment together with other faculty members from the University of Cape Coast, namely, Dr. Might Kojo Abreh, Dr. Christopher Yaw Kwaah and Dr. Lebbaeus Asamani. At the end of the two-day session, the CERED team proposed a mentoring relationship as the way forward to engage the tutors on how to research and get published in peer reviewed journals. Through this workshop, participants gained insight and confidence in scientific writing. The activities undertaken during the training include understanding of types of academic papers and research paradigms; appreciation of the general structure of a journal paper and issues to consider when deciding to publish in a refereed journal. In addition, strengthening participants’ skills in APA referencing styles (the most common for publishers in education related fields) and the use of Mendeley; and how to avoid plagiarism were considered. Finally, participants were instructed on how to develop a college-based research agenda as well as held discussion on the proposed mentoring arrangement with the college tutors. The mentoring relation thereafter was instituted with four research-working groups of the college. Each of the four resource persons would work as critical Friends to each research group. Mr. Agyekum Darkwa (The vice Principal) on behalf of his colleagues and MMCOE acknowledged the importance of the workshop and thanked CERED for the opportunity to share their research knowledge and experience with the tutors.
The University of Cape Coast, UCC, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cluster Farming Holding Limited (CFH), a commercial company which focuses on agriculture, aquaculture, sales, food and supply chain management. The purpose of the MoU is to establish a mutually beneficial relationship which will stimulate cooperation and strengthen research, teaching and outreach to promote development, broaden experiences and promote sharing of knowledge and understanding amongst staff and students of UCC and workers and management of CFH. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, signed for UCC, whilst the Managing Director of CFH, Mr. Gerrit Valkenburg, initialed for CFH. The MoU shall among others allow students of the School of Agriculture to do attachments at CFH for the purpose of practical training and collection of data for their projects. The MoU permits the students to visit the CFH Farms during field trips and also facilitates UCC staff and students to collect data from the Farm for research purposes. CFH will supply day-old chicks and cat fish fingerlings to UCC for research, teaching and commercial production purposes and, CFH will also facilitate collaboration and cooperation between the School of Agriculture and colleges/faculties in the Netherlands. On its part, UCC will help CFH to give talks on emerging issues in their livestock and fishery industry and also assist CFH in its breeding and management programmes. In an address, Prof. Ampiah said the signing of the MoU was a clear demonstration of the commitment of both the School of Agriculture and CFH to partner and to discharge their responsibilities professionally. “…this is the responsibilities you have taken upon yourselves, but I believe that you will be able to do it. Please make sure you don’t fail us. If you fail us, you have failed the whole University,” he said. Prof. Ampiah advised the two partners to eschew lackadaisical attitude towards the objectives of the MoU. For his part, Mr. Valkenburg thanked the University management for giving CFH the opportunity to partner the School of Agriculture. He assured the Vice-Chancellor that the CFH would abide by the provisions in the MoU. Present at the signing ceremony were the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K. T. Oduro; Registrar, Mr. John Kofi Nyan and the Dean School of Agriculture Prof. Elvis Asare Bediako. Others were the Head, Department of Agriculture Economics & Extension; Prof. Festus Annor-Frimpong; Head, Department of Animal Science, Head, Department of Soil Science, Prof. B. A. Osei; Dr. Julius Hagan; Head, Department of Crop Science, Dr. (Mrs.) Grace C. van der Puije and Coordinator, Technology Village, Dr. Kwame Agyei Frimpong
A member of the Planning Committee for the Ghana Astronomy Radio Observatory, Dr. Bernard Duah Asabere, has urged students to embrace the study of Astronomy as it has a wide range of job prospects for them after school. According to him, Astronomy was a very important field of study because it had enormous benefits and also enabled students to explore other opportunities even if they would not remain in the field. “Astronomy is a wide field. There is a vast range of things you can do. we have all those interdisciplinary like physics, astroarchaeology, astrogeology, infra-reds astronomy, radio astronomy, among others”, Dr. Asabere made these remarks at a seminar organized by the School of Physical Sciences at the Main Auditorium. It was on the topic “Radio Astronomy in Ghana”. The seminar, which was jointly organised by both students and faculty of the School, was aimed at making students and other stakeholders of the School aware of the benefits of the study of Astronomy. He told the students that jobs abound for those who do not intend to remain in the field, saying “Job is not a problem for astronomist. you can work in the banks, insurance companies, even if you want to get out of the field". Dr. Asabere indicated that there were plans to run the programme on part time basis for a start in the University of Cape Coast. The Programme Manager of Physics with Astrophysics, Prof. Melvin Hoare, speaking on Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy (DARA), said the DARA project was aimed at developing high tech skills using radio astronomy in a number of African countries. He said the DARA project would afford students opportunity to be trained in the high tech skills of radio astronomy. A past student of the University of Cape Coast, Mrs. Naomi Asabere Frimpong, who touched on “My Journey in Astronomy”, shared her life experiences as a student of chemistry who later ventured into the field of Astronomy. She challenged the students to develop interest in astronomy because there were job opportunities for those who would studied the subject. For his part, the Dean of the School of Physical Sciences, Prof. David K. Essuman, thanked the resource persons for the insightful presentations to enlighten both students and faculty on the benefits of astronomy.
CONFERENCE ON FISHERIES AND COASTAL ENVIRONMENT (CFCE) Theme: “The Changing Marine Fisheries and Coasts: Challenges and Opportunities for Changing Minds” September 25th - 27th, 2017 Openening: College of Physicians and Surgeons, Accra; 25 September, 2017. Main Conference: Erata Hotel; East Legon; 26 & 27 September, 2017. CALL FOR ABSTRACTS Submission: Now open Closing date: 15th September, 2017 The Centre for Coastal Management (CCM) in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the University of Rhode Island (USA) with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is organising this maiden conference. This initiative is designed to strengthen policy linkages and enable researchers, journalists, and think tanks connect their voices to the sustainable fisheries and coastal development agenda of Ghana. The conference will provide an opportunity for a more holistic discussion on a resource that is shared by millions of people, yet, under threat and mismanaged. This conference will feature panel discussions, keynote presentations and session papers. There will also be an opportunity for industry and market players to showcase their latest technologies. A. Papers are invited to discuss a range of themes that include, but are not limited to: Fisheries and coastal governance and policy: To address various issues including overcapacity and overfishing, etc. Fisheries economics and value chains: Post-harvest processes, transport and handling, standards, labelling and certification, marketing, etc. Ocean and coastal management: Coastal mapping and analysis, GIS techniques and applications for fisheries and coastal zone management, modelling and simulations of fisheries and coastal environmental issues, coastal protection (erosion, tidal waves, etc.) Marine and coastal environment: environmental stressors and pollution control, marine protected areas and biodiversity conservation, climate change and adaptation, etc. Marine and coastal businesses: oil and gas development and exploration, local content, corporate social responsibility and corporate environmental management, industrial ecology, eco-tourism, recreation, etc. Mariculture and green businesses for the coastal environment: Culture potential of coastal and marine organisms, biology of culture species, growth performance of culture species, business and profitability models, etc. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing practices: Fish transshipment, unauthorized fishing gears, unapproved zones, target species and sizes, etc. Livelihoods and poverty reduction in coastal areas: Supplementary livelihoods, education, etc. Child labour and trafficking: Fisher migration, demographic shifts, etc. ABSTRACTS SUBMISSION: Register and submit your abstract using the online registration form by 15th September, 2017 All abstracts must be submitted and presented in English. Abstracts should be based on any of the above listed topics Abstracts should not exceed 300 words. Authors should indicate their presentation preference: oral or poster. After submitting your abstract, you will receive an email acknowledging receipt of the abstract. There will be continuous review of abstracts on receipt and notification of acceptance/rejection of the abstracts submitted will be sent to you via email by September 18th, 2017. Authors decide if the abstract submitted is either for a PAPER for oral presentation or POSTER and follow the instructions below: PAPER - ORAL PRESENTATION POSTER Paper sessions will be held in parallel sessions according to predetermined thematic areas. Each presenter will be allocated 15 minutes for oral presentation and audience discussion. There will be dedicated poster sessions which will be supplemented by personal visits to stands during coffee breaks. Paper should not exceed 8,000 words including references. Poster size A0 in portrait format. Rooms for aggregated presentation sessions and time of presentation will be communicated one week before the conference. Poster titles will be placed on poster boards under thematic categories, to guide the placement of posters All abstracts will be published in a Book of Abstracts and made available at the conference. All accepted papers will be published in a peer reviewed journal. The comments from the oral presentation and subsequent peer review processes will ensure that the quality of papers meet the journal requirements for publication. It is however the prerogative of the editor of the journal to decide on the acceptance or otherwise of each paper. B. Industry players and other groups who want to display their products should contact the organisers so that space and time would be allocated at the event (send email to organisers: ccm@ucc.edu.gh) C. Important dates to note Abstract Submission Deadline: 15th September, 2017 Notification of Acceptance/Rejection of abstracts: 18th September, 2017 Final Paper Submission Deadline: 20th September, 2017. Registration for conference participation Now until 25th August, 2017 Conference Dates: College of physicians and surgeons, Accra 24th - 27th September, 2017 D. Conference Fees All conference participants except students are required to pay a non-refundable conference registration fee of GHS 100.00 (Ghanaian applicants) and GHS 450.00 (Foreign applicants). Students will be required to present valid student identification for a waiver of the confernece fees. Payment should be made to the account details below: Account Name: Centre for Coastal Management Bank: Zenith Bank Ghana Limited Branch: University of Cape Coast Account Number: 0006011407382
A ceremony has been held for the immediate past University’s Governing Council led by Nana Sam Brew Butler to officially handover to the new one, which is chaired by Mrs. Nancy Thompson. It would be recalled that the new Council was inaugurated on 25th July, 2017 in Accra to begin its term. Speaking at the handover ceremony, Nana Butler described the ceremony as a unique one, which engenders cordiality and sharing of ideas, as well as building of strong foundation. “Such foundations are the ones that are strong and stand the test of time”, he said. We came to serve the community, but we realized that given the turn over of the University, one needs business acumen to run it”, he added. The immediate past Council chairman urged the new Council to protect assets of the University, most importantly the University lands. “I regret not being able to push out encroachers of our property”. Nana Butler urged the new council to work as a team and reminded them that “Success is not final and failure is not fatal” and, therefore, assured members of the new council that his doors were always opened so they should feel free to call on him anytime the need arose. Responding, the new Council Chair, Mrs. Thompson said the time had come for the University to be raised to the level where it belonged since it has the needed human capital to realize it. She hoped the rest of the members would add their individual experience and expertise to move the institution forward. “Cape Coast should be the cradle of education and Athens of Ghana”, she concluded. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, on behalf of the University, presented a shield, piece of kente cloth and sandals to the immediate past Chairman of Council. He also presented shields to the other past members of the Council.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, has received a delegation from Unibank led by the Executive Director, Global Marketing and Retail Banking, Mr. Ekow Nyarko Dennis. The purpose of the visit was to request for a land on campus to put up a banking facility. Speaking to the delegation, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah said some banks have already put in their requests for land to put up banking edifice at the “Bank Farm”, a vast land on campus zoned by the University authorities for banks to build structures to facilitate their banking operations. However, Prof. Ampiah said that their requests had not be responded to due to the late composition of the University Council. He thanked the delegation for passing through the right channel to request for a land and urged them to put in formal application to the University for consideration. The Vice-Chancellor reminded them of the stringent conditions which enjoined banks to allocate a floor of the building they would construct to the University. Mr. Ekow Nyarko Dennis also seized the opportunity to introduce the incoming University of Cape Coast Branch Manager of Unibank, Mr. Eugene Amoa, who is due to take over from the outgoing Branch Manager, Mr. Daniel Amponsah. Mr. Amponsah thanked management of the University for their support throughout his stay as the Branch Manager on campus and appealed to them to extend similar support to his successor. On his part, Prof. Ampiah welcomed Mr. Eugene Amoa to the University and assured him of the University’s continuous support to enable him to achieve the purpose of the bank. He reiterated the University’s position for cheaper rates from banks which, according to him, would help the University to transact business with them.
The University of Cape Coast Business Incubator (UCCBI), School of Business in conjunction with Rain forest Alliance (RA), Olam and Läderach (Schweiz) AG organized a four-day training programme for selected farmers of the family life project in Bobi, Twifo Hemang in the Central Region, Ghana. The objective of the training programme was to improve upon the entrepreneurial and managerial knowledge and skills of the selected farmers. The programme equipped the farmers with sustainable alternative livelihood. The training was aimed at targeting and growing the wealth creation enterprises in Alata soap making and grass cutter rearing to enhance the capacity of the enterprise owners to continue their business, without further external support. Some of the areas covered include building an entrepreneurial mindset, identifying business opportunities, savings and investment opportunities, and basic records keeping.
Four students of the University of Cape Coast School of Business swept all the three prominent awards at a Joint Conference held at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. The students who presented their business plans at the Joint Conference were Emmanuel Prah and Prince Arthur (Atlantic Ocean Tour Ltd.); Ernest Nketia Quidoo (Nexlinks Company Limited) and Patrick Sunkyebe (Aloemed Company Limited). The 5th Joint Conference of the Cape Coast (UCC), Bonn Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (BRSU) and University of Nairobi (UoN) formed part of the collaboration that exist among the three universities. Patrick Sunkyebe whose business idea is honey production received € 6, 000 as the overall winner whilst Ernest Nketia Quidoo was awarded €5, 000 to start his Tourism development project and Emmanuel Prah and Prince Arthur who placed 3rd position received € 4,000 for their business plan on Surfing. Briefing the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah on the awards, the Dean of the Centre for International Education(CIE), Prof. (Mrs) Rosemond Boohene, said UCC entered into collaboration with BRSU on Teaching for Development: Entrepreneurship and Economic Development in Africa in 2012 and since then the two partners had been organising annual joint conferences on rotational bases in Germany and Ghana. He noted that the University of Nairobi was later included in the collaboration and hosted the 2017 edition of the conference. Prof. Boohene explained that prior to the conference, each university was expected to select some students or staff with laudable business plans for competition out of which the best three would be awarded with a cash prize. Responding, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, said he was excited that UCC was making strides in many areas. He commended the lecturers for coaching the students to win such important awards adding “you have done well for making the projects of the students into reality and I believe it will help them to become entrepreneurs after school.” He advised the students not to relent but work hard to project the image of the University positively. At the same ceremony, the Dean of the School of Physical Sciences, Prof. David Kofi Essumang also informed the Vice-Chancellor that Dr. Martin Anokye of Department of Mathematics and Statistics, has been adjudged the Best Research Presenter at the International Conference on Applied Physics and Mathematics (ICAPM) held in Frankfurt, Germany. Prof. Essumang said Dr. Anokye’s paper entitled “Dynamics of Price Stabilization: Continuous – Versus Discrete-time Cobweb Models with Buffer Stock,” also won the Best Content Paper at the conference. The Vice-Chancellor congratulated Dr. Anokye on his effort and said it was the collective responsibility of all members of the University Community to lift high the name of UCC. “If we win, we win together and if we sink, we sink together” Prof. Ampiah stressed. He urged the various Colleges, Faculties and Departments to earmark funds for conferences and workshops and therefore praised the Department of Mathematics and Statistics for supporting Dr. Anokye to the conference. The Vice-Chancellor called on departments in the School of Business to team up with the Department of Mathematics and Statistics to develop models in areas of common interest noting that this could be a good starting point for the two departments. Present at the meeting were the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K. T. Oduro and Registrar, Mr. John Kofi Nyan. Others were Dr. Siaw Frimpong (Vice Dean, School of Business); Dr. N. K. Howard (Head, Department of Mathematics and Statistics); Dr. (Mrs) Mavis S. Benneh Mensah (Head, Centre for Entreprise Development); Dr. Edward N. A. Amarteifio (Coordinator, UCC Business Incubator), Mr. Dominic Owusu (Lecturer, School of Business, UCC) and Mr. Phanuel Wunu (Senior Research Assistant).
A handing over ceremony has been held for newly appointed officers of the University whose tenure of office begins from August, 2017. Speaking at the function, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, congratulated the newly-appointed officers on their appointment and called on them to work as a team with their colleagues and all category of staff to move their respective offices forward. He indicated that the positions they had occupied meant that they were taking leadership responsibilities and therefore, they must discharge their duties diligently to help move the University on a higher pedestal. Prof. Ghartey said some faculties, schools, departments would be restructured to streamline their activities. He implored the Colleges, Faculties/Schools to share resources with each other in their work. “Let’s help to build a University and not a single Unit,” Prof. Ampiah pointed out. Touching on Identity cards (ID) for staff, the Vice-Chancellor said the University had entered into agreement with Prudential Bank to produce ID cards with additional features for all category of staff. He said the cards would be distributed to members of staff very soon. Prof. Ampiah said the internet service on campus had been improved and currently undergoing trial test. He indicated staff and students would have to sign unto the internet with a username and password in order to connect their computers and other gadgets. On behalf of the newly-appointed officers, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong assured that they would work with their colleagues to create a congenial academic environment in their respective offices. “We shall harness all resources to ensure that we contribute effectively and efficiently to improve the services of our respective offices in particular and the University in general,” he noted. Prof. Boampong said they would continue to consult their predecessors when necessary. The officers include College of Health & Allied Sciences (CoHAS) 1. Provost-Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong 2. Dept. of Biomedical Sciences-Dr. D. Omane-Acheampong 3. Dept. of Optometry-Dr. Emmanuel Kwesi Abu 4. Dept. of Chemical Pathology-Dr. Patrick Akakpo 5. Dept. Medical Imaging-Dr. Emmanuel K. M. Edzie 6. Dept. of Medical Biochemistry-Dr. Akwasi Anyanful College of Humanities and Legal Studies (CHLS) 7. Dept. of French-Dr. M. K. Kodah 8. Centre for African and International Studies-Dr. Alex J. Wilson 9. Information Literacy Unit-Mr. C. K. Filson 10. Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology-Dr. William Boateng 11. Dept. of Geography and Reg. Planning- Prof. Kwabena Barima-Antwi 12. Centre for Gender Advocacy & Documentation-Dr. (Mrs) Genevieve Adukpo College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences (CANS) 13. Dean, School of Biological Sciences-Prof. Justice K. Sarfo 14. Dept. of Crop Science-Dr. (Mrs.) Grace C. van der Puije 15. Dept. Computer Science & Info. Tech- Dr. Henry Amankwah College of Education Studies (CES) 16. Dept. Guidance & Counselling -Dr. Bukari Yusuf Dramanu 17. Dept. of Vocational Technical Education-Dr. Augustina Araba Amissah 18. Institute of Educational Planning & Administration-Dr. (Bro) Michael Amakyi 19. RCAMAT-Dr. Seth Amponsah Kwarteng Other Directorates/Centres/Units/Sections 20. Directorate of Academic Planning & Quality Assurance-Prof. J. V. Mensah 21. Library & Media Section, Centre for Teaching & Learning Support-Mr. Kwame Boohene
The University of Cape Coast, UCC, is holding a two-day orientation programme for newly-admitted students for the 2017/2018 academic year. The two-day event is aimed at providing useful information that would be helpful to the new students and also make their life on campus comfortable. Addressing the students, the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Kwoaw Edjah, noted that UCC puts a premium on discipline. Prof. Edjah advised the fresh students to respect the rules and regulations of the University and implored them to diligently read the Students' Handbook, which regulates the conduct and activities of students on campus. "You have to read and understand [the Students' Handbook] if you don't understand come for tutorials, I will give you tutorials to understand the rules that bind you on campus here. Rules that will make you very happy and rules that will make you stressful if you break them." he told the freshmen, who converged at the Congregation Grounds. Prof. Edjah admonished them to take their studies seriously and make judicious use of the library. "The library should take more of your time because it is the reason why you are on campus, " he cautioned. When faced with emotional and academic challenges, he asked the students to patronise the activities of the Guidance and Counselling Centre in the various halls, office of the Dean of Students, Departments, Colleges and Sections. The Dean of Students advised them not to consult unprofessional people in their resolve to deal with their problems on campus. “...Don't Consult wrongly, when you don't understand something, seek counsel from senior members and profession counsellors in their halls” the Dean added. He also pointed out that the University was a secular institution and noted that everybody was free to worship. However, he urged them not to join unrecognised and unregistered associations and clubs in the University and advised them to always seek clarification from the Dean of Students Affairs Office before enrolling. Touching on Distressed Students Reporting Protocol (DSRP), he told the fresh students that if they noticed 'abnormal' or strange signs among their colleagues, they should report such cases to DSRP of the Office of the Dean of Students Affairs for prompt action. According to the Dean, some of the obvious signs included "inappropriate anger, emotional change, social withdrawal, drug and alcohol abuse, sudden change in hygiene and appearance, resistant to change on unreasonable limit. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K.T. Oduro, advised fresh students against acts of occultism and advised them to study well. He said they should do their best to make life on campus enjoyable, adding that " a lot depends on you if you want to be successful or a failure in the University". He advised them to market UCC wherever they found themselves. In a welcome address, the Registrar of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies, Dr. Alexis Akanson, noted that UCC thrives on quality, discipline and dedication to work. "In this University, quality is our watchword, dedication to work is one of our principles and the students’ success is our key principle", he stated. He urged them to be dedicated and committed to their responsibilities and advised them to put the name of the University first and other aspirations second. The Provost of the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Prof Livingston Sam-Amoah, who chaired the function, advised them to take their lessons seriously and asked the students to attend lectures regularly and prepare adequately in order to obtain excellent marks in examinations. Resource persons, representing the various sectors of the University, enlightened the freshmen about the operations of their office. These included the Dean, Centre for International Education, Prof. Rosemond Boohene who spoke about International Students Matters and Exchange Programmes; Head of Electricity Section, Mr. J. W. Ansah spoke about Energy Conservation; Director of Centre for Gender Research Advocacy and Documentation, Dr. Genevieve Adukpo made a presentation on Sexual Harassment and Gender Issues in the University. \ Others were the Ghanaian Director of Confucius Institute, Prof. Ishmael Mensah who briefed students on the Chinese Proficiency Programme; Dr. Precious Mattah made a presentation on Academic Planning and Quality Assurance Issues; ADO 2 Ishak Abdullah and STN 01 J. W. Mensah also spoke about Fire Safety. The President of the Students Representative Council, Tony Henry Arthur; President of UCC Local Chapter of National Union Ghana Students, Prince Mintah Obour, also had the opportunity to address the fresh students. Present at the programme were Provosts, Deans, Heads, among other professionals in the University.