A three-day training programme for newly appointed Provosts, Deans, Directors, Heads of Department and Coordinators of the University has been opened at the Capital Hill Hotel in Cape Coast.
The main objective of the programme is to build capacity to improve the academic and administrative performance of heads in the university.
It is also designed to build vibrant and high performing academic and administrative heads capable of providing sustainable quality academic and administrative leadership and effective financial management towards achieving the universities strategic plan in maintaining proper academic performance at all levels.
Some of the topics to be treated at the workshop are Budget preparation, Revised Financial and Stores regulations, Research Grant and Proposal writing, I. C. T. as a tool in improving Teaching and Learning and University Ranking and Visibility.
Others are Strengthening Campus Security for Peaceful Academic Environment, Crime Prevention Strategies and Entrepreneurial Strategies.
Opening the programme, the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K. T. Oduro called on the participants to find ways of helping to nurture and grow the Collegiate System.
The Pro Vice-Chancellor asked the participants to think about where they wanted their respective offices to be in the near future saying, “as leaders you should know that you are in a position to help, so you must ask yourselves what you will do to facilitate the process”.
On the position of the University on the world and Africa rankings of universities, Prof. Oduro noted that the university was not well placed so workshops like this will help in preparing them as managers of the University in their own right to ensure that the university takes up its rightful position on the league table.
In a presentation, the Director of the Directorate of Research Innovation and Consultancy, Prof. Samuel K. Annim, who spoke on the topic “Proposal Grant Writing and Grant Sourcing”, called on participants to carve a niche for themselves and be driven by their area of expertise in order to win grants for the university.
“By the end of the programme we should all be well motivated and aggressive to write winnable proposals. Without this we cannot have any authority in our areas of competence”, he said.
Prof. Annim entreated the participants to develop “thick skin” to ensure that their proposals and programmes receive the needed funding.
The Director of DRIC indicated that the era when government subvention and regular grants were guaranteed was long gone. For this reason, he said it was essential to look elsewhere for funding to support the university’s activities.
“One way of getting funds into the university now is through Grant Sourcing. We must all be aggressive now to pursue this direction of funding”, he advised.
He explained that writing papers for promotion, or conceptualising an idea for Ph.D or M.Phil was different from writing proposal for grant.
He mentioned that it has been realised that the real problem in writing grant proposals was the issue of capacity. He therefore said the programme has come at “an appropriate time to provide them with the requisite tools to begin their schedules as leaders”.
Other facilitators of the 3-day programme are Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah and Prof. Kofi Awusabo Asare.