THE CENTRE FOR GENDER RESEARCH, ADVOCACY AND DOCUMENTATION (CEGRAD), UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST IN COLLABORATION WITH FRIEDENSAU ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY, GERMANY & THE VW FOUNDATION PRESENTS THE CALL FOR THE 2018 PhD SUMMER SCHOOL UNDER THE THEME: ENGENDERED POLITICS OF PLACE AND BELONGING
THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION IS 17 NOVEMBER, 2017
For more information visit http://capecoastsummer.school
A lecturer at the Department of Optometry of the College of Health and Allied Sciences, Dr. Stephen Ocansey, has been awarded fellowship in the American Academy of Optometry (AAO). Dr. Ocansey who received the award at the Annual meeting of American Academy held from October 11-14, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois is the second Ghanaian to be awarded a Fellow of AAO. The Academy 2017 Chicago was the 96th annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry. Highlights of the meeting included nearly 250 hours of continuing education (CE) courses, scientific presentations and an exhibit hall with more than 150 companies exhibiting. More than 7,700 optometrists, vision care professionals, vision scientists and optometry students from around the world attended this prestigious meeting. Professionals who become Fellows of the Academy must complete a rigorous candidacy process. Candidates submit extensive written work and must also pass an oral examination. A panel of leading optometrists and vision scientists must approve both the written work and oral examination. Fewer than ten percent of practicing optometrists are Fellows of the Academy. Fellows of the AAO constantly strive for the highest professional standards. The American Academy of Optometry annual meetings are recognized as presenting the latest in research and information on patient and vision care. AAO enhances excellence in optometric practice by fostering research and disseminating knowledge in vision science through its journal, Optometry and Vision Science, and the continuing education presented at its annual meeting. Fellows of the Academy are committed to the premise that learning is a lifelong obligation of a professional, as is the commitment to expand the profession’s knowledge base through ongoing fellowship and exchange.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, has affirmed the University’s commitment to ensure a holistic growth of Colleges of Education in Ghana. Prof. Ampiah noted that UCC would not renege on its responsibility as mentors of the Colleges but provide the necessary assistance to help the colleges achieve their mandate of producing quality teachers for the basic schools in the country. The Vice-Chancellor made these statements at the signing of Affiliation Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UCC and two Colleges of Education. The colleges were Al-faruk College of Education, Wenchi and St. Vincent College of Education, Yendi. Prof Ampiah said the decision by the two institutions to enter into agreement with UCC was an indication that they were committed to the collaboration. He said the Affiliation Agreement and MoU would bind each of the partners to live up to expectation. “We need to be each other’s keeper so that when we go wrong, you draw our attention for the right thing to be done and in the same way we will let you know if you are not on the right path,” he added. As part of the mentorship arrangement, Prof Ampiah said UCC would continue to build the capacity of the different categories of staff of the Colleges, saying “we promise to do our best to help your tutors to upgrade themselves and also build their capacities in the area of research, proposal writing and publication.” The Director of the Institute of Education, Prof. Frederick Ocansey, noted that 47 Colleges of Education including 44 public and three private were currently affiliated to UCC. He also assured the two colleges that UCC with its vast experience in mentoring would support them to deliver on their mandate, On behalf of Al-Faruk College of Education, the Principal, Mr. Wahab Sualibu, expressed gratitude to the management of UCC for accepting the College as an affiliate. He said the primary focus of the College was to train competent Arabic teachers for Arabic basic schools in the country since most of the teachers who handle Arabic in those schools lacked formal education. He seized the opportunity to thank the Director of the Institute of Education and some lecturers at the Institute for lending a helping hand even before the signing ceremony. The Principal of St. Vincent College of Education, Dr. Erasmus K. Norriewu-Mortty, described the ceremony as a memorable one adding that “without UCC we will not have been where we are”. He was hopeful that there were better days ahead for the two institutions. He asked for support in terms of research to enable the tutors develop their skills to write quality articles for publication in local and international journals.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, has inaugurated the Students' Support Centre of the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs at the North campus (New site). The new office, which is on the second floor of the Amissah Arthur Language Centre, is an extension of the operations of the Main Dean of Student Affairs office at the South campus (Old site) to serve students at the North campus. The office has Students' Accommodation and Counseling Desk, Financial Aid/Persons with Disability Desk, and Students' Leadership, Governance and Training Desk. Inaugurating the facility, Prof. Ampiah encouraged students to patronise the services of the office and discard the erroneous perception that any one who patronized the services of the centre was in great financial difficulty. "The fact that students come here doesn't mean they are in great difficult. When we say students' Support , people think otherwise", he said, and appealed to the student populace to think more positive towards the Centre. The Vice-Chancellor was of the firm belief that the Centre would equally be vibrant like the Main office at the old site. He expressed gratitude to the authorities at the College of Humanities and Legal Studies for allocating the office space to the Office of the Dean of Students' Affairs to expand its operations. He asked the staff of the Centre to take proper care of the equipment at the Centre and use them for their intended purposes. For his part, the Dean of Students, Prof. Koawo Edjah, advised students to find the services of the Center valuable and urged them to feel free at all times to visit the Centre. He said with time, the office of the Dean of Students would get a bigger Center to meet the needs of all students. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K.T Oduro, the Registrar,Mr. John Kofi Nyan and other dignitaries were present at the inauguration.
The School of Physical Sciences of the College of Agricultural and Natural Sciences (CANS) has held a ceremony to honour 117 students for their academic excellence during the 2016/17 academic year. The programme was aimed recognizing deserving students of the School to motivate them to aspire for higher academic excellence. The students, from level 100 to 300, who attained Cummulative Grade Point Aggregate (CGPA) of 3.6 and above were presented with certificates at the ceremony. In an address, the Dean of the School, Prof. David K. Essumang congratulated the students and advised them to take their studies seriously. He cautioned the students against all forms of compliancy and advised them to endeavor to be successful in future. He challenged other students in the School whose names were not on the award lists to strive hard wih their studies so as to be recognized and awarded next academic year. Prof. Essumang commended the parents of awardees for their essential roles in ensuring the academic development of their children. He appealed to benevolent organisations to help sponsor the awards scheme.
A one-day capacity building workshop for early career researchers in Mathematics education has been been held for educational instructors with a call on them to make the subject interesting to students, especially females. Prof. Markku S. Hannula, from the University of Helsinki, Finland, who made the call, said students of Finland, according to his independent research, saw the subject as very difficult and had developed hatred for it. The workshop, on the theme “ Mathematics- related affect: From making sense to making an impact”, was organized by the Department of Basic Education and Mathematics and Information and Communication Technology Education in collaboration with the Psychology of Mathematics Education (IGPME). He, as a result, called for the use of stories to teach mathematics to whip up the interest of girls to engage and choose mathematics. Using qualitative analysis of data from from his research, he cited several cases to support the argument in Finland where girls strongly dislike mathematics. “ Case of Rita: …now mathematics is quite nice, sort of . In elementary school, I didn’t like it all. (ESM 2002). Case of Helena: “ Mathematics makes me at least so anxious and agonized and distressed” (FLM 2003)”, he pointed out in his research.” Prof. Hannula advised teachers to demystify the minds of students as regards the difficult nature of mathematics and help them understand the concept of the subject.He called on early reseachers to identify relevant issues in their society and research on them to turn the fortunes of their communities. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, who chaired the function, said mathematics is key to national development, adding that “Maths is one of the most dislike subjects in schools, especially basic schools”. He urged students to do away with the fear of mathematics and constantly practice the subject. Opening the ceremony, the Provost of the College of Education, Prof. Magnus Wilmot, said the theme for the workshop was apt and offered opportunity for participants to learn from one another. He was of the hope that those in the early stages of research could bring fresh ideas to bear on current issues that would inform research agenda.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, has met with a delegation from the Delta State University, Nigeria, led by its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Victor F. Peretomode. The purpose of the meeting was to reactivate an earlier Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2006. Essentially, the MoU was on staff exchange, student-student exchange, joint supervision, assessment, theses defence, joint research, conferences, publication, Grant proposal writing, among others. Briefing Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah on the MoU, the Dean of the Center for International Education (CIE), Prof. Rosemond Boohene, said the MoU was signed when Prof. Peretomode was then the Director of the International Education at the Delta State University. However, she indicated,” Since 2006, nothing has happened and so when he took over as the Vice-Chancellor, he decided to revive the MoU, to make sure that it is active”. Speaking briefly at the meeting, Prof. Victor F. Peretomode, said “I am committed to making it (MoU) work before I leave office.” He called for the support of UCC to make the MoU work again to benefit both universities. For his part, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah thanked the delegation for the visit and expressed the University’s readiness for the collaboration. “We are happy that you have taken steps to reactivate the MoU,” he said. Prof. Ampiah said areas contained in the MoU would help students of both institutions to broaden their horizon. He was optimistic that the collaboration would benefit the two universities to enhance academic work.
A Congregation Thanksgiving Service has been held by the University of Cape Coast,UCC, to thank God for a successful graduation ceremony for its graduates who completed their studies in the 2016/17 academic year. The service, held at the New Examinations Centre (NEC), was on the theme, “I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth (PS. 138:1)”. The graduates, most of whom were clad in an all-white attire, danced and sang to the glory of God for how far He had sustained and protected them throughout their four years stay in the University. Preaching the sermon, the Archbishop of the Cape Coast Diocese of the Catholic Church, Mathias Kobena Nketsiah, congratulated the graduates on their graduation and asked them to always give thanks to the Lord for seeing them through their academic journey in the University.He said although some of the students went through strenuous academic life on campus, they had managed to sail through successfully. “Our graduates have put in a lot of efforts and hard work for their success. We cannot forget the quizzes, the fees and other payments. You should bear the fruit of thanksgiving.” he told the congregation. He admonished the graduates to emulate the exemplary life of the Samarian Leper who thanked Jesus for healing him of leprosy, unlike the other nine lepers who exhibited gross ingratitude. "So let us avoid ingratitude. God hates ingratitude. God has done marvelous and mighty works for us and we must thank Him", the Archbishop said. He challenged them to use the knowledge and skills they had acquired to transform the nation. He asked them to "Go and be a blessing for your family and children. Let your formation count, let your education count for your country." The Archbishop called for integral education and advised Ghanaians not to place Science and Technology higher than the other academic disciplines. He advised those who claim music, arts, humanities and moral education had no place in modern academic curriculum to reconsider their position. He queried:" Scientists enjoy music, don't they?, they enjoy arts, don't they?". " We need an education that is holistic. Let us give Science and Technology and the other related subjects adequate space. Don't exclude the other disciplines," he concluded. In a speech read on his behalf by the Provost of the College of Health and Allied Sciences, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, thanked the organizers for organizing the service. He urged the graduates to make good use of the training they had gone through in the University by helping to build a better society. Prof. Ampiah charged them to be life-long learners and encouraged them to come back to the school to pursue their post graduate studies. The Vice-Chancellor also implored the graduates to be guided by the values of the University's anthem in all their endeavours.
The Chancellor, Sir. Dr. Sam Jonah, has stated that the goal of graduate studies is to expose students to methods and standards of research needed to work professionally at the frontiers of knowledge.
"Research-oriented training conveys the importance of keeping pace with a subject, the knowledge of which is always changing. It nurtures intellectual curiosity and a creative response to problems", he said.
The Chancellor said this at the 6th session of the 50th congregation held for graduates of the School of Graduate Studies at which a total of 1307 students were presented with their degrees. Dr. Jonah told the graduands that the training they had received was valuable to operate in all areas of work, indicating that "Whether one is in teaching in a university, conducting research in government, industry or private enterprise or pursuing a professional career"'. He noted that each of the graduands had the potential for leadership, adding they had already been imparted with leadership skills and, therefore, they should seize the opportunities to address them to the benefit of society.
Presenting his annual report to congregation, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, noted that the 6th session was very significant because it marked the first semi-annual graduation ceremony of the School of Graduate Studies. According to the Vice-Chancellor, it had become needful to institute such an arrangement to ensure that students, who completed their programmes of study in June or July, would not have to wait until March the following year. He indicated that another session had been scheduled for March 2018.
Prof. Ampiah announced that in order to open new gateways for knowledge, research and academic exchange, 20 local and international collaborations were established. "MoUs were signed to symbolize commitment on the part of the University and these institutions for development of meaningful outputs". "We believe these gateways will create many opportunities for students, faculty and staff members by providing new avenues for both local and international ".
The Vice-Chancellor indicated that 16 PhD, 72 M.Phil, 12 Master of Nursing, 154 MCom/MBA, 176 MSc and 534 M.Ed, 307 MA and 32 PGDE/ PGCE were presented. He said the University had not relented on its core mandate of ensuring the relevance of graduate programmes for promotion economic, social, scientific and technology development of our dear country. "Pursuant to this mandate, the School of Graduate Studies in collaboration with other colleges, have either introduced or repackaged several MPhil/PhD programmes. He said the Board of the school of Graduate Studies, Academic Board and management would take these programmes through the accreditation process in order to mount them during the 2018/2019 academic year.
Prof. Ampiah said graduate studies would soon become the driving force in UCC’s continuous contribution to national human resource growth and also help sustain the national development agenda. He announced that the School of Graduate Studies was introducing more flexible programmes in choices and mode of delivery through implementation of Joint and Dual Degree Programmes, in line with international best practice. "Indeed, this is the way to go now with the increasing demand of employers for employee versatility", he noted.
The Vice-Chancellor mentioned that lack of office space was the major challenge facing the School and expressed the hope that work on the permanent building would be completed on schedule. “Work on the permanent building being funded by GETFund has stalled due to lack of funds", he said. Notwithstanding this, the Vice-Chancellor said he was hopeful the sector ministry would help accelerate the physical development of the Graduate School.
The University of Cape Coast, UCC, has held its 50th Congregation ceremony which saw the passing out of 6,886 undergraduate and postgraduate students from various academic disciplines. Out of the total number, 5579 were awarded undergraduate degrees, while 1,307 were awarded postgraduate degrees. Students from the College of Humanities and Legal Studies, College of Health and Allied Sciences, College of Education Studies, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and the School of Graduate Studies who successfully completed their studies in the 2016/17 academic year were presented with their respective degrees at the ceremony. Delivering an address at the ceremony, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah commended the graduands on their graduation and advised them to capitalise on every golden opportunity that would come on their way. He urged them to focus on their vision, dreams and aspirations because “Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary in their abilities but in their determination to reach their goal. Prof. Ampiah asked the graduands to be proud of the quality education they had received from the University, adding that although training at UCC had been strict, it would go a long way to make them better individuals. He enjoined the graduands to be good ambassadors of the University in all their endeavours. The Vice-Chancellor announced several research interventions aimed at boosting productivity to transform livelihoods, advance the frontiers of knowledge and align with the vision of the University through enhancement of researcher visibility had been instituted. The Chairman of Council, Mrs. Nancy Thompson, called for the early completion of infrastructure projects in the University to enhance academic work. She, however, called on members of the business community to partner the University to complete the projects. Mrs. Thompson expressed optimism that the knowledge and skills the graduands had acquired would enable them to impact positively in their community and society at large. She appealed to the graduands to use the knowledge gained at the university to serve humanity to the best of their ability and contribute their quota to the advancement of the University, stressing that "Once with UCC always with UCC". The Chairman of Council enjoined them to be guided by the motto of the University- Veritas Nobis Lumen (Truth our Guide)- in all their lives.