Members of POET after the swearing-in ceremony
A 21-member team has been sworn in as the University of Ghana Pursuit Of Excellence Taskforce (UG-POET). The brief ceremony was presided over by the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo on Monday, October 4, 2021. The membership of the Taskforce comprises high-ranking officers from various Colleges and administrative units with varied and multidisciplinary expertise.
Members of the Taskforce are Prof. Chris Gordon, Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies (IESS), Chairman; Prof. George Obeng Adjei, Director for Research, Office of Research Innovation and Development (ORID); Prof. Samuel Agyei-Mensah, Director, Centre for Teaching, Learning and Innovation; Prof. Daniel Twerefou, Director, Academic Quality Assurance Unit; Prof. Kwesi Dartey-Baah, Acting Director, Institutional Advancement Office; Prof. Robert Darko Osei, Dean, School of Graduate Studies; Prof. George Oduro Nkansah, Director, Institute of Applied Science and Technology and Prof. Eric Osei-Assibey, Dean, International Programmes Office. Other members are Prof. Peter Quartey, Director, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research; Prof. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu, Director, Noguchi Medical Research Institute; Prof. Irene Egyir, Dean, School of Agriculture; Prof. Lydia Aziato, Dean, School of Nursing and Midwifery; Prof. Wazi Apoh, Dean, School of Arts; Prof. Gordon Adika, Acting Dean, School of Education and Leadership and Prof. Kwaku Kyeremeh, Department of Chemistry. The rest are Mr. Alfred Quartey, Director, Institutional Research and Planning Office; Mrs. Theodosia Adanu, Acting University Librarian; Mr. Francis K. Boachie, Chief Information Technology Officer; Mrs. Elizier T. Ameyaw-Buronyah, Director, Public Affairs Directorate; Mrs. Lydia A. Nyako-Danquah, Director, Academic Affairs Directorate; Mr. Jacob Zuttah, Senior Research Development Officer, ORID and Mr. William Asare, Senior Assistant Registrar, Institute of African Studies (Secretary).
Acting Vice-Chancellor interacting with POET members, a cross-section in view
In her introductory remarks, the Acting Vice-Chancellor welcomed and thanked members of the Taskforce for accepting the arduous role. While assuring the members of the University Council’s support and cooperation, Prof. Amfo noted that the decision to set up UG-POET is to support the University’s core mandate in the attainment of excellence and its strategic vision. She added that due to its vision to position itself as a world-class research-intensive institution, there is the need for some reforms in the operations of the University thus, the work of this Taskforce is expected to be an iterative process and result-oriented. The Acting Vice-Chancellor congratulated members of the Taskforce and wished them the very best in their service to the University as she inaugurated them into office.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, ORID, Prof. Felix Asante, and the Registrar, Mrs. Emelia Agyei-Mensah also extended their best wishes to the Taskforce and expressed the hope that the recommendations from the Taskforce will be of great benefit to the entire University community.
On behalf of the Taskforce, the Chairman, Prof. Chris Gordon, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the University and promised that members will deliver on their mandate with the support of the University community. Some members of the Taskforce also took turns to express their appreciation for the privilege to serve the University and pledged their commitment to serve wholeheartedly.
After the inauguration, the Taskforce held its inaugural meeting at which members were grouped into five sub-committees to work on the following thematic areas: Teaching, Research, Citations, Industry and Income, and International Outlook. The sub-committees were encouraged to co-opt other members of the University community whose expertise might be required to advance their work.
