The Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Mrs. Mary Chinery-Hesse, has hosted a distinguished delegation led by the Chancellor of Rutgers University, Camden, Dr. Antonio D. Tillis, at her residence. The team is in Ghana explore collaborative efforts aimed at enhancing the educational experiences for both institutions.
During the meeting, Chancellor Mrs. Chinery-Hesse expressed the University of Ghana's commitment to developing and improving collaborations that ensure access to adequate resources. She emphasised the diverse focus areas of the University of Ghana, which could serve as a valuable resource for mutual benefit in partnership with other universities.
Reflecting on her experiences at the United Nations, Chancellor Mrs. Chinery-Hesse highlighted moments that underscored the success of collaborative ventures. She commended the growth of the University of Ghana and stressed the importance of opening the University up for more international collaborations while learning best practices from other high-level institutions.
The Chancellor encouraged the Rutgers University team to formalise plans for collaboration with the University and underscored the need for proper monitoring and evaluation mechanisms aligned with the collaborative arrangements.
Chancellor Dr. Tillis (Left) and Chancellor Mrs. Chinery-Hesse (Right)
In response, Chancellor Dr. Tillis acknowledged the significance of collaborative efforts for the staff, faculty and students of Rutgers University, Camden. He mentioned the past Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Rutgers and the University of Ghana, expressing a desire to revive and redevelop the agreement to align with current aspirations.
Addressing the sustainability of the collaborations, Chancellor Dr. Tillis revealed plans to immediately establish a team to discuss timelines and financial expectations between the two universities. The focus, he emphasised, would be on undergraduate, professional and graduate student and faculty exchanges, aiming to empower both universities in human capital development.
Chancellor Dr. Tillis stressed the importance of annual reviews to ensure alignment with the original agreements, revealing plans for an implementable project spanning 5 to 10 years. He called for the institutionalisation of all initiatives to be birthed out of the ongoing discussions and highlighted the role of Chancellors in ensuring mutual interest before Vice-Chancellors and Provosts of both universities work out specific modalities for an MoU to be signed.
While expressing his satisfaction about the progress made with their visit, Chancellor Dr. Tillis recalled existing collaborations between the University of Ghana and historically black universities in the United States, facilitated through the International Programmes Office.
Chancellor Mrs. Chinery-Hesse exchanging pleasantries with a member of the visiting team
Conversations between the two Chancellors also centered on involving University alumni to establish funds for supporting students through scholarships and grants.
As part of their visit, the visiting Rutgers delegation also held meetings with the Vice-Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellors, Provosts, Deans of International Programmes Office and Acting Registrar. This was followed by another engagement with the Deans of the University of Ghana Business School, the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, the School of Public Health and the University of Ghana Medical School.
The collaboration between the University of Ghana and Rutgers University, Camden, promises to nurture academic excellence, cultural exchange and impactful contributions to the global education landscape as the discussions for collaboration progress.
