The Registrar of the University of Ghana, Legon, Mrs. Mercy Haizel-Ashia, has called for effective collaboration and partnership among universities in Ghana. She was speaking at the Southern Sector Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Workshop of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) which was held at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana on the theme Modern Trends in University Administration and Management.
She said in addition to pursuing their core mandate of research, knowledge dissemination and providing higher education, Universities in Ghana should endeavour to foster relationships with their peers. This, she said will make it possible for them to share best practices and forge ahead in unity to deliver their mandates for the development of the country.
Registrar of the University of Ghana, Legon, Mrs. Mercy Haizel-Ashia
The National President of GAUA, Mr. Matthew Asare, who chaired the programme, said the National Executive Council of GAUA, recognizing the importance of updating the knowledge and skills of its members put together the workshop to ensure members are able to meet current and emerging challenges of University administration and management.
National President of GAUA, Mr. Matthew Asare
Earlier in a welcome address, the President of GAUA UG, Mrs. Cynthia Adu expressed gratitude to GAUA National for organizing the workshop. She noted that in the face of keen Competition from both local and international universities it is imperative for University Administrators to keep up with the latest trends in higher education, take advantage of the availability of knowledge and the use of ICT and social media to enhance their work. She also encouraged participants to connect with members with similar interests and to establish networks to share ideas and best practices beyond the workshop.
President of GAUA UG, Mrs. Cynthia Adu
Speaking on Modern trends in University Administration and its impact on career development, Dr. Paul Effah traced the history of University Education from the medieval times to the post modernist's era. He emphasized the importance of taking note of the changes that have taken place over time and what University management is likely to become as a result of emerging technologies. He observed that, the management of University Education is unique and has peculiar traits that make it a discipline whose management is not like any other.
The “post modernist University administrator”, Dr. Effah noted, should not be "administrative artisans", who wait to be told what to do, but individuals who should research extensively to ensure that, they administer their Advisory, Procedural, Supervisory and Managerial roles effectively for the survival of their Institutions.
On personal development, Dr. Effah urged administrators to pursue more knowledge and higher degrees. This he said has become necessary because, gradually, teaching senior members of the Universities are straying into administrative positions.
Dr. Paul Effah
Dr. Emmanuel Agyenim Boateng, Deputy Registrar at the Presbyterian University and an HR Consultant, in his presentation on Best Practices in HR: prospects and challenges, noted that the world’s economy is going through a scientific shift from capital investment to intellectual capital investment where talented employees are critical to the organization’s competitive advantage. He said HR Practitioners in our universities have a responsibility and opportunity to assist in the identification and implementation of Best HR practices that will attract and retain the best human resources to drive the vision of our Universities.
He also encouraged university administrators to try to serve in different sectors and departments of the University to ensure that, they acquire a holistic knowledge of University management. He bemoaned the situations in which some administrators limit their professional experience to a division.
Dr. Emmanuel Agyenim Boateng
The Southern Sector CPD Workshop was attended by participants from the University of Ghana Legon (UG), the University of Education, Winneba (Ajumako and Winneba Campuses), the University of Cape Coast (UCC), University for Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) and the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS). Administrators from Ho Technical University and Accra Technical University were in attendance.
A cross section of the audience
The first Continuous Professional Development workshop (Northern Sector) took, organised by GAUA national took place in April 2017 at KNUST. It was attended by participants from the University for Development Studies (UDS), University for Energy and Natural Resources, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) and the University of Education, Winneba (Kumasi and Mampong-Ashanti Campuses).
GAUA's vision is to promote the advancement of higher education management in Ghana and to stimulate the professional development of its members.
