Emeritus Professor Jacob Songsore, a former Dean of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS), has delivered an anniversary lecture to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of SGS.
Emeritus Prof. Songsore, speaking on the topic, "60 Years of Graduate Training at the University of Ghana: Towards a Transformative Agenda," commended the School's efforts over the past years and charged SGS to increase its efforts in developing collaborations with other units at UG as well as Universities in Africa and beyond.
Professor Gordon Awandare, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (ASA), who chaired the occasion on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, complimented the School of Graduate Studies on 60 years of producing students with worldwide influence.
Professor Gordon Awandare, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (ASA)
He also encouraged the School to pursue more innovative methods of supporting graduate students in order to provide them with the necessary abilities to address global concerns.
During his lecture, Emeritus Professor Songsore charged the SGS to continue contributing to achieving the vision of the University of Ghana, to become a research-intensive university, by improving one of the strategic pillars, which is to achieve a postgraduate population of approximately 50% by 2024. The status was 14% as of 2020. The former Dean then proposed measures by which this can be achieved.
A cross-section of participants at the Lecture
“One attractive vision when I was Dean was developing and building an Innovation Place / Research Park; an office complex with conference facilities, laboratories, and centralised services to be rented up at market rate to leading research centres, private/NGO/Global Corporations working in areas where synergies can be developed with UG. The research facility can also house our Silicon Valley of Private Foreign and Local ICT Firms (including RSGIS Lab, CERSGIS and the ECOLAB) which feeds into VC’s Digitalisation Agenda; to network with our Computer Science & Computer Engineering Departments to enhance the quality of our students and to promote innovation. I urge the current administration to relook into this idea to see it materialize,” Professor Songsore suggested.
Emeritus Professor Jacob Songsore
He proposed that the School of Graduate Studies encourage North-South and South-South collaboration in graduate education and research.
“This will enhance UG’s ability to train quality human capital in larger volumes for university employment and the economy at large’’.
Cross-section of offcials from the School of Graduate Studies at the Lecture
The current Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Professor Robert Darko Osei unveiled a plan for a proposed US$40,000 4-storey school building which will house seminar rooms, a digital research library, an auditorium, conference rooms, and administrative offices among other amenities, to help reposition the School for global impact.
Professor Robert Darko Osei, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies
The Lecture was concluded with some goodwill messages from former Deans of the School.
Also present at the Lecture were the Registrar, Mrs. Emelia Agyei-Mensah, Deans, Directors, Heads of Department and Unit, members of the Board of the School of Graduate Studies, UG faculty, past and present staff of the School and a cross section of members of the University community.
