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UNIVERSITY OF GHANA Annual Report by the Vice-Chancellor for 1962-63 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page the year 1962-63 the faculties Faculty of Agriculture 7 Faculty of Arts 15 Faculty of Law 24 30 Faculty of Science .. Faculty of Social Studies 44 Institute of African Studies 62 Institute of Public Education 68 Institute of Statistics 72 73 School of Administration .. the balme library 75 halls of residence Legon Hall 80 Akuafo Hall 80 Commonwealth Hall 82 Volta Hall 86 Mensah Sarbah Hall appendix a Membership of University Council 89 appendix b Speeches and citations of award of the first Congregation 90 appendix c Statistical Information 1. Students Enrolment 1962-63 .. .. .. 107 2. Distribution of Students by Courses and Subjects: 1962-63 108 3. Graduates 1963 110 4. Certificate in Education awarded 1963 .. .. Ill 5. Diploma in Education awarded 1963 .. .. Ill 6. Certificate in Social Administration awarded 1963 111 7. Licentiate in Theology awarded 1963 .. .. Ill 1a THE YEAR 1962-63 During the academic year 1962-63, the second year in the life of the University, substantial progress was made in all fields of activity. Up to the date of the adoption of new Statutes, the Univer¬ sity continued to run on the lines of interim arrangements introduced in the 1961-62 academic year. Dr. Conor Cruise O'Brien took office as the Vice-Chancellor of the University at the beginning of the aca¬ demic year. The Interim Council of the University also continued un¬ der the Chairmanship of Mr. Kofi Asante Ofori Atta, b.a., ll.b. dub., m.p., Minister of Justice, until the end of the Michaelmas Term. Nana Kobina Nketsia IV, b.litt., d.phil. (oxon.), Omanhene of Essikadu and Director of the Institute of Art and Culture, became its next Chairman. He was also the Interim Vice-Chancellor in the first year of the University. The full membership of the Council, with changes in the course of the year, is set out in Appendix A. The first outlines of the University Statutes that had been discussed by competent organs of the University during 1961-62 were subjected to careful re-drafting and passed through all con¬ stitutional processes. The Statutes were approved by the Interim Council and confirmed at the first meeting of the University Council on 8th July, 1963. They were subsequently published in the Uni¬ versity Calendar. Student numbers increased considerably from 682 in 1961-62 to 1,174. This large increase was made possible by certain re-arrange¬ ments of student rooms so as to make it feasible for two students to live in one room. Student morale, despite some discomforts, was good, and the " doubling up " exercise was, on the whole, a success. The imbalance in student numbers between science and other courses, however, continued to give cause for serious concern. Only 129 students followed science courses in the Faculty of Science where excellent facilities were seriously under-used. In the other Faculties, Departments were up to maximum capacity. The expansion in numbers and the rather one-sided pattern which enrolment into courses assumed placed some strain on the academic staff, especially in certain Departments. It seemed, indeed, towards the end of 1961-62 when there were as many as 97 vacancies in all, as if the situation might be extremely grave. Largely due to persistent recruitment drives, most vacancies were filled at the beginning of the year. So, the University happily escaped the alarming situation in which a sharply increased influx of students would have faced a greatly reduced academic staff. Mr. Thomas Lionel Hodgkin took over the Institute of African Studies as its first Director. Professor William Burnett Harvey, Head of the Department of Law, started a two-year secondment from the University of Michigan. Professor Norbet Elias assumed appointment as Head of the Department of Sociology and Professor Wilfred Flem- ming became the Head of the Department of Education. Professor Denis William Ewer began his tenure of appointment as Professor of Zoology and Professor Allan Nunn May who was appointed to a Special Chair by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in 1961-62 was elected to the vacant Chair of Physics in the course of the year. There were also significant developments during the year under review. The College of Administration that had operated as an autonomous body on the Achimota Compound became an integral part of the University as the School of Administration. The Depart¬ ment of Law was granted the status of a Faculty and it settled down to a period of re-organisation designed to ensure the success of the training of a new generation of lawyers. The University's Law degrees were recognised by the General Legal Council of Ghana as the sole and sufficient title of admission to the legal profession in the country. The first intake of 51 students started pre-medical studies in the University. The Medical School itself was not in being, nor was its foundation stone even laid and vital decisions on the teaching hospital had yet to be taken. But it was on the strength of assurances and support from the Ministry of Health, the medical profession in Ghana, and the United States of America Aid Mission that the pre-medical course began. The Institute of African Studies was one of the most flourishing branches of the University activity. It attracted many eminent visiting scholars from other countries and it successfully launched its M.A. course for which eleven graduate students from Ghana, Britain and America were enrolled. The Institute's activity was a symbol and a gauge of the University's involvement in the life of Ghana and Africa. The University provided the venue for the first International Congress of Africanists ever to be held. Distinguished scholars from all over the world attended the Congress which was very successful both in its organisation and results. The first Congregation of the University was held on 23rd February, 1963. The University on that occasion honoured Sir Kobina Arku Korsah, Mr. Kofi George Konuah and Dr. William Edward Burkhardt Du Bois by conferring upon them its first honor¬ ary degrees in appreciation of valuable services which they had self- lessly rendered in the interest of Ghana, Africa, and mankind. The address given by the Vice-Chancellor on that memorable day, the citations for the honorary graduands, and the important and en¬ couraging address of the Chancellor at a dinner that rounded off the celebrations have been reproduced as Appendix B. 6 FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND FARM MANAGEMENT During the year, Mr. La Anyane, formerly Chief Agricultural Economist of the Ministry of Agriculture, joined the Department to share in the Agricultural Economics teaching, and Mr. G. Dargie came to the Department from the University of British Columbia to take over the teaching of the Soil Conservation course. The other members of the Department were Mr. J. A. Dadson, Lecturer in Agricultural Economics, and Professor T. L. Coulthard, Head of the Department. The establishment in the Department was increased by one senior lectureship for the Engineering Division. The staff position is expected to improve further in the course of 1963-64. The Department shared in the reorganization of the degree structure and teaching programmes. The offer for the B.Sc. (Agric.) General degree was revised and the Agricultural Economics Division drew up a programme for specialization in that field for the B.Sc. (Agric.)—Special. (Other fields of specialization are Animal Science, Crop Science, and Soil Science). A course is also offered for the M.Sc. (Agric.) in Agricultural Economics. The possibility of offering specialization in Agricultural Engineering at the B.Sc. and the M.Sc. levels is still under discussion. Professor Coulthard continued with the research project, started in 1961-62, on the engineering aspects of milling operation in the Accra area. Mr. Dargie started a joint " Catena " project at Kade with Mr. Peter Ahn of the Soils Department in the long vacation. He is studying the effects of different methods of clearing and cultiva¬ tion on some of the physical properties and moisture relationships of the soils. Mr. Dadson continued with the farm management study, also begun in 1961-62 in the Frankadua area, and made useful contacts with the Farmers' Council and other bodies for the possibility of a " Farm Records and Accounting " project. During the long vaca¬ tion, an initial farm inventory survey was started covering parts of the Central and Eastern Regions and about 30 farms were covered. 7 DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SCIENCE The Department contributed to the teaching which culminated in the passing out of thirteen more graduates. Courses were modified during the year by the Faculty Board to increase their flexibility and as from 1st October, 1963, General, Special and M.Sc. Degrees will be awarded. Problems of staffing continued to cause anxiety. During the year Mr. H. P. Flarding, Senior Lecturer in Animal Health, resigned and Mr. R. was Rose-Innes seconded to F.A.O. for a period of eighteen months to take part in a survey in Northern Ghana. Accessions to staff included the following appointments:— Dr. E. N. W. Oppong, Lecturer in Animal Health Mr. L. K. N. Ababio, Lecturer in Animal Husbandry Mr. K. Awuku, Lecturer in Animal Husbandry. Research continued at Legon, Nungua and Kpong. Professor Wilson continued his studies concerned with the evolution of a tropical dairy animal in which the Jersey breed is being used to grade up indigenous shorthorn and N'Dama cattle to a level where economic quantities of milk are produced. He also continued his studies of: (i) two hybrid types of sheep being developed for Northern and Southern conditions in Ghana; (ii) the growth and development responses of Large White and West African Black pigs in a tropical setting; (iii) selected strains of indigenous poultry.