STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS TO CONVOCATION BY PROFESSOR WILLIAM OTOO ELLIS, VICE CHANCELLOR OF KNUST, ON WEDNESDAY, 18 TH MAY, 2011 IN THE GREAT HALL AT 3.00PM.

A. INTRODUCTION

We have gathered here this afternoon in fulfilment of the provisions of Statute 26 (a) of the Statutes that govern us as a University for a presentation of the annual State of the University address by the Vice Chancellor. As the first of its kind I am delivering following my assumption of office as the 9 th Vice Chancellor of this great University, I intend to shed light on the activities the University has been undertaking through its constituent parts over the past one year. I also intend to let members in on what we intend to do over the next year in tandem with my vision for the University within the broad framework of our strategic development plan – PLAN2K14.

B. ADMISSIONS AND RE-OPENING

The 2010/2011 academic year started with the admission of new students into the University. Admissions form one of the core functions of every University, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) being no exception. Understandably a lot of attention and investment is placed on it. In the year under review, 28,911 applicants applied for admissions into our University. This number was 6,026 higher than that of 2009/2010 academic year. Of the 28,911 who applied, 13,940 were offered admission into various programmes and 10,037 registered and were matriculated on the 9 th of October, 2010. This number, comprising of a total of 7,215 males and 2,822 females is 8.5% higher than that of the 2009/2010 academic year. Of the 10,037 registered students, 7,260 were undergraduate students (that is 5,086 males and 2,174 females) and 2,777 postgraduate students (that is 2,129 males and 684 females) respectively.

As has already been indicated in my vision for the University, we need to manage these numbers and, thus, will work towards maintaining them. Admissions into undergraduate programmes would be managed within a total average increase of 5% over the next four years but with greater focus on Science and Technology programmes and also on females. The drive would be more towards postgraduate admissions working towards a 10% minimum

1 increase annually and also an increase in our Distance Learning students’ numbers and programmes.

For the 2011/2012 academic year, the University would admit the Senior High School Students who are writing their examinations straight into the first year when their results are released without any break period. This would be done together with the regular system. The issue has been discussed at the Executive Committee level, adverts have already gone out and prospective students have started purchasing our forms. This has become necessary so as to make up for the one year gap due to the change over from three years to four years of the Senior High School programme. It is also important that we admit them straight so as to manage the impending challenges that loom ahead of us in 2013 when we would have two batches of final years coming out from the Senior High Schools.

In respect of the above, there would be a slight change in the re-opening date for the first year students this academic year. However, there would be no change to the calendar for the academic year for continuing students. Continuing students would be reporting to school on August 19th, 2011, whilst the first years may be coming on September 23rd, 2011. All these arrangements are subject to the promise made by the West Africa Examinations Council that the results would be released by 23 rd August, 2011.

C. CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT

The beginning of this academic year, also saw the change in management of the University administration. Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, the eighth Vice-Chancellor of the University successfully brought his service and four year tenure as Vice-Chancellor to an end. A new Vice-Chancellor, Professor William Otoo Ellis was therefore inducted into office on the 2 nd of October, 2010 at a colourful ceremony at the Great Hall. Professor William Otoo Ellis was the immediate Pro Vice-Chancellor. Professor Ellis, thus, becomes the ninth Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

A new Pro Vice-Chancellor was also appointed in January, 2011. He is in the person of Professor Peter Donkor, the former Provost of the College of Health Sciences. Three new Provosts were also appointed by Council to head some of our Colleges. They are;

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1. Professor Samuel Innocent Kwame Ampadu for the College of Engineering 2. Professor Edward Badu for the College of Architecture and Planning and, 3. Professor Robert Kwame Nkum for the College of Science.

The processes are still on-going to appoint Provosts for the College of Art and Social Sciences (CASS) and the College of Health Sciences (CHS). Currently, there are acting Provosts in these two colleges, Professor Stephen Offei for College of Art and Social Sciences and Professor Kwabena Danso for the College of Health Sciences.

D. SHARING THE VISION

As part of our goal to work continuously and tirelessly to becoming a centre of excellence in Science and Technology training with a strong base in the Humanities, it is important for each and every member of the University community and other stakeholders to understand and appreciate the vision of the new Vice-Chancellor. This vision is not at variance with the overall vision of the University as captured in its strategic plan (PLAN2K14). For the success of this vision, it must be first understood and owned by every member of the University community since they are the strategic partners in the implementation of the activities to achieving the vision.

It is in this direction that the Vice-Chancellor, upon assumption of office, toured all the six Colleges of the University to share the vision and to collect inputs from colleagues to help enhance or facilitate the implementation process. The Vice-Chancellor also met with the executives and later, at separate ceremonies, the members of the identifiable stakeholder groups on campus. These included University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), Federation of University Senior Staff Association of Ghana (FUSSAG), the Student Representative Council (SRC) and the Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG) all of KNUST.

The Vice-Chancellor in ensuring that the vision and processes for achieving same are well appreciated, also met with selected strategic groups including the staff of Maintenance Department, Transport Department, the Security Services and the Teachers from our basic schools. The Vice-Chancellor is yet to meet with the last group, the Health Services staff. In

3 all these meetings, very useful interactions resulted and the Vice-Chancellor is very grateful to everyone.

E. MEETING WITH THE PUBLIC

The University as an institution has made strides due to the partnership and contributions of some stakeholders and private/corporate bodies. Some of these we have continued to nurture as strategic partners in achieving our objectives. In this respect, the Vice-Chancellor paid courtesy calls on all the financial institutions operating on the University campus. This was followed up with visits to the head offices of those banks in Accra. Visits were also made to some media houses that have over the years projected this University and its activities. The media houses included Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, TV3, Joy FM, the Graphic Communications group, Ghanaian Times, Global Alliance and TYPE Company limited. Other partners visited included the head office of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Ghana Employers Association (GEA). We also made visits to some foreign missions which have supported projects on campus and this included the Canadian High Commission, the British High Commission and the German High Commission.

Within the Kumasi Metropolis, management visited the security services, the 4th Battalion of Infantry and the Northern Command of the Ghana Armed Forces, the Regional Police Command, the KNUST Police Station, the Regional Fire Service, the Bureau for National Investigation (BNI) and the Ghana Immigration Service. Visits were also made to the Utility Service Providers, specifically, the Electricity Company of Ghana, (ECG) and the Ghana Water Company. Management also met with the Mayor and staff of the Kumasi Metropolitan Authority (KMA) and the Regional Minister (former) and his staff.

In all these visits, the University expressed appreciation for the support received from these organizations and establishments and also discussed the need for continued assistance and the new areas for possible collaboration. The interactions were very fruitful and extremely useful and one of the outcomes has been the implementation of the Business Week by the KNUST Business School which occurred from the 5th to 7 th April, 2011. The programme served as a platform which brought together some of the major banks in Ghana, members of the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) to

4 discuss business. The programme was a great success and we hope it would lead to the renewal and support for the Chair for Banking and Finance.

F. MEDIA SOIREE

For some time now, we have had some bad reportage in the media concerning happenings on the University campus. This has had implication on the image of the University and also depressing for the hard work being put in by members of staff of this great institution. In attempting to address this, Management decided to engage the media houses in Kumasi and to afford them the opportunity to appreciate what Universities are all about. To this end, Management organized a media soiree on 27 th January, 2011 in which top Management of the University met with some Senior officers of the media houses. The media at this meeting were made to understand what Universities stand for and the critical role of the media in making a great University. The University Management also tried to explain to them some challenges we all face in our daily assignments and certain misconceptions some of them might have within their domain. The media men were also given the opportunity to quiz the Vice Chancellor and Senior Management present. This meeting, to a large extent, greatly helped bridge the gap between the media and the University by providing a better understanding between us. The meeting ended with the hosting of a lunch with live music.

G. COLLEGE ACTIVITIES

Since 2005 when the Collegiate system was introduced, the Colleges through the Departments have been the functional units moving forward the core mandate of the University. They have continued to carry out research, teaching and service to the community greatly imparting on national development and the development of other nations. For the year under review, several activities have taken place in the various Colleges and in this presentation I will only attempt to highlight a few of these significant activities. In the area of curriculum development, several Departments from the six colleges have reviewed and submitted revised curricula to the Planning and Resources committee for consideration and for approval by the Academic Board.

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College of Health Sciences In the College of Health Sciences, the Academic Board gave approval to the School of Medical Sciences to increase its intake and to also run parallel programmes for the Human Biology and the MBChB Programmes from the 2010/2011 academic year. The School of Medical Sciences (SMS) has also, upon the approval of the Academic Board, abolished the oral examination in the Human Biology programme. Plans are far advanced to harmonize the teaching of common courses in the College of Health Sciences.

In the area of Professional Development activities, the College organized various workshops to train and update the skills of its academic, technical and administrative staff. Two graduates from the Nursing department sponsored by the College and University have completed and joined the staff. In its effort to built capacity, the College has again sponsored four persons to pursue programmes in the following areas; MSc degree in Nursing, MSc degree in Medical Laboratory Technology, PhD degree in Medical Laboratory Technology and PhD degree in Anatomy.

For new programmes, the College has introduced a Top-Up Diploma programme in Midwifery for Midwives in the Ghana Health Service and a BSc. degree in Emergency Nursing. However, the following have reached various stages of processing and would be mounted soon:

• BSc degree in Disability and Rehabilitation Studies • BSc degree in General Nursing for Registered Nurses • BSc degree in Midwifery (with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) • BSc degree in Radiography • Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D) degree programme to replace BPharm • MSc/MPhil degree in Biomedical Sciences

The College through its Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical sciences is also introducing a 3 day training workshop for traditional health practitioners to be held over the weekends. It also intends to collaborate with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana to introduce short courses for practicing Pharmacists.

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The College is also involved in several collaborative projects. This includes the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI), a five-year pilot programme focusing on Emergency training; the PARTNER programme funded by Fogarty International Centre in the US, which is a Ghana Michigan Post-doctoral and Research Trainee Network. It is a one year programme focused on enhancing research efforts within the College. The two young schools in the College, specifically, the School of Dentistry and the School of Veterinary Medicine continue to grow in terms of their output. Based on an MOU between KNUST and the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, USA, the pioneer class of eight dental students is expected to visit Michigan in July/August, 2011. The School of Veterinary Medicine has also received several education materials from the Commonwealth Veterinary Association (CVA).

College of Engineering The College of Engineering continues to maintain its status as one of our flagship Colleges. For the period under review, the College obtained a funding support to the tune of USD6 million over five (5) years from the World Bank for the chemical and petroleum engineering programmes commencing 2011. Of this amount, US$3,690 million will go into rehabilitation of laboratory and acquisition of laboratory equipment for chemical and petrochemical engineering while the remainder will go into staff training and financing of visiting staff positions.

The College is involved in several projects and activities in the different fields of specialisations and also linkages with several institutions. For example, the partnership between the College and Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA has resulted in the availability of some analytical laboratory equipment for research work in the Department of Materials Engineering and also created the potential to undertake joint or common projects to enhance research activities. There is also the collaboration with Capture of Evaporated Water with Novel Membranes (CAPWA) focusing on water and energy auditing and the involvement of the researchers of the College in the Scientists Network for Outcomes of Water and Sanitation (SNOWS) project. The SNOWS programme involves the carrying out of needs assessment and training in the building of research capacity in water supply, sanitation and environmental health. The College buildings are also having a facelift and I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the leadership and staff for this initiative.

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College of Architecture and Planning The College of Architecture and Planning during the period under review initiated and or completed a lot of projects. These include the Postgraduate block, conference Room, toilet facilities, students’ car park, and refurbishment of offices for College Accountant and lecturers. The College has also established a Centre for Innovations, Industrial and Institutional Collaboration (CIIIC) within the Office of the Provost. To broaden the scope of research of Senior members, the College has formed research teams of between 5-7 members depending on the area of expertise and their research interests. Furthermore, the College has provided Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) to offices of lecturers to cut down cost of telephone bills. I entreat you to use them effectively as the general usage on campus is not encouraging. Let me take this opportunity to plead with members of convocation and all University staff to maximally use the VOIP as it will help drastically reduce our telephone bills so we can save from the gains to embark on other developmental projects.

College of Science The College of Science continues to lead the way in the training in our basic Sciences through the type of programmes they continue to introduce. The College saw a significant boost in the provision of infrastructure and laboratory equipment. It took possession of its building complex and this has brought a great relief to the College and many others who depend on the facilities there. Under the project dubbed “Turnkey Project” significant rehabilitation work involving the installation of state-of-the-art laboratory equipment, 32 modern computers, audiovisual equipment and split air-conditioners among others was carried out.

With respect to new programmes, the College has introduced MPhil degree programmes in Computer Science, Information Technology and Polymer Science and Technology. The Academic Board has also given approval for the start of the BSc Statistics, MPhil Statistics and MSc Biostatistics programmes beginning 2011/2012 academic year. Further to this, it has introduced an undergraduate programme in Environmental Science by the distance learning mode. The College also intends to run a training programme for Senior High School teachers and technicians in physics, mathematics, chemistry, computer science and biology during the long vacation and for the same period, also run a capacity building programme for our technicians here at KNUST.

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College of Art and Social Sciences (CASS) The College is the largest in terms of student numbers, however as I have said already we would need to manage the numbers especially in the Social Sciences to ensure quality. Over the years the College has been one of the most transformed academic blocks of the University and I will want to encourage them to keep up the pace of the transformation with a focus on quality, since they have great potential. The year under review saw several activities taking place in the College and a few are being highlighted. Departments in the College carried out field studies, research retreats and career seminars for staff and students as part of capacity building. Approval has been given for a restructuring of the programme in Sociology and Social work. Starting 2011/2012 academic year the College would run separate degree programmes in sociology and social work.

The Faculty of Law of the College working in close collaboration with top Management of the University, the General Legal Council and the Ghana Law School facilitated the establishment of the second campus of the Ghana Law School at KNUST which was formally inaugurated on the 4 th November, 2010 to serve the entire northern sector of the country. The Faculty has provided the initial resources in terms of lecture rooms, administrative offices, offices for lecturers and library space for the take off of the KNUST campus. This is a significant feat in the progress of law education in Ghana and the Dean and his staff need commendation for all the hard work put in to make this dream a reality.

With respect to new programmes and partnerships, the College continues to collaborate with industry and other educational institutions through its Departments and School. The KNUST School of Business has received accreditation from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), UK, the world’s leading professional education body in Logistics and Transport to jointly run the CILT programmes at KNUST. CILT has also elected KNUST as a corporate member of the Institute and this opens up a mutual collaborative relationship for strengthening Logistics and Supply Chain training and development at KNUST. The professional programmes to be run are Certificate in Logistics and Transport, Diploma in Logistics and Transport and Advanced Diploma in Logistics and Transport. In addition to this, recognition and accreditation has been given for KSB’s Bachelor and MBA Programmes in Logistics and Supply Chain thus granting exemption to graduates from these programmes when they seek professional membership. These initiatives will expand KSB’s programme

9 offerings and position it as a leading tertiary-level institution in Ghana for the training of students in Logistics and Supply Chain.

The College through its Business School has also established the West African Institute for Supply Chain Leadership (WAISCL) in collaboration with the PanAvest Foundation. This is the first of its kind in the sub-region. The Institute hopes to become the leading Supply Chain Management education and training partner of choice for selected organizations and the most relevant supply chain education and training partner in West Africa.

As part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) funded by the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), the KSB has been selected to jointly run an undergraduate Bachelor of Science programme in Procurement Management and also short courses for professionals in the industry with sponsorship from the Procurement Authority. The initiative is important to the Authority because of internal changes within the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) to establish a directorate that will manage the procurement profession.

The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) as part of its ongoing ECHOES Alliance programme has also selected the Information and Decision Sciences Department of the College to plan, develop and implement a two-level educational programme of Agricultural Logistics Skill development for its stakeholders. The programme is being sponsored by WCF and its partners. KNUST as a partner is serving as the educational lead responsible for curriculum development, programme hosting and training delivery.

The College continues to strengthen and expand its linkages with other institutions in the areas of staff exchange, curriculum development and student exchange. Some of these include the Faculty of Social Work, University of Mannitoba, Winnipeg, Mannitoba, Canada, School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA, Department of Marketing, Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki, Finland, Aalborg University (AAU), Denmark and the TASMAC School of Business, University of London, UK.

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources continue to make strides in terms of growth of the College. Through innovative programmes such as Agribusiness, Agriculture

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Biotechnology and Diary Science we have seen a turn around with respect to student attraction. Several activities have taken place in the year under review of which a few significant ones are being highlighted here. The College won new research grants and also saw renewals in research grants with respect to AGRA (Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa) projects and the APERL project. In the same direction, the Department of Wildlife and Range Management of the College is also collaborating with the Universities of Bonn and ULM, and KCCR on a project titled Virus biology, host ecology and human behaviour as determinants for Coronaviral zoonoses in Ghanaian bats funded by DFG, a German Research Foundation. The uniqueness of these projects is that it focuses on capacity building and thus several postgraduate training components form a part of this both for Ghanaians and the rest of Africa.

For short courses and new programmes, the College in collaboration with the Faculty of Geo- Information Science and Earth Observations (ITC), University of Twente, the Netherlands, has started running a short course in GIS for Natural Resources Management, supported by a Nuffic fellowship grant. The College also intends to run MSc and PhD degree programmes in Conservation Biology very soon. The University and thus the College would be facilitating in the set up of a new University in the Brong Ahafo region. The start up of this new University would involve the use of our Sunyani campus indicating that the College as well as the University would be shrinking in terms of land size and property but not in programmes and student numbers. I want to thank the leadership and staff of the College for their continuous hard work in making Agriculture still prominent to students from the Senior High Schools.

Sunyani Campus KNUST as an institution has two campuses excluding the Distance Learning centres. These are the main campus in Kumasi and another at Sunyani, the Sunyani campus. The Sunyani campus forms the Faculty of Forest Resources Technology of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR). It has four Departments with a student population of 393. On the 5th of January, 2011, my office received a communication from the former Minister of Education containing a directive from the office of his excellency, the President, asking the University Council to consider the release of the Sunyani campus to serve as the nucleus for the new University for Energy and Natural Resources in the Brong Ahafo region. Council, on 25 th February, 2011, considered the issue and gave approval to his excellency’s request. Council then mandated Management to set up a committee to have discussions with

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Government concerning the handing over process of the campus. Prior to this, we were invited to a sod cutting ceremony on the 8 th February, 2011 for the new campus. Currently, the committee has been having a series of meetings with the Government team and it is yet to submit its report to Council. By this, Convocation is formally being informed that the Sunyani campus is about to become the University of Energy and Natural Resources.

H. LIBRARY SERVICES

The University Library established since 1952 continue to make significant progress and contribution to the growth of the University by performing its core business of acquiring, processing, organizing and disseminating relevant quality, timely information both in print and electronic formats. These services enhance teaching, research, learning and entrepreneurship training in our various Departments, Faculties and Colleges. For the year under review, the library added to its stock 3,088 books from various sources including acquisitions, donations and graduate theses. It also acquired a total of 417 print journals. Of these 260 were peer-reviewed journals subscribed under the Association of Commonwealth Universities Protecting under the African Library Scheme (ACU-PAL), 137 journals received on free subscription from the United Nations and its affiliates (WHO, ILO and FAO) and the United States Information Service (USIS), the British Council and some foreign missions. Subscriptions were also obtained from 20 locally produced journals.

The University library is a member of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries of Ghana (CARLIGH). In line with this the library has access to 21,000 electronic journals from over 40 academic databases including AGORA, EBSCO, Emerald, Science Direct to mention a few. With respect to Electronic Information Services (EIS), the library added 10 more databases to its current stock of 30 and continues to provide access to other e-resources. Since 2009, the library has embarked on automation of its facilities and the process has been on- going. Currently, about 92,000 records have so far been captured into the database. This automation process is going to be expanded and discussions are underway with the University Librarian to work towards the building of capacity and resources that would enable users to access library services from their offices and residences.

The KNUST Institutional Repository, IR (KNUST Space) set up in February 2009 to manage and disseminate research materials created by the institution and its member community

12 continues to expand. Currently, KNUST is the only institution in Ghana with a live (online) IR. The KNUST IR has a current stock of over 1,478 documents, majority of which are JUST publications and postgraduate theses. I want to take this opportunity to encourage members of convocation to patronize the Institutional Repository by depositing/submitting your materials on the IR. Materials may include technical reports, conference presentations, exhibition reports and journal articles. The IR is an Open access IR and thus can be accessed anywhere in the world. It is a means of making your research outputs known to the world and also projecting your institution. The search engine or URL is http://dspace.knust.edu.gh

I. SECURITY ON CAMPUS

As we are all aware, security is one of the most important things in life. Thus, when the security within a community is compromised it creates fear and uncertainty. Over the past few weeks, there have been some series of theft cases which have occurred within our Departments and Faculties. This became an issue of concern for Management since it is my duty to ensure the safety and security of live and property on campus. An emergency meeting was thus held involving Management, the Head of Security Service and some Police Officers of the KNUST Police Station. The discussions indicated that most of the cases were more of the handiworks of an internal syndicate. In line with this, certain decisions were taken. One was to deploy more men on night patrol as against the day time. There was also the change in the rotation of security staff and the intensification of supervisions. Barriers were to be mounted at strategic points to check or inspect vehicles and vehicular movements in the night. Circulars were also issued to staff on the need for vigilance and also for Provosts, Deans and Heads of Department to ensure that keys to Departmental and Faculty doors are hanged at the Security office after close of work. I want to believe that responsible officers of the University have taken the necessary steps to implement this already existing policy.

Now, let me talk about the staff strength of our Security Services. Over the years, the security staff strength has been dwindling due to several factors including deaths, retirements and resignations. There is also the challenge of the increase in student numbers and facilities as well as expansion of the campus area. This is not commensurate with staff recruitment or effective replacement as well as the introduction of modern technology to tackle these challenges. As a first step, approval has been given the Security Service to employ fifty (50) new personnel with a minimum of high school certificate to beef-up staff strength.

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To motivate staff due to the high risk nature of their job, an Annual Awards programme has been instituted. The first of this programme took place on 11th February, 2011 at the Royal Parade Grounds where five (5) security officers, one student and one senior member were recognized for their bravery in arresting a very notorious armed robber who was terrorizing residents and visitors on campus. I will want to take this opportunity to encourage staff especially senior members staying on campus on the need for us to be extra vigilant and to be each other’s keeper and also to report all issues or unusual scenes or happenings to the security on this hotline, 03220-62999.

J. ROADS AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMNT

As student numbers continue to increase on campus, driving and obedience to traffic regulations have become a challenge. This is also aggravated by the increasing number of potholes on our roads. To address the problem, we sought the assistance of the Department of Urban Roads and they readily agreed and responded by taking a survey of the campus roads. After this, they facilitated in the installation of road ramps to check speed on our roads. This was after we had received several petitions from the student leadership and some members of staff about the potential of serious accidents occurring on campus. They also agreed to fill our potholes and they fulfilled their promise by working on the roads linking the Animal Farm and Horticulture Department, the Agricultural Engineering Department junction and Hall Six junction and the portion of the Ring Road linking the Administration Roundabout and the Bomso Gate Roundabout.

The Urban Roads have also constructed a car park at the College of Architecture and Planning for use by staff, students and visitors. As I speak, the Urban Roads is seriously considering re-gravelling all the deplorable roads on campus on a request made to them recently. Roads under consideration include Hall 6 – Gaza road, Plantations – Boadi junction road and the Law Faculty road. The University roads section is also awaiting bitumen to start work on the campus inner roads. To enforce the maintenance of traffic discipline on campus, the Security Service has been urged to create a Traffic section and the Taxi Drivers Union on campus has also provided the security with clamps to facilitate the activities of this new section when established. I will want to urge all senior members to provide support and respect to the unit when it starts operations.

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K. WASTE MANAGEMENT

The management of waste on this campus is still a challenge. This is due to the fact that we are contending with several factors including outsiders who dump their refuse or waste on campus. The old age of the trucks for refuse collection and the manual nature of our operations pose other challenges as well. In an effort to overcome some of these challenges, the University recently purchased a new Dong Feng Truck with a skip container valued at US$69,500. We believe that with this new vehicle, we can initiate a new waste management scheme which would with time make us more environmentally friendly. The new initiative, we hope, would take off by the early part of July, 2011.

This new scheme would involve the placement of containers at all the halls of residence, the GUSSS hostel and other hostels on campus, the Junior and Senior staff quarters, the hospital and security barracks and the faculty areas. In line with this, the Department of Agricultural Engineering has been contracted to produce sixteen (16) of these skip containers for these strategic points. When these containers are full they would be picked by the truck, thus, reducing to a large extent, the human component of the collection process.

As part of the new scheme, there would be house to house collection of refuse using the two old trucks and this operation should form the beginning of our re-cycling system. One of the trucks would be for biodegradables and the other for non-biodegradables. We are confident that this process when efficiently operationalised would ease the enormous pressure on our vehicles and also improve the management of waste on campus. The University must serve as a model in the country in the management and utilization of waste and my administration would intend to achieve that. There is however, a major challenge which we would have to contend with and that is the outsiders who bring their waste or refuse to campus since when the new scheme is initiated all the outer coolers in the residential areas would be demolished. I wish therefore to solicit the support of all members of convocation in arresting the situation where non-staff members dump refuse on campus. This is an “all hands on deck” affair.

L. INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMES

The International Programmes Office (IPO) of KNUST was established to link up the University with national and international Universities and institutions. For this academic

15 year, the office has worked very hard in creating greater awareness on its activities and the benefits it brings to various Departments, Faculties and Colleges. In respect of this, it has paid familiarization visits to the various Colleges, solicited data on senior members without terminal degrees as well as teaching assistants in the various Departments. It also facilitated collaboration with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) in the organization of the “Made in Ghana” Trade Fair at the Prempeh Assembly Hall. Participation in the fair was done with the assistance of the Technology Consultancy Centre (TCC).

At the international level, the office has coordinated linkages with eleven (11) institutions resulting in the signing of Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) to guide our relationships. Some of these institutions included the Dalian Medical University of China, the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Oklahoma State University, USA, Netherland Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis, Leiden, in the Netherlands and Katholie-ke Universiteit, Leuven in Belgium to mention a few. From these linkages, several scholarships at the MSc and PhD levels have been initiated and some executed. In all eight (8) PhD and nine (9) MSc scholarships have been available. For example, the Hanbat National University of China offered four (4) MSc scholarships in Engineering and 4 of our Teaching Assistants have already been assisted and are in Hanbat at present. Hohai University of China offered two (2) PhD and three (3) MSc scholarships and the processing of these offers is on-going. Dalian Medical University offered two (2) PhD scholarships in health related programmes, and the candidates are going through processing. The University of Electronic Science and Technology has also offered two (2) PhD places and processing is also on-going.

The French Embassy has also made available two (2) PhD scholarships, one for a male and another for a female and the IPO is coordinating these arrangements. Through our engagements with the French Embassy, Air Liquide and Technip (both French Companies) have each offered one Master’s degree scholarship in Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering respectively and the Dean of IPO is coordinating these initiatives. Again we are also working with the French Embassy on a Consortium concept to facilitate training of our senior members in mathematics without terminal degrees to enable them acquire one. With respect to students exchange programmes, arrangements are far underway to ensure that KNUST is listed as one of the destinations for International Students Exchange Programme, (ISEP).

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After sixty (60) years of establishment, it is important that the type of education offered by KNUST is felt outside the borders of Ghana. This is also in line with the vision of the University. In respect of this, the IPO under the authority of the Vice-Chancellor coordinated a trip to the Gambia led by the Vice-Chancellor. The objectives of the trip were two (2) fold, one was to undertake preparatory work towards the establishment of an off-shore campus and the second was to establish partnerships with existing tertiary institutions. The trip was very successful especially with respect to establishing partnerships with institutions in the Gambia to introduce our form of education.

We have already received a Needs Assessment Report from some of the institutions in the Gambia indicating their interest in the partnership. The International Programmes Office is coordinating the process and we are hopeful that we can initiate a very fruitful and productive collaboration to the benefit of the University and senior members. We have also started exploratory work in Liberia and I am trusting that these initiatives would yield positive results. The International Programmes Office has also received several visitors from several institutions across the world into KNUST and I believe that our external linkages and image have been greatly enhanced through their activities.

M. UNIVERSITY RANKING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

In present times, the world has become a global village and thus, the activities of higher education institutions are compared with one another. Even though there are various opinions with respect to ranking of higher education institutions, it has become part of the assessment indices for Universities and therefore a lot of institutions are giving greater attention to it. I believe that irrespective of some of its seeming negative aspects, there are no doubts about some of the positive benefits to an institution; it projects the image of the institution to the world in the eyes of the comity of Universities especially, with respect to collaborations with international institutions, attraction for international students and attraction for project funds to mention a few.

It also provides an opportunity for institutions to work on improving their quality assurance processes, or systems. It imparts on the self esteem and pride of the staff and Alumni from an institution. It is in line with these, that in assuming office I set up a University Ranking Committee to coordinate the activities of the University to improve our performance among

17 the comity of Universities. Before coming into office our position on the webometric scale was fifty-three (53) dropping from twenty (20) due to some challenges. The committee comprising the University Librarian, the Head of Quality Assurance and Planning Unit, the Director of the University Information and Technology Services (UITS), the acting Deputy Registrar for University Relations Office and Dr. John Aning from the English Department coordinated the activities of all senior members, other staff and students and the result was an improved performance to a position of 18 on the webometric rankings. I want to take this opportunity to thank the committee members and their teams and to praise members of Convocation for the effort we have collectively put in, to improve our performance as an institution on the rankings. I hope this would continue.

Quality assurance is very essential to the growth of any establishment because it is the main pillar for ensuring success. In view of this, in higher education management it is a very critical component of the management structure and has become a tool for assessing institutions. A very well established quality assurance system ensures that the product or service delivered meets and exceeds expectation. For the year under review the Quality Assurance and Planning Unit (QAPU) continued with its regular schedule of coordinating staff assessment by students, student data management, the issuing of identity cards, the marking of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) as well as the provision of information or support to bodies such as the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) and the National Accreditation Board (NAB) on behalf of the University.

In addition to these activities, the Unit carried out four (4) training programmes which focused on senior members employed within the last 3 years, senior management and all academic staff. The unit also coordinated the publication of two policy documents, one on HIV/AIDS and the other on Open Educational Resource (OER). Both have been published on the University website and hard copies are in print and would be made available to staff. On my assumption of office I indicated that we would strengthen our Quality Assurance System with the introduction of Performance Appraisal to assess staff output and also strengthen the capacity of the staff of QAPU to facilitate accreditation processes within the University. I want to report that the Unit has developed draft performance appraisal forms for all categories of staff and this is currently being reviewed. I hope that we can introduce this next academic year. The Unit has also assisted the Departments of English and Modern Languages to successfully undergo re-accreditation of their programmes. The KNUST Business School

18 is currently being prepared for re-accreditation. The proposed programme for 2011/2012 academic year include the following:

- Capacity building in Quality Assurance Systems and Accreditation - Training workshops for all staff in Quality Service delivery - Introduction of Summer School.

N. STRATEGIC COMMITTEES

To be able to efficiently implement our vision for the period 2010 – 2014, certain strategic committees have been formed to coordinate activities. These committees include the following:

1. Teaching Hospital Project Committee with a responsibility of reviewing the Teaching Hospital Project and recommending a way forward for the start of this project. 2. Statutes and Act Review Committee with a responsibility to review the Acts and Statutes of the University in conformity with the current trends in higher education and taking into consideration the peculiar challenges of the University. 3. Community Impact Projects (CIP) committee with a responsibility in coordinating activities of the University to make KNUST relevant to society within and outside the University. 4. Off-Shore Campus Committee which is tasked with the creation of Off-Shore Campus(es) within the sub-region. 5. The Ranking Committee which is tasked with the responsibility of coordinating activities of the University and linking to our quality assurance system with the aim of improving our status among the comity of Universities on the performance (webometric) scale. 6. Congregational Dinner-Dance Committee tasked with the responsibility of raising funds and planning the above programme for purposes of instilling collegiality among members of the University community. The first dinner-dance would be held in July this year.

O. 60TH ANNIVERSARY

KNUST was established as an institution in 1951 as the Kumasi College of Technology, thus, this year the University would be 60 years. In respect of this the University would be

19 celebrating this milestone. A committee has thus been set up headed by the Pro Vice- Chancellor and they would be submitting their report to Council at its next sitting scheduled in June for study and implementation. It is important for us to appreciate the fact that when the University was 50 years, the Golden Jubilee anniversary was also celebrated. It is being anticipated that after the Committee has submitted its report and programme, the official launch for the 60 th Anniversary would be in June and hopefully end in November, 2011 with a special congregation. I, therefore, would want to encourage all colleagues to fully participate in the activities of this anniversary since it is our anniversary and is also intended to showcase the University to the outside world.

P. CITY CAMPUSES

In October, 2010, during the presentation of my vision, I stated that I will work towards the establishment of two (2) city campuses, one in Accra which had already been approved by Council and another in Kumasi using our properties at Ridge near the Trade Union Congress, Headquarters in Accra and Nhyiaeso in Kumasi respectively. I want to report to Convocation that these two projects are being pursued with all seriousness. However, we have encountered some challenges in line with approvals to start work from the Metropolitan authorities in both cities with respect to change of land use since our properties are cited at residential areas. We are thus vigorously engaging the authorities and discussing with them other alternatives and we strongly believe these projects would take off very soon. These two campuses when established would offer opportunity to create greater access to science and technology education by the Distance Learning mode. It would also help decongest the main campus and provide greater financial stability for the University. Members of Convocation would be duly informed of progress regarding the campuses.

Q. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

In this day and age, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become critical to the core business of all educational institutions. This is because it drives new technologies, facilitates information sharing and knowledge transfer and has become an integral part of all world class universities. Thus, as management, we will continue to give attention to issues relating to ICT because we cannot allow ourselves to be left behind.

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In line with this, in assuming office, we engaged the appropriate ministries and authorities concerning issues on ICT and we are hopeful that we would gain the consent of Government through the Ministry of Communications to establish a Data Communication Centre on campus. Already, a site near the examination centre, has been provided to the Ministry to put up their mast which has been completed and it is understood that this would facilitate the establishment and functioning of this centre. We are also in talks (consultation) with the Ministry of Communications and Huawei Technologies, a Chinese telecommunication company for the supply of equipment and the establishment of a State of the Art Data Communications laboratory in the coming months. We had our first meeting and site selection on the 13 th of May, 2011 and all points to the fact that before the end of the year the laboratory would be in place.

Apart from this, we have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Vodafone for the establishment of an Internet Café at the College of Engineering which would be the biggest on the continent of Africa by Vodafone. This would provide greater access and faster internet service to both students and staff. By the Memorandum of Understanding, ten percent (10%) of the returns made by Vodafone would come to the University. To continue to expand access to internet facility and making it a part of our everyday life, especially at the students’ level, the University has assisted the Students Representative Council (SRC) to establish the SRC/UITS ICT Centre at the Commercial Area which is almost at completion stage.

Our E-Learning Centre at the New Central Lecture Theatre under the Institute of Distance Learning has also started running programmes in E-Learning mode in collaboration with institutions in India. We would continue to work hard towards improvement in facilities and services in the area of ICT, especially in the provision of library services which is also one of our key priority areas.

R. SECURING OUR BORDERS

The KNUST has a total land area of 3,959.25 acres and shares borders with nineteen (19) communities. This makes it a daunting task for effective policing. In recent times, there has been the issue of encroachment which we continue to battle, some of these are very subtle. However, I believe it is time to give serious attention to building effective structures to secure

21 our borders. Approval has, thus, been given for the construction of three thousand (3,000) blocks as a start to continue with the erection of the wall along the Bomso-Ahinsan gate border. We would also ensure that this process is maintained annually till a large portion of all our strategic borders are secured.

S. UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

The KNUST Hospital is a 100-bed capacity hospital initially set up to cater for the health needs of University students, staff and their dependents. However, this objective has changed as the hospital currently renders services to the surrounding communities. This continually brings enormous pressure on the hospital because of the overstretched capacity and facilities. It is in line with this that the University Administration established the Students’ Clinic which, to a large extent, has eased the conflicts and tensions that characterized service at the main hospital especially in the morning hours. Thus, the University Health Services operates two facilities, the main University Hospital and the Students’ Clinic.

Since October 1, 2010 when I assumed duty up to end of April, 2011, the hospital has attended to 86,529 people in total. This comprised 59,599 private patients, 11,031 staff and 15,899 students at the Students’ Clinic. The occupancy rate at the hospital for the period is 81%. These figures reflect the challenging situation at the hospital. The hospital continues to excel in its service delivery in the midst of all these challenges. During the month of December, 2010, the hospital delivered a set of quadruplets at the Maternity ward and the mother and children have been discharged and are doing well. It continues to maintain its excellent record on maternal mortality and remains one of the best destinations for pregnant women in the Kumasi metropolis. Records also show that staff usage of NHIS cards has also improved remarkably increasing to about 80% during the period.

With respect to infrastructure, the major significant project is the VIP Ward comprising a 24- room ward with semi private rooms. The project is 85% completed and is expected to be handed over by the end of July, 2011. Apart from this, the hospital is also refurbishing its public health unit and the work is far advanced and should be completed by the early part of June, 2011.

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The KNUST Hospital continues to train residents and housemen. Currently, there are 8 housemen and 3 residents under training. In the area of community support, certain identifiable groups have donated blood to the hospital and these include; the SRC, the Society of Integrated Rural Artists and the Ayigya Moslem Community. The Roman Catholic Chaplaincy has also made cash donations to the hospital, specifically, the mother of the quadruplets and the children’s ward. The Inter Hall Christian Fellowship also made a donation of plastic chairs to the hospital. I will like to urge colleagues to encourage their societies and groups to make donations to support work at the KNUST hospital.

As with every unit on the University Campus, the University Hospital has some challenges ranging from inadequate staff, ageing staff to space limitation just to mention a few. The University Administration is working with the hospital to see how best to address their situation or concerns. At this point, I will like to inform convocation that the staff medical screening would come on between the period of June and July, 2011 and I will like to entreat all staff to avail themselves for this exercise since we want you fit for the journey ahead.

T. DISTANCE LEARNING

The University established the Institute of Distance Learning (IDL) formerly as the Faculty of Distance Learning in 2005 to back the University’s strategic plan, PLAN2K14, which aims at enrolling 40,000 students by the year 2014. As part of that plan about 40-50% of the projected 40,000 students should be through the distance learning mode. Over the past 6 years, the Institute has adopted measures which have shown tremendous improvement in its operations, programmes and courses on offer and its student population.

Currently, the Institute runs 11 undergraduate and 5 postgraduate programmes from all the 6 Colleges of the University. The Institute as we are already aware has two (2) special MBA/MPA programmes from the Commonwealth of Learning:

• Commonwealth Executive Masters in Business Administration (CEMBA) • Commonwealth Executive Masters in Public Administration (CEMPA)

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Presently, emphasis is shifting from the four year undergraduate programmes to the two year top-up programmes. The maiden top-up programmes started in March this year with six undergraduate programmes. These are:

• B.Sc. Statistics; • B.Sc. Business Administration; • B.Sc. Construction Technology and Management; • B.Sc. Quantity Surveying and Construction Economics; • B.Sc. Computer Engineering; and • B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering

Of these programmes, patronage of the B.Sc. Business Administration, B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, B.Sc. Construction Technology and Management and B.Sc. Quantity Surveying and Construction Economics was overwhelming. The current student population of the Institute stands at five thousand and thirty five (5,035). This comprises 2,744 undergraduates and 2,291 postgraduate students. Of the undergraduates, 1,656 representing 60.3% are top-up students.

Currently, the Institute operates in 8 out of the 10 regions in Ghana, the remaining two being Upper East and Upper West regions. Centres in the two regions would start in the 2011/2012 academic year at Bolgatanga and Wa respectively. A new centre is also to be opened this coming academic year at Tarkwa. The next academic year would also see the introduction of three (3) new programmes from the Department of Computer Science. Two (2) of these are postgraduate programmes and the other an undergraduate programme. These programmes are in Health informatics and Information Technology. Plans are also far advanced to introduce three (3) new BSc programmes in Project Management, Development Management and Enterprise Risk Management and Business Consulting.

The projections for distance learning in KNUST for the coming years are as follows; - The establishment of the City campuses to increase access, to cut down expenditure especially on rental facilities and to provide identity. - To introduce greater level of technology to facilitate the virtual classroom concept, a model which we intend to pilot in 2011/2012 academic year with the CEMBA/CEMPA programmes.

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- Establishment of prospective centres at Tema and Obuasi in the coming years. - Progressive increase in student numbers and the introduction of more science and technology based programmes with minimal laboratory component.

U. PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Physical infrastructure plays a critical role in the provision of quality education at all levels of the educational ladder. However, it is not the only component but integrated with other factors such as quality human resource in achieving quality. My presentation this afternoon on physical infrastructure would be grouped under three (3) categories. Category one (1) would be on completed projects, category two (2) on on-going projects and maintenance works and category three (3) on new projects.

On completed projects, (category 1) the new facility for the Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies (CEDRES), which was started during the time of Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa was commissioned for use in November, 2010. The administration block for the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences has also been completed and is yet to be commissioned. The Unity Hall Senior and Junior Common Rooms have also constructed a reading facility for use by the students in the Hall and this is also yet to be commissioned. Independence Hall has refurbished one of the available rooms in the basement of the Annex Block as reading facility for student use. This has already been commissioned and is operational. A new car park has also been constructed at the College of Architecture and Planning by the Department of Urban Roads through the initiative of the college. This is already in use and has eased the parking situation at the College. . For category two (2) projects, I indicated in my vision that the following uncompleted projects would be given priority attention. These include:

• the Faculty of Art Building • the Conference Centre and guesthouses (behind Hale and Hearty facility) • Examination centre (phase two) • N-block for College of Engineering • VIP Ward at the KNUST Hospital • Entrance (Beautification) project

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Maintenance works include:

• Refurbishment of the 9 th floor of Unity Hall • Refurbishment of the roof of the new wing of the library complex block • Painting and minor works on residential facilities on campus • The Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences building • The Department of Publishing Studies building.

The College of Art and Social Sciences Complex – the first phase is at the roofing stage and in discussions with the contractor, he has indicated that the roofing may be completed by the end of May, 2011. An amount of GH¢1 million has been allocated to this project out of the GH¢2.3 million received from the GETFund as the University’s total allocation for projects for 2011.

The Conference Centre and Guesthouses: the projects have been re-valued and tendered. It is yet to go through the last phase of the procurement processes for work to continue.

The Examination Centre (Phase 2) – Due to time and change of location at the start of project, it affected the project cost. Thus the project is being re-negotiated for approval by Entity Tender and Central Tender Committees. However, an amount of GH¢800,000 has been allocated for this project from the GETFund allocation for this year. Meanwhile, work on the concourse is progressing steadily.

The College of Engineering N-block complex has experienced a windfall. Through discussions with Government and with the assistance of the Minister of Energy, Dr. Oteng Adjei, an alumnus of this great University, in relation to the World Bank Oil and Gas project, we received Government support of one (1) million dollars towards the completion of the project. Government has fulfilled its promise with the release of US$500,000 for the project and work is on-going steadily. I have also received information on the release of the second and last tranche of US$500,000 and the University would be applying for its transfer into our accounts very soon.

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Work is also progressing steadily on the VIP ward at the KNUST Hospital. Even though we have missed the estimated completion time, we hope to complete the project by the end of July, 2011.

The project on the beautification of the entrance is a 3-phase one. The 1 st phase comprises the construction and erection of the statue and the creation of a park. The statue has already been completed and fixed and portions of the park grassed. The 2 nd phase is the stone pitching of the embankment which has also been almost completed except for some minor works. The 3 rd phase is the fencing and landscaping of the “Island”. The fencing is almost complete and the landscaping would be undertaken by the Horticulture Department after the initial preparatory works has been carried out by the contractor. It is also anticipated that the “Peace Pole” currently at the Commercial Area would be re-located to the “Island” as part of the beautification process.

For major maintenance works, refurbishment of the 9th floor of the Unity Hall would be tackled during the break. Unity Hall 9 th floor for some time now has been leaking and this has been a source of concern due to financial constraints. We have taken a decision to address the issue. Design works have been completed and evaluation of tenders is in progress and we are hoping that work would start these holidays.

The roof of the new section of the Library complex block is also leaking and design works for the re-roofing have been completed by the Development Office of the University. An amount of GH150,000 has been allocated from the GETFUND allocation for 2011 for this work. Tenders are to go out and we are hoping to complete the process on time for work to start this vacation.

The Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences building is receiving a phase lift. Work is on-going on the external parts, there have been few requests relating to the rehabilitation of the toilet facilities and these are receiving attention.

Greater parts of the roof of the buildings of the Department of Publishing Studies have caved in posing a serious threat to life and property. The buildings are very old and thus need refurbishment; therefore steps are being taken to change the roof of the buildings as well as carry out some maintenance works. Procurement processes have been completed and are

27 awaiting arrival of the raw materials for work to begin. We hope that works would be completed during the break to ensure that the building is ready for use by staff and students of the Department come the beginning of next academic year.

Finally, with respect to maintenance works, painting and minor works to the external of our residential facilities have started and I will urge colleagues to be interested in what is being done to their buildings.

For the category three (3) projects (new projects), I indicated in my vision statement that the following would be given attention depending on the availability of funds:

• the office block for the School of Graduate Studies • the City Campus projects • the Teaching Hospital project • * the Business School Lecture theatre • Centralized laboratory block • Sculpture Garden

Through proposals presented to some private entrepreneurs, two have indicated their desire to assist the University. The first entrepreneur has made a commitment to construct the office block of the School of Graduate School (SGS) and the second a commitment to build the Centralized Laboratory Block. Formal responses have been received in respect of these and the perspectives and detailed drawings have already been forwarded to the Sponsors and we are hoping that work would begin in a few weeks time. I am reliably informed that the one for the Central Laboratory block has already hit the site by clearing the area for work to start.

The City Campus projects have slowed down a bit due to challenges being encountered with the Metropolitan authorities for approval to start work and also the change in land use as I have already indicated in this presentation. The detailed drawings and perspectives have all been completed and we believe that when these hurdles are overcome, work would start on the Accra and Kumasi Centres. Work on the Business School Lecture theatre has already started and all documentary issues have been completed. Work is estimated to be completed in 12 months.

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Colleagues, in our bid to expand facilities to be able to take on more students for medical education, I indicated in my vision that the teaching hospital project would receive priority attention. In line with this, on assumption of office, I set up the Teaching Hospital Project Committee to review the whole project and make recommendations for the way forward. The Committee has asked for extension of time and would submit its report by the end of June. However, issues relating to Government’s approval to enable us take off are almost through. We have received support from the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and the Ministry of Health. We are currently awaiting approval from the Ministerial Tender Committee for the first phase of the project to take off.

With our current student population on campus of more than 21,000, it is increasingly clear that spaces for students’ relaxation and studies are very much limited. It is in the light of this that the idea of constructing a Sculpture Garden, using the landspace lying between the Museum and the Sculpture Section of the Department of Painting and Sculpture, was conceived. The detailed drawings and quantities have all been completed and work is anticipated to start very soon. With respect to the ICT building, not much have been done, however, we are hopeful that in the near future, this project would also take off.

V. CONCLUSION

Colleague members of convocation, in conclusion, I want to take this opportunity to once again thank everyone of you for your contribution towards the progress made so far. There is a lot ahead of us to achieve in reaching our goal of repositioning KNUST as a global institution for Science and Technology with a strong humanities base to impart on national development. One thing we need to understand and appreciate is that education globally has become increasingly student centered and this change has brought about new challenges for all those in higher education institutions especially for those of us in Africa. It is in the light of this, that one Vice Chancellor in an interaction with his faculty described present day lectureship job as stressful, demanding and tough. I believe we are experiencing the same thing. There is therefore the need for a re-orientation of our minds and attitudes. There is also the need for teamwork and the creation of an environment that would enhance cordiality and promote the framework to enable us carry on with our core business.

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It is in this respect that for this year we want to initiate the Congregational Dinner Dance and Awards night, a time for relaxation with our spouses after a hard year’s work and to also appreciate and honour all those who have made significant contributions to the business of the University. This programme is billed to take place in July, 2011. On this note I wish you God’s blessings in the period of marking and assessments.

Thank you.

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