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; 2 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.