Wisconsin varsity holds 1st congregation (5/12/08)

Story: Jennifer Dornoo

THE Wisconsin International University College (WIUC), Ghana has held its first congregation with a call on graduates to impact positively on the economy of the country.
The Chancellor of the university, Dr Paul Fynn, who made the call in Accra yesterday, challenged the graduates to make good use of the knowledge they had acquired in developing the country.
“A degree is meaningless when you hold it without putting it into action,” he told them.
He advised the graduates to be effective in all fields as tertiary education was not just about specialising in one field but being able to do many things.
One hundred and fifty eight (158) students graduated, with 25 acquiring a Masters of Arts (Adult Education) and Masters of Business Administration.
Thirty students received Bachelors of Arts in Computer Science and Management, 49 students had Bachelor of Arts in Management and Computer Studies and 54 in Bachelor of Business Studies.
Five continuing students received half scholarships each for one academic year for being the best students in the university.
Mr Kwame Nkansa-Simpeh received the Best Teacher Award, Mr Amidu Kpandana, the Best Worker Award, Mr Felix Apau Awuku, the Cadbury Award for the Over All Best Graduating Student with Mr Jeremiah Salifu and Nana Aba Welbourne receiving awards as the Wisconsin Role Models.
The Principal of the university, Mr John Sackey, said in the previous years, graduates were made to join their counterparts in the University of Ghana, Legon and the University of Cape Coast due to their small number.
He said the increase in the students population, which now stands between 1500 and 2000, made it necessary to hold the university’s own congregation and showcase its unique achievements in complementing the government’s efforts at opening up more opportunities for tertiary education in Ghana.
While expressing his appreciation to the government for supporting the university, Mr Sackey appealed for the formalisation of the assistance package for private universities to enable the university to benefit from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND).
He said the majority of students studying at WIUC were Ghanaians who directly or indirectly had paid their taxes and therefore deserved to benefit from the fund.
The principal announced that the university would open another campus near the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) at Kanda in January, next year, and noted that the campus would serve a lot of workers in the area who were not able to attend the university full-time during the working day.
He added that the school would introduce a weekend MBA programme to reach out to people who lived outside Accra.
To address the falling standards in English language in the university, Mr Sackey said English would be made a compulsory subject throughout the undergraduate years in WIUC.
He said a Diploma course in Chinese Language would be organised for Ghanaian business people due to the mounting global importance of China.
The principal thanked the University of Ghana, Legon and University Cape Coast Business Schools for their distinguished efforts for their affiliations.