NEWS ACROSS NIGERIAN CAMPUSES

UNN VC woos best graduands to embrace academics  

 

OUTSTANDING students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), who excelled by winning faculty and departmental prizes, received a call Friday last week to return to the university to pursue their higher degrees and a career in academics.The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Bartho Okolo, gave the charge in an address to the 2008/2009 graduating class at the 39th Convocation of the university.

He said: "Just last night, we shared the joys of those who excelled as winners of departmental and faculty prizes for outstanding scholarship. Permit me to suggest that such outstanding performers should consider returning to the university to take advantage of the positive teaching and learning environment which we are creating for scholarship and research. You will find fulfillment as academics and contribute to new knowledge."

Okolo told the students that they were "heirs to a proud and successful legacy, the legacy of innovation, of outstanding achievements and path breaking tradition" and had within them the potential to define the future.

He noted that education is what has always allowed humanity to meet the challenges of a changing world; a fact that has never been truer than it is today. He pointed out that the students are graduating at a time of great difficulty for Nigeria and the world.

Okolo urged the Class of 2010 to write the next great chapter in Nigeria’s story; to meet the tests of their time; and to take up the ongoing work of fulfilling the founding promise.

"Opportunity and luck come to the prepared," Okolo stated, stressing: "You have received sound preparation here, within the limits of existing resources, and I have faith in your ability to represent this great institution and our country wherever you find yourselves in this global arena. Go forth and make your marks".

Six thousand, seven hundred graduands received degrees and certificates at the two-day event. Of this number, 1,469 graduands were conferred with higher degrees, the highest number of such at any given time. The higher degrees included 167 doctorates, 1,067 with masters and 235 postgraduate diplomas while 56 out of the 5,062 first-degree recipients, graduated with first class honours.

Two governors, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State and Mohammed Danjuma Goje were also conferred with honorary degrees of the university.

Meanwhile, the university is to launch general and special endowments to provide funding for capital projects in pursuit of its vision to meet global standards.

Okolo said UNN planned to reduce drastically its dependence on government subvention by leaning on its alumni, institutional donors and other stakeholders to raise the funds necessary to implement its transformation programme.

According to the Vice Chancellor, "We require fresh approaches to resource mobilisation and management, to fulfil the size and scope of our vision for the University of Nigeria of this era. The University of Nigeria therefore seeks endowments from corporate or institutional donors as well as our able alumni and friends to fund various aspects of our operations going forward. Our goal is to gradually reduce dependence on subvention, which despite the best efforts of the government is often not enough, and generate independently the resources necessary to match our vision."