Catholic University Inducts New Vice Chancellor

Space FM, Sunyani - Professor James Hawkins Ephraim, has been inducted into office as the Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University College of Fiapre in Sunyani with a vision of combining innovative teaching with excellence in the utilization of God's knowledge for the advancement of mankind.

He assumed office at the university on July 2, 2007. Before then, he was the Dean of Graduate Studies of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST) in Kumasi.

Professor Ephraim holds a PhD in Chemistry from the State University of New York, Buffalo as well as two first degress from the University of Cape Coast. He was promoted full professor of chemistry at the KNUST in 2003 and has rich experience in teaching and research. As a Physical -Inorganic Scientist, his rich experiences includes distribution, speciation and mobility of trace metal ions and low-molecular organic acids in aquatic and terrestrial environments. Other areas of research interest include, studies of various energy isues, harzardous waste management, environmental impact, asessment and environmental mananagement, risk analysis and measurements and their effects on policy formulation.

For ten years, Professor Ephraim was a member of the Chemistry Group of the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Manangement Company, Stokholm. His work location include USA, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Sweden, Botswana and Ghana where he has worked at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission rising to the rank of Chief Scientific Officer from 2000 to 2004.

He was amember of the Executive Committee of the Commission where he contributed to the overall adminisration of the Commission and participating in the preparation of Nuclear Energy Concept paper. Profesor Ephraim was the first and second occupant of the Unilever/David Andoh Chair of Chemistry at the KNUST where he also served as the Head of the Chemistry Department and Vice- Dean of the Faculty of Pysical Sciences. He was also the TALIF Campus Co-ordinator where he was able to attract funds to assist teaching and research under the TALIF process.

Apart from professional engagements on various boards and committees at KNUST, Professor Ephraim has served and continues to serve on a number of national bodies.

These include the National Science and Technology Foundation, Pesticide Co-ordinating Committee, EPA-Ghana, Basel Convention on Hazardous Waste among several others.Professor Ephraim has over 50 publications in national and international journals.He is married with four children and has reading technical materials as his hobby. Responsibilities under his administration include providing strategic direction, growth and development of the university, raising funds and reorganising the public relation office of the university in Accra in order to energise the staff, maitaining good order and security for the school as a place of higher learning and encouraging lecturers to use power point in their teaching.

His adminstration shall also put in place good environmental and sanitation measures and maitain overal authority over the academic, financial and administrative staff, encouraging staff members to aquire their own houses through a mortgage which the university can act as surety and assisting lecturers to develop their lecture preparations into manuscripts and eventuall published as books.