Accra, Jan. 8, GNA- Professor Alexander A. Kwapong, the first Ghanaian Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon has urged the authorities to transform the premier university to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
"The University of Ghana is still primus inter pares, but it must now carve out a new and appropriate niche for itself and renew itself for the coming years."
Prof. Kwapong was launching the 60th anniversary celebration and the unveiling of anniversary logo and jingle of the university at a ceremony on Tuesday at Legon.
The celebration, scheduled for July this year is on the theme; "Legon: Charting a New Course".
He said the country had come a long way and the higher education landscape in Ghana was now different from the early seventies. "As we celebrate this 60th anniversary of the University of Ghana, a year after Ghana's own Golden Jubilee Anniversary celebrations ----, one cannot help but proudly notice the indispensable contribution and overwhelming role that products of this university have made to almost every aspect of Ghana's development as an independent nation. "As we duly take stock of the successes and failures, and assess the challenges, the missed opportunities and achievements of this institution during these past 60 years, I am sure the impartial conclusion will be that the Legon story has so far been a success story; but it must adapt and change itself for the 21st Century," he said. Prof. Kwapong congratulated the university on the attainment of its 60th milestone and paid tribute to all concerned, young and old, Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians alike, who had contributed over the years to the attainment of the anniversary.
He stressed the need to honour the memory of those Ghanaian pioneers, who died, together with their expatriate colleagues, under the leadership of Mr David Balme, the founding Principal of the University, who laid the solid foundations for the growth and development of the university into a great African university.
Professor Clifford N.B. Tagoe, the Vice Chancellor, said although the university celebrated its 50th years anniversary only 10 years ago, "we believed 60 years is worth marking". He said the events of the past 10 years provided the institution not only an opportunity for reflection but also the confidence to look ahead for greater things.
"We have seen unprecedented growth in the numbers of students. Ten years ago we had about 15, 000 students; we now have nearly 30,000. "The University has seen changes in its governance structure by the establishment of colleges, Health Science and Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, a Faculty of Engineering Sciences and the Accra City Campus, a number of centres - Gender Studies and Advocacy, Migration Studies and Crop Improvement - are all in place," he said. Prof. Tagoe said the university had witnessed and was witnessing growth in the physical infrastructure involving student and staff accommodation, academic facilities for the Science, Agriculture, Social Studies and Law Faculties and also for various units in the College of Health Sciences and City Campus.
He said the Chemistry Building, started in early 1970s, was eventually completed during the period and there was massive investment in sports and recreational facilities in the form of a swimming pool, gymnasium and sports stadium. In the area of academic work, the Vice Chancellor said, many new programmes, especially at the Master Degree level had been developed and arrangements for the introduction of courses in Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine were nearing completion.
Ambassador James Aggrey-Orleans, Chairman of the 60th Anniversary Panning Committee, commended the authorities for maintaining the cordial relationship between staff and the students over the years. "During our days in the university we experienced a similar friendship, which had enabled us to forge ahead in unity to put together the university's programme of development," he said. He said as part of the celebrations, each faculty would be show casing different activities to portray the success of the university. He, therefore, called on all alumni to support the university by establishing an Endowment Fund to enable it achieve targeted goals. Mrs. Mary Chinery-Hesse, a member of the University Council and the chairperson for the occasion, said the anniversary would offer the university an opportunity to look back and reflect on achievements and failures. She said the university had played a pivotal role in the development of the country and commended stakeholders for their efforts. Prof. Daniel Mireku-Gyimah, Vice Chancellor of the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa read out the goodwill message.
