Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Professor George K. T Oduro, has assured that the university would continue to pursue strong academic standards despite the complains of some students.
Prof Oduro said it is untrue that the University has harsh academic expectations, which scares prospective students from seeking admission adding that “UCC only believes in quality, and we cannot sacrifice quality for quantity”.
The Pro-Vice- Chancellor was speaking with the Ghana News Agency over the weekend, during the maiden national old students reunion programme dubbed: “UCC Alumni ReConnect” in Accra.
Held under the theme: “UCC, Let’s Rise to Our Call”, the event was a collaborative work of the University’s Institutional Advancement Office (IOA) and the UCC Alumni Association.
Prof Oduro said the University has produced excellent graduates who are serving the country in various capacities and this was the result of the strong academic structure which continues to be” very rigorous and highly competitive.”
“I remember one student saying look, at the way UCC insists on standards, it is not a good place to be. I told him the University cannot sacrifice quality for anything, because we believe Ghana needs quality graduates for economic growth and development.”
He said the UCC was committed to championing robust academic initiatives to propel its vision to become the “University of Competitive Choice” serving all types of industries all over the world.
As part of these initiatives, the University has established a Directorate of Quality Assurance and the Directorate of Research and Consulting, both the Pro-Vice- Chancellor said, were aimed at boosting the academic performance of students through quality teaching.
“Teaching is more effective when it is based on research. The university also consults external bodies for some advisory on quality teaching strategies,” he said.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor said the IAO was also created to facilitate a direct relationship between academic programmes and industry.
“Universities must serve society. As such, academic programmes must be tailored to the needs of the industry. UCC is working hard to bridge the gap between academia and industry,” Prof Oduro said.
He expressed happiness at the attendance of the event saying it was an indication that the old students were eager to meet their mates and network among themselves.
“This is also an avenue for mentorship as the younger ones would find mentors in various industries.”
The event which was coloured with inter-halls fun games, music, UCC house of parliament sitting and a photo exhibition, was attended by hundreds of old students from the ten regions of the country.
Other alumni outside the country also sent their solidarity messages, which were played on a giant screen at the official launch of the programme.
The UCC maiden Alumni ReConnect, which also featured Agorofie, a flagship programme of telecommunication network, Vodafone, saw the alumni of five generations meeting to network, share memories and map out plans to make the institution a world class university.
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