First Class Honors Bachelor Degree holders to be admitted into PhD Programs @ UCC

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Rev. Prof. Addow Obeng has hinted that students who graduate from UCC with first class honors Bachelors degree will be admitted into doctoral programs at the university from the beginning of the 2007/ 08 academic year. The idea was mooted as a measure to meeting the ever increasing rise in the need for teaching staff and faculty members by the university in the academic and research sectors. The said beneficiaries according to the VC will be made to pursue the PhD programs within stipulated three year duration. He dropped this hint at a meeting that he and members of his entourage namely; Mr. Ohene, Registrar (Academic) and Dr. Opoku Agyemang, a senior lecturer had with Ghanaian students studying at the Athens campus of Ohio University in the United States.

The VC added that the students upon graduation will be made to serve the university. And as a way of encouraging more candidates to take advantage of the offer, a scholarship scheme is being introduced where stipends will be paid to the recipients to meet their academic and research goals, the VC noted. He is of the view that this measure will augment the staffing situation of the university, as it is currently beset with the following hardships; many lecturers are at the brink of reaching their retiring age, lecturers leaving for greener pastures and the problem of finding it difficult to fill the vacuum that is being created. As a short term solution, a memorandum of understanding is being entered into between UCC and Ohio University where professors from the US based institution will be at University Cape Coast as visiting lecturers. Two Ghanaian professors at OU, Dr. Anthony Yao Sallar of the School of Health Sciences and Dr. Francis Godwyll of the Faculty of Education have been tasked to facilitate this initiative.

During questioning time the team was made to appreciate problems of mounting inadequate student accommodation, insecurity on campus as result of the recent spate of armed robberies and what the authorities were doing by way of addressing these teething problems. A concern raised by the Ghanaian students included the issue of a Graduate Program at the Masters level at UCC going beyond two years. A general consensus of the gathering claimed it has something to do with, “Either a student is not doing what has to be done or a lecturer is doing GALAMSEY somewhere and does not have time for the student. Prof. Obeng said, “Some form of a new system has been put in place which would eliminate such developments”. He mentioned among others that the university has also intensified its staff recruitment drive globally.

About students accommodation the VC noted that couple of years ago UCC Alumni Association initiated a project, which is the putting up of an alumni hostel. Funding was expected to come from the monthly contributions and donations of members. But the VC lamented that the expected funds are not flowing as envisaged.

To complete the project the members have gone for a bank loan, this the Vice Chancellor described as a marvelous idea. Besides the above, Rev. Prof. Addow said, “Other infrastructures are coming in because of the GETFUND”. He added that 38 billion cedis has been received for various projects on campus. He noted that UCC is internally generating income to support some of its self initiated projects as a result of the consultancy services that it is rendering. UCC which the VC described as a university of “Choice” is also taking advantage to recruit more international students, as a source of revenue generation and mobilization. It is therefore getting in touch with potential foreign students to meet that aspiration, he stressed.