The Council of University of Professional Studies, UPSA has given Professor Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey a second term as Vice-Chancellor for the University.

The decision was taken at a Special Meeting of the Council of the University held on Monday, August 3, 2020 where members unanimously approved a second term for the Vice-Chancellor.

Prof. Amartey’s first term as VC expires by the end of this year following his appointment in 2017 to replace Prof. Joshua Alabi whose tenure had ended. According to a statement signed by the registrar for the University, Dr. G. Koryoe Anim-Wright, Prof. Amartey’s second term starts from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2024.

The statement disclosed the decision was arrived at after a “rigorous process”.

“His reappointment follows a rigorous process that included appraisals, interviews and consultations with faculty, staff, students, alumni and all relevant stakeholders from the wider University community.”

The statement also enumerated a number of achievements of Prof. Amartey during his first term.

“Prof. Amartey has led UPSA through a period of unprecedented growth and development. Under his leadership, several academic programmes of excellence have been introduced, including the PhD in Marketing, the MA in Peace and Security, and the E4Impact MBA programme.

During his first term as Vice-Chancellor, UPSA’s profile has significantly increased and the university has been ranked among the top universities in sub-Saharan Africa by Times Higher Education for two consecutive years (2019 and 2020) in a pioneering new global ranking that assessed the social and economic impact of universities based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

“The U-Multirank global universities rankings also listed the University as one of the top universities in the world in 2020. UPSA is the only university in Ghana featured in the global rankings that assesses universities on a multi-dimensional approach to higher education, including teaching and learning, research, knowledge transfer, regional engagement and international orientation.

Under his administration, UPSA’s international partnerships and collaborations increased significantly to include strengthening faculty and staff global exchanges and instituting several collaborations for global learning opportunities for UPSA faculty. As a result, several faculty members have been supported to complete their PhDs, while several more are currently in the process of completing their doctoral programmes.

Additionally, Prof. Amartey has heightened the research focus of UPSA faculty and introduced innovative publication award initiatives to encourage faculty publications in ranked journals,” The statement added.

The statement ended with a number of infrastructural projects undertaken by the VC to further upgrade facilities of the UPSA to become apar with institutions of global standards among other initiatives.

“Since assuming office, Prof. Amartey has continued the rapid infrastructure growth by building an AstroTurf football pitch, completing a state-of-the-art 3,550-capacity auditorium with underground parking, the Student Centre, with construction currently underway of new facilities including two, 10-storey multipurpose twin towers, and two, 10-storey hostel facilities.”