Oyibi (GAR), Oct. 5, GNA - Valley View University (VVU), has set up Curriculum Development Committees to structure its curricula for the introduction of courses in the Basic, Mathematical, Humanities and Social sciences.

Other courses to be introduced include applied programmes for medicine, law, architecture, pharmacy and planning as well as oil resources management, environmental management and insurance. Consequently, VVU is to pursue an aggressive infrastructural development agenda to expand lecture halls, libraries with priority to eLibrary service, hostel facilities amongst other interventions, to ensure successful take off of the courses.

Professor Dr Daniel Buor, Vice-Chancellor of VVU announced this when delivering his maiden address after he was invested and inducted into office at a ceremony at the Oyibi campus of the school, near Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region over the weekend. The investiture and induction makes Prof Buor, a 58-year old Medical Geographer and Health Care expert, who is the immediate past Provost of the College of Arts and Social Sciences of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the second personality to occupy such an office.

Dr Seth Laryea, immediate past Vice-Chancellor, then known as President of the VVU, handed over the administration of the VVU to Prof Buor, after which he took the Oath of Office in the presence of the VVU's Board of Directors, Council Members, government representatives, some members of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church, traditional authorities and stakeholders including present and past students. Prof Buor said the decision to introduce new courses was in line with the objective to place the VVU in the comity of world class universities as well as accelerate national development. "We propose to prosecute a science and technology agenda, which is the bedrock of development, without slighting and marginalising the humanities which partner science and technology in ensuring sustainable development," he said.

He said as part of its transformation agenda, the VVU would engage in regular departmental and inter-faculty seminars to strengthen its capacity to research and publish, with the hope to place the university among the best 100 in Africa at the close of the quinquennium. He said VVU would not operate in isolation but "shall augment linkages with universities that specialise in disciplines that constitute our focus", resulting in student and staff exchanges, organisation of common courses, staff training and joint researches among other things for development.

The new Vice-Chancellor said VVU would establish an Office of Industrial and Professional Relations to establish functional and dynamic links with industrial and professional organisations whose operations are in tandem with the objectives of the VVU. Prof Buor said the running of a private tertiary institution involve huge costs and appealed to the government to allocate a proportion of the Ghana Education Trust Fund, to private tertiary institutions to relieve their infrastructural burden. He said in addition to its Techiman Campus, VVU is working to open campuses in all the 10 regions to expand access to education. Prof Buor reiterated the commitment of the VVU to the philosophy of the SDA Church and general doctrines of Christianity to instil moral and spiritual discipline among the students and urged them to "dress modestly".

He also appealed to the leadership of the students' front to exhibit decorum and resort to appropriate internal structures to seek redress to their grievances.

He called on staff and all stakeholders of the VVU to support him to carry through his plans for the university. Dr Laryea, who headed VVU for 15 years, pledged to avail his expertise and experience to his successor towards the transformation of the university.

He said even though much remained to be achieved, his administration had done a lot to position VVU as a preferred institution of higher learning, making it to be the first private tertiary institution, to receive a Presidential Charter on Education in 2006. He thanked all those who supported him during his tenure and urged them to accord similar treatment to his successor.

Pastor Dr Samuel Adama Larmie, Council Chairman of the VVU said "Council is highly optimistic that the new Vice-Chancellor has the capabilities, the knowledge, experience, the zeal, the passion and of course, God as his Helper, to lead the university". Dr Joseph Annan, Deputy Minister in charge of Tertiary Education, whose speech was read on his behalf, assured the VVU of the Ministry's support and congratulated Prof Buor for his new appointment. VVU, an SDA institution, was established in 1983 and currently has a student population of 3290.