Professor Daniel K. Bediako has become Ghana’s youngest Vice Chancellor at age 39 following his installation to the high office of the Valley View University (VVU), one of Ghana\u2019s respected\u00a0private universities.<\/p>\n
Prof Bediako thus becomes the third VC since the school became a fully-fledged university and the first alumnus of VVU to hold that office.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”copAFA44OVG22zLl1dhFQHEJ7hcRBQ9x”]In his inaugural address on Monday, Prof Bediako expressed his gratitude to the University Council and West-Central Africa Division of the SDA for giving him the opportunity to serve in the high office of a VC.<\/p>\n
Prof Bediako said: \u201cMy personal vision is to make this University a leading centre of excellence for value-based Christian education that expresses itself in quality teaching, research, and community service\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsequently, it shall become the preference for students and the pride of alumni, the employer of the best faculty and staff, and the partner of choice in community, with donors and friends keen to fund and to advocate for our priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said \u201cfor this to be achieved, the University needs to re-evaluate its direction and scope, and fully explore its competitive advantage\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said the University\u2019s Strategic Plan would be reviewed, to ensure that it was responsive both to the realities on the ground and to the business of higher education service delivery in the church and the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe pledge transparency in leadership and commitment to the core values of the institution \u2013 Excellence, Integrity and Service \u2013 in the discharge of our duties and in our relationships,\u201d Prof Bediako stated.<\/p>\n
He holds a PhD and a Master of Arts in Religion (New Testament Studies), both from the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Philippines.<\/p>\n
He has a Bachelor of Arts in Theology (Hons) from VVU and He had his basic education at Brodi in the Brong Ahafo region and proceeded to the Presbyterian Secondary School at Sampa also in the Brong Ahafo region, where he earned a Senior Secondary School Certificate in 1995.<\/p>\n
Prof Bediako, started his career as a Teaching Assistant in the Theology Department after his first degree in 2002, and has since been working there.<\/p>\n
Before his new appointment in November 20015, he was the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Acting Pro Vice Chancellor, and later the Acting VC.<\/p>\n
His hobbies are thinking, reading, football, table-tennis, music composition, and listening to sounds of birds.<\/p>\n
Prof Bediako promised to follow the steps of his predecessors \u201cwho had set high standards for academic leadership and championed the cause of private tertiary education\u201d in Ghana.<\/p>\n
He said the University currently faced several challenges, which could weigh heavily on them within the next five years.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs all of you could see, upon entry into the campus, there is a huge building project, the chapel, which will take no less than $ 1.5 million to complete,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also servicing a loan facility taken from the Prudential Bank for the construction of halls of residence and staff housing, and this will take five additional years to service”.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe walling of the main campus has to be completed and a significant portion of the land is yet to be acquired\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said the University was grappling with inadequacies in infrastructure such as library and its resources, lecture halls, offices, residential accommodation, and academic staffing; of which only 15 per cent of faculty had earned terminal degrees.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also have challenges in student enrollment. Since 2014, there has been a gradual decline in enrollment, especially of regular students, who currently constitute only 32 per cent of the total student population,\u201d Prof Bediako said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur inability to clearly identify and promote flagship programmes and the limited number of programme offerings currently available equally serve to our disadvantage,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: GNA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Professor Daniel K. Bediako has become Ghana’s youngest Vice Chancellor at age 39 following his installation to the high office of the Valley View University (VVU), one of Ghana\u2019s respected\u00a0private universities. Prof Bediako thus becomes the third VC since the school became a fully-fledged university and the first alumnus of VVU to hold that office. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n