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News from 2001
Ashesi University
to start classes in March 2002
Oct 2001
Ashesi University, a four-year university that will grant Bachelor's degrees in computer science and business administration, has been awarded institutional accreditation by the National Accreditation Board of Ghana. Based on a core liberal arts curriculum, Ashesi's academic programme will be equivalent in quality to some of the best colleges in the United States. The school's mission is to train a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial business leaders in Africa. Ashesi's first academic year will commence in March 2002.
Ashesi's academic curriculum was developed with the input of some of the best academic minds in the United States - including professors from Swarthmore College, University of California at Berkeley, and University of Washington - and with input from Ghanaian business leaders, academics, students and parents. Ashesi has also forged an institutional affiliation with Swarthmore College, with the goal of developing Ashesi's curriculum to a level that will enable credit transfers between the two institutions. Swarthmore is currently the number-one ranked liberal arts college in the United States.
Ashesi University
will begin instruction at a newly renovated facility in North Labone. The Labone campus features state-of-the-art computer, library and classroom facilities. Development of a permanent campus close to Accra, which will include onsite residential facilities, is ongoing. Ashesi will be conducting information sessions in an open house format at its Labone campus, for interested students and parents to learn more about the college.
Student catalogues and application forms for
Ashesi University are available immediately at no charge. The deadline for submission of applications is December 17, 2001. Further information is available on the Contact Us page of this website, via e-mail at admissions@ashesi.org, or via fax at +233 (0)21 220574.
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Ashesi forges institutional ties with Swarthmore College
Sep 2001
On September 14, 2001, Al Bloom, President of Swarthmore College, signed a collaborative agreement between Swarthmore and Ashesi, offering to assist in efforts to develop a world-class academic institution in Ghana. The two colleges will work together to develop a rigorous academic program at Ashesi. The agreement sets the specific goal of enabling Swarthmore College to recognize credits taken for course work completed at Ashesi -- a yardstick that will truly speak to the caliber of Ashesi's academic program. Volunteer professors at Swarthmore, besides serving as external examiners, have offered to assist with faculty development and training, advise on matters of curriculum development, faculty recruiting, and academic policies.
Ghanaian students will be better educated as a result of this relationship, and we are very excited and grateful for the opportunity to work with Swarthmore. Swarthmore College is currently ranked the top liberal arts college in the United States by US News & World Reports.
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Dr. Nana Apt joins as Acting Dean of Academic Affairs
Aug 2001
Dr. Nana Araba Apt has recently accepted a position as Acting Dean of Academic Affairs. Born and raised in Ghana, Nana Apt is a Professor of Social Studies and currently serves as Director for the Center for Social Policy Studies at the University of Ghana. She earned undergraduate degrees in philosophy, psychology and English from Queen's University of Canada, a Masters in Social Work at University of Toronto, Canada, and a PhD in sociology from University of Ghana. With experience working and teaching in Ghana and abroad, Dr. Apt will be a great asset in helping guide and develop Ashesi's academic program.
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Mildred Wulff accepts position as Associate Director of Admissions & Career Placement
Aug 2001
Mildred Wulff, a Ghanaian national and an alumna of Swarthmore College, recently joined Ashesi as Associate Director of Admissions and Career Placement. Mildred holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Swarthmore College, and has worked in market research, e-commerce and finance at CDNOW, Jupiter, and Prudential Insurance Company. Ms. Wulff's broad professional experience makes her an invaluable addition to Ashesi's executive management team. She is strongly committed to Ashesi's mission and is "enthusiastic about returning home, as part of an organization that will have a significant impact on the lives of Ghana's future leaders."
We are delighted to see yet another highly qualified Ghanaian national join us in our efforts, and hope this is just the beginning of a long-term trend for
Ashesi University.
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Ghana-Seattle Association endorses Ashesi
Aug 2001
The Ghanaian Association of Greater Seattle, GHASEA, in a unanimous vote recently agreed to submit a letter of endorsement on behalf of the Ghanaian community living in Seattle area for the Ashesi project. At a BBQ held at Trustee Yaw Asare-Aboagye's home, Patrick made a presentation to members of GHASEA asking for their support. The members of GHASEA were enthusiastic about Ashesi's project and offered to lend their full support to Ashesi. Yaw recently attended a meeting in which in a unanimous vote GHASEA agreed to endorse Ashesi and to help us raise funds from the Ghanaian community in Seattle. [Click here to read the full GHASEA endorsement letter for Ashesi.]
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Meeting Ghana's President
Jul 2001
A group of 5 Ashesi representatives met with Ghana's new president, Mr. John A. Kufuor, during a recent trip to Accra. President Kufuor had been introduced to the university project by Ashesi trustee Yaw Asare-Aboagye earlier this year and had expressed an interest in learning more about this project. Ashesi's President Patrick Awuah, Vice President Nina Marini and trustees Yaw Asare-Aboagye, David Leonard and Patrick Nutor paid President Kufuor a visit at his residence to speak about Ashesi's vision and progress. President Kufuor showed great enthusiasm for the project, noting he was encouraged to see Ghanaians with good credentials taking on such an ambitious endeavor. He was especially excited to see Ghanaians abroad becoming re-engaged in Ghana's economy, and he encouraged us to maintain our pioneering spirit.
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Campus renovation completed
Jul 2001
Renovations are complete at Ashesi's temporary campus in the Labone neighborhood of Accra. Over the past several months contractors at the facility have been working hard to get the Ashesi campus ready for our first class of students. The facility now boasts new air-conditioning units, a cafeteria, fully networked buildings, bookshelves and desks, a health clinic, new coats of paint and some nice landscaping. The place looks great. Students will be able to look forward to a comfortable and clean learning environment for their first year of classes. We are now stocking the bookshelves and plugging in the computers. As soon as we get accredited we will be in business.
Entrance to Ashesi's newly renovated campus
 
Photos of a classroom at Ashesi, and a look into the reception area.
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Todd Warren joins Ashesi's founding board
Jul 2001
Ashesi Board of Trustees recently voted to add a new member, Todd Warren. Todd has spent 14 years with Microsoft, and currently works as the General Manager of Microsoft Project. He is actively involved with higher education in the United States, serving on the advisory board for Northwestern University's Computer Science Department, and on Stanford's Advanced Project Management advisory board. Todd recently taught classes in software engineering as a visiting scholar in Computer Science at Northwestern University. With experience in both classroom and business settings Todd is a great addition to the Ashesi team.
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Ghanaian businesses look to partner with Ashesi
Jun 2001
A Haas School of Business MBA team, sponsored by Ashesi, recently completed a study of 48 Ghana "Club 100" companies, which reveals that Ghanaian executives are very enthusiastic about Ashesi's vision and mission. The study found that most companies were impressed by the relevance of the curriculum to the needs of Ghana's business sector, and would be willing to participate in Ashesi's work-study program by admitting students as interns. As Mrs. Norkor Duah, Managing Director of Ammirati Puris Lintas states, "Ashesi has come at the right time. We need to provide an education that will build the expertise and competencies of the individuals that will who will drive the future of Ghana. We are willing to support this effort. As part of the corporate community we could team up with Ashesi to satisfy the needs of our industry."
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UW, Swarthmore professors sign on as external examiners
May 2001
Professors at the University of Washington, and Swarthmore have agreed to join professors from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business as external examiners during the first years of Ashesi's operation. Professors from Swarthmore will review the syllabi and exams for the Humanities, Social Science, and Math classes, and Professors from the University of Washington have agreed to review the course materials in Ashesi's computer science courses. The generosity of Professors at all three schools has been overwhelming, and by volunteering to work as external examiners they will help ensure that Ashesi is able to attain the goal of educating students to an international standard.
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Ashesi strengthens board of trustees
Apr 2001
Ashesi further strengthened its board of trustees by bringing in two new members in March.
Yaw Asare-Aboagye, an expatriate Ghanaian, is manager of clinical development at Immunex Corporation in Seattle, Washington. He recently served a term as president of the Ghanaian Association of Greater Seattle, where Ashesi's founder Patrick Awuah first met him. Yaw is highly enthusiastic about Ashesi's vision, and is "delighted to be able to help in any way I can."
Bill Bliss is currently general manager of Search and Navigation Services at Microsoft Corporation. He was a founding member and leader of the design team that created Microsoft Outlook and holds eight US patents relating to his work on Microsoft Outlook. In 1998 he moved to MSN where he led the team that launched MSN Search, now one of the top search services on the Internet. Bill has known Patrick since 1991 and has watched with interest as the vision for Ashesi progressed since Patrick left Microsoft to pursue his dream. Bill notes, "It's one thing to say that you are interested in African post-secondary education as an abstract concept. It's quite another to have a chance to play a personal role in building a university that will shape the lives of others for generations to come. I'm looking forward to helping realize the Ashesi vision."
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"Vision for Ghana" event a success
Apr 2001
On March 31, a number of Ashesi's donors and advisors joined our trustees in a celebration of Ashesi's vision for Ghana. Founder Patrick Awuah updated everyone on the latest developments at Ashesi, while studio 213B, the architectural team designing Ashesi's campus, shared their vision for our future campus. Their slide presentation gave everyone a vivid sense of the particular challenges being faced in designing for a hot, humid climate and a different set of construction materials and practices. The afternoon's festivities also included Ghanaian art, food, music and dance as people mingled and learned more about the current state of the Ashesi project.
Founder Patrick Awuah presents an update on Ashesi's progress.
Drum and dance troupe Okyea me perform a traditional Ghanaian piece.
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Architectural designers Evy Ibarra and Sofia Veniard explain renderings of Ashesi's future campus.
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A sampling of Ghanaian cuisine. |
See our Features section for more details on the event.
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New staff in Seattle
Jan 2001
Matt Taggart has joined Ashesi University Foundation as a research assistant, bringing Ashesi's total full-time employee headcount to four (including staff in Ghana). Armed with a degree in Humanities and working experience in a startup online market research company, Matt is working primarily on bolstering our fundraising efforts. Welcome to the team, Matt!
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