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• Ashesi Class of 2009 sets a new job placement record (Aug 2009)
• Ashesi breaks ground on a new campus (Aug 2009)
• Ashesi welcomes the Class of 2013 (Aug 2009)
• Ashesi hosts parents of the freshman Class of 2013 (Aug 2009)
• Rural girls experience university through COfA (Aug 2009)
• Ashesi hosts heads of Senior High Schools (Aug 2009)
• Computer lab switched to virtual desktops (Jul 2009)
• Ashesi student selected for Semester at Sea scholarship (Jul 2009)
• Crystal Springs Foundation donates $50,000 to Ashesi (Jul 2009)

Ashesi Class of 2009 sets a new job placement record
Aug, 2009

Ashesi’s class of 2009 sets a new job placement record of 98% in exactly three months after graduation. This year we recorded a one percent increment over last year’s placement. Banking & Finance still continues to be the highest industry placement category followed by Marketing which also had an additional feature—electronic marketing.

This year a number of our students were attracted to the Telecom industry making it the third (tie of three industries) on the placement record for class of 2009. The automobile industry also appeared on the placement scene this year taking 4% of our students. About 38% of class 2009 received multiple job offers ranging from two to four. incidentally, students who received multiple job offers were those who had done several internships, community service and class projects. They also were the ones who had a long history of participating in career programs and workshops. The reverse also held true! This year Tigo emerged the best employer of Ashesi graduates.

Ashesi breaks ground on new campus
Aug, 2009

Hundreds of local and international supporters gathered to celebrate the ground breaking of a new campus for Ashesi University in Ghana.  On this campus, Ashesi University will expand its work of educating the ethical and entrepreneurial leaders that Africa urgently needs.  The traditional Ghanaian Durbar ceremony brought together a wide range of Africans from entrepreneurs to village elders, to celebrate a locally founded university designed to launch a new era of locally led progress. Guests included the Ghanaian Minster of Education, the United States Ambassador to Ghana, a senior investment officer from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the local village chief, and the local representative to Parliament.

The new campus, made possible by donations to a multi-year, global capital campaign, will allow Ashesi to grow enrollment by 50% in the next three years and will create a stable base for future growth.  Located outside of Accra, in Berekuso, the first phase of the new campus will include a complete library, three computer labs, administrative and faculty offices, two classroom buildings and dormitories (Click here to view the plans for the new campus).  A global community of donors, primarily from the US and Africa, have contributed $3.3 million so far for the campus construction.  Ken Ofori-Atta, Executive Chairman of Databank Group in Ghana and an Ashesi donor said, “We believe [Ashesi] is an outstanding institution that is helping to educate a new generation of leaders for our country…The curriculum not only provides skills but also helps shape the character of its graduates, stressing integrity, humility, service and most significantly, citizenhood.  Ashesi students that I have hired at Databank have stood out as leaders and proven themselves to be inquiring, innovative and valuable assets in the growth of our investment company.”

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private investment arm of the World Bank, has invested 2.5 million in the campus project.  Guy Ellena, IFC Director for Health and Education, said of their investment in Ashesi, “We are pleased to work with a partner who is committed to creating a center for educational excellence and is positioned to make a significant impact on Ghana’s educational system by training future business and government leaders.”

The combined total of private donations and the IFC investment bring Ashesi to 93% of the $6.4 million cost of construction. Ashesi University Foundation, a U.S. based 501(c)3 organization dedicated to supporting Ashesi University College, is on track to raise the remaining $428,000.  Because tuition, from those students who can afford to pay, funds operating expenses of the university, donations to Ashesi are used to fund scholarships and expansion such as the capital campaign.

Donors typically identify Ashesi as a way to jump-start locally led progress.  Paul Maritz, Chairman of the Board of the Grameen Foundation (microfinance), notes that:  “Ashesi is a uniquely African institution that empowers bright, ambitious African youths to think for themselves and prepares them to develop their own solutions to their continent’s challenges. Ashesi is thus both a strategic and highly leveraged way to provide support.”

Click here to read the full address given by Ashesi Founder and President, Patrick Awuah.

Honored guests at the ceremony included:

• Chief of Berekuso:  Nana Oteng Korankye II
• Ghanaian Minister of Education:  Alex Tetteh Enyo
• U.S. Ambassador to Ghana:  Donald Tetelbaum
• Local Representative to the Ghanaian Parliament:  O.B. Omoah
• CEO Databank:  Ken Ofori-Atta
• Senior Investment Officer, IFC:  Kyle Kelhofer

Ashesi welcomes the Class of 2013
Aug, 2009
It was all excitement in the week of August 17, 2009 when the Ashesi community welcomed the class of 2013 to campus. The 145 students who showed up for orientation were selected from an applicant pool of 503. This class represents 29% of applicants and is Ashesi’s largest intake to date. With an almost equal ratio of men to women, this class embodies Ashesi’s ideal of gender balance on campus. “I know it’s going to be a rigorous 4 years, but I’m ready for the challenge”, Selase Dela-Brown says of her expectations.

Freshman orientation is an important event on the school’s calendar. It provides a medium to introduce new students to Ashesi’s culture in a low pressure setting. The different activities are designed to get new students to engage with each other, continuing students, faculty and staff and alumni.

Freshmen engaged in ice-breakers that had them working in teams; attending interactive workshops on skills for success; engaging the concept of mindsets; and listening to presentations about extracurricular life at Ashesi.

President Awuah in his welcome emphasized Ashesi’s commitment to turning out ethical leaders of industry and government. He said, “by choosing to come to Ashesi University, you’ve chosen to be nothing but excellent. Your time here will teach you how uninteresting mediocrity is. By the time you are ready to graduate, you will expect nothing but excellence of yourself and your friends.”

“I’ve never been in a place where excellence has been so emphasized. I’m excited about Ashesi and about all the different possibilities being here will afford me,” Audrey Ayamgha adds.

Approximately 37% of the freshman class qualified for Ashesi’s generous financial aid program. Ashesi is passionate about providing quality education for some of Africa’s brightest youth regardless of background. The class of 2013 was awarded $120,000 in financial aid grants, bringing the university’s total financial aid contributions to approximately $440,000 per year.

Forty-eight schools are represented in this class, including Aburi Girls’, Achimota, Bishop Herman, Faith Montessori, Tamale Senior High, Winneba, Tema International, and Wesley Girls’. International students come from Syria, Lebanon, Britain, India, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Nigeria.

Ashesi hosts parents of the freshman Class of 2013
Aug, 2009

Ashesi in its bid to get parents more engaged in the education of their wards this year held Parents’ Day; the first of its kind. Parents of freshmen were invited to an evening event of discussions and celebration. Some issues discussed included the honour code, Ashesi’s curriculum, alumni impact in Corporate Ghana and Ashesi’s future plans.

Dean Ashie, of the office of students and community affairs, welcomed the parents and applauded them for the brave decision of choosing an Ashesi education for their wards. Current students, Nana Ama Akosa’10, Babson semester abroad scholarship recipient and Afua Serwa Biney’11, class valedictorian shared experiences about their time here at Ashesi.  

Dean of Academic Affairs, professor Nana Araba Apt gave an overview of Ashesi's curriculum and the importance of the leadership component." We want giving back to societies to be second nature to our students. It's a fundamental principle of leadership."

Alumnus, Samuel Asumadu ‘07 who works with Fidelity Bank but is also the Country Director of the Astrient Foundation talked about why Ashesi’s one of the best experiences that could happen to anyone. He said “my time here at Ashesi shaped my view of the world. Everyday, I think of ways I can support the community I live in and it’s a beautiful place to be. Ashesi changed my life.”   

Mr. Ayamgha, father of Anita’07 and Audrey’13 mentioned why he believes Ashesi is contributing to the greatness of Africa, “my daughter Anita has always set high standards for herself and Ashesi was no different. She always talks about Ashesi forcing her to think in ways she had never before and how confident she is of contributing significantly to Ghana’s economy. I’m proud of her and I know Audrey will do the same.”

President Awuah, before taking questions from parents talked about where Ashesi had been, where we are now and what the future holds for the university. He spoke about donor support, alumni impact and challenges currently facing the university.

He encouraged parents to support Ashesi as we train their wards to act on their honour even when no one is watching. “What we are trying to do here is to get our students to think and be excellent at all times. We want our students to care about the decisions they make because it will be an important quality to have when they become leaders.”

Members of staff and faculty joined in the discussion about Ashesi's support of students and the university's expectations of students. "Together, we are creating the Ashesi legend," President Awuah said. 

Parents’ Day will be repeated for the parents of continuing students and will be an integral part of each year’s freshman orientation.

Rural girls experience university through COfA
Aug, 2009

For the third year in a row Ashesi hosted the College for Ama (CofA) initiative from July 29 to August 13 2009. This year, twenty five girls, aged eleven to fourteen, from rural schools of the Shama district in the Western Region were exposed to a variety of academic courses, as part of a program to motivate girls to pursue wider opportunities and ultimately access higher education. 

Previous programs brought to Ashesi, girls from rural Central and Greater Accra Regions.  This year, local businesses – Marquis Tante Marie, Churcheese and Sunshine Café located in Labone, supported CofA by providing a variety of meals to the girls, ensuring their bodies as well as their minds were nourished. 

The participants went through English comprehension and mathematics lessons, with an introduction to computers, using Ashesi’s first class IT resources.  A “self esteem program” helped participants look at themselves, assess their strengths and build upon them. CofA students also took lessons in dance and creative arts.  A group of Ashesi student volunteers assisted faculty in supervising the courses. 

"I have enjoyed being on this program. I wish many more of my classmates would have the opportunity to be here as well," one participant remarked. For student volunteer Jacqueline Hansen-Thompson, Ashesi Class of 2012, “CofA is a brilliant way of reaching out to deprived but brilliant girls in a small yet large way. Getting to know the girls on a personal level was interesting; some girls were so eager to learn just about everything.”

Prof. Nana Araba Apt, Ashesi’s Dean of Academic Affairs and one of the founding members of CofA said, “we are committed to empowering these young girls. We have a responsibility to giving back and this is one of the ways we choose to make a difference.”

Ashesi staff, students and faculty were invited to the closing ceremony, where participants put up an exhibition of their art work developed over their time at Ashesi.

Ashesi hosts heads of Senior High Schools
Aug, 2009

In early August 2009, the offices of the Dean of Student Affairs and the Career Services of Ashesi organized a two-days workshop for Senior High Schools teachers and administrators in the Greater Accra region.  The seminar was intended to inspire educators to implement comprehensive guidance programs in their various institutions and to enhance educational programs in Senior High Schools by providing the tools needed to support students during their secondary school education.

Eleven schools were represented in total; these included Accra Girls’, SOS College, Manhean Senior High, Akosombo International and St. Thomas Aquinas.

The seminar which focused on providing solutions and creative methods for dealing with social issues affecting Senior High Schools in Ghana was the first in a series that highlights three distinct areas, namely—academic, social and career development.

In his welcome address, Ashesi’s President Awuah, mentioned the crucial role teachers play in the shaping of mindsets of their students. He made reference to the book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success written by Carol Dweck and remarked, “Dr. Dweck, in her book, outlines this role in an astonishing way as you’ll come to learn through your discussions and during your time here.”

Carol Dweck discusses in depth the role of the growth and fixed mindsets in her book.

High on the list of topics discussed during the workshop included personality & temperament; family structure/problem behaviors; psychological safety; relationships & sexual behaviors and other external factors. The role-play and practice sessions of the workshop provided a platform for sharing best practices from both participants and facilitators.

Ashesi University, Merchant Bank, Ghana and Legacy&Legacy were the main sponsors of the program.

Computer lab switched to virtual desktops
Jul, 2009

“What’s happened to the PCs?”  “How do I turn this thing on?  I can’t find the CPU!” These were just some of the reactions by students and staff when they came to use the the Library computer lab during the long vacation.  The secret was soon out, Ashesi has adopted a new technology that links several workstations to a single server or computer.  The solution, from NComputing, will help us save power, cut down on maintenance and provide more workstations for our students to use.  

Ashesi’s switch to the NComputing solution will enhance the use of untapped computer capacity. PCs used in our world today are so powerful that the vast majority of applications only use a small fraction of the computer's capacity. NComputing allows multiple workstations to share a single processor that unused capacity can be simultaneously shared by multiple users.

In Ashesi’s library computer lab, the bulky CPUs have been replaced by eleven screens, eleven keyboards, eleven mice and a discrete NComputing device at the back of each screen. There is more space on tables for reading and other learning materials. The fewer cables also make the Lab much tidier.

The Ncomputing virtual desktops were a donated by an Ashesi supporter in the United States who responded to the request from our IT department.

Ashesi student selected for Semester at Sea scholarship
Jul, 2009

Ashesi University College Senior Nii Ayertei Tetteh has won a scholarship to spend three weeks with Semester at Sea, the premier shipboard program for study abroad.  Semester at Sea is a global program that has turned a ship into a university.  Housed on the MV Explorer, a 24,000 ton state-of-the- art passenger ship, which accommodates over 600 students and faculty, Semester at Sea sails to ports around the world providing interesting educational experiences to students.   Semester at Sea’s mission is to educate individuals for leadership service and success in shaping our interdependent world.

The Semester at Sea program in Ghana is being organized by LandTours Ghana Limited, a private travel company that has been operating in the country for the past decade.  LandTours will organize dozens of trips for Semester at Sea students all over Ghana to help them learn more about our rich culture and traditions.

Upon receiving the scholarship Nii Ayertei stated, "I am very honored to be chosen to participate in Semester at Sea and look forward to the opportunity to meet students from around the world.  I'm sure this trip will broaden my perspective and I hope to be able to share some of the experiences I gain with my friends in Ghana.  I am looking forward to representing Ghana and sharing what it is like to be a university student in Africa."

Crystal Springs Foundation donates $50,000 to Ashesi
Jul, 2009

The Crystal Springs Foundation a charitable organization founded by Mike and Joyce Murray have donated $50,000 to help support Ashesi’s growth.  Crystal Springs Foundation (CSF) promotes the democratization of educational and economic opportunity through support to selected projects throughout the world.  CSF has been a long-term supporter of Ashesi and provided some of the initially funding to get the university started over seven years ago.  We are very grateful for their continued support as we work to expand our academic offerings and quality education to even more students.

Over the past seven years Ashesi has grown from a student population of 30 to over 400.  Our focus is on offering the best quality liberal arts university education in Africa.  Our curriculum focuses not just on technical competence, but critical thinking, leadership and ethics.  The success of our program is highlighted by the employment rate of our graduates; over 98% of Ashesi graduates received offers for employment or entered graduate school within six months of graduation.  This year we are beginning construction on a new campus, located on one hundred acres, thirty minutes from Accra.  The first phase of construction will complete academic buildings to support the education of over 600 students, including classrooms, computer labs and a library. Additionally, on campus housing will be constructed for 240 students.

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