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News from 2009
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Ashesi wins 2009 Africa Award (Tertiary
institutions) for best practices in education
Dec,
2009
In December, Ashesi University
College was awarded the 2009 Africa Award (Tertiary
Institutions) for best practices in education by Exam Ethics
International. Exam Ethics international is a not-for-profit,
non-partisan, social responsibility organization, dedicated to
the cause of promoting best practices in education, examination
ethics, campus safety and better performance of students in
public examinations.
Ashesi University was the first University in Ghana to adopt an
examination honor code. The code was voted into force by
students in January 2008 and requires students to report any
academic misconduct without a proctor. The adoption of the
Examination Honour Code marks a significant step in the history
of Ashesi University. The code is intended to build a high-trust
community, to put students in charge of their ethical posture
and the reputation of their alma mater, and by so doing, to take
a significant step in Ashesi’s mission to educate a new
generation of ethical leaders in Africa. Academic Honour codes
are common among top universities in the United States, such as
Swarthmore, Harvard, Dartmouth, Yale and Brown.
At an awards ceremony held at the
Alisa Hotel, North Ridge, Dr. Patrick Awuah, President and
Founder of Ashesi University, stated, “we at Ashesi are
committed to turning out ethical leaders of industry and
government. We encourage our students to be nothing but
excellent and to demand it of their friends. Adopting the honour
code has led to a healthy discussion among students about
ethical practice and is helping them practice acting on the
values that are at the core of Ashesi’s mission ”.
Exam Ethics International was
founded in 1996 in Nigeria and has offices in Ghana, Nigeria,
Uganda, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Students elect new council
representatives
Dec,
2009
The Ashesi Student Council (ASC) and Judicial and Electoral
Committee (JEC) elections are over and Ashesi’s student body has
welcomed a new set of leaders. Kudos to Melvin Akaba and Sandra
Osei-Poku for winning the ASC elections, and to Albert Asiamah
and Andria Abraham for winning the JEC elections.
In retrospect, the competition was healthy and professional. It
is hard to forget that student mailboxes were inundated with a
myriad of campaign messages and class times were interrupted in
order to give the at-the-time prospective candidates the
opportunity to communicate to prospective voters. For a few
short weeks, campaign posters were pasted onto nearly every
edifice that was Ashesi’s property.
The climax of it all was the presidential debate, where
candidates were pitted against one another, but also against the
sharp questions and opinions that came from the audience. Both
students and faculty listened and then fired back queries which
kept the candidates thoroughly on their toes throughout the
entire evening. Eventually, the charisma of Melvin and
cool-headedness of Sandra proved to be the clinchers, allowing
the two of them to claim victory.
Though only one team took the presidency, the well thought out
policies on which the candidates campaigned — such as Phoebe’s
“Know Ghana” drive and Afua’s “Buddy System” — displayed the
creativity, compassion and intellect of all the candidates who
contested. In that regard, it was more than a mere victory for
the winning pair; it was a victory for the values of leadership,
citizenship and scholarship displayed by all who took part.
ARM organizes community service programme in
neighborhood schools
Nov,
2009
The African Renaissance Movement’s community service programme
is a long-term outreach project which encourages participation
from ARM members, Ashesi students and, eventually, students from
other tertiary institutions.
Under the programme, students are required to spend a minimum of
1hr 30 mins a week at a government primary school in the local
vicinity. The first school selected under the programme was
Rangoon Primary & JSS, located behind Ashesi’s Danquah Hostel.
Students who participate in the outreach perform a variety of
activities, including serving as teaching assistants, marking
assignment books, and assisting in the library.
ARM’s community outreach drive was launched in November 2009.
The club was convinced that if students were truly interested in
improving the lives of children, they would sacrifice the time.
When interviewed Steven Odarteifio, a student participating in
the programme, mentioned that he considered it a privilege to
help someone, even when it was inconvenient for him. He stated
that he was glad to have the opportunity to help provide support
for students who do not have the same opportunities as he had
when he was in primary school.
The headmaster of Rangoon Primary & JSS stated that he was
extremely pleased with ARM’s initiative. Thus far, the school
has been overwhelmed with support from Ashesi students, for
which the headmaster expressed his sincere appreciation.
Should you be interested in participating in community outreach
drive, please contact:
Steven Odarteifoi (2012)
Diana Akrong (2012)
Rebecca Inkumsah (2012)
Ashesi student opens restaurant
Nov,
2009
Sylvia Abingya, an 18 year old student in her first year at
Ashesi, had harboured a dream to improve and expand her mother’s
restaurant for many years. Unfortunately, whenever she brought
up her idea, her mother could never be persuaded.
Her chance finally came during the Ghana Fashion week when
Sylvia visited the Exopa Burg building. As she explored the
building she came across a room marked “Restaurant” but when she
tried entering, the door would not budge. Sylvia decided to
speak to the owner of the building and, after much convincing,
he allowed her to rent the space for her restaurant.
The Exopa Restaurant is located at La, behind the Trade Fair
Centre here in Accra. The Exopa Restaurant is on the second
floor of the Exopa Burg building. When you walk up the spiral
staircase you are met with a wide, spacious terrace which leads
into the restaurant’s cosy setting. Dim lights cast a glow over
the circular tables, and matching high-backed chairs. The
metallic furniture pieces are exquisitely moulded so that each
one resembles a human face. Watermelon bowls filled with fruit
are placed on each table.
On Friday, the 20th of November, Sylvia opened up the
doors of her labour of love with an official launch. The event
began shortly before 6pm, with Sylvia ushering in the gathered
guests herself. She led the small crowd along a corridor and
into a wide open room that had its walls lined with love seats
and high chairs. At the far end of the room, a buffet table had
been heaped with various dishes and the entire setting was lit
with the multicoloured flickering of disco lights.
There was a healthy turnout – a crowd that was made up mostly of
first year Ashesi students and Sylvia’s friends and family. Also
in attendance were Mr Nunekpeku, Sylvia’s lecturer for
statistics and Ashesi Student Council (ASC) Presidential
hopefuls, Phoebe Accolatse and Nana Amoah Ofori.
Patrick Awuah receives Microsoft
Alumni Foundation Integral Fellow Award
Nov,
2009
On November 19th, 2009, at the
Microsoft Alumni Foundation 2009 Founders' Gala, Bill and
Melinda Gates recognized three award winning "Integral Fellows"
- Ashesi President, Patrick Awuah, Technology Access Foundation,
Founder Trish Millines and Room to Read Founder John Woods.
The award honors Microsoft Alumni who have made a meaningful
difference in the daily lives of others by using their talents,
time and resources to contribute to the community. The Integral
Fellows program awarded three Microsoft alumni with an
unrestricted $25,000 grant for their nonprofit organizations,
additional funds raised at the gala, as well access to the
talents and skills of alumni to help support their ongoing
efforts.
"It's really about helping
Microsoft alumni maximize and leverage resources. The Foundation
provides the framework to bring people, ideas and organizations
together to help address our world's challenges," said Jeff
Raikes, chair of the Microsoft Alumni Foundation Board. "These
three award winners, along with all of our nominees, exemplify
what it means to give back. Their work is deeply rooted in
service and making a difference in people's lives."
Rigorous evaluation of the finalists included achievements that
embody the values of the Microsoft Alumni Foundation:
innovative; entrepreneurial, effective; collaborative and to
operate with integrity. The nominees were also judged on: the
ability to create something extraordinary out of limited
resources; selflessness; passion; smarts; need and scalability.
The panel of judges included
Gates Foundation Co-Chairman, Bill Gates Sr.; Former US President,
Jimmy Carter; Ashoka Founder, Bill Drayton; E-Bay Founder, Pierre Omidyar and Bridgespan Group Co-founder, Thomas Tierney.
To date, Microsoft alumni have
launched over 150 nonprofits, generating over $100 million
dollars a year, impacting over 100 countries around the world,
in virtually every program area imaginable.
Click
here to read more about the Microsoft Alumni Foundation Integral
Fellows Award.
Ashesi Founder Patrick Awuah wins
John P. McNulty Award
Nov,
2009
 Ashesi University and
its Founder Patrick Awuah were selected from a highly
competitive field of applicants to receive the 2009 John P.
McNulty Prize. The Prize recognizes an extraordinary young
leader making creative, effective, and lasting contributions to
his or her community and is given annually to an Aspen Institute
Fellow.
The $100,000 award is
given to celebrate the spirit and memory of the Aspen
Institute’s trustee, John P. McNulty. Mr. McNulty's widow,
Mrs. Anne Welsh McNulty stated, “my husband John was a
passionate believer in the power of education to empower people
from any background to achieve greatness. The education system
gave him and his siblings, first-generation immigrants, the
tools to succeed in America. In Patrick Awuah we have found not
only immense personal leadership in founding Ashesi, one of the
African continent’s first liberal arts universities, but in the
school’s commitment to ethics and civics as a central part of
education, he has guaranteed future generations of leaders for
Ghana, Africa and the world.”
 Patrick Awuah, along
with the four other finalists, was reviewed by a distinguished
panel of judges consisting of Madeleine Albright, former
Secretary of State; Bill Gates, Sr., co-chair of the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation; and Olara Otunnu, the president of LBL
Foundation for Children and former UN Under-Secretary-General
for Children and Armed Conflict.
This year's other
finalists were Ricardo Terán, who co-founded Agora Partnerships
in Nicaragua; Alejandro Poma, the founder of Libras de Amor in
El Salvador; William Bynum, who established Hope Community
Credit Union to serve the "unbanked" of the Mississippi Delta
Region; and James Whitaker, the filmmaker for Project Rebirth, a
unique film chronicling the strength of the human spirit coping
with disaster: the aftermath of September 11, 2001.
For more information
about the John P. McNulty Prize, visit
www.mcnultyprize.org.
Ashesi hosts evening event for
hiring managers
Oct,
2009
 Ashesi’s
Career Office, this month, organized an evening event to thank
the university’s corporate partners. Over a hundred corporate
institutions—ranging from financial to non-government were
represented. Members of faculty, staff and some students joined
in this celebration of hiring managers and institutions at the M
Plaza hotel, Accra.
Assistant Director of Career Services, Mrs. Ophelia Sam welcomed
the group and applauded them for their support of the
University. She said, “by giving us the feedback you do, we are
able to adequately prepare our students to excel in their
careers. We are indeed grateful.”
Ashesi’s President Awuah spoke about where Ashesi is now and
what the future holds for the university. He mentioned donor
support, alumni, the honour code and challenges currently facing
the university.
He said “we are training our students to be accountable for
every action. It’s an important value to have if they are going
to be the ethical and critical thinking leaders we hope for them
to become. We are taking risks and hoping that our students
recognize that mediocrity is not an option.”
Dr. Esi Ansah, an assistant professor presented an overview of
the university’s curriculum and how Ashesi is trying to teach
skills that are relevant to the environment our graduates find
themselves.
Director
of Development, Matthew Taggart outlined several ways Corporate
Ghana can continue to support Ashesi. "Last
year, corporations in the United States donated $4.6 billion in
philanthropy to non-research funding in US Higher Education.
This figure is down a little from 2007, but it still suffered
the least downturn of all philanthropic corporate giving. Why?
It’s strategic. For US companies, US universities are their
pipeline. This is where their best people come from; it’s where
they get new products, new ideas and it's how they innovate.
It's safe to say, we are your pipeline."
At Ashesi, we seek to match our students with organizations that
match our values and beliefs. According to Mrs. Hagan of L’aine
Services, “Ashesi graduates and student interns are fantastic.
They are switched on and way ahead of their peers.”
Administrators and members of faculty helped answer questions
and address concerns. The dialogue between Ashesi and corporate
Ghana continues to go on, however.
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