Executive Secretary on Working Visit to Fountain University The Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius A. Okojie, OON, on Thursday, 18 September, 2014, undertook a working tour of Fountain University, Osogbo, Osun. The Executive Secretary informed the University Management that he came to see firsthand, the level of progress made by the University since it became operational as a licensed private University in 2007 and to assess the University’s governance structure, the level of implementation of its Master Plan and the University’s Law, as well as to offer advice on areas of improvement. The NUC Scribe urged the University to take advantage of the Federal Government’s assistance to universities through its regulatory agencies like the NUC, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) through their numerous intervention programmes, such as the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN), book and research grants and staff capacity building programmes. Professor Okojie advised the Vice-Chancellor to always attend meetings of the University’s Board of Trustees, so as to create synergy between the Board and Management. He encouraged the University to engage the services of older retired Professors to provide mentorship for the younger academics and to curb the problem of shortage of academic staff. In his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bashir Ademola Raji, thanked the Executive Secretary for the visit which, he noted, was the first since the Institution received its license. He enumerated the challenges facing the University to include inadequate academic staff, problems of staff accommodation on campus as well as those of staff development. The Vice-Chancellor pleaded with the Federal Government to consider private universities in the nation’s annual budget. He informed the Executive Secretary that the University’s current student population was about 1,000. The meeting was attended by the Principal Officers of the University, including the Registrar, Alhaji M. O. Olarenwaju; the University Librarian, Dr. B. O. Gbadamosi, and the Bursar, Mrs. S. A. Ali-Balogun and Deans of Faculties. …Inspects Take-Off Sites of Proposed Private Varsities in the South West Earlier on Wednesday, 17 September, 2014, the Executive Secretary undertook a facility tour of some proposed private universities in Lagos, Ogun and Osun States, as part of the oversight function of the Commission. Amongst the Institutions visited by the Executive Secretary, were St. Augustine University, Ilara-Epe, Lagos State; Hallmark University, Ijebu-Itele, Ogun State; Chrisland University, Owode, Osun State; Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun State; Mountain Top University, Makogi-Ogba, Ogun State and Kings University, Ode Omu, Osun State. The NUC Scribe inspected the physical structures and facilities on ground in each university, including the libraries, science laboratories, academic halls and offices as well as student hostels, in order to ascertain the level of preparedness of the Institutions for take-off. After the inspection, the Executive Secretary said that he was impressed with the level of development in the proposed Universities, urging the Implementation Committee of each Institution visited, to endeavour to put finishing touches to the physical structures, in readiness for the commencement of academic activities, subject to the issuance of licenses by the Federal Government.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 15:36:04 +0000
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