Kwara State University

Kwara State University, also known as KWASU, is the 77th university to be registered by the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC). It is the 95th university to be recognized in Nigeria.[1]

KWASU gateway

The university was Established by the administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki in 2009, and envisioned to be more than a typical university in Nigeria. It was designed to be a center for community service and entrepreneurship. In a country where the fundamental values of volunteerism and community involvement are yet to be fully embraced, The university recognises itself as a part of a community,and has the position of a Director for Community Development for the purpose of mobilizing the community, setting assessment strategies, and identifying the needs within the community so that lecturers can use their expertise to impact directly on the communities.[2]

History/Organization

The journey towards establishing a state university in Kwara State began in November 1990. In 2002, Kwara Polytechnic was converted into a university by the then Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Mohammed Alabi.[1] On July 11, 2007 the Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki inaugurated a Planning Committee under former Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Mohammed Shaaba Lafiagi to prepare the ground for the establishment of the Kwara State University. The Bill for the Kwara State University was signed into law on 24 December 2008.[1] The certificate and instrument to operate the university was obtained on 9 February 2009 from the National Universities Commission (NUC). The pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abdul Rasheed Na'Allah, who until his appointment, was Chair of the African American Studies Department of the Western Illinois University, Macomb, United States of America, assumed office on Tuesday, 28 July 2009. When fully operational, the university is planned to have its academic activities operate from three campuses located in Malete, Ilesha-Baruba and Osi-Opin.[1]

The Malete campus is the main campus and houses the College of Pure and Applied Sciences, College of Information and Communication Technology, and the College of Education. Osi (Ekiti local government) campus will house the College of Humanities, Management and Social Sciences. The Baruba (Baruten Local government) Campus will house the College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences.

Academics

Kwara State University has several academic centers. One of such centers is the Center for Ecology and Environmental Management and Studies CEERMS, which recently received a grant from UNESCO worth $15.3 million to be used over a six-year period to establish the UNESCO Chair for Alternative Energy Programme. This grant is for research in Alternative Energy and is to be handled by Kwara State University Center for Ecological and Environmental Research Management Studies (CEERMS).[3] Other centers of the University are: Center for African Oral Traditions, Institute for Asian Studies, Ibrahim Gambari Center for the Study of United Nations and Regional Organizations, Center for Pre-degree and Remedial Studies, Center for Human Rights and the law, Center for Modernity and Religion, Center for Art Preservation, Center for Sponsored Projects, Center for Innovation in Teaching and Research, Center for Innovative Technology, Center for Innovation and International Studies, Center for Bio-Computational Applications and the Center for Entrepreneurship.

The Center for Entrepreneurship, the first of its kind in Nigeria,.[4] is aimed at preparing its graduates to identify and recognize opportunities through an-orientation towards job creation. The university works with students still in the university, to propose and implement a project. As the students graduate, the university partners with the students in implementing the various projects.[5] It also created a start up fund that is accessible to student for this purpose.

While KWASU plans to expand its study abroad locations, it currently has a partnership with Thammasat University in Thailand; Korean Advanced Institute of Technology (KAIST), South Korea; Columbia University, New York, USA; University of the State of Bahia (UNEB), Salvador, Brazil; Texas Southern University, Houston, TX, USA; etc.[6] Its teaching staff consists of scholars such as Prof. Leo Daniels, MLK Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (MIT) as Provost at the College of Engineering and Technology, Prof. Abiola Irele from Harvard University as Provost at the College of Humanities, Management and Social Sciences; and Prof. Winston Wole Soboyejo from Princeton University among others.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "About Kwasu". Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  2. ↑ "Entrepreneurship: Igniting the Spirit From the Cradle". Thisday. 24 March 2011. p. 24.
  3. ↑ "Kwara State University". Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  4. ↑ "The Entrepreneurship Center". Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  5. ↑ Ani, Lawrence (9 April 2011). "Making Every Child Count". Thisday. p. 36.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Olaiya, Tope (27 March 2011). "KWASU teaches students how to be good entrpreneurs". Guardian.

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