University of Buea
| University of Buea | |
|---|---|
| Université de Buea | |
| Motto | Knowledge with Wisdom |
| Established | 1992 |
| Vice-Chancellor | Dr Nalova Lyonga |
| Location | Buea, South West Region, Cameroon |
| Nickname | The place to be |
| Affiliations | University of Manchester |
| Website | http://ubuea.cm |
University of Buea or Université de Buea is located in Buea in South West Cameroon near Mount Cameroon. It was founded as a university centre in 1985 and it became a university in 1992 on basis of government decree.[1] It is one of the two English speaking universities alongside the newly created university of Bamenda in Cameroon.[2][3]
The university was born following wide-ranging university reforms in Cameroon. UB, as it is fondly referred to, was conceived in the English-speaking tradition; the University of Buea seeks to foster the essence of that system, while situating itself within the larger bilingual and multicultural context of Cameroon.
Location
UB is in the historic town of Buea, former capital of German Kamerun, former capital of the federated State of West Cameroon and now the Regional capital of the South West region of Cameroon. Although the university draws its students mainly from the English-speaking part of Cameroon, it also serves the other regions of the country.
Admissions
Admission into the University of Buea is competitive and based on selection from the pool of admissions applications.
Student body and staff
The student population is over 12,000, including over 50 who are physically and visually disabled. Adequate welfare provision for this later category of students remains a challenge and a priority for the university administration.
A highly qualified and diversified staff (about 300 permanent and 200 part-time) cater for the students, with partners in more than 40 universities in Africa, Europe and North America. In addition to teaching, the staff undertake research in fields that are relevant to national development. In addition to the academic staff, UB has about 473 support staff.
Departments
The University of Buea is made up of seven faculties (Engineering, , Arts, Education, Health Sciences, Science, and Social and Management Sciences, Agriculture and Veterinary medicine ) and two professional schools, the Advanced School of Translators and Interpreters (ASTI),and the College of Technology(COT).
Training at the University of Buea is supported by modest infrastructure including lecture halls, teaching and research laboratories, amongst others. For effective implementation of the New Policy on University Governance which lays emphasis on effectiveness, efficiency and management principles based on rigor, transparency and results, the university is connected to a fiber optic link to Camtel, a major local telecommunications company. In keeping with the New University Governance Policy of Cameroon, the outreach activities of the university are increasingly involving the private sector in funding and training so as to ensure that the graduates are relevant to the labour market. The University of Buea provides mentorship and plays a supervisory role to several tertiary education institutions all over Cameroon.
As in most English-speaking institutions, the governance system of the university is based on concentration and devolution of management, with structures such as Council, Senate, Congregation and Committees on which staff and students are represented. This has enabled the university to make considerable strides and to be recognized as a progressive African university of choice.
Technology
The main campus has a campus-wide optical-fiber network linking most of the buildings. Internet connectivity is provided via a VSAT link. Plans are underway to improve on the available bandwidth for Internet connectivity.
Staff can connect to the university network directly from their offices. Additionally, the IT Centre runs a cyber café for Internet access by staff and students at a modest cost. Plans are underway to greatly expand the number of access points available to both staff and students.
For the past years, the University of Buea has been privileged to have Google Student Ambassadors and Google Developer Group Manager as students who have worked to raise the standard of technology on campus.
Library
The Buea University Library operates in two buildings. The main library is housed in a newly constructed building. It houses the open stacks book collection, quick reference and general reference books. The annex library contains special collections — reserve Books/Lecturers Notes, Archives, Journals and Cameroon collection. In addition to these, the Annex Library houses a collection of cassettes, video tapes, micro-film and multi-media (CD-ROM) resources.
The Annex Library is located behind the Faculty of Arts Building. The Main Library stands majestically between the university’s science laboratories, the Faculty of Arts Building and the Annex Library.
All faculty, staff and students of the University of Buea may borrow and use the library collection. Alumni, users from institutions affiliated with UB and members of the public can with due authorization use the library.
Outreach and cooperation
Outreach and cooperation activities of the university seek to create strategic alliances with institutions and organisations at home and abroad to exploit the opportunities of an increasingly globalised world. The University of Buea therefore has linkages with many foreign universities and cooperation with some international organisations. The linkages usually aim at the exchange of staff and students whilst international organisations usually assist the university with capacity building of staff and funding for research. There is also increasing collaboration with national institutions and enterprises. Whilst institutions provide support in teaching and research, enterprises, for now, only provide facilities for practical training of students. There is therefore great potential for growth in the collaboration of enterprises in the areas of research and development.
Another area of an outreach activity is the establishment of partnerships with private institutions of higher education. The aim of these partnerships is to help young private institutions grow in stature to produce graduates with skills corresponding to the needs of the job market.
References
External links
- Resources for students in the University of Buea
- University of Buea
- University of Buea Official Website
Coordinates: 4°09′12″N 9°17′32″E / 4.1532°N 9.2923°E
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