University of Rwanda

University of Rwanda
Established 2013
Type Public
Chancellor Dr Mike O'Neal
Vice-Chancellor Professor James McWha
Academic staff
 1,450
Administrative staff
 816
Students 30,445
Undergraduates 28,875
Postgraduates 1,570
Website www.ur.ac.rw

The University of Rwanda (UR) is a higher education institution formed in 2013 through the merger of Rwanda's previously independent public institutions of higher education, the largest of which was the National University of Rwanda.[1][2][3]

History

Initial work to establish the institution was undertaken by Professor Paul Davenport, a member of Paul Kagame's Presidential Advisory Council, who now acts as chair of the university's board of governors.[4] The University of Rwanda was established in September 2013 by a law that repealed the laws establishing the National University of Rwanda and the country's other public higher education institutes, creating the UR in their place.[1] Law number 71/2013 transferred the contracts, activities, assets, liabilities and denominations of seven institutions to the UR: the National University of Rwanda (UNR); the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST); the Kigali Institute of Education (KIE); the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry (ISAE); the School of Finance and Banking (SFB); the Higher Institute of Umutara Polytechnic (UP); and the Kigali Health Institute (KHI).[5]

At the time of its creation, education officials reported that they "hoped that the university will improve the quality of education and effectively respond to current national and global needs".[4] Eugene Kwibuka of the Rwandan newspaper The New Times reports that many of the university's senior managers are well-established scholars with records of improving the performance of their previous institutions, but that many of them "are also well known elite Rwandans or dedicated friends of Rwanda and advisors to President Kagame who have recently contributed to the development of the education sector in Rwanda or have recently been involved with designing the newly created University of Rwanda".[4] A key challenge facing the university is argued to be a lack of qualified lecturers.[6] A 2015 article published in the Annals of Global Health, for example, notes that in the School of Public Health, part of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, a barrier to the university merger's goal of improving the quality of higher education teaching and research in Rwanda is "limited skilled academic staff". The School employs six PhD-level and six Masters-level faculty, as well as five research assistants. Moreover, it delivers a large number of degree programmes and has a "disproportionate student-supervisor ratio" of 15 students per PhD-holding faculty member.[7] The university leadership plans to increase the proportion of academic staff holding doctoral degrees from 20 per cent to 60 per cent by 2024.[8]

Organisation and administration

It is organised into six subject-based colleges: the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS), the College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (CAVM), the College of Business and Economics (CBE), the College of Education (CE), the College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS) and the College of Science and Technology (CST).[9] The university has a total of 12 campuses.[10] Its vice-chancellor is Northern Irish botanist Professor James McWha and its chancellor is Dr Mike O'Neal, former president of Oklahoma Christian University.[2][4]

Academic profile

As of January 2015, the university had 30,445 students, of whom 28,875 were undergraduates and 1,570 postgraduates. 99.4 per cent of UR students are Rwandan nationals. It employs 1,450 academics and 816 support and administrative staff.[10]

UR participates in a number of international collaborations. In February 2015, the University of Rwanda and Michigan State University launched a joint MSc degree programme in agribusiness, assisted by United States Agency for International Development funding.[11] The programme aims to help Rwandan women establish themselves in agribusiness.[12] The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency is funding research capacity development in Rwanda through the university.[13]

Noted people

Agnes Binagwaho, Rwanda's health minister, became the first person to be awarded a PhD by the new University of Rwanda in August 2014. Binagwaho, whose research concerned children's health rights in the context of HIV/AIDS, started her PhD in 2008, prior to the university merger.[14][15]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Koenig, Ann M. (9 September 2014). "Rwanda: Reorganization of public higher education underway". American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 MacGregor, Karen (21 June 2014). "A new university, new international leader, new future". University World News (325). Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Rutayisire, Emmanuel (16 August 2013). "Institutes of higher learning to merge with University of Rwanda". The East African. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Kwibuka, Eugène (17 October 2013). "Profile: Who is who at University of Rwanda". The New Times. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "Law establishing the University of Rwanda (UR) and determining its mission, powers, organisation and functioning". Official Gazette (38). Republic of Rwanda Office of the Prime Minister. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Kwizera, Charles (5 April 2013). "Rwanda moves on with One University plan". The Independent (Kampala). Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  7. ↑ Condo, J.U.; Cotton, P.; Hedt-Gauthier, B.; Humuza, J.; Ntagira, J.; Munyashongore, C.; Kiregu, J.; Habagusenga, J.; Kakoma, J.; Drobac, P.; Ijumba, N.; Haba, S.; Lwakabamba, S. (2015). "From global partnerships to pay for performance (P4P): Opportunities for achieving academic excellence in higher learning institutions in Rwanda". Annals of Global Health 81 (1): 142–143. doi:10.1016/j.aogh.2015.02.828.
  8. ↑ Rugira, Lonzen (6 April 2015). "Wanted: The University of Rwanda's worst enemy". The New Times. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "UR Statement and Concept". University of Rwanda. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Facts & Figures January 2015" (PDF). University of Rwanda Statistics Office. January 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  11. ↑ Rubley, Abby (22 January 2015). "MSU, University of Rwanda launch agribusiness program in Rwanda". MSU Today (Michigan State University). Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  12. ↑ "Michigan State, Rwanda collaborate on helping women in agribusiness". Crain's Detroit Business. Associated Press. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  13. ↑ Bateta, Agnes (28 July 2014). "University of Rwanda gets $40m". East African Business Week. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  14. ↑ Tashoa, Athan (19 August 2014). "Binagwaho gets first PhD from University of Rwanda". The New Times. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  15. ↑ Abdul, Rehema (3 September 2014). "First PhD awarded at CBE". University of Rwanda College of Business and Economics. Retrieved 8 April 2015.

External links