Partner with foreign universities to enhance development, universities urged

By Justina Paaga / Afedzi Abdullah,GNA
Cape Coast, April 18, GNA - Universities in Ghana have been urged to provide the educational and research foundations that are essential to help resolve our multiple social concerns.

They were also tasked to make available their research findings and outcomes as it would help improve the living conditions and livelihoods of the people in the communities in which they serve.

Dr David Dooley, President of the University of Rhode Island (URI), made the call during a public lecture in Cape Coast.

The lecture was held under the theme, 'Internationalization and Globalisation: Education, Research, Diplomacy and Intelligence.'

The lecture which was attended by members of the academia, traditional authorities and a cross section of the public, was to examine how universities, especially public institutions, could contribute to solving global challenges and building a more prosperous and peaceful world.

He said partnerships among universities were important noting that it has both short and long term benefits including the interpretation of government policies as well as bringing global partnerships among universities, government and businesses.

Dr Dooley said the current and future global context for higher education presents both substantial challenges and new opportunities to play critical roles in the partnership.

He said it is important for universities to as a matter of urgency, work with other universities through exchange programmes and sharing of relevant research work and findings.

Dr Dooley said such partnerships could also bring a large number of alumni across the world thereby enhance networking and bilateral cooperation.

He said currently, many universities have numerous meaningless exchange agreements which does not benefit the communities in which they operate.

The President of the Univeristy of Rhode said partnership building should go beyond exchange programmes and include summer programmes, joint degrees, dual degree programmes, faculties use agreements as well as collaborative research and cooperative advocacy.

Dr Dooley said it should also be possible through global partnership to have collaborative research development, substantial internship and the placement of graduates that would allow university students to work in any part of the world.

Dr Dooley said through partnerships and networking, universities would be able to ensure diplomacy by building relationships and trust that would make them independent of government manipulation and control.

He said the University of Rhode Island has partnership agreements with countries like Japan, China and Indonesia and urged UCC to also endeavour to come up with similar partnerships to bring the university to the international limelight and produce quality graduates who can be employed globally.

Professor Domwini Dambire Kuupole, Vice Chancellor of UCC, who presided over the function, said government funding to universities were longer coming and managers of universities would have to take bold and meaningful decisions.

He said it was time to engage students internationally by bringing students and faculties to learn from each other's best practices.

He urged URI to extend the partnership to other faculties and department in the UCC to help them build a concrete partnership between the two universities.

Dr Dooley has more than 30 years of experience in public and private higher education. He became the University of Rhode Island's 11th president in July 2009 and is known for his collaborative leadership style that encourages entrepreneurial approaches to problem solving and Programme development. He was the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Montana State, Bozeman, Mont for 10 years with a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of California in San Diego and Ph.D. in chemistry from California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

GNA