Professor Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey
The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) has announced the reappointment of Professor Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey as its Vice Chancellor (VC).
A statement signed by UPSA Registrar, Dr. G. Koryoe Anim-Wright, said members of the University Council at a special meeting held on Monday, August 3, 2020 unanimously approved a second term for the VC.
According to the statement, Prof. Amartey’s second term begins from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2024, noting that his reappointment followed a rigorous process that included appraisals, interviews and consultations with faculty, staff, students, alumni and all relevant stakeholders from the wider university community.
“Since becoming Vice Chancellor in 2017, Prof. Amartey has led UPSA through a period of unprecedented growth and development. Under his leadership, several academic programmes of excellence have been introduced, including the PhD in Marketing, the MA in Peace and Security, and the E4Impact MBA programme,” the statement indicated.
It continued that during his first term as VC, the profile of UPSA significantly increased and the university had been ranked among the top universities in sub-Saharan Africa by Times Higher Education for two consecutive years (2019 and 2020) in a pioneering new global ranking that assessed the social and economic impact of universities based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The U-Multirank global universities rankings also listed the university as one of the top universities in the world in 2020.
“UPSA is the only university in Ghana featured in the global rankings that assess universities on a multi-dimensional approach to higher education, including teaching and learning, research, knowledge transfer, regional engagement and international orientation,” the statement indicated.
It added that under the administration of Prof. Amartey, UPSA’s international partnerships and collaborations increased significantly to include strengthening faculty and staff global exchanges and instituting several collaborations for global learning opportunities for UPSA faculty.
“As a result, several faculty members have been supported to complete their PhDs, while several more are currently in the process of completing their doctoral programmes.
“Additionally, Prof. Amartey has heightened the research focus of UPSA faculty and introduced innovative publication award initiatives to encourage faculty publications in ranked journals,” it said.
The statement pointed out that since assuming office, Prof. Amartey had continued the rapid infrastructure growth by building an Astroturf football pitch, completing a state-of-the-art 3,550-capacity auditorium with underground parking, the student centre, with construction currently underway of new facilities including two, 10-storey multipurpose twin towers, and two, 10-storey hostel facilities.
In 2017, Prof. Amartey launched the Vice Chancellor’s Endowment Fund to help brilliant but needy students continue their education at UPSA. The fund has provided hundreds of thousands in monetary support to deserving students, the statement disclosed.
“The fund continues to grow and more students are expected to be supported in the coming years. Prof. Amartey’s vision for his second term includes a continuation of the development of academic programmes of excellence, increasing and expanding alumni and development support and increasing access to tertiary education by deserving students,” it added.
By Ernest Kofi Adu