Kweku Osam, a 2010 alumni of the University Administration Support Program [8], keeps busy as Pro-Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the University of Ghana [9]. His days are filled with phone calls, emails, and appointments with everyone from undergraduates to the Vice Chancellor of the university. He recently spoke with IREX about his new position, as of Fall 2011, and his vision for the university.
Q: What responsibilities come with this new position?
A: Previously I was Dean of Arts. This new position carries a lot more responsibility, as I am now responsible for the academic programs of the university. In the U.S. system, this would be the provost. I have to ensure that the approved academic programs are carried out, and I also chair the committee that discusses and proposes new programs. Then I’m also responsible for student affairs: anything related to students or counseling, housing, sports, health, students with special needs, financial aid.
Q: What are some of the new innovations you are involved with at the University of Ghana?
A: One of the areas on my agenda, arising out of my UASP fellowship, is faculty development. We have had an academic quality assurance unit for the last five or so years, but it’s never had a substantive director. We just started interviewing people to fill that position. When a director is hired, I plan to give him my case study from the UASP program about developing a continuous and ongoing faculty development program. I also intend to revisit the issue of training research and graduate assistants to create a team that can support teaching and learning in the university, because faculty tend to carry a heavy load when it comes to teaching and grading.
Q: What areas of faculty development would you like to prioritize?
A: One of the things is innovation in teaching -- encouraging faculty to be innovative in the way they teach and deliver their materials. I’m also interested in making sure that those who teach large classes have been put through some sort of training that will equip them for handling large classes. We do have large classes here, just as they do at my UASP host university, the University of Central Florida [10]. I’m also interested in the issue of online teaching. My university actually has been putting in place the infrastructure to try to deliver teaching and reading materials over the Web, but it’s still at the beginning stages.
Q: What in particular did you learn at UCF that you bring to your university?
A: Literally every day of the week at UCF you could walk into a training program for faculty. I’m very much interested in involving average faculty in something like this. We will start on a small scale. We already have a program where newly hired faculty are taken through about a week’s training. I want to extend this to existing faculty. But, you know, your average academic is very confident. So getting them to come and see there are other ways of dealing with issues will be a challenge. Once we’ve accomplished that, I know the way forward will be quite exciting.
The University Administration Support Program [8], administered by IREX and supported by the Carnegie Corporation [11], prepares university managers in Eurasia and Africa to carry out progressive reforms at their universities through short-term U.S. fellowships, training and small grants. You can read Osam’s case study, based on his UASP fellowship experience at the University of Central Florida, here [12].