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News from 2002

National Accreditation Board of Ghana comes to see the "Ashesi example"
Oct 2002

On October 23rd 2002, sixteen members of Ghana's National Accreditation Board (NAB) arrived on the Ashesi campus to learn more about the university's academic program, facilities and progress. In setting up this visit, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the NAB explained that Ashesi is considered to be one of the best new universities operating in Ghana today and is thus referred to as an example for others to see. As such, NAB members wished to see the campus for themselves so that they may speak authoritatively about Ashesi.

NAB members were given a presentation and a tour of the campus and departed from campus armed with useful first-hand information about life at Ashesi.
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Prof. David Leonard, Dean of International and Area Studies at UC Berkeley, delivers lecture at Ashesi
Sep 2002
Ashesi University hosted a public lecture by Professor David K. Leonard, Dean of International and Area Studies and Professor of Political Science at University of California, Berkeley, on the topic of "Personal Rule, Economic Enclaves and Conflict in Africa". This was the third in a series of lectures at Ashesi entitled "The Global Economy: Opportunities and Challenges for Ghana."

Prof. Leonard, who also serves on Ashesi's Board of Trustees, has been a Berkeley faculty member in the Political Science Department since 1976. Over the years he has served as advisor to the United Nations Development Program, the Food and Agricultural Organization, the World Bank, the United States Agency for International Development, the Office for Technology Assessment of the United States Congress and the Government of Kenya.

Prof. Leonard's lecture focused on issues raised in his forthcoming book titled Africa's Stalled Development: International Causes and Cures, including the role that weak states, political systems of personal rule, reliance on enclave exports, debt, and aid dependence each play in creating deep disincentives to development. His analysis and recommendation that African debt be completely cancelled in return for reduced aid, abolition of the two-track salary system of technical assistance, and international guarantees for African regimes that meet basic standards of democracy and human rights sparked much interest and a lively discussion.
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Second semester begins
Aug 2002
On August 5th, students arrived to begin their second semester of classes at Ashesi University. Continuing to focus on the liberal arts, students are delving into economics, calculus, and communications.

During this semester, Ashesi will host three visiting instructors. Dr. Yaw Nyarko, professor of economics at New York University, is teaching Microeconomics. Born in Ghana, Prof. Nyarko received his undergraduate education from the University of Ghana, Legon, before traveling to the United States to earn a Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University. This is his first time teaching in Ghana and he is very excited to have the opportunity to teach in his homeland.

Calculus will be taught by Dr. Kentaro Toyama and teaching assistant Laura Seaver. Dr. Toyama will be taking a leave of absence from Microsoft's research department to join the Ashesi faculty for one term. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Yale University.

Students are experiencing their first seminar course this semester. Led by Nana Apt, Dean of Academic Affairs, the leadership seminar asks students to explore the questions, "What is a good leader?" and "What is good leadership?" Students are reading and discussing the works of prominent historical and contemporary leaders in business and public life, and reviewing case studies that focus on corporate social responsibility. They will develop personal statements on leadership to guide them in their future careers.
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Parliamentary Committee visits Ashesi campus
Jul 2002
On July 17, thirteen members of Ghana's Parliamentary Select Committee on Education visited the Ashesi campus to learn more about our institution. Charged with oversight responsibility over all matters relating to Ghanaian education, the committee planned this visit as part of a general effort to determine both the achievements of various educational institutions and the challenges confronting them. Committee members were given a tour of campus facilities and discussed various issues with Ashesi administrators, ranging from the liberal arts curriculum and Ashesi's affiliations with US universities to gender balance and financial aid. Both Ashesi administrators and Committee members felt that the visit was very productive, and expressed their interest in maintaining a productive dialogue in the years to come.
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Lecture series on "The Global Economy"
Jul 2002
Under the leadership of Professor Nana Apt, Dean of Academic Affairs, Ashesi has initiated a lecture series with the theme "The Global Economy: Opportunities and Challenges for Ghana". The interdisciplinary lecture series deals with topics such as trade and economic policy, social policy, governance, ethics and the role of culture in development. This wide-ranging series will bring local and international academics and business leaders to speak at Ashesi University.

The first two speakers are Professor Raymond Hopkins of Swarthmore College and Professor Joseph Ofori-Dankwa of Saginaw Valley State University, both of whom are speaking in July. They will speak on "Why September 11: Perspectives on a National Crisis" and "Ensuring Your Destiny and Legacy", respectively.
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Ashesi earns high marks from Swarthmore, Berkeley examiners
Jun 2002
Ashesi's external examiners at Swarthmore College and UC Berkeley have reviewed students' work from our first academic term and say that Ashesi students are performing at a level comparable to students at the most selective US institutions of higher education.

Professor Andy Shogan at Berkeley and Professor Tim Burke at Swarthmore each evaluated the course syllabus, a sampling of assignments, a sampling of final examinations and grading in the respective courses that they reviewed. Prof. Shogan felt the Quantitative Methods course was well designed and "especially appreciated both the use of a student project requiring 'real-world' application and the use of 'modern' software such as Excel's Solver and Microsoft Project."

Prof. Burke, who was instrumental in developing Ashesi's interdisciplinary Text & Meaning and Social Theory courses, noted that "Ashesi's courses are in their design philosophy and outlook far more innovative in realizing the fundamental ambitions of a liberal arts ideal than comparable courses at the most selective US insitutions." Despite the ambitious nature of the course, he believes that the Text and Meaning course has been executed very effectively, and already sees a "dramatic improvement in analytic writing skills and notable improvement in the mastery of the philosophical underpinnings of the course and its content" among the students. Asked about the overall performance of Ashesi's students in the Text & Meaning course, Prof. Burke indicated that "it is very strong. The best writing from the exams compares favorably with US undergraduates in selective institutions."

As Prof. Shogan summed it up, "the Ashesi course is off to a great start."
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Ashesi students participate in Africa Student Summit
Jun 2002
From June 12 to 14, Ashesi students participated in the Inaugural Africa Student Summit held at University of Ghana, Legon. The brainchild of two African-American businessmen who envisioned a forum for African and African-American students to come together and share experiences and ideas, this year's summit had the theme of "Finding Common Ground".

100 students from various universities in Ghana, US, Togo and Mali came together for panel discussions and workshops on issues ranging from technology and entrepreneurship to gender and ethics. While all Ashesi students attended a gender-related workshop, only five student representatives were able to attend all three days of the conference. These students later submitted essays on their impressions and presented their experiences and findings from the summit to the rest of the student body.
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Mildred Wulff appointed as Director of Business Operations
Mar 2002
After serving as Ashesi's Associate Director of Admissions for six months and playing a leading role in recruiting and selecting our first class of students, Mildred Wulff has been promoted to the position of Director of Business Operations. In her new position, Mildred is responsible for the business operations of Ashesi, including facilities, accounting, human resources, marketing and admissions. As a new member of Ashesi's executive team, she joins Nana Apt, Patrick Awuah, Nina Marini and Linda Ribeiro in strategic planning and managment.
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Ashesi begins
Mar 2002
On March 4, 2002, Ashesi's inaugural class of thirty-one students embarked on their undergraduate careers. After one week of student orientation activities, which included team-building exercises and computer skills classes, students sat for their first class at Ashesi University. See our feature, Ashesi Begins, for photos and more details.
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Linda Young-Ribeiro joins Ashesi's executive team
Feb 2002
As Ashesi's first Dean of Student & Community Affairs, Linda Young-Ribeiro will focus on developing a campus environment that supports Ashesi's core mission. She will manage all areas of student services, such as campus life, student activities, counseling, service learning and volunteer programs, and career services. Linda joins the executive committee to participate in Ashesi's overall strategic planning and managment.

Linda brings both management and technology expertise to the Ashesi team, as well as over ten years of experience working in Ghana at the secondary school level.
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Admissions news
Jan 2002
Approximately 150 students submitted applications to Ashesi University this academic year. We have completed a thorough review of these applications and expect to admit about 30-40 students into Ashesi's entering class. Most of the accepted students are fresh out of secondary school and eager to begin their college careers. Despite a vigorous phone campaign to encourage more women to apply, only 30% of our applicant pool (and incidentally 30% of our prospective admits) are women. We remain committed to reaching an even distribution of men and women at Ashesi, and will continue to use scholarships to encourage more young women to pursue higher education in Ghana. We are in the final stages of the admissions process, and should have finalized who will be a part of our first matriculating class by mid-February. From the looks of the applicants, we are confident that Ashesi's first class will be a good one.
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Major fundraising milestone in sight
Jan 2002
With approximately $2.5 million raised to date, we are close to completing a $4 million Founders Campaign, the first stage of our long-term goal to raise $15 million. The Founders Campaign is intended to provide operating support for Ashesi's formative years. Funds raised during this campaign will support financial and academic planning, information technology, library collections, scholarships, and operating expenditures. We would like to thank all the donors who have helped bring us this far.  In 2001 Ashesi University Foundation raised close to $1 million in new gifts, and we hope to do even better in 2002.
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Ashesi's first term
Jan 2002
Ashesi's students will hold classes during our inaugural year at a newly renovated facility in the Labone neighborhood of Accra. Students will have access to our state-of-the-art computer, library, and classroom facilities, with a 2 to 1 student-to-computer ratio. Ashesi's first class will be exposed to technology in a way that is not currently offered at any other university in Ghana. During Ashesi's first term, students will take courses in Text & Meaning and Quantitative Methods. Text & Meaning will introduce students to different ways of reading and interpreting texts, and will build a strong foundation in critical thinking and writing skills. Quantitative Methods will survey quantitative approaches to work in the social sciences, primarily focusing on teaching students to apply quantitative tools to solve business problems.
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Faculty introductions
Jan 2002
Professor Lillian Barros will teach quantitative analysis in Ashesi's first term. A British citizen and U.S. permanent resident, Professor Barros has a large amount of international experience in both academia and industry. Professor Barros received her Ph.D. in Operations Research from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1979, after which she has worked and taught in the USA, UK and France. During her tenure at Ashesi, Professor Barros hopes to conduct research analyzing the impact of technology on Ghanaian industry. 

Mark Poynter, a recent Masters Program graduate from De Montfort University in the United Kingdom, will teach Text & Meaning. Mr. Poynter spent most of his youth in South Africa before returning with his family to England. Until recently, Mr. Poynter served as an assistant in the Adult Literacy and Numeracy Programme at Boston College in England.

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