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News from 2010
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Oct-Dec
Ashesi alumni and leadership address audience in Seattle
Sep, 2010
 On Thursday, September 23rd, Ashesi leaders and
graduates spoke with more than 230 community members in Seattle
about innovation, education, and leadership in Africa. The
event, hosted by the World Affairs Council, highlighted the
importance of building the capacity of local leadership in
Africa.
Speaking at
the event were former World Bank Manager and Ashesi Board Chair,
Peter Woicke, Ashesi President, Patrick Awuah, Ashesi alumna and
Regional Credit Risk Manager for Accion International, Aba Ackun,
and Ashesi alumna and Chief Operations Officer of Village of
Hope, Araba Amuasi. In addition, a special video was
prepared by Bill Gates about the work the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation is doing to support higher education for Africans
working in the field of agriculture.
The webcast of this World Affairs Council event can now be
viewed online. This is a great opportunity to hear directly from
Ashesi graduates about their experiences and the impact they are
having in Africa.
Watch the webcast.
If you missed the Op-Ed piece written by Ashesi Board Chair,
Peter Woicke, featured in the Seattle Times, visit:
Homegrown leadership is key to development in sub-Saharan
Africa.
Please take a look and pass it on!
Hip-life originator Reggie Rockstone interacts with Ashesi
students
Sep, 2010
 On
the 28th of September, 2010, Ghanaian hip-life auteur Reggie
Ossei who is also universally known by the moniker Reggie
Rockstone engaged students of Ashesi in a seminar which formed
part of their “Africa in the International Setting” course.
Reggie Rockstone provided compelling insights on the linkages
between the creative arts, culture and African transformation in
a globalized world. Tracing hip-life’s emergence from hip-hop,
he argued that this new Ghanaian art form reflected the creative
impulses of the Africa’s young people. He stated that
hip-life had tremendous economic and informational potential if
properly harnessed and developed.
The interaction was animated from
the start to the finish as students asked penetrating questions
and offered comments touching on the global appeal of hip-life
as well as its aesthetic and philosophical underpinnings. Prior
to the seminar students had watched the documentary, “Living the
HipLife” which attempts to document the evolution of this
uniquely Ghanaian art form, the creative impulses that power it,
as well as its political, economic and cultural impact. The
documentary was directed by Jesse Weaver Shipley an American
filmmaker, artist, and scholar who is an Assistant Professor of
Anthropology at Haverford College. Reggie Rockstone has recently
released a new album “Reggiestration” and is regularly on the
speaking circuit around the world as the much sought after lead
spokesman of hip-life.
President Carter meets with Ashesi leadership
Aug, 2010
 On
August 23rd, 2010, President Jimmy Carter, the 39th
President of the United States and Nobel Prize winner, met with
Ashesi Founder, Patrick Awuah; Ashesi Board Member, Todd Warren;
and Ashesi Capital Campaign Chair, Ruth Warren, to talk about
Ashesi University College and its potential impact in Africa.
President
Carter expressed hope for the work that Ashesi is doing,
especially our focus on honour and integrity, and preparing the
next generation of Africans to aim for greatness in the world.
“I like Ashesi’s innovative approach. The college has reached a
new level of achievement and excellence, and is well received…a
success. Ashesi is an example for the rest of Africa. Ashesi is
also filling a vacuum. Like the Carter Center, you are
addressing a need that no one else is focused on.”
President
Carter hoped that Ashesi’s leadership would find ways to
replicate our ideas throughout Africa. In order to achieve this
goal, President Carter urged Ashesi to look for partnerships
with other institutions and individuals as a means to achieve
leverage and scale, and to not be afraid of failure in any
potential new partnerships or ventures
Ashesi’s
leadership got the opportunity to hear from President Carter
about the Carter Center’s approach to “Waging Peace, Fighting
Disease and Building Hope”. President Carter has a strong
knowledge of Ghana and Africa. The Carter Center helped monitor
Ghanaian elections, has advocated for transparency of government
information throughout Africa, and has undertaken several health
initiatives in Ghana, as well as in other African countries.
Thanks to The Carter Center’s singular drive, Ghana and the
world are almost free of Guinea Worm, a disease that has plagued
many of the world’s poorest people. Also thanks to the center’s
work, many conflicts have been avoided, and the march of
democracy strengthened across the world.
It was a real
honour to meet, to learn from, and to be inspired by such an
accomplished and compassionate person as President Jimmy
Carter.
Ashesi welcomes class of 2014
Aug, 2010
 On
August 23rd Ashesi welcomed 142 members of the Class of 2014 to
campus for the beginning of orientation week.
The 2014 Class is a diverse group with international students
from Nigeria, Benin, Togo, USA and Cameroon. The number of
senior secondary schools represented among this incoming class
is also diverse with graduates from 66 different schools.
Through our financial aid program, nearly $150,000 in grants was
given out this year to the freshman class, with an average of
$3,486 of aid awarded per financial aid recipient. Of those
students awarded financial aid, 44% were women.
 During
orientation members of the Class of 2014 attended interactive
workshops on the university's academic policies, took courses on
basic computer use, listened to presentations by members of
student government, and simply took time to meet and talk with
one another. For the second year in a row, incoming
freshman also participated in a seminar entitled "Mind set."
The seminar, which draws on the academic work of Dr. Carol Dweck,
emphasizes the importance of having a positive outlook and
working hard in order to increase academic performance.
On opening day President Awuah welcomed the Class of 2014 and
spoke about Ashesi’s commitment to educating a new generation of
ethical leaders for Africa. He emphasized the importance of
maintaining a culture of honesty and integrity on campus.
Rural girls’ empowerment at Ashesi!
Aug,
2010
 College for Ama (CofA) is a non-profit fostering
the higher educational achievement of economically deprived
rural girls. Its multi-dimensional programme teaches academic,
behavior, health, and creative arts skills. Empowerment through
vision building is a key component. The programme stresses the
importance of education, one CofA girl stated “before CofA I
planned to quit school, but now I know education is key to
life.”
 July 29th through August 9th, 2010,
CofA held its fourth training camp at the Ashesi University
College. This year twenty six returning CofA girls from the
Central and Western Regions prepared for their BECE (Basic
Education Certificate) examination.
For nine days the programme focused heavily on
Junior High School level
Mathematics and English. Community and student volunteers taught
additional classes on nutrition, sexual education, computer
science, creative arts and self-esteem. Public speaking, peer
mentorship, and group work incorporated leadership development
into the classes. At the end of the programme CofA held a
ceremony to thank all its major funders, volunteers, and to
showcase the girls.
 CofA is extremely grateful to the Ashesi and the
Ashesi student volunteers. The University donated the use of its
hostel, classrooms and bus, supporting 70% of CofA’s costs.
Nine Ashesi University students volunteered their time to
chaperone, mentor, assist teachers, and help with homework.
Additionally, CofA is grateful to Marquis Tanta Marie Restaurant
for providing delicious free lunches. Without both these forms
of support CoFA’s programme would not be possible. To find out
more about CofA, look at our website:
http://www.CofA-foundation.org/
Faculty and
staff tour new Ashesi home
Aug, 2010
On August 10th, faculty and staff members boarded the Ashesi
bus, slipped on their hard hats, and took a tour of their new
academic home. Perched on a majestic hillside overlooking
Berekuso, the future campus commands a sweeping view of the
verdant valley below. The new buildings are rising from
their foundations at a brisk pace. The "academic tourists"
were impressed with the spacious student housing, the tiered
lecture halls, the open-air forum, and the towering library.
Pictured below is the Founders Court with classroom building on
the right, the library centre, and the administration building
centre left.
Click here
for a slide show of the visit.
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