Regent News

Regent-Ghana holds 5th Congregation


The Regent University College of Science and Technology, Ghana’s first private university college to venture into science and technology education, held its 5th Congregation at Ghana’s International Conference Centre in Accra on Saturday, 28th April, 2012. In all, over 400 students graduated, with Miss Mary Abena Serwaa Sackey, BSc Management with Computing, being adjudged the overall best student. She took home a new laptop donated by Apostle-General Sam Korankye Ankrah, Head and Founder of Royal House Chapel International.

Mr. Samuel Chris Quist and Mr. Joseph Tetteh Quaynor, who were adjudged the Best Lecturers for the academic year by their respective schools, were publicly acknowledged. The president announced a 50% scholarship for Mr. Quist of the School of Informatics and Engineering to pursue doctoral studies in an oversea country of his choice, while Mr. Quaynor was given a full scholarship to pursue the MSM-Regent Ghana DBA programme scheduled to commence in Ghana at the close of the year.

In his address, the President and Founder, Prof. E. Kingsley Larbi, highlighted on developments in the university, challenges on the political scene in Ghana, and problems associated with the funding of education in Ghana, among other things.

The President, who is passionate about equal education for every Ghanaian, irrespective of social or ethnic background, noted one of the challenges plaguing the educational system in Ghana as the inability of intellectually capable people to attend school because of serious financial challenges.

He reiterated, “We have situations where students cannot move beyond the Basic Education Certificate Level, because their parents cannot afford it. Similar challenges are found at the tertiary level where qualified high school graduates cannot move on to the tertiary level due to financial challenges. We also have situations where very bright students manage to enter the universities but drop out in the process of time, because of financial constraints.”

Rev. Prof. Larbi said contrary to the situation at the tertiary level in the past in which there were not enough space in the existing public universities to enable them absorb all qualified high school graduates, the nation today can boast of over 68 accredited diploma and degree-awarding institutions which, combined, should be able to absorb all qualified students from the high schools.

He stressed that the challenge today, however, is prospective students’ inability to pay the required fees. He said there are those who are admitted into the public universities as fee-paying students but are unable to pay.

He continued, “There are also those who are unable to enroll in the private universities because of the same problem. Mr. Chairman, I think one research that is urgently needed to be conducted in this country, is the research which will inform policy makers regarding the number of qualified prospective university students who could neither enroll in the public universities or in the private universities because of lack of funds. If we really care about developing the human capital in our nation, then policy makers, I hope, will take this need seriously.”

Rev. Prof. Larbi noted that it is when the country’s population and workforce at all levels are sufficiently educated and trained to take advantage of new advances in technology and in techniques and organisation of production that Ghana as a nation can develop. He added that it is also true that democracy cannot be consolidated in Ghana or on the African continent when the bulk of our population are not educated and empowered to enable them take decisions regarding who governs them, how they are governed, and how the nation’s resources are managed. As a new and as a continent, it appears only few people benefit from our resources.

The President and Founder of Regent-Ghana also bemoaned the fact that in spite of the huge contributions the private universities are making to the development of this nation, the fact that the bulk of them are not-for-profit companies, and the fees charged by most of these private universities are at the same level as the fees chargeable by the public universities to fee-paying students, the private universities are seen by the policy makers, consciously or unconsciously, as privately-owned commercial entities.

He stressed that this view has to change if the nation is to move forward, adding that in countries like the Philippines where university enrolment level is very high, the private sector provides about 80%. Rev. Prof. Larbi said it is therefore his conviction that when the private universities are adequately resourced and carefully monitored by all stakeholders, they will continue to play a very significant role in our nation’s development.

On the kind of politics Ghana needs at the moment, Rev. Prof. Larbi noted that once again, the election bells are ringing, and our teeth are set on edge! He said the destiny of our nation is at stake. Asking why a time like this should cause “fear and panic,” Prof. Larbi opined that politics, in its truest sense, is about leadership seeking the mandate of the people, so that it can work for the development of the nation, and the wellbeing of the people.

He noted that to be in politics in this sense, is to be in a business that works and seeks the welfare of those being led or those we intend to lead. He lamented that unfortunately, in our part of the world, politics is understood in the reverse order and has become synonymous with lordship, job for the boys, good pay, enhanced privileges, and the winner-takes-all mentality.

He stressed that politics is not understood in terms of assuming responsibility; rather, it is understood in terms of enjoyment!
The university don asked: “Does it surprise us that in African politics, it appears, without exception, that the only thing that our parliamentarians, those in opposition and those in government never disagree on, is when it comes to their salaries and allowances?”

Rev. Prof. Larbi believes, however, that with visionary and ethical leadership at all levels, collective effort, hard work, dedication, and sacrifice, Ghanaians can transform this country and, indeed, the entire continent within a short period. He noted that things begin to happen when, under dynamic leadership, people decide to take their destiny into their own hands and work towards a good cause. “It is our ability to confront and overcome our challenges today that will create for us a better world that we all dream of. But this will require a great effort on the part of leadership. The destiny of our nation is in our hands. As a nation, we cannot allow some few, greedy and selfish individuals to take us for a ride. We must insist on ethical, effective and responsible leadership. The future is indeed in our hands,” he stressed.

Speech Delivered By The Revd. Prof. Emmanuel K. Larbi, Founder And President


 

 

KNUST Don Advises 2012 Graduates


The 2012 graduates of Regent-Ghana have been admonished to learn from the experiences of others they meet in the job market and to use the universal education they have received to overcome the challengers of life.

The admonition was given by Professor S. O. Afram, representative of the Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), at the 5th Graduation Ceremony of the University College, held at the Accra International Conference Center, on Saturday, April 28, 2012.

Prof. Afram continued, “We as academicians taught you the lessons you needed to know before we examined you, but the real world out there examines you before it teaches you the lessons.”

The don commended the school’s administrators, parents and guardians of the graduates for their support for and encouragement of the graduates during their university education.  He also congratulated the graduates for achieving success in their chosen fields of academic pursuit.

He assured employers and the general public that the quality and capability of the graduates could not be doubted. “Let me also use this platform to assure the general public, and especially employers, that these graduands we are celebrating today truly deserve their certificates,” he stressed.

 

 

 

President wins Best Entrepreneur Education Award


The President and Founder of Regent-Ghana was over the weekend conferred with the Best Entrepreneur Education Award at the 2nd UT Bank Ghana Entrepreneur Awards 2011 ceremony held on Saturday, 21 April, at the State Banquet Hall, Accra.

The yearly-held event which recognises outstanding achievements of Ghanaian and foreign resident entrepreneurs in Small, Medium and Large-Scale Enterprises (SMLEs), is an initiative of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana, organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Entrepreneur Magazine and Deloitte and Touche.

The theme for this year’s awards event was “Unleashing Entrepreneurial Capabilities to Meet the Global Challenges of the 21st Century” and saw over 30 entrepreneurs honoured at a ceremony attended by captains of industry, members of the diplomatic corps and a host of other dignitaries.

The President and Founder won the prize in the education category in recognition of his successful educational achievements, hard work and entrepreneurial spirit.

Present at the event to receive the award on behalf of the President and Founder was his wife, Mrs. Florence Larbi. Also present to provide support were the Vice-President, Administration and Development, Mr. Albert Amonoo, the Communications Manager, Mr. Victor C.T. Ofinam-Antwi, and Mr. Benjamin Larbi, a Technical Assistant at the Office of the President.

The Vice-President, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, in a speech read on his behalf, revealed his optimism about the future of the country considering the emergence of outstanding entrepreneurs who were making phenomenal impacts in their fields.  
He called for collaboration between the universities and the polytechnics to provide entrepreneurship clinics that would whip the interest of the youth in self-employment, and venture creation.

The 2nd UT Bank Ghana Entrepreneur Awards 2011 was under the distinguished chairmanship of Mr. Prince Kofi Amoabeng, CEO, UT Bank.

 

 

rlg Communications Partners Regent-Ghana to Raise Innovative Graduates


Regent-Ghana is to benefit from an rlg Communications-initiated “Young Innovators Project” to train students of the university in entrepreneurship and information technology from April this year.

Announcing this at the 7th matriculation ceremony of the university held at its City Campus last Friday, March 2, Mr. Roland Agambire, Chief Executive Officer of the privately-owned information communications technology firm, said rlg Communications will also absorb about 20% of graduates of the university upon a successful completion of their respective programmes.

Mr. Agambire, who was visibly excited about the matriculation ceremony coinciding with the 10th anniversary of his firm, encouraged the matriculants to take their studies seriously and to aim at becoming entrepreneurs at the end of their programmes, instead of joining the unemployment queue.

He advised: “You must use your certificates to create jobs and not to look for jobs.”

The rlg Communications CEO urged Ghanaians to patronise products from rlg, adding: “We must use what is ours; that which we can call Ghanaian.”

In all, 531 students took the matriculation oath led by the Registrar of the university, Mr. Albert. K. Amonoo.

In his address, the founder and CEO of the university, Prof. E. Kingsley Larbi, congratulated Mr. Roland Agambire for his immense contribution to the promotion of information and communications technology in the country and for serving as a role model for the youth of this country.  He challenged the youth to take charge of their destiny by maximizing their God-given talent for the overall benefit of humanity as done by Mr. Agambire and other successful Ghanaians.

He further charged leaders of the nation to do everything possible to erase the wrong perception that it is only when we enter into partisan politics or are associated with certain power structures, or are involved in some shady deals or travel outside our own continent that we will become prosperous or be able to acquire certain basic necessities of life.

The President stressed Regent-Ghana’s vision to, “by the help of God, release into our nation, and other nations of the world, a vanguard of purpose-driven, cadet corps of professionals and academics who will be committed to the holistic renewal of our great land and our great continent. He added that the institution is committed to “the mandate God gave Adam and Eve, our progenitors (Gen. 1:26-28).  We believe this mandate is given to every member of the human race.  We are therefore committed to the mandate to be fruitful and productive; we are committed to the mandate to rule our environment and make it habitable; we are committed to the mandate to subdue or put our environment under our control, harnessing its resources for our collective good.” 

According to Prof. Larbi, “because of this mandate, we as a people, have (the) God-given capacity to overcome the seemingly intractable challenges that have bedeviled the development of our nation and our continent.  We, think, however, that this can be possible if we put premium on relevant quality education, and the raising of effective leaders imbued with vision and passion for positive change”.

He ended his address by reminding the matriculants that, “by accepting to be students in this institution, you are voluntarily identifying yourselves with the Mission and Vision of Regent University.  You are agreeing with us that you will be loyal members of this university; you are making a commitment to fully employ all your God-given faculties, through the help of God, to study diligently and to dedicate yourself to all that is required to prepare you to play a proper role in the realization of the vision to raise effective, confident, visionary, ethical leaders for Africa, and for our world. ”

 

 

Cudjoe, Collins Leave For University of Applied Sciences, Germany


Richard Ngemah Cudjoe and George Fabio Collins, offering BBA e-Commerce and BSc. Banking and Finance with French, respectively, left Ghana Monday, April 2, 2012, for Fachhochschule Trier, University of Applied Sciences, Germany, where they will undertake a  semester’s programme in Principles of Sustainable Business.
The programme is scheduled for the Environment Campus of the University at Birkenfeld from April to July, 2012.
Participants in the programme from all over the world will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of successful sustainable projects, network with experts, and learn how to adapt to today’s main challenge of integrating business success and sustainability.
Modules are fully credited with 30 ECTS points and include:

The Study Semester “Principles of Sustainable Business” has been awarded the title of “Official German Project of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.” The goal of the United Nations Decade is to embed the principles of sustainable development worldwide by showcasing leading environmental projects around the world.

With this prestigious award, the German National Committee of UNESCO recognises the dynamic and innovative nature of the semester programme and its main aim of sustainable development and business in a global context.

 

 

 

 

Regent-Ghana SRC Wins Youth Excellence Award


The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of Regent University College of Science and Technology (Regent-Ghana) has won the Youth Excellence Award as the best SRC of the year 2011. Regent-Ghana SRC topped the chart of quality leadership among all the student leaderships that were nominated to compete for the prestigious award.

Per this nomination, the Regent-Ghana SRC has become the best student leadership in all the universities in Ghana for the 2011/12 academic year.

This prestigious award will be conferred on the institution at a ceremony to be held at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Accra, on Friday, March 23, at 6pm. The programme is under the guest speakership of H.E William Billy Williams (the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana), under the theme, “Inspiring Excellence among Young People.”
The Regent-Ghana SRC came first after a national survey conducted by Waves International, a youth-oriented non-profit organisation with the vision of empowering young people through effective mentoring to ascertain the impact of quality students’ leadership among the student audiences of the respective universities.

Waves International is the only Ghanaian youth organisation to have been recognised by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll of England and former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa during their respective birthdays for its initiative in helping young people to emulate good examples through mentoring.  

The Speaker (SRC President), Rt. Hon. G.O Akomeah, and his team are delighted at this recognition and the positive impact it has made on the entire Regent-Ghana community.

 

 

Rev. Minister Outlines 10 Keys For Successful Leadership


The 2012 graduates of Regent-Ghana were on Sunday, April 29, 2012, sent out into the world of work with ten keys with which they could open the door of success in their various fields of endeavour.

Speaking at a thanksgiving service held at the City Campus to express gratitude to God for the success of the 5th graduation ceremony held the previous day, the Very Rev. Emmanuel K. Aryee of the Bethel Methodist Church, Takoradi, urged the graduates to factor first of all, in the supernatural into their plans.

He said God had created man in His image with the intention that man would receive supernatural insight from Him to realise his potentials.

He said to realise God’s design for their lives, they must spend time in prayer and not be ashamed to be seen as reliant on Him.

The Very Rev. Aryee also stressed on the need for leaders to be self-disciplined as without self-control they could easily be destroyed by their weaknesses and scuttle their dreams and aspirations. He mentioned historical figures like Alexander the Great who were brought to their knees by their frailties. He noted that in spite of their individual problems they must imbibe the need for suffering and sacrifice when the occasion demands that course of action.

The minister touched on the value and power of employing creative words and the need for leaders to surround themselves with positive- minded persons who can help them to achieve intended results.

The Reverend Minister urged the outgoing graduates not to be afraid of working with people whom may know better than themselves in their desire to be problem solvers.

He further encouraged them to be good citizens, action-oriented, courageous in the face of challenges and to make evaluation of their programmes a necessary part of their plans.

Commenting on the sermon, Rev. Prof. E. Kingsley Larbi, President and Founder of the University College, said as creatures of God, human beings had the innate ability to be creative and to take charge of their circumstances.

He urged the graduates not to be afraid to employ their God-given characteristics as that would ensure their success in life. He also invoked the blessings and presence on the graduates as they go into the world.

A brief refreshment was organised for the graduates during which they interacted with each other and members of the faculty.

 

Jacques Brook, DBA Visits Regent-Ghana


Jacques W. Brook, an associate professor of Corporate Innovation Strategies & emerging markets, was in the country from the 24th of January to the 2nd of February 2012 on the invitation of Regent-Ghana. During this period he made several presentations to the students of the Joint Regent-Maastricht MBA programme. As part of the MBA programme, Dr. Brook took students through a core course in Global Corporate Strategy. Dr. Brook holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from Eindhoven University of Technology and a Doctor of Business Administration degree with distinction from the Maastricht School of Management.

He has fulfilled teaching assignments on Global Corporate Strategy, Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation and International Strategic Alliances, in the residential MBA programme in Maastricht and the outreach MBA programme of MSM in Kuwait and Ghana. Dr. Brook’s research fields of interest include strategic leadership, institutional innovation, business transformation and emerging markets. In addition to his academic activities, Jacques W. Brook has held managerial and consulting positions in the industry.

He is Partner at Ordina N.V., a leading Dutch Information Technology service provider. Before joining Ordina, he worked for KPN, the largest telecom service in The Netherlands. In the field of new business, he has led various innovation projects and programs focusing on next generation Internet-based multimedia service platforms and business modeling.

He was also involved in corporate restructuring programs across the fixed network and mobile network divisions within KPN. He has consulted for various organizations in the Telecommunication, financial and healthcare sectors as well as with the Dutch government. Jacques W. Brook is co-author of three books and has published practitioner papers and reports on the strategic management of innovation.


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