UCC and University of Lincoln (UK) Firm up Implementation Strategy for Partnership

The University of Cape Coast signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Lincoln (UK). The partnership is to ensure mutual cooperation between the two universities in research development, faculty student capacity strengthening and student exchange programmes. To firm up the implementation of the MoU, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, tasked a three-member delegation under the leadership of the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof George K. T. Oduro, to visit authorities of the University of Lincoln recently. Other members of the delegation were Dr. Richmond Afoakwah, Head of Department of Forensic Sciences, and Mr Dan Osei Mensah Bonsu, also of the Department of Forensic Sciences. The delegation met with various officers of the University of Lincoln. During one such meeting with Prof Toby Wilkinson, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Relations) of the University of Lincoln, he expressed profound gratitude to the UCC team for making time to visit Lincoln. He said that his office was in the process of intensifying the international relations of the University and hence saw the visit of the UCC team as not only timely but also crucial. Prof. Wilkinson said that the two universities have a lot to learn from each other. “In the face of dwindling support from the British Government to Universities, partnership with institutions from developing countries are crucial. The time has come for us in the UK to learn how to manage limited resources. So this cooperation should not be limited to academics and research. We should extend the exchange programmes to personnel in our Finance, Human Resource and Estate Offices”, he said. The Pro Vice-Chancellor of UCC on his part commended the University of Lincoln for receiving gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2017. Prof. Oduro reiterated UCC’s vision to be strongly positioned with a world-wide acclaim, and said further that partnering with the University of Lincoln would indeed help UCC to achieve its vision. He was hopeful that in the very near future UCC would stand in similar gold-winning stead. Of particular interest to him was the University’s approach to ensuring student satisfaction. “It is not surprising that your University is ranked among UK’s top ten for student satisfaction by postgraduate and International Students on the Whatumi Student Choice Awards 2017”, he said. “We will recommend your Student Union to our Student Representative Council and ensure a collaboration at the student front as well”, Prof. Oduro said further.   The UCC delegation held further meetings with the Head of College of Science and Engineering, Prof Libby John and the Head of the School of Chemistry, Prof Ian Scowen. During these meetings, discussions on specific outcomes of the MoU were discussed. The School of Chemistry, for example, will from next summer host Level 200 B.Sc. Forensic Science students from UCC to take a four-week summer course in Instrumental Analysis at Lincoln. The teams also agreed to develop several academic and training programmes, especially in the field of Forensic and Investigative Sciences.