Ashesi University

Ashesi University (/ɑːʃˈs/ a-shii-si') is a private, non-profit university located in Accra, Ghana. The mission of Ashesi University is to educate ethical, entrepreneurial leaders in Africa; to cultivate within students the critical thinking skills, the concern for others, and the courage it will take to transform the continent.[2]

Ashesi University
TypePrivate
Established2002 (2002)
PresidentPatrick G. Awuah, Jr.
ProvostAngela Owusu Ansah
Students1173 (Fall 2019)[1]
Location
Accra
,
Greater Accra Region
,
Ghana

05°45′35″N 00°13′11″W
CampusSuburban area
MissionTo educate ethical, entrepreneurial leaders in Africa; to cultivate within students, the critical thinking skills, the concern for others, and the courage it will take to transform the continent.[2]
Websitewww.ashesi.edu.gh

Ashesi's Archer Cornfield Courtyard

In 2018, Ashesi University was awarded a Charter by the President of Ghana, granting it full independence as a nationally recognised degree-granting institution. It was the youngest university to have been granted a Presidential Charter in Ghana's history.[3] It is a member of the Council of Independent Universities, the Association of African Universities[4] and the Association of Commonwealth Universities.[5]

History

Feasibility study

A team of four MBA students from the University of California Berkeley's Haas School of Business travelled to Ghana to evaluate the feasibility of establishing a new university in 1998. The team administered over 3,300 surveys to students and parents; conducted interviews and focus groups with parents, teachers and business leaders; and gathered secondary information from local and international sources. The study concluded there was significant demand for a new private university in Ghana, that Ghanaian parents were willing to pay for high-quality local university education, and that the Ghanaian government supported private involvement in tertiary education.[6]

Foundation and accreditation

The Ashesi University Foundation was founded in 1999. Its name means "beginning" in Akan.[7] The university was granted accreditation by the National Accreditation Board of Ghana in 2001 under the mentorship of the University of Cape Coast and began classes in 2002. Ashesi students elected the first female university student government president in Ghana's history in 2006 and its first Examination Honour Code in 2008.[2] Ashesi University completed a new campus in Berekuso in 2011. In 2015, Ashesi launched its engineering programme,[8] and its founder, Patrick Awuah, became a MacArthur fellow.[9] In 2018, it received a Charter from the President of Ghana, allowing it to grant degrees in its own name instead of that of the University of Cape Coast.[2][10]

Campus
The Todd & Ruth Warren Library at Ashesi

Ashesi University's 100-acre campus in Berekuso overlooks the Ghanaian capital city of Accra. It contains the Natembea health centre, two sports courts and a sports centre with a football field, running track and gym.[11][12] It also hosts the Ghana Climate innovation centre.[13][14][15]

The architecture borrows from the Ghanaian vernacular, with echoes of traditional compound houses, as well as elements of traditional Northern dwellings. The natural contours of the site are used in concert with buildings to create exterior gathering spaces throughout campus, as well as ramps that provide wheel chair access to buildings. Buildings are designed to maximize natural views, light and ventilation. Ground water is supplemented with harvested rainwater, filtered and treated to provide potable water all year round. A community-scale sewage and organic treatment plant provides environmental and economic benefits by converting waste to biogas for some of the campus’ cooking needs and recycling treated water for landscaping.[16] The University meets 40% of its daytime electrical needs with solar power.[11]

Organisation and governance

Ashesi University has 85 faculty[1] and approximately 316 total staff[15] organised into the departments of Humanities and Social Sciences, Business Administration, Computer Science and Information Systems, and Engineering.[17] The University is a subsidiary of the Ashesi University Foundation,[18] a United States 501(c)(3) organization.[19] The Foundation is overseen by its board of trustees,[18] while the University is overseen by its board of directors.[20]

Academics and recognition

Ashesi offers a four-year bachelors programme grounded in a multidisciplinary core curriculum, featuring majors in Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. It runs Ashesi Innovation Experience, a two-week programme which exposes students between the ages of 15 and 19 to Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Robotics, Creativity and Engineering basics to help prepare them for transitioning into college,[21] and oversees the curriculum development for the Next Generation Cocoa Youth Programme.[22]

In 2012, the university was ranked by PwC as the seventh most respected organisation in Ghana, becoming the first university to make the list. Ashesi's president, Patrick Awuah, was also ranked the 4th Most Respected CEO in Ghana.[23] It was ranked as one of Ghana's 50 Best Places to work by Ghanaian consulting firm Goodman AMC in 2015; it was again the only university on the list.[24] Also in that year, Ashesi's president was ranked by Fortune as one of the World's 50 Greatest Leaders.[25] In 2017, Ashesi was awarded the World Innovation Summit in Education Prize, one of the world's biggest prizes in education, for its impact on higher education in Africa.[26] In 2020, Ashesi University ranked first in Ghana, ninth in Africa, and in the world's top 400 in the Global Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings.[27][28]

See also

References
  1. "Quick Facts". www.ashesi.edu.gh. www.ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  2. "Our Mission, Vision and History". www.ashesi.edu.gh. Ashesi University. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  3. "Ashesi University". Times Higher Education (THE). 6 May 2020. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  4. "Our Members". www.aau.org. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  5. "ACU members". www.acu.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. Early years feasibility study Archived 6 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine. ashesi.edu.gh.
  7. History: Meaning of Ashesi Archived 17 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine ashesi.edu.gh.
  8. "History – Ashesi University Foundation". Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  9. "Ghana's first-ever liberal arts college opens the door for more in Africa". Christian Science Monitor. 15 October 2015. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  10. "Akufo-Addo grants Ashesi University Presidential Charter". MyJoyOnline.com. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  11. "Our Campus". www.ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  12. University, Ashesi (28 March 2019). "History and euphoria as Ashesi opens new sports centre". Medium. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  13. "Climate Innovation Center Launched to Support Ghana's Green Economy". World Bank. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  14. "About | GCIC". Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  15. "Audit report and financial statements" (PDF). 31 December 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  16. "Ashesi University". AdmissionsGh. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  17. "Academic Departments". www.ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  18. "Ashesi University College - Governance". archives.ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  19. "Governance - Ashesi University". v6.ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  20. "Board of Directors (College) - Ashesi University". v6.ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  21. "Ashesi Innovation Experience (AIX)". ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  22. "The Next Generation Cocoa Youth Program (MASO)". www.ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  23. UT Bank, Rlg bosses outshine rivals –at Ghana’s Most Respected CEO awards. http://thechronicle.com.gh. October 2012.
  24. "Goodman AMC: Top 50 Best Places To Work in Ghana". 26 June 2015. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  25. "Patrick Awuah | Fortune". 26 July 2020. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  26. "Interview with Patrick Awuah | THE People". 18 January 2018. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  27. "Ashesi ranked 1st in Ghana, 9th in Africa in 2020 Times Higher Education Impact Ranking". MyJoyOnline.com. 28 April 2020. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  28. "Impact Ranking". Times Higher Education (THE). 4 March 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.

Sources

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