A total of 141 students were recognised at this year’s Faculty of Social Sciences Dean’s Awards ceremony.
The Dean’s Award ceremony is held annually to celebrate students who obtained a CGPA of 3.6 and above at Levels 200 to 400.
The event, held at Auditorium 900, was on the theme: “Excellence with Purpose: Developing Transformative Leaders in a Changing Society.”
Speaking as the Guest Speaker, the Executive Secretary of the Goldfields Ghana Foundation, Mr. Abdel-Razak Yakubu, explained that leaders should first transform themselves before they could inspire change in others.
That transformation, he said, comes through continuous learning, unlearning, and practice, which together build the experience needed to lead effectively.
He admonished students to be adaptive, reminding them that the world is constantly changing and only those who adjust with humility and courage can thrive.
Mr. Yakubu also stressed that while earning a degree was important, networking often opens greater doors.
He urged students to take advantage of opportunities that come their way, to be audacious in their pursuits, and to inspire hope wherever they find themselves.
He emphasized that leadership was not about avoiding change but embracing it with empathy and vision.
He insisted that ethical conduct must guide every achievement, saying: “First Class without integrity is in vain.”
By linking academic success to civic responsibility, Mr. Yakubu challenged students to see their awards not as personal triumphs but as mandates for service.
He urged them to use their knowledge to solve community problems, uplift others, and contribute to national development.
He praised the organisers for initiating the Dean’s Award Ceremony, stating that such events were vital in promoting a culture of academic excellence and respect for the teaching profession.
The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Simon Mariwah, in a remark, commended the awardees for their hard work and commitment to excellence.
He reminded them that financial constraints, academic pressure, or social challenges should not be reasons to stop growing.
Instead, he described the university as a place to build discipline and character.
He emphasized that excellence must go hand in hand with integrity, warning that brilliance without honesty was hollow.
Chairing the event, the Registrar of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies, Mr. Ebenezer Aggrey, congratulated the awardees and advised them not to see success as an endpoint but as a call to continue improving performance, character, and service.
He stressed that talent alone was not enough, rather discipline is what turns potential into real achievement.
Perseverance, focus, and consistency, he said, are the habits that prepare leaders to face challenges in a changing world.
