The School of Business has held its maiden homecoming durbar, with a call on alumni to endeavour to make meaningful contributions to the development of their alma mater.
The event also witnessed the celebration of the academic exploits of three hundred and forty-eight (348) students of the School.
The Dean’s award ceremony is the annual celebration of students who obtain a CGPA of 3.6 and above at levels 200 to 400.
The theme of the dual event was “Expanding the Frontiers of Business of Excellence: The Role of Alumni.”
The hard-working staff members of the School were also honoured for their selfless work.
The Chief Executive of Thonket Group of Companies in Kumasi, Mr. Anthony Adu-Nketiah, who was the guest speaker, commended the awardees for their exceptional academic performance and implored them not to relent in their studies so that they could win more academic laurels.
He urged industrialists and academics to come together to have a positive impact on the nation’s economy.
According to him, the existing disconnect between industry and academia has not helped Ghana’s economic development.
The Kumasi-based businessman, who is an alumnus of the School of Business, said industrialists need to partner with academics and researchers to bring positive economic effects.
Unfortunately, he observed that universities were on one side, whereas businesses were on the other, resulting in poorly informed industry decisions that led to business collapses.
The Thonket Group CEO added that “Industries are working disjointedly with academia. Academia prepares graduates like we are seeing today for the industry and for the public sector, but when they come, they (graduates) are not humble enough to come down and learn on the job.”
He lauded UCC for setting up the Design Thinking and Innovation Hub (D-HUB) to assist student entrepreneurs, adding that entrepreneurs work as the wheels of a country’s economic growth.
Mr. Adu-Nketiah called on alumni of the School to endeavour to make meaningful contributions to the development of their alma mater.
He said most alumni owed their successes in life to the strong foundation and discipline acquired from the School, calling on all alumni to come together to support the School by giving back.
The CEO implored students to use artificial intelligence responsibly in their works
The Dean of the School of Business, Prof. Samuel Kwaku Agyei, assured the business community and prospective students that management of the School was aware of the task of training to produce globally fit-for-purpose graduates who can work in multicultural environments with good interpersonal skills, innovation, and data skills.
He, therefore, advised the students to be disciplined and invest their time and energy into their studies to make themselves and the School proud at the end of their academic pursuits.
While commending alumni for their support towards the school, Prof. Agyei entreated students to take inspiration from the old students and work hard to attain their aspirations in life.
He urged alumni to remember the foundation their education provides and to take active steps in ensuring that future generations have access to the same quality of education.
He urged them to contribute meaningfully to the newly established School of Business Endowment Fund.
As part of the homecoming activities, the alumni participated in a health walk, a cocktail reception, games, excursions, a year group night out, and a thanksgiving service organised by the School of Business.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC
