UCC Renews MoU with University of Hildesheim in Germany

A delegation from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has paid a courtesy call on the management of the University. The visit was also to renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between University of Cape Coast and the University of Hildesheim, Germany. The interdisciplinary Graduate School ‘Performing Sustainability Cultures and Development in West Africa’ initiative is a collaborative training network for postgraduate students of the University of Hildesheim (Germany), the University of Maiduguri (Nigeria) and the University of Cape Coast (Ghana). The programme offers students the opportunity to learn and exchange experiences in an international academic environment with scholars from Nigeria, Ghana and Germany. It targets qualified young scholars and students who may be in their early stages of a Ph. D programme (1st year) or about to apply for one of the graduate programs offered by the University of Cape Coast. In addition, the University of Hildesheim (Germany) offers a split-side doctoral programme, which provides certification from the two participating universities. A precondition for entering the Graduate School is a researched Master’s degree in the humanities, social sciences, cultural sciences or cultural policy respectively. Successful applicants will be expected to enroll into a relevant graduate program offered by the University of Cape Coast. Giving the rationale for the visit, the Provost of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies, Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh, said the team has concluded a process to select six Ph. D students from the University and thought it wise to call on the Vice-Chancellor and his management team and also sign a new MoU to replace an old one that has just expired. Leader of the German team, Prof. Dr. Rimund Vogels noted that they were very interested in building a solid programme to train students in their respective fields. Prof. Vogels indicated that the capacity building project is a starting point to building a strong collaboration. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah said it was very refreshing to have such collaboration since it fed into his vision of building a formidable research capacity in the UCC. Prof. Ampiah noted that the University cherished the opportunity to be part of the collaboration and would do its part to make it a win-win situation for all partners. “It is something we need to push, people at UCC will do their part to make it work”. He urged the other partners not to hesitate to call on management if there were other things do to enhance the collaboration. He later signed the MoU on behalf of the UCC.