A graduation ceremony has been held to present certificates to 22 graduates of the University of Cape Coast and the University at Buffalo Leadership Empowerment Programme.
The leadership Empowerment Programme is a one-year Programme run by the Center for Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness at the University at Buffalo, New York, USA. The programme is designed to empower leaders by using innovative approaches to prepare participants to demonstrate exemplary leadership practices.
The programme comprises four face-to-face sessions. Three sessions at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana and one at University at Buffalo, USA. The University at Buffalo session had to be taken online this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Participants of this program have the option to visit Buffalo, NY to attend UB Center for Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness annual conference. Speaker for June 2021 is Daniel Pink.
Executive Director of CLOE, Ms. Molly Anderson always provides an exceptional cultural experience for students. Upon completion of the year-long program, participants receive UB CLOE certificate and cohort 4 will also obtain a digital micro credential accessible on LinkedIn.
The graduation ceremony is the third of its kind since the two institutions partnered to introduce the programme at the University of Cape Coast.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Pro Vice-Chancellor of UCC, Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh, urged the graduates to encourage all graduate students in the University of Cape Coast and other universities in Ghana to develop interest in adding value to their degrees through various “add-on” programmes that have the potential of giving them competitive advantage over their colleagues and peers.
She said management of UCC “Is committed to the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that gave birth to this innovative Programme in May 2017”.
This MoU she explained focuses on “Promotion of collaborative research, Leadership Empowerment Certificate Programme for interested post-graduate students in the University of Cape Coast and library Services partnership between UB and UCC.”
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Prof Edu-Buandoh said it was “heartwarming to note that the UB – UCC Leadership Empowerment Academy is attracting post-graduate students from all the colleges of UCC. I am excited to share that we have received interests from students in many other universities in Ghana. I believe that in consultation with the UB leadership, we may very soon expand the Leadership Empowerment Programme to include interested students from other Ghanaian universities.”
On his part, the Dean, School of Management, University at Buffalo, Prof. Paul Tesluk, charged the graduates to exemplify their leadership training in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. This he noted will make their training meaningful and impact to society.
“The challenges that we are facing through this pandemic is a gift to you as you are going through this leadership training. I think we can all agree that the pandemic has brought about so many challenges, but it has also brought about optimism, ingenuity empathy, love and support and maybe most of all, what it has done to us is to highlight the importance of leadership” he said.
Prof Tesluk added that the training they have received will much be needed in this period of global uncertainty saying ” The fact that you are going through a leadership programme while we are all struggling and making sense of this pandemic is going to be something that is going to contribute to your growth in your development as leaders for the rest of your lives.”
Prof. Tesluk however commended management of the University of Cape Coast for working hard towards sustaining the Leadership Empowerment Programme.
The programme is coordinated by three facilitators; Dr. Dorothy Siaw-Asamoah, Faculty Director of Global Programs and Clinical Assistant Professor at UB School of Management. Dr. Siaw-Asamoah is a visiting scholar and the lead facilitator of the Leadership Empowerment Program at UCC.
Prof. Abigail Opoku-Mensah and Dr Michael Boakye-Yiadom are the local coordinators of the programme at the University of Cape Coast.
For Dr Boakye-Yiadom, the programme is intended to train individuals to be positioned as “global leaders who are agents of change and also be in a position to train other leaders as well”
Prof. Abigail Opoku-Mensah also believes that the leadership empowerment programme is to “give a unique leadership training to our students so that they will stand out among their colleagues.”
The 4th cohort is scheduled to begin their programme in August 2020. The ceremony was attended by the Director of Academic Affairs, Mr. Jeff Teye Onyame, Dean Centre for International Education at the University of Cape Coast, Prof. Kwaku Boakye and the UB team who joined on a virtual platform.
Source: Daniel Opoku/ATLFMNEWS
