The Senate of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, has approved the establishment of the office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation in the University bringing the total number of Deputy Vice-Chancellors to three.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University Professor Sa’adatu Hassan Liman made the announcement during the maiden Town Hall meeting of the NSUK School of Postgraduate Studies which took place at the School’s auditorium on Friday 7th June 2024.
Professor Sa’adatu stated that with the establishment of the office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation it is expected that the University will be a centre of excellence in research and fellowships and also increase the visibility of the University by attracting research grants from donor agencies, research institutes etc, and engaging in collaborative engagements with local and international Universities.
The Vice-Chancellor while appreciating the massive turn around of infrastructure in the School of Postgraduate Studies congratulated the Professor Maikano Ari-led management for achieving so much within one year of his appointment as the Dean of the School and also for naming the newly constructed students e-hub garden after her, she assured that the Postgraduate school will continue to receive all the necessary support it needs from management to make them excel and be the best Postgraduate School in Nigeria.
The Vice-Chancellor also used the platform of the Town Hall meeting to explain some cardinal objectives of her administration to include running an all inclusive administration where each and every voice will be heard, making staff and students welfare a top priority, combating social vices, convening of Town Hall meetings to gauge opinions of stakeholders, automation of University activities to ensure transparency, creation of an office for revenue mobilisation to seek for grants, consultancies and entrepreneurial opportunities amongst other noble ideas were highlighted.
Earlier in his address of welcome, the Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies and Chairman Committee of Dean’s and Directors of NSUK, Professor Maikano Muhammad Ari stated that in the last one year of his assumption of duty they have been able surmount a lot of challenges and introduce new innovations and also amass support from individuals and organizations which has brought the PG School to where it is today noting that when they came on board they inherited the largest trending window in Postgraduate Studies which also threw the challenge of maintaining the platform inherited necessary so that the confidence reposed on the system by the general public will not be eroded.
Professor Ari explained that within the period under review they have been able make some infrastructural changes to make the School globally competitive, standard and with an international appeal, and also to review the administrative structures like the extant laws and regulations to see how these processes can be made more student friendly. He further stated that the students of the school have among themselves instituted as legacy projects which they decide amongst themselves what project to bequeath to the University.
Highlighting some of the challenges he encountered on assumption of office, Professor Ari described the situation where the Postgraduate School was seen as “endless pit” where students dont graduate within record time as a thing of the past, because with recent innovations more students are graduating within record time without compromising on quality and time, this he said became necessary through the deployment of technology where students are kept in perspective and informed of their progress and staff members are reminded of their responsibilities. He noted that they have leveraged on technology to allow students of the school from all over the globe to participate in examinations and thesis defense.
The high points of the event were a discussion panel anchored by the Secretary of the School of Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Muhammad Jamil Zakari, tour of facilities and infrastructure in the PG School and the commissioning of the SH Liman outdoor e-learning garden.