A graduation ceremony has been held for the second cohort of the University of Cape Coast and the University at Buffalo Leadership Empowerment Programme on campus.

A total of 31 postgraduate students who enrolled in the one-year programme were presented with certificates and medals from the University at Buffalo, Center for Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness at the ceremony.

UCC Committed to the Collaboration

Speaking at the ceremony, the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dora F. Edu-Buandoh, assured that the University of Cape-Coast Management was committed to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that gave birth to the innovative programme in May 2017.  She noted that the MoU focused on the promotion of collaborative research; introduction of a Leadership Certificate programme for interested postgraduates in the School of Business (SoB) and the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA). As part of the MoU, the two institutions also agreed to have joint library services partnerships.

Programme attracting more Postgraduate Students of UCC

Prof. Edu-Buandoh said it was heartwarming to note that the programme was attracting post-graduate students outside SoB and IEPA. " The UB-UCC Leadership Empowerment Programme is becoming campus-wide and Management of UCC is considering housing the programme at a more central and strategic location to reflect its evolving status," she indicated.

Prof. Edu-Buandoh commended the UB team comprising Dr. Dorothy Siaw-Asamoah, Molly Anderson and others for the warm hospitality accorded when some of the graduates of the programme visited UB in May this year as part of the experiential learning component of the programme. She was grateful to UB for sending faculty to UCC to spend time with students and faculty as well as Library staff. "These examples are indications of the prospects of the UB-UCC partnership if all stakeholders remain committed to the MoU."

The Pro Vice-Chancellor also commended the two coordinators from UCC, Dr. Michael Boakye-Yiadom and Dr. Abigail Opoku-Mensah, representatives of SoB, School of Educational Development and Outreach, IEPA and the Sam Jonah Library for sustaining the partnership.  

Advice to Graduates

To the graduating students, she congratulated them on their successful completion of the programme. She encouraged postgraduate students in UCC to take advantage of the programme to develop and add value to their degrees through various 'add-on' programmes that have the potential of giving them a competitive advantage over their colleagues and peers.

Purpose of CLOE

The Director of UB School of Management Centre for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness (CLOE), Ms. Molly Anderson, said the mission of the Centre was to advance research, education and outreach in Leadership and organizational development. Built on the foundation of high- impact scholarship CLOE is an internally recognised Centre for producing thought leadership in Organizational leadership and innovation. "We draw on renowned faculty, scholars and experts to provide cutting edge research and critical competencies" she added.

The Director of CLOE explained that the UCC-UB leadership empowerment academic programme had been modelled after the UB School of Management's award-winning Leader CLOE programme, adding that the UB School of Management has been rated by Bloomberg Business and Forbes for the quality of its programmes and return on investment for students and graduates. 

Discover and Commit to Your Purpose

The facilitator of the programme, Dr. Dorothy Siaw-Asamoah, encouraged the fresh graduates to discover and be committed to their own purpose. "Recognize that learning is a life long journey, apply what you have learned this year about yourself and others with the goal of unleashing your full potential. This will inspire change and assist you to do remarkable things," she noted. She also urged them to be passionate about their brand, speak with conviction. Share this passion with confidence.

Empower Others

Dr. Siaw-Asamoah further advised the graduates to engage and empower others, "As you remain open-minded, look beyond yourself and bring others along". Find ways to empower by genuinely caring and sharing what you have learned so that the growth in you will extend to others beyond you" For most of us who are Educators, our greatest joy is to see our students, apply and extend their learning to others" she admonished.  Another important virtue she asked the graduates to imbibe was to remain natural and humble saying "Humility is a gift; humility doesn't mean you allow people to walk over you, but humility is about gentle strength".

Present at the ceremony were some officials from UB and UCC.