The newly inaugurated 12th Vice-Chancellor of University of Ibadan, Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka, has stated boldly that his administration shall support students to achieve their personal goals.
He made this known in the letter dated 30 November and sent “TO ALL STAKEHOLDERS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN PROJECT”.
“Students are the lifeblood of a university,” he mentioned, “We shall support our students to excel by helping to raise (their) aspirations, achieve their potentials and fulfil their personal goals”.
Other priorities of the new administration of the university are “to develop the capacity of staff”, “To explore ways that UI can make itself less dependent on government funding”, “to invest heavily in physical and infrastructural facilities”, “provision of ICTs and related teaching and e-learning resources… to branding UI as a digital institution”, and “ to increase research output”.
Basically, the new Vice-Chancellor’s vision-statement for the university is “To be a research-intensive institution for the transformation of Nigeria as a 21st century knowledge-driven, rapidly globalising economy”.
Consequently, the mission statements are “to create a high performance University, with outstanding teaching and learning facilities, that is locally relevant, nationally pre-eminent and globally competitive” and to produce graduates who are eminently employable, entrepreneurial and well-connected within a professional and intellectually stimulating environment”.
The UI’s 1977 alumnus cum the 12th Vice-Chancellor of University of Ibadan concluded the letter by appealing for the support of all the stakeholders in the university’s project. The stakeholders are the Federal Government and its agencies, distinguished alumni/alumnae, staff, students, parents and guardians, friends of UI, development partners and others.
The Professor of Geology concluded that the way to implementing the vision is through the creative effort he tagged business unusual.
