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Ashesi University

Coordinates: 05°45′35″N 00°13′11″W / 5.75972°N 0.21972°W / 5.75972; -0.21972
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Ashesi University
TypePrivate
Established2002; 22 years ago (2002)
PresidentPatrick G. Awuah, Jr.
ProvostAngela Owusu Ansah
Students1253 (January 2021)[1]
Location
Berekuso
,
Eastern Region
,
Ghana

05°45′35″N 00°13′11″W / 5.75972°N 0.21972°W / 5.75972; -0.21972
CampusSuburban
Websitewww.ashesi.edu.gh
Ashesi's Archer Cornfield Courtyard
Ashesi's Archer Cornfield Courtyard

Ashesi University (/ɑːʃˈs/ a-shii-si') is a private, non-profit and non-sectarian university located in Berekuso, near Accra. The mission of Ashesi University is to educate ethical, entrepreneurial leaders in Africa; to cultivate within students the critical thinking skills, the concern for others, and the courage it will take to transform the continent.[2]

Ashesi was established as an independent, public benefit education institution operating on a not-for-profit basis. The university obtained accreditation from the Ghanaian National Accreditation Board (now the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission) in September 2001 to operate under the mentorship of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), with degrees conferred by UCC. Ashesi began instruction on 4 March 2002. Ashesi University received a Presidential Charter from the President of Ghana, effective January 2018, making it an independent university that confers its own degrees.[3] It is a member of the Council of Independent Universities,[4] the Association of African Universities[5] and the Association of Commonwealth Universities.[6]

History

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Feasibility study

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A team of four MBA students from the University of California Berkeley's Haas School of Business travelled to Ghana to evaluate the feasibility of establishing a new university in 1998. The team administered over 3,300 surveys to students and parents; conducted interviews and focus groups with parents, teachers and business leaders; and gathered secondary information from local and international sources. The study concluded there was significant demand for a new private university in Ghana, that Ghanaian parents were willing to pay for high-quality local university education, and that the Ghanaian government supported private involvement in tertiary education.[7]

Foundation and accreditation

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The Ashesi University Foundation was founded in 1999. Its name transcribed in Akan as " Ahyɛase" means "beginning"[8] The university was granted accreditation by the National Accreditation Board of Ghana in 2001 under the mentorship of the University of Cape Coast and began classes in 2002. Ashesi students elected the first female university student government president in Ghana's history in 2006 and its first Examination Honour Code in 2008.[9] Ashesi University completed a new campus in Berekuso in 2011. In 2015, Ashesi launched its engineering programme,[10] and its founder, Patrick Awuah, became a MacArthur fellow.[11] In 2018, it received a charter from the president of Ghana, allowing it to grant degrees in its own name instead of that of the University of Cape Coast.[9][12]

Campus

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The Todd & Ruth Warren Library at Ashesi
The Todd & Ruth Warren Library at Ashesi

Ashesi University's 100-acre campus contains the Natembea Health Centre, two sports courts and a sports centre with a football field, running track and gym.[13][14] It also hosts the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre.[15][16]

The architecture borrows from the Ghanaian vernacular, with echoes of traditional compound houses, as well as elements of traditional Northern dwellings. The natural contours of the site are used in concert with buildings to create exterior gathering spaces throughout campus, as well as ramps that provide wheelchair access to buildings. Buildings are designed to maximize natural views, light and ventilation. Groundwater is supplemented with harvested rainwater, filtered and treated to provide potable water all year round. A community-scale sewage and organic treatment plant provides environmental and economic benefits by converting waste to biogas for some of the campus' cooking needs and recycling treated water for landscaping.[17] The university meets 40% of its daytime electrical needs with solar power.[13]

Organisation and governance

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Ashesi University has 88 teaching staff and more than 150 administrative staff[18] organised into the departments of Humanities and Social Sciences, Business Administration, Computer Science and Information Systems, and Engineering.[19] The Ashesi University Foundation,[20] which raises funding to support the mission of the university, is a United States 501(c)(3) organization.[21] The foundation is overseen by its board of trustees,[20] while the university is overseen by its board of directors.[22]

Academics and recognition

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Ashesi offers a four-year bachelor programme grounded in a multidisciplinary core curriculum, featuring majors in business administration, management information systems, computer science, electrical and electronic engineering, computer engineering, mechanical engineering and LLB in law with public policy It runs Ashesi Innovation Experience, a two-week programme which exposes students between the ages of 15 and 19 to Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Robotics, Creativity and Engineering basics to help prepare them for transitioning into college,[23] and oversees the curriculum development for the Next Generation Cocoa Youth Programme.[24]

In 2012, the university was ranked by PwC as the seventh most respected organisation in Ghana, becoming the first university to make the list. Ashesi's president, Patrick Awuah, was also ranked the 4th Most Respected CEO in Ghana.[25][26] It was ranked as one of Ghana's 50 Best Places to work by Ghanaian consulting firm Goodman AMC in 2015; it was again the only university on the list.[27][28] Also in that year, Ashesi's president was ranked by Fortune as one of the World's 50 Greatest Leaders.[29] In 2017, Ashesi was awarded the World Innovation Summit in Education Prize, one of the world's biggest prizes in education, for its impact on higher education in Africa.[30] In 2020, Ashesi University ranked first in Ghana, ninth in Africa, and in the world's top 400 in the Global Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings.[31][32]

In 2024, Ashesi launched an LLB in law with public policy programm after receiving approval from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Ghana General Legal Council (GLC). [33]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Quick Facts". ashesi.edu.gh. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Educating Ethical, Entrepreneurial Leaders, with the Compassion and Courage to Transform Africa". www.ashesi.edu.gh. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Our Mission, Vision and History". ashesi.edu.gh. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Members". ciughana.com. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Our Members". aau.org. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  6. ^ "ACU members". acu.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  7. ^ "Early years feasibility study". ashesi.edu.gh. 16 January 2004. Archived from the original on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  8. ^ "History: Meaning of Ashesi". ashesi.edu.gh. 7 July 2002. Archived from the original on 17 November 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Our Mission, Vision and History". ashesi.edu.gh. Ashesi University. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  10. ^ "History – Ashesi University Foundation". Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Ghana's first-ever liberal arts college opens the door for more in Africa". Christian Science Monitor. 15 October 2015. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Akufo-Addo grants Ashesi University Presidential Charter". MyJoyOnline.com. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Our Campus". ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  14. ^ University, Ashesi (28 March 2019). "History and euphoria as Ashesi opens new sports centre". Medium. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Climate Innovation Center Launched to Support Ghana's Green Economy". World Bank. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  16. ^ "About | GCIC". Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  17. ^ "Ashesi University". AdmissionsGh. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  18. ^ "Quick Facts". www.ashesi.edu.gh. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Academic Departments". ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  20. ^ a b "Ashesi University College – Governance". archives.ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Governance – Ashesi University". v6.ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  22. ^ "Board of Directors (College) – Ashesi University". v6.ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  23. ^ "Ashesi Innovation Experience (AIX)". ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  24. ^ "The Next Generation Cocoa Youth Program (MASO)". ashesi.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  25. ^ "UT Bank, Rlg bosses outshine rivals –at Ghana's Most Respected CEO awards". Modern Ghana. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  26. ^ "Prince Amoabeng is Ghana's Most Respected CEO again". Ghana Web. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  27. ^ "Goodman AMC: Top 50 Best Places To Work in Ghana". 26 June 2015. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  28. ^ Online, Peace FM. "Despite Group Among 50 Best Places To Work In Ghana". Peacefmonline.com - Ghana news. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  29. ^ "Patrick Awuah | Fortune". 26 July 2020. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  30. ^ "Interview with Patrick Awuah | THE People". 18 January 2018. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  31. ^ "Ashesi ranked 1st in Ghana, 9th in Africa in 2020 Times Higher Education Impact Ranking". MyJoyOnline.com. 28 April 2020. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  32. ^ "Impact Ranking". Times Higher Education (THE). 4 March 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  33. ^ Communications, University (23 October 2024). "Ashesi Launches Bachelor Program Focused on Law, Governance, and Public Policy". Ashesi University. Retrieved 24 October 2024.

Sources

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05°45′35″N 00°13′11″W / 5.75972°N 0.21972°W / 5.75972; -0.21972

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