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Senate Elects Ogali DV-C Admin, Approves New Programmes


Senate has elected Professor Regina Ogali as the new Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Administration. Professor Ogali is of the Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry in the Faculty of Science. Until her election to the exalted position, Professor Ogali was Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.  
Her election was a major highlight of the 430th Senate Meeting (Extraordinary) held at the Senate Chambers, last Tuesday. Professor Ogali emerged as new DV-C following a unanimous vote of 133 after Professor Chinedu Chukueggu of the Department of Fine Arts and Design politely declined his nomination to contest the Number Two position in the administrative hierarchy of the University.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ndowa Lale, who chaired the meeting had announced that the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor would be vacant on April 24, 2017 after the incumbent, Professor Anthony Ibe, would have served out his two-year tenure in office. He said that by her successful election, Professor Ogali’s name would be sent to the Governing Council for ratification, preparatory to her assumption of office.
Professor Ogali becomes the first female academic to occupy the position in the history of the University of Port Harcourt. A former member of the University Council representing Senate, Professor Ogali had also served as Head of the Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, as well as Director of the Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES).
Senate also approved the establishment of new Doctoral degree programmes in Film and Television Studies, as well as in Theatre and Media Arts, both in the Department of Theatre and Film Studies, Faculty of Humanities, including a Professional Master of Finance and Banking/ACIB programme in the Faculty of Management Sciences.
Presenting the proposals on the floor of Senate, outgoing Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Professor Ogali, said that the programmes had passed through the necessary procedures. She said that the professional Master’s degree programme in Finance and Banking complied with the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIB) which already runs the ACIB programme in the University.
Senate also approved various categories of results presented by the Deans and Provost. The recommendations came from the Faculties of Humanities, Social Sciences, Science, Education, Engineering, Management Sciences, as well as Agriculture. Others were result from the College of Health Sciences, as well as the Schools of Science Laboratory Technology (SSLT) and Graduate Studies.
Following the dust raised by ‘mop-up’ of backlog degree results in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Senate set up a five-member Ad-hoc Committee headed by the Director of Quality Assurance and Quality Control Unit, Professor Ikechukwu Agbagwa, to determine what sanctions should be invoked against academic staff who failed to prepare results of students awaiting graduation, as well as find a lasting solution to avert the embarrassing situation in future. Other members of the Committee are: Professors Michael Horsfall, Iyeopu Siminialayi, Onyemaechi Udumukwu and Grace Awi-Waadu. Senate directed that the remaining ‘mop up’ results from the Faculty of Social Sciences should be tabled at its next Meeting in May, 2017.  
Earlier in his brief, Professor Lale had announced the elevation of some academic staff to the rank of professor and welcomed them as members of Senate. Those elevated were: Professors Cosmos Enyindah, Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Andrew Obafemi, Geography and Environmental Management; Martins Adesope, and Sunday Adetunji, both of Agricultural Economics and Extension; Adedapo Aiyeloja, Forestry and Wild Life Management; Ikechukwu Agbagwa, Plant Science and Biotechnology, Godwin Omokhua, Forestry and Wildlife Management; Sunday Osaat, Educational Management; Ifedi Okoye, Pure and Industrial Chemistry; Atei Okorobia, History and Diplomatic Studies; Julie Umukoro, Theatre and Film Studies; Prince Mmom, Geography and Environmental Management; Walter Ihejirika, Linguistics and Communication Studies; Philip Okerentugha, Microbiology; George Tasie, Religious and Cultural Studies; Kingsley Owete, Religious and Cultural Studies, Nkechi Okoli, Educational Foundations; Clara Olele, and Baribor Vikoo, both of Curriculum Studies and Educational Technology.
Other are: Professors Morufu Oyebamji, Adult and Non-Formal Education; Johnson Okpako, Human Kinetics and Health Education; Angela Frank-Briggs, Paediatrics and Child Health; Lekia Nwikina, Educational Management and Planning; Babatunde Akinbami, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Best Ordinoha, Preventive and Social Medicine; Barbara Otaigbe, Paediatrics and Child Health; Joel Umeuduji, Geography and Environmental Management; Prince Nwakanma, Finance and Banking; Nathaniel Abraham and Samuel Nwafor, both of Educational Management and Planning; Innocent Ohiri, Theatre and Film Studies, Ephraim Chukwuocha, Physics, as well as a posthumous elevation of Ramota Ogunkunle to the professoriate.
The Vice-Chancellor advised the newly elevated Professors to provide the needed academic leadership in their Faculties and Departments, and also contribute to robust debate in Senate to justify their new status and move the University forward.

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