PRE-DEGREE/CERTIFICATE REGISTRATION/SCHOOL FEES
V-C Tasks Alumni On Varsity Development At Book Donation Ceremony
- Details
- Published: 05 September 2016
Vice-Chancellor, Professor NdowaLale, has charged alumni of the University to contribute towards the advancement of their almamater to help accelerate its development into a world class status. He regretted that many well-to-do alumni of the University were standing by the side lines and reluctant to give back to their almamater as was the case in other climes, reminding them of the central role expected of them to lift the institution to the next phase of its development.
The Vice-Chancellor gave the charge while receiving over 400 volumes of textbooks on various disciplines donated to the Donald Ekong Library by an alumnus of the University, Professor IfeanyiUzoka, who graduated from the Department of Economics in the Faculty of Social Sciences in 1990, describing the donor as a shining example for other alumni to follow.
“Professor Uzoka is a selfless man with a heart of gold, who appreciates his humble beginnings and the contributions the University made to his life and it is on this note that I express my deep appreciation on behalf of the University to him. It is only alumni with the heartbeat of the University in them that would come back like Professor Uzoka did to give back to their beloved almamater,” Professor Lale stressed, commending the representative of the donor and immediate past Director of Student Affairs Department, Mrs. Bridget Nzimiro for facilitating the donation.
Reiterating that globally renowned universities now operate like corporate organisations by forging a symbiotic institutional relationship with the private sector and public-spirited individuals, the Vice-Chancellor stressed the need for students to be treated with respect as ‘customers’ if their various Departments hope to get back something from them on graduation. He also advised staff of the Donald Ekong Library to ensure that students who use the facility are well attended to as an encouragement for them to come back to replicate what Professor Uzoka had done for the University.
“If we want these students to come back as alumni to add value to the University, we must treat them with utmost respect, courtesy and professionalism in the discharge of our job descriptions in this University. I am very certain that the Department of Economics treated Professor Uzoka well while he was a student there for him to think of giving back to his almamater,” a visibly delighted Professor Lale told the Library staff.
Presenting the books to the Vice-Chancellor, who was accompanied to the event by other Principal Officers, the University Librarian, Dr. Susan Umeozor, described Professor Uzoka as a passionate alumnus, who decided to return to give back to the University that trained him, adding that the books cut across all disciplines in the University, including the Health Sciences, Science, Engineering, Nursing Science, Humanities and Social Sciences.
“We are very pleased that Professor Uzoka decided to donate such a large volume of current books on various subjects to the University for use by students and researchers. I am sure he is not the richest alumnus trained by the University of Port Harcourt. He is driven by the zeal to assist his beloved almamater to attain academic excellence. We are pleased to know that Professor Uzoka is still willing to make more book donations to the University in areas of pressing need. We hope that the facilitator, Mrs. Bridget Nzimiro, would convey the depth of our gratitude to the donor,” Dr. Umeozor said.
Responding on behalf of Professor Uzoka, Mrs. Nzimiro assured Management of the University that he had commenced assembling more books to be donated to the University in due course. “I am very honoured to make this donation on behalf of Professor Uzoka, who is very passionate about the development of his beloved almamater. This gesture is part of the donor’s acknowledgement of the positive impact the University played in his life as a student,” she said, hoping that the books would facilitate teaching, research and learning in the University.
