UESD admits first cohort of postgraduates
The University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) has held its maiden postgraduate matriculation for the first cohort of 45 students for the 2024/2025 academic year at Somanya in the Yilo Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region.
They include 14 MPhil in Environmental Restoration Studies, 20 MSc in Environmental Restoration Studies and 11 MPhil in Sustainable Aquaculture and Biotechnology.
In attendance at the ceremony were the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Eric Nyarko-Sampson; the Pro-Vice Chancellor, Prof. Edward Wiafe Debrah; the acting Dean, the School of Sustainable Development, Prof. Anthony Amoah; the acting Dean, the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Dr Shine Francis Gbedamah; the Chairman, Graduates Programmes Management Committee, Prof. Alexander Nii Moi Pappoe, and the Director of Finance, Baffour Awuah Kwabi, heads of departments, heads of units and members of convocation, among others.
In 2021, the university opened its doors to 78 pioneering undergraduate students who successfully graduated in November 2024.
Matriculation
The Registrar of the university, Mary Abena Agyepong, who led the students to take the matriculation oaths and sign the matriculation register, said the matriculation ceremony aligned with Article 37 of the UESD Act, 2015 (Act 898), which enjoined every student who was admitted to the university to take a matriculation oath, which gave the student authority.
Engagement
Mrs Agyepong encouraged the matriculants to actively engage in the University’s life and make the most use of the resources and opportunities available to them during the period of their studies in the University.
She said UESD was committed to nurturing their academic and professional growth and would look forward to seeing their contributions to the shared vision of environmental and sustainable development.
The Vice Chancellor of UESD, Pro. Nyarko-Sampson, said as the students were officially admitted as Junior Members of the university, they should prioritise their studies, be disciplined and focused, adding, “Time management must be key, especially for those who may be balancing your studies with other professional and family responsibilities.”
He said the students must always remember that the “road may be demanding, but great achievements are born from perseverance. Do not relent, for every effort you make today is an investment in the change you wish to see in your lives tomorrow’’.
Core values
Prof. Nyarko-Sampson urged them to be guided by the core values of the university: Honesty, Opportunity, Perseverance and Enterprising (HOPE), as outlined during their orientation.
He said HOPE must be their foundation and identity as a member of the University Community as they strove to become agents committed to protecting the environment and transforming the world.
Expectations of life
The Interim President of the Graduate Students Association of Ghana (UESD Chapter), Ezekiel Teye Nartey Adjorlolo, said the students entered UESD at a time when the world was looking for thinkers and doers, as well as people who were not afraid to roll up their sleeves and shape a better, greener and sustainable future.
“As graduate students, we are expected not only to learn but to lead, to research with relevance, and to innovate with integrity. Let us anchor ourselves in the core values of this university, as captured beautifully in the word HOPE.
“Fellow students, let us put on the Green Armour of HOPE. We must support one another, embrace diversity and pursue knowledge not as an end, but as a powerful tool for impact,” Mr Adjorlolo admonished.
