The Vice-Chancellor, Professor W.O. Ellis, has commended the academic and support staff of KNUST for their immense contribution towards the human capital development of the country, and also for their commitment among other things, in instilling professionalism, endurance, and enthusiasm in students.
Professor Ellis made this statement during the third (3rd) session of the 45th Congregation held for 458 graduands of the College of Science at the Great Hall. The College comprises eight Departments including Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, and Optometry & Visual Science. Of the total number of graduands, 36 obtained First Class degrees, 213 with Second Class (Upper Division), 138 with Second Class (Lower Division, and the remaining 17 graduated with Pass.
He intimated that the Department of Optometry and Visual Science is currently running a two-year top-up programme in Doctor of Optometry (OD) through the KNUST Institute of Distance Learning. He was therefore confident that, the two-year intensive programme would go a long way to upgrade the standard of post-graduate diploma graduates of the Department to the OD status. He used the occasion to congratulate the staff and students of the Department for undertaking community impact based programmes over the years particularly, free eye screening in urban and rural communities within Ashanti Region and beyond.
Professor Ellis was full of praise to the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and Chemistry for their role as the leading centres for training scientists, including some renowned Statisticians, Physicists, Actuarists, Computer Scientists, and Chemists for the nation.
A Senior Member from the Department of Physics, Professor Francis Boakye, was also recognised at the ceremony for publishing his research finding on "α-Min thin films" in the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials. His publication was rated among the top ten in the year under review.
An alumnus of the Department of Physics (1985-1988 batch), Mr. Theophilous Nyarko, in a motivational address, reminded the graduands that in the midst of life's challenges, there are great opportunities, and stressed the need for them to scout for information. He further encouraged them to contribute immensely towards national development, and be generational thinkers.
One of the graduands, Mr. Bilson Darku Francis Jr., on behalf of his colleagues expressed appreciation to his lecturers for their invaluable impact. He described the occasion as "A door which is an exit from one world to the other", and urged his colleagues to excel as agents of change in society in order to emerge as source of inspiration to future generations.
