A 32-member delegation from Southern University, USA, led by Dr. Donald R. Andrews, Dean of the College of Business, paid a courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson, on Tuesday, 28th May 2024, at the Council Chamber of the University.
The Southern University delegation included Emerita Professor (Mrs.) Ann Smith, Chairperson of the Council Board; Dr. Patrick Mensah, Senior Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Research and Development; Ashagre Yigletu, Associate Dean and Graduate Business Programmes Director; Mary Cobb-Marshall, Associate Director of Graduate Business Programmes and Special Projects Coordinator; as well as Faculty Members and Students.

Giving the purpose of the visit, Professor Ahmed Agyapong, Dean of the KNUST School of Business (KSB), stated that the visit aimed at introducing students exchange collaborative programme, expanding faculty exchange through Fulbright teaching and research programmes, developing community outreach projects in collaboration with the private sector through USAID support, and enhancing ongoing joint research collaboration. He added that the partnership seeks to strengthen the academic exchange of best practices, including curriculum development, review and revision practices, assessment of learning outcomes, and AACSB accreditation practices, alongside fostering cultural exchanges.

In alignment with Professor Agyapong's comments, Dr. Andrews affirmed the substantial advancements in joint research endeavours. He highlighted the addition of new partners to the collaboration, including Babson College and the University of Tennessee, USA, represented by Professor Andrew Muhammed, an expert in Agricultural Economics Research. Dr. Andrews also noted the inclusion of Erica Rogers, a Community Partner and Specialist Nurse in Public Health, and Sonya Jacobs, a Consultant and Community Partner specialising in supporting small-scale businesses, as new partners.

Expressing her delight in the constructive partnership between the two institutions, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson, the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, emphasised the University’s commitment to training international professionals to solve societal problems. She hoped that the partnership would yield the desired results. "With the mutual relationship built between our universities, what we can achieve for humanity is endless," she remarked.
Present at the meeting from KNUST were Professor Charles Ofosu Marfo, Provost of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences; Dr. Charles Nsiah, the Finance Officer; Professor Kingsley Opoku Appiah, Vice Dean of KSB; Professor Henry Kofi Mensah, Head of Department Human Resource and Organisational Development; Professor Bylon Abeeku Bamfo, Head of Department, Marketing and Corporate Strategy; Mr. Festus Nyame, School Secretary, KSB; Mr. Bismark Adu, Senior Accountant, KSB; Mrs. Vivian Baffour Sarh, Administrator, KSB; and Mrs. Yvonne Baiden, Assistant Registrar, IPO.