The School of Public Health (SPH) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has organised its alumni meeting on the theme: Harnessing Resources for Public Health Training and Practice: The Role of Alumni.
The alumni gathering, which took place from the 1st to the 3rd of December 2021, provided an opportunity for them to share their past experiences and recognise the faculty's contribution in their respective careers.
The goal of the meeting, according to Professor Peter Agyei-Baffour, Dean of SPH, was to formally organise the SPH-KNUST Alumni Association and debate the way forward for its influence on KNUST. He urged the alumni body to provide internship opportunities, mentorships, advisory boards, and business trusteeships, as well as suggest continuing education programs for the current students.
Mr. James Kwasi Oberko, Senior Assistant Registrar for the Advancement and Alumni Relations Office, mentioned in his presentation that KNUST is an internationally acknowledged Science and Technology University of high academic repute, with over 5,000 employees and 85,000 students. According to US News and World Report, the University is the best in Ghana and West Africa and the 12th best in Africa for 2019 and 2020, he noted.
He revealed that the Global Alumni Association currently has chapters in Ghana as well as overseas. Mr. Oberko went on to list some of the contributions the alumni can make in the development of KNUST, including working as brand ambassadors, directing fund mobilization, and contributing knowledge. He also indicated that KNUST has set up an Alumni and Advancement Office to facilitate the projects of the alumni and urged the alumni group to employ diverse workable ways to sensitise their mates on the need to belong to the Alumni Association. “As alumni, be ready to serve and give and consciously promote and fly the flag of KNUST” he added.
The Keynote Speaker, Dr. Kwabena Twum-Nuamah acknowledged his great pride in KNUST; having obtained four certificates from the University. He acclaimed KNUST, as an advanced institution, that has generated graduates with entrepreneurial skills over the years.
Speaking on the theme, Dr. Twum-Nuamah urged the alumni group to emulate the tradition of alumni associations across the globe who have played pivotal roles in the success stories of their respective alma maters. He, therefore, referred to the statistics of the United States’ Council for Advancement and Support of Education. According to the council, in 2018, 2.15 billion US dollars out of 46.73billion US dollars of donations availed to the United States’ universities and colleges came from alumni. He aligned this to revenue mobilization as being the most important contribution of an alumni group towards developing its alma mater.
Dr. Twum-Nuamah advocated for the alumni group to help promote the SPH-KNUST by employing social media to spread positive posts about KNUST on the various Social Media platforms. This could yield an increase in the application rates to the SPH-KNUST, he added.