The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Oluwafemi Olaiya Balogun has challenged the University’s Committee on National Institutional Ranking Exercise (CONIREX), to deplore the potentials of the youthful dynamism of UNAAB to ensure a good rating at local and international levels.
The Vice-Chancellor gave the charge while inaugurating the Committee, headed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Professor Chryss Onwuka, in the Senate Chamber of the University, last Monday.
Professor Balogun admonished the Committee to work assiduously, with a clear understanding that “ranking is not in age; youthful dynamism could be used to wrestle recognition from older Universities. We must be proactive enough to ensure that we emerge as one of the top best”.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, the fact that “UNAAB is a University of choice by teeming candidates, is because of our present status and reputation”, therefore calling for the Committee to design good strategies of attaining favourable ranking during the national exercise.
Noting that one of the attributes that University administrators must imbibe, given the present economic realities, is the art of prudency in the utilization of funds, the Vice – Chancellor called on Community members, particularly, administrative heads, to “think of a period in time, when the available resources will not be able to sustain us”.
Professor Balogun also cautioned Community members to consider the possibility of “if eventually there is drought of fund, let us be confident that the University will still be in good stead, for having not squandered opportunities”.
The Vice-Chancellor therefore called on CONIREX to be scientific in its assignment, which could help the University to make an accurate and genuine assessment of its readiness for the national institutional ranking, urging the members not to lose sight of the impending pilot ranking of African Universities.
In his response, CONIREX Chairman and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Professor Chryss Onwuka, lauded the Vice-Chancellor for his pro-activeness, will and conviction to place UNAAB on the global scale, with a promise to deliver on the assignment.
Professor Onwuka said the members were aware of the importance of the exercise to the University and pledged their total commitment to ensure that they justified the confidence reposed in them.
