Ashesi University

Ashesi University College
Motto Scholarship Leadership Citizenship
Type Private
Established 2002
Affiliation Association of African Universities, Association of American Colleges & Universities, Global Liberal Arts Alliance and Council of Independent Universities
President Patrick Awuah
Undergraduates Around 700
Location Berekuso, Accra, Ghana
5°45′33″N 0°13′12″W / 5.759066°N 0.220065°W / 5.759066; -0.220065Coordinates: 5°45′33″N 0°13′12″W / 5.759066°N 0.220065°W / 5.759066; -0.220065
Current degree programs Business Administration and Computer Science and Management information systems and Engineering
Colours Terracotta, Black and White
              
Website www.ashesi.edu.gh

Ashesi University is a private, non-profit liberal arts college located in Ghana, West Africa.

It offers a four-year bachelors programme grounded in a liberal core curriculum, featuring majors in Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

Membership

History

Ashesi was founded by Patrick Awuah, a Ghanaian who spent over 15 years living and working in the United States. Awuah left Ghana in 1985 to attend Swarthmore College on a full scholarship, after which he worked for Microsoft Corporation as an engineer and a program manager for eight years. Experiencing first hand the dramatic impact that education can have on one's life, Awuah embarked on a mission in 1997 to provide greater educational opportunities in Ghana. He enrolled in business school at the University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business, both to evaluate the feasibility of his goal and to gain managerial skills with which to found and manage a university.

The Meaning of Ashesi

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"If there is anything you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."

These words by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe are the inspiration behind the university's name, Ashesi, which means "beginning" in Akan, a native Ghanaian language.[2] Ashesi's founder, Patrick Awuah, first read Goethe's words when he was questioning the wisdom of undertaking such an ambitious project. Encouraged by these words, he began by undertaking a feasibility study. Clarifying the risks and issues at hand helped Awuah shed his reservations; one day he realised that he had lost his hesitation and had become very committed to this project. He then realised, "This really is the beginning!" The name Ashesi is not only about its founder's inspiration. It is also about providing a new beginning for every student attends.

The Ashesi logo, a hand drawn symbol, borrows from the tradition of "Adinkra design", used by the Akan people of Ghana to embody their knowledge, their moral and ethical beliefs, and their history. Ashesi's mark is a visual representation of Ashesi's mission. The lower part of the Ashesi mark is in the shape of a stool whose support structure consists of three pillars. These correspond to Ashesi's core values of scholarship, leadership and citizenship. Stools hold significant cultural meaning for the Akan people of Ghana.

The circle above the stool depicts a morning sun and symbolized a new beginning. It is also the center of an eye, which symbolizes intellectual exploration and discovery. At a distance, the mark as a whole resembles a person standing under a roof, reflecting Ashesi's focus on the people in and around its community: students, teachers, parents and members of the broader society.

Feasibility study

During the summer of 1998, a team of four MBA students from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business travelled to Ghana to conduct extensive market research and evaluate the feasibility of establishing a new university. With the goal of gathering data to provide a foundation for business decisions, the team administered over 3,300 surveys to students and parents; conducted interviews and focus groups with parents, teachers and business leaders; and gathered secondary information from local and international sources. The result was a comprehensive feasibility study,[3] analysing Ghanaian tertiary education.

Ashesi campus

Set on 100 acres in Berekuso, overlooking Ghana's capital city of Accra, Ashesi’s campus unites traditional Ghanaian design, modern technology and environmental best practices. The campus has interconnected courtyards, that emphasize a sense of community. The architecture borrows from the Ghanaian vernacular, with echoes of traditional compound houses, as well as elements of traditional Northern dwellings. The natural contours of the site are used in concert with buildings to create exterior gathering spaces throughout campus, as well as ramps that provide wheel chair access to buildings. Buildings are designed to maximize natural views, light and ventilation.

Ground water is supplemented with harvested rainwater, filtered and treated to provide potable water all year round. A community-scale sewage and organic treatment plant provides environmental and economic benefits by converting waste to biogas for some of the campus’ cooking needs and recycling treated water for landscaping.

Building a Community of Trust: The Ashesi Honour Code

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In keeping with Ashesi’s mission to educate a new generation of ethical leaders, the faculty and executives of Ashesi University approved in November 2007 a proposal to formally invite selected classes at Ashesi to adopt an Honour Code for examinations at the university.

The code was voted into force by students in January 2008. Also effective January 2008, all incoming first year and transfer students will be required to sign on to the Examination Honour Code prior to admission to the university, and will receive extensive orientation about the code.

The adoption of the Examination Honour Code marks a significant step in the history of Ashesi University.[4]

Rankings and media coverage

In 2012, the university was ranked by PwC as the seventh most respected organisation in Ghana, becoming the first university to make the list. Ashesi's President, Dr. Patrick Awuah, was also ranked the 4th Most Respected CEO in Ghana.[5] In 2015, Africa.com again named Ashesi among its list of top 10 African Universities (excluding South Africa).[6]

It has also been ranked as one of Ghana's 50 Best Places to work (2015), according to a survey by Ghanaian consulting firm Goodman AMC; it was again, the only university on the list.[7]

In 2013, CNN shared the story of Ashesi and its founder on its African Voices programme. In the interview, Ashesi's President said: "If you come back in 30 years, universities will be competing for the best and brightest students. I hope that universities will also be competing on things such as whose students are the most ethical. If that happens, it will change the continent."[8]

In 2015, Ashesi's President was ranked by Fortune (magazine) as one of the World's 50 Greatest Leaders, together with the likes of Bill & Melinda Gates, Pope Francis and founder of Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos. The list according to Forbes, was made up of men and women who "in an era that feels starved for leadership, will inspire you—some famous, others little known, all of them energizing their followers and making the world better." [9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wesler, Ellen (25 Oct 2015). "A Winner of MacArthur Award Brought Liberal-Arts Education to Ghana". Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  2. ↑ History: Meaning of Ashesi Archived 17 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine.. ashesi.edu.gh.
  3. ↑ Early years feasibility study Archived 6 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine.. ashesi.edu.gh.
  4. ↑ Read the white paper on Ashesi's Honour Code. ashesi.edu.gh. August 2008.
  5. ↑ UT Bank, Rlg bosses outshine rivals –at Ghana’s Most Respected CEO awards. http://thechronicle.com.gh. October 2012.
  6. ↑ The Top 10 Universities in Africa (ex South Africa) – 2015 Edition. http://africa.com. February 2015.
  7. ↑ Top 50 Best Places to Work in Ghana. http://goodmanamc.blogspot.com. March 2015.
  8. ↑ Millionaire who quit Microsoft to educate Africa's future leaders. http://cnn.com. May 2013.
  9. ↑ The World's 50 Greatest Leaders: 2015. http://fortune.com. March 2015.

Sources

External links

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