The second edition of the College of Humanities Awards Ceremony has taken place, recognising and rewarding the outstanding efforts of faculty and staff who demonstrated exemplary behavior and performance over the academic year.
The ceremony, held at the ISSER Conference Hall, saw a total of thirty faculty and administrative staff from various schools, departments, and units within the College receive awards encompassing certificates, cash prizes, college attire, phones, and laptops across eight award categories.
In an opening statement, the College Secretary, Mr. Benedict Fosu Adjei, welcomed all attendees and lauded the Provost and his management team members for their unwavering dedication in realising the vision of the College.
He outlined that the event, which has grown in significance since its inception last year underscores the commitment of the College to acknowledging and honour the exceptional accomplishments of its staff members.
Mr. Fosu Adjei noted that each award received at the ceremony not only symbolise individual achievements, but also serves as an inspiration to everyone and a reminder that with diligence, determination, and teamwork, we can reach for the stars and achieve greatness.
He called upon various members of the College to come together to honour those who have demonstrated exceptional competence in their respective domains as well as the tireless efforts of staff members who worked behind the scenes to ensure the smooth running of the College.
Declaring the purpose of the gathering, the Provost, Prof. Daniel Frimpong Ofori, said, “the awards ceremony is targeted at rewarding staff that had rendered exceptional services over the previous year.”
He emphasised that, “a productive organisation is one that has productive employees”, hence the award scheme was designed to make the employees of the College happy and motivated which will in turn translate into productivity.
Prof. Ofori recounted that the College held the maiden edition of the awards ceremony in 2022, which had five categories. However, three additional categories had been added to this year’s awards in order to also recognise and award other dedicated staff who were unsung heroes.
In delivering her remarks, Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, expressed her delight in being present at the awards ceremony and noted that the event was a culmination of the search for faculty and staff who have exhibited exemplary behaviour and performance in the College of Humanities over the year under review.
She stated that “the event recognises and honours the efforts of a group of dedicated and committed individuals to have excelled in their roles and responsibilities, by means of hard work and a resolve to dutifully serve the University of Ghana.”
Prof. Amfo noted that “the awards ceremony demonstrates that the University of Ghana and particularly, the College of Humanities recognises the efforts and contributions of its faculty and staff and what they invest daily to ensure that institutional goals are realised.”
She also highlighted that the continued organisation of the awards event resonates with her sixth Key Strategic Objective, which is “to create a sense of ownership and commitment amongst students, faculty, staff, and alumni to promote creativity and innovation.”
Commending the Provost and his team for executing the awards ceremony for a second time, the Vice-Chancellor indicated that “ceremonies of this kind are relevant to every human institution since it provides opportunities for staff and faculty to take stock of gains and losses and occasionally set the stage for the commendation and recognition of contributions of employees and staff who commit themselves to promoting the institutional goals.”
Prof. Amfo congratulated the awardees on their stellar performances and support to the College and admonished them to see the recognition they received as a propeller to even do better than they have already done.
She encouraged every staff of the College of Humanities and the University to take a cue from the awards ceremony. “Take cognizance of the fact that the awardees today have consistently invested time and put in constant efforts towards the sustained growth and development of the University of Ghana.” Prof. Amfo remarked.
During the event, the Vice-Chancellor officially launched a new cloth for the College, with support from the Provost, Prof. Daniel Frimpong Ofori, and members of the College Cloth Committee. A beautiful dance performance from the Ghana Dance Ensemble added a cultural touch to the proceedings.
Awardees in the meritorious service category included notable figures such as former Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, Prof. Samuel Kwame Offei; former College Secretary and current College Secretary, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, Mrs. Mavis Otoo-Ayeh; Senior Assistant Registrar, UGMS, Mr. Ishmael Ato Essien, and Senior Assistant Registrar, Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Mrs. Arhizah Blay-Abiti.
Four members of faculty and staff for Schools under the College were rewarded for their dedicated services to their various constituent units. They include Mr. Ishmael Darko Koranteng, Senior Library Assistant, Department of Geography and Resource Development; Ms. Mary Aku Agbodo-Cofie, Principal Administrative Assistant, Department of Organization and Human Resource Management; Mr. Prince Bayilma Atia, Senior Messenger/Cleaner, University of Ghana Business School, and Ms. Mariama Bukari, Headwoman, Department of Modern Languages.
For his innovation of the Sashirif Office Information Management System (SOIMS), a software used to collect, process, and store data, as well as disseminate information needed to carry out the daily operations of the office, Mr. Samuel Boadu Ashirifi, a Senior Staff and Technician at the Office of the Dean, School of Social Sciences, was also awarded. His innovative software is currently being used by the Office of the Dean, School of Social Sciences.
Additionally, twenty-one other faculty, staff, and Units within the College were recognised and awarded. The Office of the Dean, School of Social Sciences; the Office of the Dean, School of Arts; and the Office of the Director, Institute of African Studies were respectively adjudged the Most Responsive Units in the College.
The awards ceremony was attended by notable figures within the University community, including Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante, Pro Vice-Chancellor, ORID, and Prof. Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, Provost, College of Education, alongside Deans, Directors, event sponsors, students, media representatives, faculty and staff from various units, and family members of the awardees.