Twenty-two Professors of Takoradi Technical University have undergone a day’s capacity building organized by the University to enable them excel in their areas of expertise.
The maiden capacity building for both fresh and old Professors at the University took participants through a wide range of subjects including Personal Grooming and Brand Identity, Inaugural lectures, Publications, Mentorship, Quality Assurance Issues, Assessment of Promotion Documents, Patent Development and Ownership, Thesis Supervision, Progress Report on Statutes Review and securing Grant for Research among others.
Giving the rationale for the training, the Vice Chancellor of Takoradi Technical University, Rev. Prof. John Frank Eshun said the training was organized with the aim of empowering the Professors to help drive TTU’s vision of becoming a World-Class Centre of Excellence in Research and TVET at the highest level.
Also speaking on Academic Leadership, the Vice Chancellor advised the Professors against aggressive management style but improve on their communication skills and be flexible in problem solving.
“Our role as Professors is to guide the students in a right environment to enable them succeed.”, he said.
While charging the Professors to drive excellence in their faculties, Rev. Prof. Eshun advised them to do more in research through the improvement of their networking skills to help rake-in grant for research.
The Resource Person for the TTU Professors retreat, Prof. Albert M. Abane in a presentation on Grantsmanship advised the Professors to do critical needs assessment to identify areas of grant opportunities. In doing so, he pointed to the need for grant seekers to think about development gaps and the goals to be achieved as well as its relationship with national goals.
Whiles advising research grant seekers to think about impact of any research work and their sustainability, Prof. Abane also hinted the need for grant applicants, and for that matter, TTU Professors to be interested in research projects relevant to their immediate environment of Sekondi-Takoradi and the Western Region.
On budgeting for research work grant, Prof. Abane encouraged the Professors to be realistic and modest in their research budget proposals to stand a better chance of securing the grant, but more importantly, advised management of TTU to create a standby counterpart research funding support scheme.
Prof. Albert M. Abane also called for collaboration in research grantsmanship.
“Open yourself for collaboration to stand the chance of winning a grant, because they want people who can think together with others to do a good job. This is critical because it is a big task to do it alone”, he advised.
Prof. Albert M. Abane while speaking on Mentorship, asked the Professors to groom others to take over from them by mentoring them so they will remember them their good works in the future.
He reminded the participants that the results of their students are the reflection of their teaching, hence the need to help students to survive in the world awaiting them after school.
On Thesis Supervision, he urged the Professors not to only mark English as project work supervisors but be interested in the technical aspects or substance in the work they mark.
Registrar of TTU, Dr. Moses Maclean Abnory, who also did a presentation on the topic; Personal Grooming and Brand Identity encouraged the Professors to develop their self-identity as it can become an asset to themselves and their employer.
“your appearance and utterances will define you and what people think of you”, he noted.
On branding for the University, they were advised to show interest in TTU’s brand or be concerned about what people say about TTU as it also affects their individual brands.
Pro Vice Chancellor of TTU, Prof. Victor Kweku Bondzie Micah used the retreat to brief the Professors on the TTU 70th Anniversary planning.
Other speakers included Evang. Prof. Anthony Joe Turkson and Ing. Prof. Ebenezer Boakye.
