As part of efforts to become the best university in West Africa by 2025, the Lagos State University(LASU) Ojo, on Thursday, organised a workshop for its senior lecturers and professors who at the forum had intensive interactions with three eminent Nigerian scholars on how the university could get to the destination as projected.
The three global academic icons are the former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission(NUC), Prof Peter Okebukola; former Vice-Chancellor of University of Portharcourt (UNIPORT), Prof. Nimi Briggs and former Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Prof Michael Faborode.
While the general theme of the conversation was “Revamping Academic Culture towards Achieving Academic Excellence in the University,” each of the speakers spoke on a specific topic with all capturing the tripartite mandates of a university which are teaching, research and community services.
Okebukola spoke on effective teaching, while Briggs spoke on town and gown connect through robust university senate and Faborode talked on effective research, all towards excellent performance.
According to Okebukola, every lecturer irrespective of cadre must have to engage their students in a manner they will not only understand the subjects of discussion but also live by it for a lifetime.
He said what differentiates good from bad lecturers are how effective they are in class, on their courses and syllabus, relationships with students and co-lecturers, and so forth.
He said though there could be challenges one way or the other, effective lecturers would rise above challenges for the sake of positive impacts on their students and society.
He, however, urged participants to embrace a culture of good practices that would distinguish them irrespective of fields of study and level of office to attain excellence at work and in other legitimate endeavours and consequently produce world-class graduates.
On his part, Prof Briggs said members of any university senate have a great role to play for the institution to meet up with the societal expectations.
He said even though universities in Lagos State both public and private for example, are grossly inadequate based on its huge population, LASU must strive to produce not only the quality high-level manpower for the state and its people but also to meet other societal needs even beyond the state.
According to him, universities must be able to impact the community by solving their problems and making society better for all.
“That is how LASU could move up on the ladder of greatness,” he stressed.
In his own contribution, former OAU’s VC, Faborode, who is a Professor of Agricultural engineering told participants that only what could make their research activities worth their salt is when they solve societal problems.
He said what differentiates a wealthy from a poor country is the type and quality of its research activities.
He said research efforts across fields should not be tailored along getting a promotion at work alone but to solve societal problems and that this could be done better through collaboration.
He said Nigerian universities are not doing well in this regard and LASU should therefore take the lead.
Speaking earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of LASU, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, said her administration had a mandate and that is to bring LASU to the greater limelight in the comity of world universities.
She said the university had started the process and would not relent in the pursuit of the dream.
She said the university would ensure it creates enabling environment and give necessary support to all its faculty and other workers as well as students.
She commended the three guest speakers for their contributions not only to LASU but to university education globally and thanked them for accepting to join the LASU community to move the university to its desired destination.
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