University of Memphis Seeks to Broaden Asantehene-brokered Scholarship Deal

The University of Memphis, as part of its efforts to expand its partnership with Ghana, has initiated talks with the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat to offer online Information Technology (IT) programmes to Ghanaians.

The Executive Vice President and Provost of the University based in the United States of America (USA), Dr David Russomanno, made this known to the King of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, during a courtesy visit to the Manhyia Palace on Wednesday, October 2, 2024.

He was accompanied by Dr Balaji Krishnan, the Vice-Provost for International Affairs, Dr Okenwa Okoli, the Dean of the Herff College of Engineering, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, the Registrar of Ghana Scholarship Secretariat and some officials from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Secretariat.

“We very much value the relationship we have with Ghana and hope to deepen and broaden that relationship,” he told the King.

He said the Ghanaian student population in their school has increased to 150 since the Asantehene initiated the idea for exchange programmes which subsequently resulted in the signing of an MoU between the Scholarship Secretariat and their outfit.

“We welcome students from all over the world. We welcome them, we treat them like family. We invest in their success, we focus on the success of our students then afterwards outcomes.”

IT Courses
He mentioned plans to partner with Ghana to offer IT courses to students as part of their vision to increase the number of IT workers.

“We are prepared to offer the online programme to deepen our partnership around how we can best complement the interest and capabilities.”

Citation
On behalf of the University, Dr Russomanno also presented a citation in recognition of His Majesty’s commitment to education which has enriched and diversified their institution.

“Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in recognition of your commitment to education and the empowerment of future generations which has opened the doors for campus students and enriched our academic community.”
Welcome
Otumfuo welcomed the proposal of the University as he highlighted the essence of IT in the smooth running of daily activities around the globe.

“IT is now the key. Digitalisation is running the world now. You can sit here and run your business around the world. It has made the global world easier where books are rare. Gone are the days when we would carry books around as students. Now we click on the button and read from the internet.”

He noted that educational support, such as that being offered by the University of Memphis, is deeply cherished.

“As a developing country, we also have a problem with funding and therefore support like this from your end we cherish so much. I will encourage you to do more because we still have more that we have to do for our people. There are many more students I feel can progress to top levels through this.”

Proposals
His Majesty further proposed a scholarship for lecturers at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to pursue Doctor of Philosophy programmes and upgrade their expertise in Memphis.

“PhD is another area that you can advance. We seek that our lecturers and professors here will have the opportunity to further their education and come back… The secretariat doesn’t have the money to match the cost…What I want to hear is that next year we have so many students benefiting from this programme and then the professors there would tell me how many of them are going for PhDs.”

Another proposal Otumfuo tabled was a University of Memphis campus in Ghana.

“I am waiting for the campus,” he told him.

Asantehene-UofM Relations

It will be recalled that in May 2022, the Asantehene embarked on a trip to the US for the Memphis in May Festival. As part of the trip, Otumfuo visited the UofM where he delivered an enlightening lecture.

In his address, His Majesty called for a collaboration between the University and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana which he later reviewed to cover the entire country.

Exactly a year down the line, the fruit of this initiative was birthed in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat and the University of Memphis.

As part of the agreement, Ghanaian students are able to undertake their internship programmes in some companies in Memphis such as Fed Ex, Autozone, Sedgwick Jone Incorporated, International Paper, Baptist Memorial Healthcare, First Horizon National Incorporated (NYSE: FHN) and Mueller Industries.

Additionally, GHC50 million is released annually for students to study at the University.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini