Tech-U Holds Second Matriculation, to Appoint Professors of Practice

The Vice-Chancellor of the First Technical University (Tech-U), Ibadan, Professor Ayobami Salami, has announced plans by the institution to appoint Professors of Practice to join its growing faculty.

Salami, who made this known during the university’s second matriculation ceremony and investiture of university scholars, said: “As a way of enriching the experience of our students, Tech-U is putting finishing touches to a policy of attracting highly experienced industry players for appointment as Professors of Practice.”

He explained that Professors of Practice are professionals, either practicing or retired with or without traditional academic backgrounds, who have distinguished themselves in their fields of practice.

Salami said the policy is strategic to the university, which prides itself for its disruptive model of tertiary technical education, as it would deepen the integration of academic scholarship with practical industry experience.

According to him, when fully implemented, the university would set the pace as the first institution in Nigeria to introduce this innovation.
“Knowing that delivering on our mandate of a unique educational model requires capable, experienced and passionate manpower, we have consistently ensured that we recruit the brightest hands in the various fields of study to teach our students. I am proud to say our growing faculty consists of some of the best from the available pool of experts. We have also engaged scholars in the diaspora as visiting lecturers to strengthen the pool.”

The vice-chancellor added: “On our part, we will not leave any stone unturned in ensuring that we motivate our staff, who already are about the best paid in the public tertiary education system in Nigeria, to be able to nurture our students to become intellectual giants who dictate trends in their fields.”
The matriculation ceremony, which came 10 months after the first, had in attendance the Oyo State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Bimbo Kolade and other dignitaries, including chairmen of local government areas in the state.

The event also featured the investiture ceremony of 14 outstanding students, dubbed as Tech-U Scholars, who bagged first class in their first session with the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) ranged between 4.91 and 4.50 on a scale of maximum of 5.0.
Salami stated that out of all the pioneer students honoured, 12 of them were beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme endowed by chairmen of local government areas of Oyo State.

Presenting their letters of award, the vice-chancellor announced that the scholars, in addition to the symbolic honour of joining procession during all university programmes, will also be paid a monthly stipend of N10,000, while the overall best student, James Olayemi Ogunro of the Mechanical Engineering Department will receive N15,000 monthly, among other privileges.

Salami also highlighted the achievements of the university over the past one-and-a-half years of establishment to include stable academic calendar, establishment of over a billion naira worth of scholarship bank to support brilliant but indigent students, robust partnerships with notable international and national organisations, TETFund enlistment, infrastructural development, among others.