2014 IDL Matriculation Speech

SPEECH DELIVERED BY PROF. W. O.
ELLIS, VICE-CHANCELLOR OF KNUST

AT THE 2014 MATRICULATION CEREMONY OF THE INSTITUTE OF
DISTANCE LEARNING (IDL) – NORTHERN SECTOR ON SATURDAY, 15TH
NOVEMBER, 2014 AT CILT, TAMALE
SALUTATION
Pro Vice-Chancellor
Registrar
Provosts
Deans and Directors
Heads of Department
Colleague Members of Convocation
Senior and Junior Staff
Our Fresh Students
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
INTRODUCTION
On behalf of the Chancellor, Chairman and members of the University Council, Management,
staff and the rest of the student body, I welcome all our new students to this short but formal
ceremony of admitting our fresh students into our fold by administering the Matriculation
Oath. This ceremony allows you fresh students, the opportunity to pledge to observe the
regulations of this University and to obey those to whom your obedience is required, study
diligently, seek the truth and to promote the good of the University at all times.
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It may interest you to know that the world over, matriculation ceremonies such as the one we
are witnessing this morning continue to be observed on the calendar of several higher
institutions of learning. As one of the core traditions of tertiary education, it is during such an
occasion that fresh students are formally admitted as junior members in Statu Pupillari. It is a
ceremony to mark the official entry and acceptance of a student into the fold of an institution.
Therefore, this morning’s ceremony marks your formal acceptance as students of the Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and as junior members in Statu
Pupillari. After this ceremony, you would, henceforth, be dully recognised as bona fide
students of this great University.
It is on this note that I congratulate all fresh students gathered here today for being deemed
qualified to have been admitted for further studies here at Ghana’s premier science and
technology University and one of the best in the world. For many of you, the University is not
an entirely new environment as you are already used to doing group assignments, embarking
on field/industrial trips, doing your own research, managing your own time table, meeting
deadlines, and attending lectures but on weekends this time round. Let me assure you that, the
KNUST presents an exceptionally exciting environment but with a lot of responsibilities and
the earlier you wake up to this reality, the better for you.
DECENTRALISATION OF MATRICULATION CEREMONIES
In view of our efforts to decentralise our operations as a University in our attempt to give
more autonomy to the Colleges in tandem with our collegiate system and to manage the
increasing student numbers, we have decentralised a lot of our operations including
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graduation ceremonies and last year, we started decentralising Matriculation ceremonies to the
Colleges. This way, the Colleges are able to manage the student numbers in an attempt to
offer the needed decorum for such an important university ceremony. The entire event was
divided into seven sessions and was climaxed on Saturday, 4th October, 2014.
For the Institute of Distance Learning (IDL) and as has always been our tradition in tandem
with our aim to take education to the doorstep of our clients, the year’s Matriculation
Ceremony was divided into three sessions – the Southern Sector which comprises the Accra,
Tema, Akosombo, Ho and Koforidua Centres; the Western Sector which is composed of
Takoradi, Cape Coast and Tarkwa Centres and the last one for the Northern Sector which
comprises the Wa, Tamale and Bolgatanga Centres which we are organising here today.
ADMISSION STATISTICS
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it has always been a privilege to gain admission to the
KNUST. In fact, it is really prestigious to be considered a student of this University and there
is, therefore, no wonder that year in year out, we continue to receive mass patronage of our
graduate and undergraduate programmes. In this respect, the University during the 2014/2015
academic year admissions received a total of 16,859 applications to both graduate and
undergraduate programmes of the University. Out of this number, 14,441 were qualified by
the standards set by the National Council for Tertiary Education as well as our own internal
requirements. However, we were able to offer admission to 11,928 (82.5%); 8,455
undergraduates and 3,473 postgraduates. Out of this number, 8,392 applicants have accepted
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the admission offer and have, thus, registered as students of the University. The College by
College breakdown for both Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes is as follows:
Agriculture and Natural Resources – 734
Architecture and Planning – 693
Art and Social Sciences – 2,797
Engineering – 1,148
Health Sciences – 921
Science – 2,093
Total – 8,392
Specifically for the IDL, there were 1,555 applicants and we were able to offer admission to
1,301 but 1,007 have registered thus far including those of you being matriculated here today.
ADVICE TO MATRICULANTS
As fresh students, you should by now know that it has taken a lot of efforts and resources to
get you here and so as you begin your studies here for a degree, I urge you to be enthusiastic
about what you have set out to do. With many of you in the working class, you necessarily
have to properly plan your activities, be focused and have a positive attitude towards all that
you do and you will be declared a winner at the end of it all. I will also encourage you to learn
as many new things as possible; many of which may seem irrelevant for now but may become
a tool for you in the near future. We on our part are doing all we can within the resources
available to us to maintain the needed conducive teaching and learning environment necessary
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for your smooth studies. We, thus, have designated Local Co-ordinators for all our Centres
and if you have any issues, do please make use of them. Play your part by obeying the various
regulations that govern you as students. Let discipline be your watchword for any breach of
University regulation would attract the concomitant sanction and when it becomes necessary,
we will not hesitate to dismiss you from the University.
Do not just pass through the University for a degree; please allow the University to also pass
through you by being purified and reformed by the new knowledge and attitude you will
acquire here. As distance learning students, be abreast with activities of the University by
knowing its history, policies, vision, mission, core values, its administrative structures, etc.
Visit the website of the University frequently to get to know what your University is up to.
Do please accept my warm congratulations once again and welcome to KNUST.
Thank you.

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SPEECH DELIVERED BY PROF. W. O.

ELLIS, VICE-CHANCELLOR OF KNUST

Deans and Directors

Colleague Members of Convocation

Senior and Junior Staff

Our Fresh Students

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen

students of this great University.

DECENTRALISATION OF MATRICULATION CEREMONIES

increasing student numbers, we have decentralised a lot of our operations including

requirements. However, we were able to offer admission to 11,928 (82.5%); 8,455

College breakdown for both Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes is as follows:

Agriculture and Natural Resources – 734

Architecture and Planning – 693

Art and Social Sciences – 2,797

Health Sciences – 921

we will not hesitate to dismiss you from the University.

Do please accept my warm congratulations once again and welcome to KNUST.

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