Ashesi’s Career Office, this month, organized an evening event to thank the university’s corporate partners. Over a hundred corporate institutions—ranging from financial to non-government were represented. Members of faculty, staff and some students joined in this celebration of hiring managers and institutions at the M Plaza hotel, Accra.
Assistant Director of Career Services, Mrs. Ophelia Sam welcomed the group and applauded them for their support of the University. She said, “by giving us the feedback you do, we are able to adequately prepare our students to excel in their careers. We are indeed grateful.
Ashesi’s President Awuah spoke about where Ashesi is now and what the future holds for the university. He mentioned donor support, alumni, the honour code and challenges currently facing the university. He said “we are training our students to be accountable for every action. It’s an important value to have if they are going to be the ethical and critical thinking leaders we hope for them to become. We are taking risks and hoping that our students recognize that mediocrity is not an option.”
Dr. Esi Ansah, an assistant professor presented an overview of the university’s curriculum and how Ashesi is trying to teach skills that are relevant to the environment our graduates find themselves.
Director of Development, Matthew Taggart outlined several ways Corporate Ghana can continue to support Ashesi. "Last year, corporations in the United States donated $4.6 billion in philanthropy to non-research funding in US Higher Education. This figure is down a little from 2007, but it still suffered the least downturn of all philanthropic corporate giving. Why? It’s strategic. For US companies, US universities are their pipeline. This is where their best people come from; it’s where they get new products, new ideas and it's how they innovate. It's safe to say, we are your pipeline."
At Ashesi, we seek to match our students with organizations that match our values and beliefs. According to Mrs. Hagan of L’aine Services, “Ashesi graduates and student interns are fantastic. They are switched on and way ahead of their peers.”
Administrators and members of faculty helped answer questions and address concerns. The dialogue between Ashesi and corporate Ghana continues to go on, however.