Speech by Prof. Mabel O. Imbuga, the Vice Chancellor during the JKUAT Alumni Reunion on May 9th, 2009
Last Updated on Wednesday, 20 May 2009 11:27 Written by ALISO Wednesday, 13 May 2009 13:08
It gives me great pleasure to address you on this auspicious occasion of our alumni reunion. A day like this is very important as it gives us the opportunity to meet with many of our graduates after a long time. The alumni are able to meet each other, their former lectures and other University staff. It also enables the alumni to visit the University and familiarize themselves with the developments at the alma mater.
Allow me to tender my gratitude to each and every one of you for finding time to be with us today. It takes a lot of sacrifice to set aside time out of your busy schedules and come over to such a function. I do hope that the experiences of this day will be worth the sacrifice you have made.
I would also like to pay a special tribute to all of you for the good work you are doing in serving our beloved nation in various ways. The training which you received was meant to prepare you for nation building. I am happy to note that all of you have taken up the challenge and are contributing to the realization of our national dream. You will note that our theme for the reunion is "Reuniting JKUAT Alumni for Vision 2030". The theme emerges from the current national development agenda. As a University with a vision of being a world class institution of excellence for development, it is imperative that we align our programmes to the national development agenda. This will enable us to contribute to its realization. It will also ensure that we remain relevant. It is my hope that during this day we shall evaluate ourselves and see how we can fit in the national picture. Our Chief Guest will be talking more about this.
Allow me now to focus on the development at the University. As you may have noticed, the university is growing. From a single campus we have now expanded to four campuses, namely: Juja main campus, Karen campus, Nairobi campus and Taita Taveta campus. We also have Kimathi University College of Science and Technology, Mombasa Polytechnic University Colleges Meru University College, Multimedia University College, which are affiliated to us. In addition, there are satellite centres such as Nairobi CBD and soon Mombasa CBD. Finally, there are 32 approved centres that offer JKUAT programmes. We have also expanded the range of programmes offered at the University. Among the new programmes are: Bachelor of Law, Human resources development, Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, Financial Engineering, Marine Engineering, among others. This expansion arose out of the need to cater for the increasing needs of enabling access to higher education by Kenyans. As a University we have to remain responsive to the needs of society. Other developments include the introduction of fee paying programmes otherwise known as parallel programmes or module II in other places. We have also developed various bridging courses for candidates who fail to attain the minimum grades required. To accommodate those who are working and would like to enhance their skills, we have developed evening and part time courses to suit their situations. It is my hope that you will find the various initiatives attractive and take advantage of them to enhance your skills.
In the area of research and innovations, the University has put in place measures to ensure that our researchers undertake research that contribute to the development of our nation and society in general. A research fund and an innovations fund have been set up to enable our researchers carry our research. We have also put in place mechanisms to support them in developing their findings into products. The initiatives include providing them with support in protecting their intellectual property through filing patents. Some of the outputs from our research and innovations are displayed at the graduation square. Soon we shall have some of these products in the retail market. We hope that you will support these initiatives by purchasing our products and giving us feedback on how to improve them. You can also be involved in the marketing and distribution of the products. Our business wing, the JKUATES would be happy to assist you in this regard.
Quality is of paramount importance and even as the University expands it should never be at the expense of quality. The University is therefore strongly committed to high quality standards. In this regard, the university has established a Directorate of Quality Assurance (DAQA) which ensures that all academic programmes meet set standards. Our programmes are benchmarked to the regional programmes through application of the Inter University Council of Eastern Africa (IUCEA) standards. They also conform to the Commission for Higher Education (CHE) standards. The University has developed a quality policy and is at an advanced stage of getting ISO8000:2000 certification. We also have a service charter that stipulates the level of service you should receive. I hope that you will familiarize yourselves with our quality policy and service charter. The two alongside other vital information are contained in the CD which you received during registration for this function.
As a University we are keen on forging very strong relationship with our graduates and other well-wishers. The development plans that I have alluded to cannot be effectively realized without involving all stakeholders of whom alumni are. It is in this respect that the University has established the Alumni and International Students Office (ALISO) within the University. The main function of ALISO is to coordinate co-ordinate alumni matters in the University and support the Alumni Association. We have also put in place a Board that plays an oversight role of advising the University on how to engage with our alumni for mutual benefits. The Alumni Association on the other hand remains the voice of the alumni and should be strengthened to play its critical role as provided for in the University Act and Statutes. It is my hope that during the Special General Meeting later today clear strategies for re-energizing the Alumni Association will be identified. The University Management is fully committed to providing an enabling environment and other forms of support to the Alumni Association.
The University will be looking upon you, the alumni, to assist in its development agenda. There are various ways in which you can support your alma mater. You could provide attachment opportunities for our students. You could provide mentorship and career guidance to our students. And most significantly, make financial contributions or donations in kind. Most of you may be aware that the most reputed institutions in the USA rely heavily on the financial contributions received from their alumni. I hope that you will be ready and willing to support our development initiatives. At this juncture, I would like to recognize the effort of a group of alumni in coming up with the JKUAT Achievement Award (PAA award in short) which seeks to inspire our students. Today we shall be able make the inaugural award. I hope that other alumni can support this initiative and others that we shall have from time to time.
As I come to a close, I would like to reiterate the role you play in the wider society. Most of you hold key positions of influence. I would appreciate to see that you use the influence to direct the development of our society positively. You should always endeavour to uphold good morals and act as an inspiration to the society. It is in this respect that I would like to recognize one of our alumni who are playing an important role in the community. Ms. Cecilia Mwangi whom we shall present with a service award has been involved in the fight against jiggers. There are issues such as corruption and tribalism which we would like to see our alumni play an active role in discouraging them. We would like to see you lead the way in the fight against HIV/AIDS, participate in environmental conservation and assist our famine ravaged fellow citizens. With regard to the assistance of famine stricken Kenyans, we are receiving contributions which will be presented to the national famine relief kitty. I hope you will make a contribution to it. Let us also participate in seeking solutions to the economic crisis and the resolution of disputes such as Migingo Island. Finally, let us play a role in the realization of vision 2030.
