Vice Chancellor & Principal

MEET THE VICE CHANCELLOR AND PRINCIPAL

BIOSKETCH

Professor Abu Sesay was named Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Njala University on 18th September 2009. He assumed office on 7th December 2009, thus becoming the second substantive Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Njala University and the first alumnus of the predecessor institution, Njala University College, to hold the position on a substantive basis.

Professor Sesay holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Education from Njala University within the then University of Sierra Leone, a Master’s degree in Crop Physiology and Production from Iowa State University, and a Ph.D in Crop Physiology with a minor in Plant Physiology, also from Iowa State University.

His career in higher education spans more than 30 years and includes both academic and administrative experiences. He started his career at Njala University College as a Research and Teaching Assistant in the Department of Biological Sciences, and rose to become Head of Department, Dean of the then faculty of Environmental Sciences, and Vice-Principal of the College. He then left Sierra Leone at the height of the civil war in 1994 for the School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Uk, as a Visiting Scientist attached to the Tropical Crops Research Unit (TCRU), with teaching responsibilities. Prior to returning home Professor Sesay served in senior academic roles at the University of Swaziland and at the Botswana College of Agriculture, the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Botswana; having previously as Visiting Research Fellow at Iowa State University. He was inducted into Sigma XI and Gama Sigma Delta honour societies and won the World food Institute Distinguished Foreign Scholar award at Iowa State University. He was a member of the Programme Committee of the First International Crop Science Congress in the United States of America in 1992.

MESSAGE FROM THE VICE-CHANCELLOR AND PRINCIPAL

Dear Friends of Njala:

Welcome to Njala University

This website is your gateway to our university. We are a public university with a responsibility to the citizens of our nation. We are expected to provide a great education for students, to do relevant research and scholarship and to be engaged in the life of the nation. Our vision has always been to become an outstanding centre of learning, scholarship and community service, defined by the high quality of our programmes and the quality and strategic focus of our teaching and research. Prior to the civil war that destroyed our teaching and learning facilities, we were a thriving and vibrant institution, with an international profile. Our quality of Njala that speaks to me more profoundly than any is the accomplishments of our alumni, their contributions and impact at home and around the world: Several Ministers of Government, over 80% of the technical staff in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Dr Monty Jones Co-winner of the World Food Prize in 2004, Dr. kandeh K. Yumkella, Director General of UNIDO, Dr. Mohamed Imam Bakarr, Senior Environmental Specialists, at the World Bank, in Washington D. C., to name only a few.

In my short time in office we have begun constructing an image of what our University can become for us, for our nation and beyond. We will fulfill our mission and realize our vision through transformation process that focuses on our natural strengths, on those things that ultimately define us: our land-grant heritage, our programmes in Agriculture and Forestry, Horticulture, Education, Environmental sciences and Community Health Sciences, our commitment to service and excellence and our unique rural location. We will aggressively seek to develop expanded international partnerships. We will seek to become an attractive destination for students and scholars in many countries seeking to study and undertake research in Africa. Our vision requires our students and staff to interact on a regular basis with academic leaders from around the globe so as to acquire the cutting edge skills and knowledge they need for effective service.

This University will not relent in its pursuit of excellence and resolve to attain and maintain high academic standards. We believe that our graduates are the most important contribution we make to the future and we should prepare them to compete with anyone, anywhere. We also strive to inspire in them a spirit of serving others anywhere their service is most dearly needed.

Our best days lie ahead. Njala University is poised to become more than a great place to get an education. In our campuses I want a sense of optimism to permeate the air. We are striving to create a friendly, supportive atmosphere for our students. We are motivated by the opportunity to become leaders among leaders.as one great man once said.”a university is a place where dreams come true: a place where hard work and intelligence are all that matter to excel; a place where the focus is on serving students and supporting staff.”

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