AMAZING GRACE: SAINT MONICA UNIVERSITY, MY DAUGHTER AND ME

AMAZING GRACE: SAINT MONICA UNIVERSITY, MY DAUGHTER AND ME:    PHOTOGRAPH OF ME TAKEN ON 4 JUNE 2016 DURING THE COMMENCEMENT (GRADUATION) CEREMONY OF SAINT MONICA UNIVERSITY IN BUEA WHERE I TEACH...

SAINT MONICA UNIVERSITY, MY DAUGHTER AND ME

 

 PHOTOGRAPH OF ME TAKEN ON 4 JUNE 2016 DURING THE COMMENCEMENT (GRADUATION) CEREMONY OF SAINT MONICA UNIVERSITY IN BUEA WHERE I TEACH MASS COMMUNICATION AND I AM DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATION

The university offers a wide range of courses at different levels, right up to the PhD. One of its distinctive characteristics is that students who cannot pursue on-campus studies can conveniently do so wherever they are either online or by distance education.  What`s more, intake is so broad-based that candidates can move across disciplines. An example can be seen in my own department where some of my MA in Mass Communication students have come from a different background such as Linguistics

I DEDICATE THE PHOTOGRAPH TO MY DAUGHTER, AZI AZONGA, WHO IS PICTURED BELOW

She has pride of place because she is not only the first of my children in order of birth, but the first of my girl children. What`s more, after earning a degree in Public Health from Birmingham University and actually landing a job in that field, she decided to leave it and train as a teacher. I felt very touched and honoured when she wrote to me saying: 

"Dad, I am starting my new job today in London as a trainee teacher. The school will be training me to become a teacher just like you.". Today, she`s a Special Needs Teacher in a Newham School. And we`re colleagues! Daughter, I`m so proud of you! To her mum be the praise and to God be the glory!

 AZI AZONGA

AMAZING GRACE: THE LAUNCHING OF THE KUMBA CAMPUS OF SAINT MONICA ...

AMAZING GRACE: THE LAUNCHING OF THE KUMBA CAMPUS OF SAINT MONICA ...: SAINT MONICA UNIVERSITY TAKES KUMBA BY STORM Saint Monica University (The American International Uni...

THE LAUNCHING OF THE KUMBA CAMPUS OF SAINT MONICA UNIVERSITY

                                                  Above: cross section of the university`s faculty

SAINT MONICA UNIVERSITY TAKES KUMBA BY STORM

Saint Monica University (The American International University) which is located along Kumba Road in Buea, stormed the city of Kumba on Saturday 2 July 2016 and left practically everyone in the city talking about it.

The occasion was the official launching of the university`s campus in that city and the modus operandi consisted of a field trip that staff and students undertook to Kumba, traveling in the university`s high profile bus.

The caravan made its presence felt from the moment it approached the city entrance in Barombi. It then proceded towards the town centre, going past the roads that branch into the multiple educational institutions in the vicinity: KUCAS, CCAS Kumba, GTHS Sofati and GTHS Kang Barombi. The convoy drove past other public structures such as PCC Buea Road, Azi Fiangep Hotel, Ejeg Clinic and into Town Green, after which it continued to 3 Corners Fiango, Kosala, Kumba Station, Mbonge Road, Kumba Town, and then back to Buea Road. Here everyone alighted for a brief but memorable tour of the new but temporary premises along Buea Road and at Alaska Street Junction. The building stood out conspicuously, resplendent with the SMU signboard displayed on its facade. Below along the road was a giant poster which said everything anyone wanted to know not just about Saint Monica but also about the Kumba campus.

A major highlight was the visit that took the convoy to the twenty hectares of land that have been acquired by the university. The piece of land which is located in the quarter of Mabanda, is strategically placed near the one that has been earmarked by the government of Cameroon for the Kumba-based Higher Technical Teachers` Training College (HTTTC) that is an extension of the University of Buea, and not too far from that of the Catholic University of Buea (CUIB). It was with a lot of feelings of accomplishment that the President of SMU, Prof J.J. Asongu, led the team on a guided tour of the acquisition.

Everywhere the party went, cheering crowds of Kumba residents came out in large numbers to welcome them. There was every reason for them to respond in this manner because what they saw in front of them was not just a convoy but a closely-knit family of like-minded people belonging to the same institution and all of them happy to be actors in yet another act that was marking a milestone in the life of the institution. That was why while some rode in the school bus, others rode in their own vehicles and yet others on motor bikes. It was impossible not to notice Mr. Christoph Messner, Associate Vice President of International Cooperation not only enjoying a ride from the back of a bike but also ceaselessly motioning to the cheering crowds to step forward and pick up the publicity leaflets that were being dropped by members of the convey. A good number of the convoy members proudly wore the SMU Tee shirt, a factor which added a lot of local colour and excitement to the show. There was, of course, at the very front of the motorcade, the vehicle of the university`s President which blazed the trail and set the pace.

After the tour, the caravan returned to the temporary site at Alaska Street Junction where still exuberant, members chilled out while the SMU President granted interviews to waiting media men and women. Since the university was like a new baby in town, the president devoted a lot of time to giving details about it to the anxious journalists in front of him. He explained that the idea to set up Saint Monica stemmed from his own personal experiences in Cameroon, Nigeria and the United States. He explained that it was easy for him to identify a need for such an educational establishment because he realized that in life, the best students in class were not necessarily the most successful. In order to succeed, one needs “soft” skills such as honesty, patience and integrity. He said that Saint Monica offers courses that are practical and can easily lead to job creation. He also stated that the university was offering courses at less than half the normal price, in order to give a chance to as many people as possible.

In response to a question concerning how the institution came about choosing the name of a saint, for its own name, the president said Saint Monica was the patron saint of the institution. He further disclosed that Saint Monica was an African saint who gave birth to a son whom she groomed through thick and thin and he also later became Saint Augustine. Asked whether still because of the name choice, the university was catholic-owned, he replied that Saint Monica University in deed offered everything one would find in a Catholic university without being one itself. He also pointed out that there was something definitely catholic about the university in the sense that it included ex-seminarians and even the Finance Director who is a Reverend Sister, not to mention other clerics who had graduated from the university and those who were still studying there.

Then followed the famous “Item 11” across the road at Savoury Restaurant where the President of SMU expressed pleasant surprise at the speed and accuracy with which the Kumba campus team headed by its Director, Dr. Henry Eneme Ekah-Kunde had within an incredibly short space of time prepared the neqw campus for the opening ceremony that was taking place. The President gave the Director the floor to introduce the members of his team which he did. They were Dr. Elvis Akomoneh, Campus Registrar; Ms. Juliana Asahguebui, as Human Resource Officer; Mr. Eric Mesumbe Ediage as Finance Officer; Mr. Princely Tongte as Admissions Officer; Ms. SeraphineOrock as Marketing Officer; and Ms. Stella Asong as Administrative Assistant. Two guests joined the party later. They were Mr. Shengang Richard who is Station Manager of Ocean City Radio, Kumba, and Mr. Louis Nkembi, the CEO and Executive Director of ERuDeF, an NGO which is working on conservation issues in the South West region of Cameroon. The President still found time to have a one-on-one chat with each of them.

The Kumba Campus offers courses at the HND and Bachelor’s levels in all the four Schools of Saint Monica University. Courses in the School of Arts, Education and Humanities include communication, education, philosophy and theology. In the School of Business and Public Policy, students can study public administration, business administration, human rights, international relations, accounting, marketing, banking and finance and varies fields in management. Courses in the School of Health and Human Services include nursing, medical laboratory science, pharmacy technology, public health, and clinical psychology. The School of Science, Engineering and Technology offers agriculture, information technology, various fields in engineering, geology and mining and environmental science. Scholarships are available and a gratification amount of 5000 FCFA is available to persons who refer students to the institution and they register.

Further details can be obtained through TEL: (237) 698 764 605 or (237) 669 999 801, or EMAIL: admissions@smuedu.org.