ABU must bridge gap between academia and industry through interface with alumni, says Vice-Chancellor
The Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Kabiru Bala, has stressed the need for a platform where the institution and its numerous alumni will be interfacing to bridge the gap between the academia and the industry.
Apparently speaking in reference to the World University Rankings 2025 by the Times Higher Education (THE) which listed industry outlook as one of the ranking criteria, the Vice-Chancellor also stressed that ABU must connect with its experienced alumni to come and share with their experiences with its staff and students.
The Vice-Chancellor’s call is in line with the institution’s vision of ‘generating new ideas and intellectual practices that are relevant to the needs of its immediate community,’ and, in tandem with its mission, to ‘advance the frontiers of learning and break new grounds through teaching, research and dissemination of knowledge of high quality’.
Prof. Bala spoke on the occasion of the commissioning and handing over of a solar system to the Faculty of Law by ABU LLB Class of 1978. The Vice-Chancellor was ably represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Ahmed Doko Ibrahim.
He described as ‘heartwarming’ the results of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025 in which Ahmadu Bello University ranked second in Nigeria with research quality as the highest ranked pillar of the institution.
“We must provide a platform where the experienced ones among our numerous alumni should come and deliver lectures to add value to the teaching and research in the University.
“Judges, lawyers, engineers, administrators, and many others who passed through this institution will be identified to come and give back their tremendous experiences they have acquired over the years after leaving the University”, he said.
The Vice-Chancellor also said that ABU has everything the world can learn from, saying however that the institution only needs to have an enabling environment to accomplish the mission of its founding fathers.
Prof. Bala noted that the major responsibility of the trustees of ABU Endowment Foundation is to grow the endowments for the University to be able to sustain itself as government alone cannot fund education.
The Vice-Chancellor urged that the institution’s Directorate of Advancement and International Education (DAIE) should develop a mechanism to map out new developments and opportunities in line with the University’s sustainability plan.
The Directorate, according to him, should also liaise with the alumni leadership to identify those willing to share their field knowledge with the University.
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Public Affairs Directorate,
Office of the Vice-Chancellor,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
(NAM)
Tuesday, 5th November, 2024
