The University of Makeni holds orientation for newly admitted students on November 6, 2021, at the University auditorium at 10:00 am.
The Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Professor Joseph Alimamy Turay, in his welcome address, expressed gratitude to the students and staff of the University who continue to uplift the name of the University. Professor Turay said, “Starting a college can cause much anxiety in the heart of a new college student because of all the unknowns– What should my major be? Will I make any friends? How will I find all of my classes? Whom do I ask if I have a question?”
The Vice-Chancellor further revealed that new students’ orientation programs are designed to guide students in answering all of these questions. Before the beginning of classes, the Vice-Chancellor expressed that students are given an overview of the whole realm of university life, from academic to social activities, through a period of days referred to as orientation.
The Registrar, Mr Foday Augustine Bangura, intimated students to remain dedicated as UNIMAK is a university that believes in hard work to archive academic excellence. He expressed that introducing students to college life requires presenting as full a view as possible of what the University offers. Therefore, he said that academic and extracurricular activities remain a priority in UNIMAK. The Registrar outlined that; there is an ever-important desire for students to be socially integrated into the UNIMAK system to achieve the institutional policies and goals. Mr Bangura further said that if students did not become socially integrated within the first few weeks of their arrival, they were less likely to stay at that institution [UNIMAK]. “As a result, UNIMAK has a blend of both academic and social activities,” he said. He further revealed that about 700 students were expected to orientate the 2021/2022 academic year.
The Director of Academic Affairs, Rev. Fr George Gbamanja, expressed that orientation programs were a way to begin before classes started; therefore, he urged students to register for classes during orientation. Rev. Gbamanja said, “… as a university, we are quite knowledgeable of the fact that new students need some direction and guidance in enrolling for classes, which has propelled administration to establish faculty administrators placed in charge to provide academic advice at orientation”. The Director further expressed that an academic component to orientation gives the new students the advantage they would need to transition from high school to college. By providing a solid overview of academic expectations, students will be better prepared to meet the challenges of collegiate academics. As a university aiming to promote academic excellence, he revealed that they had established virtual classes, installed a 24 hours internet connectivity on both campuses with spacious classrooms and a competent and dedicated teaching and administrative staff.
In her closing statement, the Dean of Students, Miss Jane Mattia, admonished students to remain committed and law-abiding as UNIMAK does not encourage any form of seriousness. She said, orientation is the designated time for the entire University to say, “We welcome you, and we are glad that you are here!”
BY PAUL KAMARA