The University of Guyana (UG) yesterday said that 31 of its faculty members who were studying for their PhDs and Ed.Ds graduated in December 2023.
The scholars from across UG’s eight Faculties and several service units are already back at the University carrying out teaching, research and administrative functions. A release from UG said that the Advanced Scholars Programme which began in the 2018/2019 academic year and was funded by the ExxonMobil Foundation was developed by UG in close collaboration with Arizona State University. The project also funded 3 Masters students. Six more doctoral scholars are expected to complete their studies in the coming months.
The release said that the project was designed by then Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Prof. Paloma Mohamed Martin and Prof Gary Dirks of Arizona State University (ASU) in the United States primarily to increase the number of teaching staff at the University who had doctorates, by 30% by 2024, and to expand UG’s research capacity.
Mohamed Martin, now Vice Chancellor has said the programme is “a blessing to the University, our students and the country, since it will immediately increase the research output of the University, the quality of teaching, and also the fundamental levels of administration and service. This experience for these dedicated staff was meant to be more than an academic exercise. It was an experiential one which was critical to operating UG’s Blueprint 2040. This goal has been achieved.”
UG said that the Advanced Scholar programme focused on action research on key problems located in all 10 regions of Guyana as well as the University of Guyana itself as a community of interest. Dissertations on sustainable agriculture and forestry, energy, education and indigenous communities, water and pollution, biodiversity, chemical and mechanical innovations and technologies, computing, labour economics, education, educational administration and support systems to name some, were produced over four intense years of study and research.
Scholars under the project have so far published over 60 research papers, the release said.
The University congratulated its scholars and their academic support teams and thanked ASU, ExxonMobil Foundation and the University of Guyana’s support team.
