The University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), on Saturday matriculated 794 students for the 2015/2016 academic year, Professor (Mrs.) Esi Awuah, Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the institution announced at their fourth matriculation ceremony in Sunyani.

Prof. (Mrs.) Awuah said the University received 1,582 applications for admission to pursue different four-year degree regular programmes and out of that number 1,272 qualified for admission, representing 80 per cent of the total applications.

She said the University was able to admit only 794 students which represented 62 per cent of the total qualified applicants and explained that, of that, 677, indicating 85 per cent were males while 117 that is 15 per cent were females.

This year’s enrolment has therefore brought the total student population of the institution to 2,377, the VC added.

Prof. (Mrs.) Awuah stated that the University had since 2014 established the School of Graduate Studies, saying all the preparatory work for the admission of postgraduate students have been completed.

She said UENR would soon mount its post graduate programmes with the goal to increase total postgraduate enrolment into the University to about 20 per cent of the total student population in the near future.

Prof. (Mrs.) Awuah expressed regret that the University would have admitted more qualified applicants than the number it took but they were constrained due to inadequate academic and residential facilities for staff and students.

The VC however announced that the institution was making giant strides in infrastructural development because work had begun on the construction of the south wing of a 1600 capacity hostel facility on the Sunyani campus which is expected to ease accommodation problems facing their students when completed in the next 18 months.

Prof. (Mrs.) Awuah mentioned additionally that a four-storey 12 classroom lecture block had been awarded on contract, and the contractor was mobilising to site, adding that the government had also awarded contract for the construction of the Dormaa-Ahenkro Campus to house the School of Agriculture and Technology.

The ultra-modern campus which would serve as permanent home of that school would include a four-storey library complex, four-storey lecture block and a four-storey laboratory which would provide unparallel learning experience for their students, she said.

The VC told the matriculates about the uniqueness of the programmes they were enrolled in, which were designed to ensure that when they graduated, they would be in a position to compete globally.

Prof. (Mrs.) Awuah explained that it was because besides their respective areas of specialization, they would be exposed to courses like Communication Skills, French, Entrepreneurship, African Studies, Science and Technology, Energy Management among others to develop their capabilities and competencies to become functional in any environment they might find themselves.

She therefore advised them to attach importance to whatever course they were pursuing in the institution because they were designed to make them marketable intellectuals able to adapt to any work environment.