The Rise And Rise Of UPSA

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain” Psalms 127:1 NIV.

The success story of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) may seem sudden to some people but it is borne out of hard work from dedicated people who have given their all in the struggle to make the University a modern citadel of education. The University has metamorphorsized into a giant in the training of prospective future leaders specifically in the field of commerce and its related studies.
The humble beginning of the institution still lingers on the minds of people. Those were the days when they considered IPS now UPSA as a springboard to their various destinations, It is now refreshing to note that UPSA has rather become the final destination of many aspiring professionals. The University may arguably be seen in the eyes of many as the fastest growing public University whose speed of growth transcends beyond that of the speed of light. From a typical professional institution, the University within a space or two is now a fully-fledged institution running various undergraduate programmes, masters’ programmes and the various professional programmes. With the current direction of the University, one can see its readiness to compete with the Harvards, Oxfords, and London School of Economics among others.

Since the institution was given the University Charter in 2008, the University has never reneged on its core vision which is to build the capacity of prospective graduate and adding to the knowledge resource of the country.
Indeed the Charter brought some responsibilities and privileges to the University. While the authorities took up the mantle to ensure the University status was fully realized, successive Governments have played enormous roles in making UPSA worth celebrating. Within this short period however, the massive infrastructures provided by Governments and the internal development plan by the University are models for any growing University to understudy. UPSA can boast of one of the best academic environments with the state of the arts facilities .The authorities have done tremendously well in mitigating the perennial accommodation problems that have become an albatross around the neck of public Universities.

Further, it must be noted that UPSA has gained an overwhelming endorsements from those in the field of academia and the general public .The administrative and managerial acumen of the authorities in projecting the image and raising the standards of the University to meet international requirements are what marvel many. The tightening of the grading system has also contributed to the overwhelming confidence reposed in the University. Students are graded by internationally recognized system and this make a UPSA student a global commodity .This action by the University has established some degree of respect, dignity and confidence in the University. Students are highly motivated to choose UPSA as their rightful destination in their pursuance of professional education and commerce related courses.
One significant observation which is going unnoticed is the crave for UPSA graduate by corporate organizations. Graduates from UPSA are fast occupying the human resource portfolios of the country. This can only be attributed to the professional training and discipline which has been imbibed in the students.

Nonetheless, some will ask questions about the achievements of UPSA in the years of its existence. The University has done more than expected and continues to do more in flying the flag of Ghana to its highest pedestal.
It is worth sharing that the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) topped the global assessment of higher education institutions around the world in the 2013/2014 academic year. The assessment is part of the requirement of the membership of the highly reputed Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programmes (ACBSP); a US based global body that accredits business related programmes at the bachelors, masters and doctorate degree levels worldwide. As a member of the ACBSP, UPSA students are required to take part in the inbound (fresh students) and the outbound (graduating students) examination to assess their knowledge levels and compare them with their counterparts worldwide. The first batch of 299 final year graduates and 1,905 final year undergraduate students sat for the first outbound examinations between May and July 2014.The results revealed that on average UPSA students outperformed their counterparts in the world with an average of 51.93% compared with 51.37% for business schools within USA and 46.52% for schools outside the USA and overall ACBSP average of 51.29%.As Prof. Joshua Alabi puts it ;the revelation based on the comparison by ACBSP was amazing ,because “the retained knowledge of UPSA graduates was found slightly higher than that of graduates across the globe. This is enough evidence that the University’s dream of becoming a world class higher education provider in business programmes is on course.” In addition, Prof. Alabi believes the structures of the University’s undergraduate programmes have been redesigned in conformity with both ACBSP and global quality standards based on best practices.

In conclusion, I thank everyone who has played immeasurable roles for which UPSA has reached this far and height. It is worth mentioning Prof Joshua Alabi, the Vice Chancellor and his able Board of Governors who took up the challenge when the opportunity arrived. They have reshaped the destiny of UPSA to an enviable status befitting a world class business University. Their names shall however be engraved in gold and in our hearts. Then to the students whose efforts were conspicuously used in assessing the University, I say AYEKOOOO; your sleepless nights did not go unrewarded when preparing for the peregrine exams. The sky shall be our limit and together we shall make UPSA great for this generation and the unborn.

LONG LIVE UPSA
LONG LIVE GHANA

Yours truly
Annan Collins
(Level 300 Bsc. Banking and Finance- UPSA)

Please kindly call me……0265196656/0264486540