Presenting the newly-promoted professors for investiture, the institution’s Director of Quality Assurance, Prof Christopher Orga, described them as academic giants, having met several academic requirements and criteria.
By Jeffrey Agbo
The University of America, Temecula, California, has elevated three Nigerians to the rank of professorship.
The three Nigerians include a renowned academic and former Accountant-General of Enugu State, Dr Paschal Okolie; a Chartered System Account and Forensic expert, Dr. Chukwuma Vitalis Onah; and Dr. Oladoyin Awoyale.
The dons were officially conferred with the professorial status weekend, at the Central Washington College of Nursing Sciences, Enugu Main Campus, an affiliate of the University of America.
While Onah and Okolie were promoted to the rank of adjunct professors of Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination and Public Finance and Accounting respectively, Awoyale was elevated to the rank of professor of Law.
Presenting the newly-promoted professors for investiture, the institution’s Director of Quality Assurance, Prof Christopher Orga, described them as academic giants, having met several academic requirements and criteria.
This, he said, included teaching and learning, research and academic leadership, among others.
He said that the university received “a long list of applications” but that the trio were able to meet and scale through rigorous reviews of the university to qualify for professorship in the institution.
He said: “They went through scrutiny and they were found worthy. We had a long list of applications but only three of them made it to the finishing line.”
Orga, a visiting professor of Business Administration, noted that professorship was not an award, but one is meritoriously given to recipients, in recognition of their stellar performances and achievements in various aspects of academic and non-academic endeavours.
READ ALSO:
American University apologises to Ganduje over fake professorial appointment
“They have demonstrated exceptional ability in variety of fields of academic excellence that are widely recognised, both locally and globally,” Orga said.
In his message, President and Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Prince Gamaliel, said that the university authorities were impressed by the works and competencies of the new professors.
He explained that their records of academic excellence qualified them for the professorship.
Speaking further, Gamaliel, represented by the university’s Proctor, Prof. Mike Ikupolati, urged the new professors to sustain the tempo and carry out more research to guide policy formulation and improve governance across the world.
One of the professors, Okolie, commended Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu for providing him with the opportunity to gain public service experience, thereby paving way for his journey into the international stage.
