Kwara State University, also known as KWASU, is the 77th university to be registered by the Nigerian Universities Commission. It is the 95th university to be recognized in Nigeria. The university was established by the administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki in 2009, and envisioned to be more than a typical university in Nigeria. It was designed to be a center for community service and entrepreneurship. In a country where the fundamental values of volunteerism and community involvement are yet to be fully embraced, The university recognises itself as a part of a community, and has the position of a Director for Community Development for the purpose of mobilizing the community, setting assessment strategies, and identifying the needs within the community so that lecturers can use their expertise to impact directly on the communities.KWASU held her first convocation on 1 June 2013 and inaugurated .
History/Organization
The journey towards establishing a state university in Kwara State began on 11 July 2007 when the Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki inaugurated a Planning Committee under former Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Mohammed Shaaba Lafiagi to prepare the ground for the establishment of the Kwara State University. The Bill for the Kwara State University was signed into law on 24 December 2008. The certificate and instrument to operate the university was obtained on 9 February 2009 from the National Universities Commission. The pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abdul Rasheed Na'Allah, who until his appointment, was Chair of the African American Studies Department of the Western Illinois University, Macomb, United States of America, assumed office on Tuesday, 28 July 2009. When fully operational, the university is planned to have its academic activities operate from three campuses located in Malete, Ilesha-Baruba and Osi-Opin. The Malete campus is the main campus and houses the College of Pure and Applied Sciences, College of Information and Communication Technology, and the College of Education. Osi campus will house the College of Engineering, College of Humanities, Management, and Social Sciences. The Baruba Campus will house the College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences.
Academics
Kwara State University has several academic centers. One of such centers is the Center for Ecology and Environmental Management and Studies CEERMS, which recently received a grant from UNESCO worth $15.3 million to be used over a six-year period to establish the UNESCO Chair for Alternative Energy Programme. This grant is for research in Alternative Energy and is to be handled by Kwara State University Center for Ecological and Environmental Research Management Studies. Other centers of the University are: Center for Oral Traditions in Africa, Institute for Asian Studies, Institute for Advanced Military Studies, Japanese Language and Culture Institute, Ibrahim Gambari Center for the Study of United Nations and Regional Organizations, Center for Pre-degree and Remedial Studies, Center for Human Rights and the law, Center for Modernity and Religion, Center for Art Preservation, Center for Sponsored Projects, Center for Innovation in Teaching and Research, KWASU International Institute for Publishing Studies, Center for Innovative Technology, Center for Innovation and International Studies, Center for Bio-Computational Applications and the Center for Entrepreneurship. The Center for Entrepreneurship, the first of its kind in Nigeria, is aimed at preparing its graduates to identify and recognize opportunities through an-orientation towards job creation. The university works with students still in the university, to propose and implement a project. As the students graduate, the university partners with the students in implementing the various projects. It also created a start up fund that is accessible to student for this purpose. Presently, Kwara State University offers students an opportunity to propose their research projects to the school under the Undergraduate Research Day, an annual event where students of the institution present research work for funding and global recognition. While KWASU plans to expand its study abroad locations, it currently has a partnership with Thammasat University in Thailand; Korean Advanced Institute of Technology, South Korea; Columbia University, New York, USA; University of the State of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil; Texas Southern University, Houston, TX, USA; etc. Its teaching staff consists of scholars such as Prof. Leo Daniels, MLK Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as Provost at the College of Engineering and Technology, Prof. Abiola Irele from Harvard University as Provost at the College of Humanities, Management and Social Sciences; and Prof. Winston Wole Soboyejo from Princeton University among others. The National Universities Commission, has approved Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering as a course in Kwara State University. Being the first institution in Nigeria to offer a in Aeronautical and Astronautical engineering. A statement issued by the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Abdulrasheed Na'Allah "I must congratulate all our students and staff in Engineering, especially the department of aeronautical and astronautical engineering for their hard work and patience, that have led to this great success."
