By Lawrence Mpama
In it effort to boost academic excellence and reduce truancy among students, the Management of the University of Calabar welcomes a delegation from Brigham Young University–Pathway Worldwide (BYU–Pathway), an educational initiative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑Day Saint, reiterates the University’s openness to mutually benefitting academic partnerships.
While speaking to the delegation during a courtesy visit in her office, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Florence Obi, warmly welcomed the initiative of seeking to establish a local institute of the BYU-Pathway in the campus of the University of Calabar.
She praised the delegation’s vision and expressed confidence in the capacity and potentials of deepening academic collaborations between UNICAL and BYU‑Pathway.
Prof. Obi said the University is very interested in any collaboration that is geared towards academic excellence, especially in the areas of research and student development.
In her words, “We’ll need to sit down and workout a possible partnership, provided the planned centre and its programmes have the approval of the National Universities Commission (NUC), and the University of Calabar Governing Council”.
This is even as she reaffirmed UNICAL’s commitment to strengthening international partnerships aimed at enhancing students’ learning and faculty development.
In an earlier remark, the President of Brigham Young University Pathway Worldwide (BYU-Pathway) President Brian Ashton stated that their visit was to explore ways of possible establishment of a local institute of the BYU-PATHWAY on the campus of the University of Calabar.
President Brian Ashton, who thanked the Vice Chancellor and her Management team for providing the enabling environment for Unical to thrive, outlined plans to bring BYU‑Pathway’s affordable online certificate and degree programmes rooted in faith-based education to university and Calabar.
While emphasizing the transformative potentials of the partnership, he expressed the hope that such an Institute in the University of Calabar would significantly expand educational access across Cross River State and Nigeria.
He enumerated the potential benefits of the envisaged partnership to include; increased access to education through access to BYU–Pathway’s online courses and degree programmes; Faith-Based Learning which involves the Integration of spiritual values and principles into academic programmes, and Global Networking which he said provides opportunities for students to connect with peers and professionals worldwide.
To this end, the BYU-PATHWAY President was tasked to develop a formal proposal incorporating and overseeing the workability of the foundation of a BYU‑Pathway Centre in the University of Calabar.
The BYU-PATHWAY President had in his delegation international and national officials of the Institute, and were warmly received by the Vice Chancellor and other Principal Officers of the University of Calabar.
