Every Pentecost University Student Should become a Distinguished Problem-Solver – VC to First-Year Students

The Vice-Chancellor of Pentecost University, Aps. Prof. Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, met first-year students of the university on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, as part of their week-long First-Year Student Orientation Programme.

Sharing the unique features of Pentecost University in regard to Faculty, the Vice-Chancellor said that Pentecost University has “staff of international standing; staff who rub shoulders with international giants and therefore if you have chosen Pentecost University, then you are at the right place. We have staff who are publishing in international journals. Across all our faculties, we have staff of that distinguished caliber”.

Broadening the scope of Faculties and Programmes, Aps. Prof. Agyapong-Kodua highlighted the varied quality programmes that Pentecost University offers and noted that “there is a lot to learn in this environment”. He took the time to advise students to learn from other disciplines in order to broaden their knowledge and increase their exposure: “know your stuff but be interested in subjects outside your main programme. That will make you a well-rounded person to solve the problems of the world”.

Speaking on opportunities for students, the Vice-Chancellor expressed his excitement about the availability of paid vacation jobs at Pentecost University: “I am happy to announce that at Pentecost University, we have rolled out paid vacation jobs. During vacations, students can pick up vacation jobs and get paid. I am not exaggerating but there is not a single university in Ghana that does that for its students apart from Pentecost University”.

Touching on why Pentecost University prides itself on being a Christian university, the Vice-Chancellor said that “we are emphasizing Christianity because there is a constant battle between faith and knowledge. At Pentecost University, we respect advanced knowledge but we believe that we can still be truly Christian. We are humble enough to recognize the fact that the origin of things is beyond the scope of any discipline we can imagine. Things exist and we learn about them. The question then is, who brought them into being? For us Christians, we know that it is God. We are truly Christian and we are able to rub shoulders with the highest level of thinkers you can imagine. Therefore, if you have become a student of Pentecost University, then you must be truly Christian”.

Expanding on the university’s standard of spirituality, he tasked students to be a part of the University’s Mentorship Programme; University Assembly; Sunday Services, Missions; Prayerfest among others. “While these are exercises to help build your faith, we are also interested in your personal development’’, the Vice-Chancellor added.

Highlighting why Pentecost University is outstanding, Aps. Prof. Agyapong-Kodua threw light on the name, University A+: “we are calling ourselves University A+ because while we have great respect for all institutions and the fantastic work they are doing, we are not aiming to become like any of them. We are aiming to be different and so who they are is actually the beginning of us. These great institutions are University A but we have a plus factor because we are deeply rooted in God, A God factor that we do not underrate.

We are also doing more by training morally and ethically upright people. Beyond this, we are also training students to become outstanding intellectuals. So we walk with what we call the two-hands approach, and that is, following biblical principles and being skilful. Meaning, while you strive to live Godly lives, you must not joke with your studies. Whatever subject you are studying, you must aim to become the best”.

Ending his presentation, the Vice-Chancellor reiterated the assertion that Pentecost University is a research-led, innovation and problem-solving centre and “every Pentecost University student should grow up to become a distinguished problem-solver”.

The week-long student orientation programme was held to welcome and help the new students to grow accustomed to the complete realm of university life.