Walter Wilson Nana
Buea, Cameroon
Officials of the University of Buea, UB and their counterparts of the University of Florida, UF, USA, have taken a commitment to carry on with a beneficial relationship for both institutions. This is seen in a book donation from the Department of Public Relations, UF to the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, JMC, UB.
At the reception ceremony of the 400 books at the UB Commons, Friday, October 18 2013, Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Research, Cooperation and Relations with the Business
The books from the University of Florida
World, Prof. Victor Julius Ngoh, sitting in for UB’s Vice Chancellor, expressed the institution’s gratitude for the books donated, saying it was the second donation from UF in a month.
Describing the books as high quality, Ngoh said meaningful research and good education can only be achieved with the availability of good books.
He wished the UB and UF cooperation to be entrenched, with a Memorandum of
Senior officials of UB take a close look of the books from Florida
Understanding in the nearest future, adding that it will facilitate the exchange of students and faculties. “An official MOU will be a boost to the JMC’s MSc and Ph.D programmes and move forward to a win-win situation for both institutions,” Ngoh noted.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor invited UB staff to use their connections across the world for the betterment of UB, citing the case of Dr. Julius Che Tita as a good one.
Dean, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Prof. Martha Njikam Tumnde, saluted the linkage of the two institutions, mentioning that though it is at the informal stage, it is the beginning of greater things to come. “The days of a formal relationship between UB and UF are not far away,” she said.
Prof Tumnde hailed the Head of Department, JMC, Dr. Julius Che Tita for facilitating the donation of the books, while enjoining the students of the department and other students in UB to exploit the knowledge embedded in the books. “The books will be lodged at UB’s library for all to benefit from them,” she said.
Some staff and students of UB at the ceremony
Via a skype communication from Florida, USA, Dr Juan Carlos Molleda, Head of Department, Public Relations, UF, said he looks forward to a long, mutual and beneficial relationship between UB and UF. He pledged to support UB’s post graduate programmes, curriculum development and make other UB programmes stronger.
Dr. Julius Che Tita, Head of Department, JMC saw quality in the books from UF, his alma mater, noting that they will be relevant to his students and the rest of the UB community.
The books donated are in the areas of; advertising and media, feminism, critical thinking, publishing, online journalism, media ethics, research and public relations.
The University of Florida has been in existence for 160 years, while University of Buea has been on for two decades. The colourful ceremony was spiced with choral music from the Springs of Joy, a musical group from the Department of JMC, UB.
