Ashesi University
| Motto | Scholarship Leadership Citizenship |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Established | 2002 |
| Affiliation | University of Cape Coast, University of Mines and Technology, Association of African Universities, Association of American Colleges & Universities, Global Liberal Arts Alliance and Council of Independent Universities |
| President | Patrick Awuah |
| Undergraduates | Around 800 |
| Location |
Berekuso, Accra, Ghana 5°45′33″N 0°13′12″W / 5.759066°N 0.220065°WCoordinates: 5°45′33″N 0°13′12″W / 5.759066°N 0.220065°W |
| Current degree programs | Business Administration and Computer Science and Management information systems and Engineering |
| Colours |
Terracotta, Black and White |
| Website | www.ashesi.edu.gh |
Ashesi University is a private, non-profit liberal arts college located in Ghana, West Africa.
It offers a four-year bachelors programme grounded in a liberal core curriculum, featuring majors in Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.
Ashesi was founded by Patrick Awuah, a Ghanaian who spent over 15 years living and working in the United States. Awuah left Ghana in 1985 to attend Swarthmore College on a full scholarship, after which he worked for Microsoft Corporation as an engineer and a program manager for eight years. Experiencing first hand the dramatic impact that education can have on one's life, Awuah embarked on a mission in 1997 to provide greater educational opportunities in Ghana. He enrolled in business school at the University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business, both to evaluate the feasibility of his goal and to gain managerial skills with which to found and manage a university.
"If there is anything you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."
These words by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe are the inspiration behind the university's name, Ashesi, which means "beginning" in Akan, a native Ghanaian language. Ashesi's founder, Patrick Awuah, first read Goethe's words when he was questioning the wisdom of undertaking such an ambitious project. Encouraged by these words, he began by undertaking a feasibility study. Clarifying the risks and issues at hand helped Awuah shed his reservations; one day he realised that he had lost his hesitation and had become very committed to this project. He then realised, "This really is the beginning!" The name Ashesi is not only about its founder's inspiration. It is also about providing a new beginning for every student attends.
The Ashesi logo, a hand drawn symbol, borrows from the tradition of "Adinkra design", used by the Akan people of Ghana to embody their knowledge, their moral and ethical beliefs, and their history. Ashesi's mark is a visual representation of Ashesi's mission. The lower part of the Ashesi mark is in the shape of a stool whose support structure consists of three pillars. These correspond to Ashesi's core values of scholarship, leadership and citizenship. Stools hold significant cultural meaning for the Akan people of Ghana.
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Wikipedia