The Lagos State University (LASU) and a United State (US) based varsity, Cornell University New York have commenced a joint training and issuance of certificates on 16 professional programmes targeted at profering solutions to current and future challenges across the country.
Some of the 16 professional post-graduate certificates to be issued by both institutions includes Entrepreneurship Skills, Human Resource Development, Innovation and Creativity, Marketing, Leadership skills, Management, Data Science and Statistics.
The aim behind the joint collaboration, according to the Lagos State Government, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, would help prospective students to gain global skills needed to be relevant, employable and globally competitive with their peers.
Sanwo-Olu, who formally launched the programme virtually, added that the establishment of LASU/Cornell University Post Graduate Professional certificate programmes would give prospective students across the country professional expertise required to be competitive in the 21st-century digital economy.
He averred that LASU/Connell University collaboration remain a further demonstration of his administration’s commitment to implement quality and sustainable policy that would not only meet the educational needs of the citizenry, but act as a catalyst for individual growth and rapid socio-economic development.
The Governor noted that the decision to collaborate with Cornell University, rated to be one of the best leading universities in the world, was borne out of the desire to keep and sustain LASU’s present pedigree and high academic profile as the second-best University in Nigeria and one of the best 600 in the world.
While assuring that the State government would closely monitor all treaties and agreements under the collaboration to ensure no breach of trust, the Governor appealed to the foreign partners to give LASU/Cornell collaboration all necessary support and professional advice that would not only enhance the Lagos varsity’s present ratings but make it a university of the first choice in Africa.
In his remarks, Cornell University Vice president, Prof. Paul Krause, stated that Cornell University was ready to partner with LASU to run 16 professional certificate courses that would help to build the capacity of prospective LASU students through exposure and highly impactful training.
He noted that globally, Cornell University is one of the leading institutions in entrepreneurship skills development, innovation and creativity, management, leadership training, engineering, data science and statistics, promising that the University would design a programme content to impact on the productivity of the students.
Krause, who commended the governor for investing in education, added that learning remains a strong weapon to fight ignorance and bring sustainable development to society.
The Acting Vice-Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Oyedamola Oke, disclosed that the collaboration process had started about three years ago during the tenure of the former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun in furtherance of the University’s academic excellence.
He noted that the collaboration would give LASU professional certificate programmes an international outlook, noting that it would also add value and bring improvement to the quality of learning.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Education, Tokunbo Wahab, explained that the programme was aimed at helping participants to gain relevant professional skills that would help them build a career in today’s global economy, become more relevant and globally competitive.
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