From humble beginnings with a mission to train Ghanaian teachers, the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has risen beyond all odds to undoubtedly become a world-acclaimed university.

Its products are renowned for their excellence and hard work and are found across the world impacting positively every facet of the society.

From its primary mission, UCC has expanded boldly its mandate with careful planning, guarded confidence, tenacity and unrelenting zest, daring into areas of teaching and knowledge and committing to churning out well-baked manpower mostly excelling in their fields.

History

UCC was established in October 1962 by Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, as a university college and placed in a special relationship with the University of Ghana, Legon.

It was established out of a dire need for highly qualified and skilled manpower in education for the newly independent Ghana in its quest to accelerate development.

The university’s original mandate was, therefore, to train graduate professional teachers for Ghana’s second-cycle institutions and the Ministry of Education to help meet the manpower needs of the country’s accelerated education programme at the time.

On October 1, 1971, the college attained the status of a full and independent university, with the authority to confer its own degrees, diplomas and certificates by an act of Parliament — The University of Cape Coast Act, 1971 [Act 390] and subsequently the University of Cape Coast Law, 1992 [PNDC Law 278].

From an initial student enrolment of 155 in 1963, UCC now has a total student population of about 75,000.

Pioneer faculties

The university started with two departments, namely Arts and Science. These departments developed into faculties in 1963.

In 1964, the university created two more faculties, namely Education and Economics & Social Studies, which is now the Faculty of Social Sciences.
The fifth faculty, the School of Agriculture, was established in 1975.

The Faculty of Science was split into the Schools of Physical and Biological Sciences during the 2002/2003 academic year, while the Department of Business Studies was also elevated to the School of Business with effect from the 2003/2004 academic year.

Being guided by its vision to be a university with a worldwide acclaim that is strongly positioned for innovative teaching, research, outreach and professional development, chancellors and their vice-chancellors worked to add up to the building blocks to bring the university to the enviable position it holds today.

Mission

Nicknamed the University of Competitive Choice, the UCC has steadily but surely worked hard towards achieving its mission of creating an equal opportunity university uniquely placed to provide quality education through the provision of comprehensive, liberal and professional programmes that challenge learners to be creative, innovative and responsible citizens.

Collegiate system

In furtherance of its vision and mission, the university introduced the collegiate system in 2014.

To that end, the university’s governing council approved proposals for the establishment of five colleges for the university with effect from August 1, 2014.

The move was in accordance with the university’s statutes 2012 and on the recommendation of the academic board.

The university now has provosts managing colleges, including the Graduate Studies, Education Studies, Distance Education, Health and Allied Sciences, Humanities and Legal Studies and Agriculture and Natural Sciences.

One of the university’s flagship successes was the establishment of its School of Medical Sciences to provide a six-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.

Five-year plan

In 2018, the university launched a five-year strategic plan aimed at positioning the university as a world-acclaimed university.

The plan, which was from 2018 to 2022, was the third consecutive one and a build on two previous plans, 2003 to 2008 and 2012 to 2017. It seeks to continue with aspects of the previous plans and the introduction of new initiatives.

List of honour

The university has had some renowned men of honour as vice-chancellors and had the rare honour of producing Ghana’s first female vice- chancellor.

The list of honour includes Dr C.A. Ackah, Principal, 1962 to 1964; Dr N.G Bakhoom, 1964 to 1966; Dr C.A. Ackah, 1966 to 1968; Prof. K.A Nyarko, acting Principal, 1968 to 1969; Prof. E. A Boateng, 1969 to 1972, who became the first Vice-Chancellor from 1972 to 1973.

Others are Prof. Yanney-Ewusie, 1973 to 1978; Prof. S.K. Odamtten, Ag. Vice Chancellor, 1978 to 1980; Prof. K. B Dickson, 1980 to 1988; Prof. K.N. Eyeson, Ag Vice-Chancellor, 1988 to 1989; and Prof. K.B Dickson, 1989 to 1990.

Between 1990 and 1991, the university was managed by an interim administrative council headed by Prof. Austin Tetteh, with Prof. R.K.G Assoku and Prof. Martha Tamakloe as members.

The rest of the vice-chancellors are Rev. Prof. S.K. Adjepong, 1991 to 2001; Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Addow-Obeng, 2001 to 2008; Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, 2008 to 2012; Prof. D.D. Kuupole, 2012 to 2016; and Rev. Prof. Joseph Ghartey-Ampiah, 2016 to 2020.

Currently, UCC has Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong as its VC.

In September 2021, the hard work and efforts of the management, staff and students of UCC received glorious acknowledgement when the Times Higher Education (THE) released the 2022 world ranking of universities which saw UCC as the highest ranked new entrant out of 138 universities that made their debut on the global universities ranking league table this year.

According to the league, UCC was also the topmost ranked university in Ghana and 4th highest ranked university in Africa.

It was also ranked number one globally in terms of field weighted citation impact (research influence) of scholarly research outputs.

This year, UCC repeated its winning ways on the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (WUR). It was ranked topmost in Ghana and West Africa and fourth in Africa and among the top 400 universities globally.

The university, however, dropped from the number one position in terms of research influence globally to the 24th position.

This feat has not been chalked up by any university in the country yet. The university, in its six decades, has trained thousands in various aspects of academics, who are positively affecting their families, communities, nation and the world at large.

Last Thursday, the university welcomed the public, stakeholders and well-wishers, including the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to climax its 60th anniversary at a grand durbar.

Shining path

It has been 60 years of ups and downs, but most recently of a shining path of academic excellence, uniqueness and impactful research.

It is obvious that the university is set for greater exploits in academics with an unalloyed determination to impact its society positively with research.

Indeed, like the lyrics in its anthem, UCC finds out and passes on that all may be enlightened.

The anthem pledges that the university would work, that its image may be heightened and to impact all virtues that Ghana may be strengthened.

May these words guide its path for the next 60 years: UCC, Veritas Nobis Lumen.