The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Christian University Vice Chancellor Says No to quack Professors
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Christian University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Joel Senyonyi he will not award honorary doctorate degrees to undeserving persons in the country.
Reverend Dr Senyonyi on Friday broke the silence by revealing that somebody approached him requesting for the Honorary Professor title.
Dr Senyonyi, who is soon retiring from the university says the demand for honorary degrees and titles forced his administration develop a policy to ensure that only deserving persons are awarded.
“Uganda suffers from what I call title-mania! It seems to me today that University leaders and even non-academic personalities have taken to self proclaim themselves professors. Someone even asked me to give him a honorary doctorate, even without a clear beneficial relationship to this University…Of course I refused, I instead went on to write policy on honorary doctorates,” he said.
Dr Senyonyi who was speaking at the professorial inaugural lecture by Professor Monica Chibita said honorary doctorate degrees are being sought by those seeking to use it for clout.
For most of the Universities globally, honorary doctorate degrees are given to fairy famous senior persons of society associated with the University.
Makerere and a number of private Universities have in the recent past awarded such degrees.
Sections of the public have questioned the awards to some individuals whose integrity were questionable.
Former Makerere University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Livingstone Luboobi was once asked to explain the existence of honorary professors.
Professor Luboobi then explained that the University’s regulation permitted the Vice-Chancellor to award an honorary title ranging from honorary lecturer to honorary professors as a term of recognition.
Dr Senyonyi says those that deserve the title of Professor or Associate Professor should have authored papers or conducted research.
Professor Chibita hailed
” In proclaiming Dr Monica Chibita as a full professor, UCU is recognizing her excellence, her studiousness and academic research and therefore significant contribution to the body of knowledge in her display. The university organs right up to the university council spoke in unison in affirming that Dr Monica deserves and should be promoted to full professor,” Dr Senyonyi said.
Professor Monica Chibita whose professorial inaugural lecture was under the themes “Between Freedom and Regulation Uganda Communication Landscape” becomes the second Professor at Uganda Christian University.
The other is Professor Christopher Byaruhanga, the Dean of School of Divinity and Theology.
Professor Monica Chibita is credited for having built and hatched the Department of Journalism, Media and Communication at UCU. It was formerly under the Faculty of Education.
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