Faculty Lecture Series

University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Faculty of Agriculture

 ABOUT FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE LECTURE SERIES

 

Philosophy and Objectives

The Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka was founded in October, 1960 as the first Land Grant Faculty of Agriculture not only in Nigeria, but in the whole of Africa. It is the first faculty of agriculture in Nigeria and was among the first set of faculties of the University of Nigeria to start classes in October, 1960, with Professor Payne of Michigan State University as the first Dean. The Faculty was founded with the assistance of the Michigan State University (MSU) under the auspices of United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and modeled along its core Land Grant traditions, objectives and values, including qualitative education, inclusiveness, connectivity, practical orientation and land grant leadership through its growth and impact.

The Faculty Lecture Series at once assumes the mission to help the faculty justify and promote the bold experiment that created a new model for democratization of both opportunity and the knowledge generated by higher education. The Lecture series articulates the over-arching desire of providing all who live, learn, and work at the university the opportunity to actively participate in vibrant intellectual exchanges that offer a broad range of ideas and perspectives.

The Lecture Series also espouses the outreach component of the land-grant university mission –creating enduring partnerships and collaborative research in Nigeria and beyond, and working with other universities, industry and communities to contribute to the public good, including student participation in service, research, internships, and education worldwide. It serves as an incubation platform and a vehicle by which innovations arising from the exercise of the Faculty’s Land Grant roots and philosophy are further institutionalized and communicated.

The intellectual life of the Faculty should be inspiring, with faculty members engaged in critical research and teaching across the disciplines, addressing complex issues and advancing knowledge in increasingly meaningful ways. Through the Lecture series, we hope to enrich our academic community by providing greater opportunities for faculty to engage with one another, and to learn about, discuss and benefit from the depth, breadth and diversity of scholarship taking place across the component departments and the campus as a whole, while engaging with kindred persons, institutions and agencies outside of the faculty, which may synergize with the Faculty for greater innovation capabilities and problem solving in Nigeria.

The specific objectives of the lecture series are to:

  1. elevate the atmosphere of intellectual discourse in the Faculty by stimulating and challenging

the minds and spirit of members;

  1. give faculty members an opportunity outside of the classroom to share their passion: inspire, question and motivate thoughts about the subjects they have dedicated their lives to researching and teaching;
  • cultivate a stronger academic atmosphere in the Faculty of Agriculture, UNN by showcasing the scholarly research of faculty from across the component departments and related outside entities, including institutions, industry, technocrats, politicians, farmers et cetra.
  1. present to some depth and rigor, the scholarly questions and goals of the individual faculty members, share their enthusiasm and dedication that sustain their creative efforts; and,
  2. encourage collaborations among faculty members, departments, industry, governments and other stakeholders in the further development and utilisation of the ideas and innovations arising from the lectures.

 

Content

While any lecturer is free to decide the issues they want to address, his/her lecture is expected to:

  1. present a clear theoretical basis for the ideas canvassed, as well as the places and manner of their intersection with current and potential practice;
  2. show significant level of originality in terms of the key ideas and messages dealt with;
  3. be reasonably innovative in the manner of its presentation and in the content of its prescriptions.
  4. show clear prospects and trajectories for further development of the ideas contained therein; and,
  5. have executable content and make clear prescriptions on opportunities for in-Faculty and outside collaborations – with persons, institutions, industries, and government agencies.

 

Time Tabling and Protocols

  1. Each year, the Lecture Series Committee shall receive expression of interest for presentations in two categories: through unsolicited proposals or through nomination/invitation of distinguished persons or institutions.  .
  2. The lecture can be presented at any time of the year. However, timing may be controlled to ensure the greatest impact, taking into cognizance holidays and other idiosyncratic events.
  3. Interested persons should contact the Lecture Series Committee with a synopsis of their proposed presentation, an expression of interest letter, and their curriculum vitae.
  4. The Lecture Series Committee will evaluate synopsis from a potential lecturer and communicate its decision within 2 weeks of submission.
  5. A schedule of up-coming lectures will be kept and updated on the Faculty of Agriculture website.

 

Character of the Paper

Maximum length of paper is 15 pages excluding illustrations and pictures, 12 points Times New Roman, and 1.5 line spacing.

 

Communication and Dissemination

  1. Lecturers will be expected to supply the Committee with an electronic and 50 hard copies of their presentation at least 3 days to the lecture date.
  2. All faculty Lecture Series output will be disseminated locally and internationally using hard and

electronic means.

  1. The lectures shall be turned into monographs by the Faculty not more than one month after presentation. However, lecturers who wish to, and are able, could assist in producing monographs of their lecture.
  2. Abstracts of the lectures will be available on the Faculty of Agriculture website.
  3. There will be annual compilation of all lectures into a book of readings.

 

Benefits

Lecture presenters may receive the following benefits:

  1. Dean’s/faculty award.
  2. Recommendation to the Vice Chancellor for further recognition.
  3. Global visibility.
  4. Potential research and product development collaborations.

 

Side Events

A targeted exhibition may be mounted during the lecture to display on-going related research and development activities in the Faculty and in interested kindred institutions, organisations, industry and governments.

Contacts

Professor Chukwuemeka U. Okoye                                          Mrs Nkem Mgbemene

Chairman, FALSC                                                                       Secretary, FALSC

cuzomaokoye@yahoo.com                                                        nkem.mgbemene@unn.edu.ng Chukwuemekauzoma.okoye@unn.edu.ng