UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

 

ABOUT FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE LECTURE SERIES

Faculty Of Agriculture Lecture Series; What Should Nigeria do Right?

Join via zoom: https://bit.ly/FACAGRICLECTURESERIES

Meeting ID: 93591230694

Pass Code: agric

NEWS

UNN Faculty Public Lecture (DOWNLOAD)

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 of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka monthly lecture series is a platform to showcase current research, policies and programmes of staff, institutions and government that are aimed at boosting agriculture and food security in Nigeria. The purpose of the lecture series is to advance knowledge of cutting-edge research and practices that will feed into agricultural policies and planning in the country.

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.

One of the pillars of the lecture series is to share knowledge with critical stakeholders in and outside the country and work with them towards transforming agriculture in the country. In this regard we have aim at bringing together and collaborating with various actors in the value chain to key into the innovation driven agricultural space. This is in view of bridging the gap between academic knowledge of agriculture and the realities in the field.

By so doing the Lecture Series 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;
  2. 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;
  3. 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.
  4. 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,
  5. 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. The lecture series is expected to hold every month
  2. 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.  .
  3. 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.
  4. Interested persons should contact the Lecture Series Committee with a synopsis of their proposed presentation, an expression of interest letter, and their curriculum vitae.
  5. The Lecture Series Committee will evaluate synopsis from a potential lecturer and communicate its decision within 2 weeks of submission.
  6. 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 where necessary 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.
  3. The lectures shall be turned into monographs by the Faculty before or after the presentation. This may be done with the support and collaboration of lecturers and institutions who are able to assist in the production of the materials.
  4. Papers, photos and video recordings of the lectures may be available on the Faculty of Agriculture website.
  5. 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.

Lecture series chairmen past and present

Professor Gabriel I. Okafor – 2012 – 2014

gabriel.okafor@unn.edu.ng

Professor Anselm A Enete – 2014 – 2018

ansel.enete@unn.edu.ng

Professor Chukwuemeka U. Okoye  -2018 -2020

chukwuemeka.okoye@unn.edu.ng

Current Chairman

Dr. NwaJesus A. Onyekuru  – 2020 till date

anthony.onyekuru@unn.edu.ng

Secretary

Mrs NkemMgbemene

nkem.mgbemene@unn.edu.ng