Vice Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Professor Abednego Okoe Amartey, has urged fresh students of the University to embark on their academic journey with a fervent commitment to excellence.
He emphasised the need for the new students to strike the right balance between their academic work and extracurricular activities to build a holistic foundation for their future endeavours.
“Your participation in today’s ceremony signifies your preparedness to engage in the academic rigour that UPSA offers,” Prof. Amartey told the freshmen.
“I therefore urge you to pursue excellence in all you do while here as a student, especially in your academic work. I encourage you, fresh students, to draw inspiration from past students of this university [and] remember that hard work pays off—our alumni are a testament to this.”
Prof. Amartey gave the advice in an address to newly admitted students at the first session of the 2023/2024 matriculation ceremony held on Thursday, November 23.
The ceremony saw the University formally welcome some 1,985 postgraduate and undergraduate students into its community.
They included 56 PhD candidates, 944 master’s students, 41 postgraduate diploma students, 86 LLB students, and 858 undergraduate top-up students.
The matriculants represent the first batch of students to be admitted for the 2023/2024 academic year.
Prof Amartey congratulated the freshmen on their successful admission, stressing that they have made the best decision by choosing UPSA for their postgraduate and undergraduate studies.
He reiterated the university’s commitment to fostering an environment that nurtures not only academic achievement but also personal growth and development.
He encouraged them to leverage emerging technologies and tools to enhance their studies, but cautioned them against using such tools to cheat the system.
“As students of this great University, the real temptation and danger will be how you choose to use AI as a tool to augment your learning experience, not a substitution,” he said.
“The use of AI to produce academic work and present it as your work is tantamount to cheating or examination malpractice, and the appropriate disciplinary processes and corresponding sanctions of the University will be applied accordingly.”
The matriculation ceremony marks a symbolic induction into the UPSA community and official acceptance into the academic fraternity.
Foster Mensah Benyin, a bachelor of laws student, signed the matriculation register on behalf of the 2023 cohort, while Olivia Amo-Nyarko, a Brands and Communication student, delivered the student expectation address.
The event was attended by fresh students, faculty members, administrative staff, and members of the governing council of UPSA.
