University of Port Harcourt, UNIPORT Senate approved the introduction of a new Bachelor of Science degree programme in Public Administration and also reversed itself and converted the Ex-Faculty Presidents’ expulsion into rustication for the entire 2016/2017 academic session.

Senate of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) has approved the introduction of a new Bachelor of Science degree programme in Public Administration. The new programme is to be demerged from the Department of Political and Administrative Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences, which currently offers Public Administration as Part-Time programme.

The approval was given following a presentation by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Hakeem Fawehinmi, based on a recommendation by the Senate Committee on Academic Programmes and Policies (SCAPP). Senate considered and approved the proposal at its 428^th Meeting which held on Wednesday, February 1, 2017. Professor Fawehinmi, who is also Chairman of SCAPP, stated that the programme, which was already being offered at the Part-Time level, had undergone the processes stipulated by the Senate for the emergence of a new academic programme. Senate, however, stood down another request for the demerging of a new programme in Industrial Arts in the Department of Fine Arts and Design, pending when some grey areas would have been sorted out to the satisfaction of Senate.

Considering the letters of appeal by 12 former Faculty Presidents who were summarily expelled for threatening the peace of the University in writing, Senate reversed itself and converted the expulsion into rustication for the entire 2016/2017 academic session. Senate observed that the said letters of appeal were mere prototype letters apparently dictated by academic “consultants” to which the expelled former Faculty Presidents merely affixed their names and signature. Senate frowned at the fact the former Faculty Presidents failed to own up to established cases of gross conduct and also failed to expressly apologise for threatening peace in the University.

The highest academic policy-making body directed the students to submit new individual letters of appeal in their own handwritings, unreservedly apologising to the Senate of the University for threatening the peace of the University community and ensuring that the letters reached the Vice-Chancellor within one week of receipt of the directive from the Registrar.

Senate also received the report from the Committee on Allegation of Alteration of Degree Results in the Department of Linguistics and Communication Studies, involving two senior academic staff, as presented by its Chairman, Professor Abdulrazaq Kilani. Senate directed that the Committee should revisit its recommendations to properly fit the Terms of Reference given it.

Senate considered and approved the report on the Resource Verification Visitation to the College of Education, Warri in Delta State, which was presented by the Director of the University-wide Local Accreditation Committee, Professor Julian Osuji.

Senate also approved recommendations from the Faculties of Humanities, Social Sciences, Science, Education, Engineering, Management Sciences, Agriculture, School of Science Laboratory Technology, as well as the College of Health Sciences, as presented be the various Deans and Provost.