The School of Graduate Studies has held a ceremony to award 36 postgraduate students the Emelia & Brew Butler research grant for the 2024/2025 academic year.
The beneficiaries comprising seven Doctor of Philosophy and 29 Master of Philosophy students received a total of GH¢ 360,000 with each person getting up to GH¢ 10,000 research grants to enable them produce timely and quality research work.
Sponsored by Samuel and Emelia Brew-Butler and the Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG-UCC), the grant is specifically aimed at supporting research students to publish their scholarly articles in recognised local and international journals, as well as attend research conferences.
Immediate past Pro Vice-Chancellor of UCC, Prof. Rosemond Boohene presenting a cash prize to an awardee
The Dean of the School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Prof. Samuel Essien-Baidoo, who was the keynote speaker underscored the importance of research to national and global development and urged the beneficiaries as well as all postgraduate students to put in more efforts to direct their research to address challenges affecting society.
Prof. Samuel Essien-Baidoo making a presentation to an awardee
He therefore commended SGS and the Samuel and Emelia Brew-Butler Research Grant for providing funds to support students' research activities. He indicated to the students that the award scheme was a symbol of trust and a demonstration of their accomplishment adding that “…UCC says we believe in you so we invest in you”.
The Vice Dean of SGS, Prof. Ruphino Zugle, making a presentation to an awardee
Prof. Essien-Baidoo reminded the students to be honest, truthful and ethical in their research and not to cut corners so that their results could be produceable. “Ethics is not just about protocol, it is about justice, respect and accountability. In your pursuit, always ask this question, who could be harmed by my research, who has been left out of my study, whose voice are we missing,” he stressed.
Participants
He encouraged the students to go beyond theory to uncover practical and contextual issues with behavioural dimensions that could be adopted and practiced. “ As graduate students you must engage policy makers and implementers early, especially in the early stages of your research,” he added.
The Dean of SGS, Prof. Sarah Darkwa, congratulated the awardees, and urged them to use the grants judiciously for its intended purpose. She said since the inception of the awards over 350 grants have been awarded with a minimum of 2500 in the past and now 10,000. She called on organisations, philanthropists and individuals to contribute towards the fund to sustain the annual research awards to the benefit of a lot of students.
The Dean of SGS, Prof. Sarah Darkwa presenting the cash prize to an awardee
Mr. Emil Brew-Butler, son of the founder, noted that his mother was an alumna of UCC and was interested in helping others to pursue education to the highest level. He reaffirmed the family’s unwavering commitment to support the fund as their modest contribution to education in Ghana. “We will continue to support careers of graduates and nurture well-grounded researchers whose impact would be felt by all” he stated.
The dignitaries with the awardees, supervisors and some invited guests
The President of the Graduate Students' Association of Ghana, UCC Chapter, Mr. Gideon Quansah, made a passionate appeal to the management of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) to design a separate academic calendar tailored specifically for postgraduate students. He explained, “Many of our students' results are not released in time for the research grant application period, which ultimately disqualifies them from applying. This challenge arises from the current academic calendar, which does not adequately accommodate the needs of some postgraduate students.”