The University of Guyana (UG) marked a milestone as 31 faculty members, who pursued their PhDs and EdDs, graduated in December 2023. This accomplishment is a result of the Advanced Scholars Programme, initiated in the 2018/2019 academic year and funded by the ExxonMobil Foundation in collaboration with Arizona State University.
The scholars, representing UG’s eight faculties and various service units, have returned to the university, contributing to teaching, research, and administrative functions. The program, designed by Professors Paloma Mohamed and Gary Dirks, aimed to increase the number of faculty with terminal degrees by 30% and enhance UG’s research capacity.
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Mohamed, UG’s Vice Chancellor, said, “This experience for these dedicated staff was meant to be more than an academic exercise. It was an experiential one which was critical to operating UG’s Blueprint 2040. This goal has been achieved.”
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Dirks said, “The programme with UG was absolutely critical to ensuring that the University of Guyana is able to deal with the tsunami of developments which are about to descend upon the country. I was honored to be part of this very, very important moment for UG and Guyana.”
The release outlined that the Advanced Scholar Programme focused on action research across Guyana, addressing key issues in agriculture, forestry, energy, education, indigenous communities, water, pollution, biodiversity, technology, and more. Over the intensive four-year period, scholars produced dissertations and published over 60 research papers, with two books and a conference in preparation.
Starting February 2024, UG plans to showcase one scholar and their work each week.
