ashesi university strategic...

Ashesi University | Confidential

August 2013

Ashesi University Strategic Vision

Expanding our impact in Africa


1. Executive Summary

Ashesi University College is a private, secular, not-for-profit, liberal arts college in Ghana, which

has established a reputation for offering excellent undergraduate education to African

students. Over the next ten years, Ashesi will grow to over 1,000 students, add high-impact

majors in engineering, economics and law, and expand student recruiting across Africa. Ashesi

is seeking partners to help support a $47.5 million strategic plan to expand our impact in

Africa. Donations will help support the construction of new academic and laboratory buildings,

the procurement of equipment, operating support for new programs and scholarships for

students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

1.1 Ashesi University Ashesi University offers four-year undergraduate degrees in Computer Science, Management

Information Systems and Business Administration. Our mission is to educate a new generation

of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders in Africa; to cultivate within our students the critical

thinking skills, concern for others and courage it will take to transform a continent.

Over the past 10 years, Ashesi has established a reputation as a leader in undergraduate

education in Africa, pioneering a combination of a strong liberal arts core with practical

majors. The Ashesi curriculum has a proven track record of fostering ethical leadership, critical

thinking, an entrepreneurial mindset, and the ability to solve complex real-world problems.

Ashesi graduates have been recruited by global companies such as General Electric, Google,

Tullow Oil and Unilever as well as top Ghanaian companies such as Rancard, Databank and

Chase Petroleum. Every year, over 95% of Ashesi graduates are placed in jobs or graduate

programs within three months of graduation, and 95% of them stay to work in Africa.

In August 2011, Ashesi moved into a new $7 million campus, one hour north of Accra. Featuring

state-of-the-art educational technology and environmentally conscious design, this


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groundbreaking campus helps us attract top faculty and students from across the region. Our

student body is approximately 600 students, but will grow over the next ten years to 1,000.

1.2 Current Curriculum Ashesi’s innovative academic program enables students not only to develop technical

excellence in their professional fields, but also to gain a deep sense of civic responsibility and a

breadth of vision that enables them to navigate and lead in a changing world. The Ashesi

education centers on a liberal arts core curriculum that challenges students to hone their

critical thinking and communication skills, and to apply theory to practice through class projects

and internships.

1.3 Ashesi Vision 2020 – Broadening Our Impact

Increased Diversity

The next decade will see a deepened commitment to providing financial assistance to students

in need, and to the ideal of a truly pan-African university. We aim to grow our non-Ghanaian

African population from its current level of 10 percent to 30 – 50 percent.

A Fully Immersive Campus Experience

An Ashesi education transforms students’ ethics and attitudes, and fosters a willingness to take

responsibility and to lead. As we enroll more students from across Africa, it becomes even more

important to have the housing and gathering spaces to support this cultural transformation,

and to foster community in our diverse student body. Our top priority is for more on-campus

student housing, followed by an expanded on-campus cafeteria, and other gathering spaces.

Reversing the Brain Drain

Ashesi will establish a “Brain Gain” fund to recruit top African talent living abroad to return to

Africa and help expand our educational program and lead important research in Africa. The

fund will pay student loans and help new faculty stay abreast of their international colleagues

by providing research equipment and access to the academic resources.

Curricula Expansion

Over the course of Ashesi’s first ten years, we received many requests for curricula expansion

from corporations and prospective students. Fields requested included architecture,

economics, education, engineering, journalism, law, MBA, medicine, and political science. As

we plan Ashesi’s second decade, the executive team turned to Ashesi’s mission statement -- to

educate a new generation of ethical entrepreneurial leaders in Africa – and added the question,

“For what?”


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The answer to that question:

To educate a new generation of ethical entrepreneurial leaders in Africa …for industry and

government, who can expand Africa’s economic opportunities, and improve governance and

civic institutions.

Leaders who will help drive a renaissance in Africa will need to operate in both the private and

public spheres. Therefore, we identified three areas of focus for Ashesi over the next ten years.

Synergy Between Current & New Curriculum

Area of

Focus

(1) Applied Sciences &

Engineering

(2) Management and

Economics

(3) Civil Society

Current Majors Computer Science

Management Information

Systems

Business Management Liberal Arts core

curriculum

New Majors Electrical Engineering

Computer Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Economics Law & Society

Strengths Ashesi’s engineering program

will educate broad systems

thinkers who can operate in a

variety of industries including

telecommunications,

manufacturing, and the oil and

gas industry. The program will

also have strengths in

entrepreneurship and design.

Learning from the successes

of universities in Brazil,

Chile and Mexico, Ashesi’s

economics program will

develop strengths in

quantitative analysis and

modeling. We aim to place

top graduates in top PhD

programs around the world,

to lead transformative

economic policy making

when they return to Africa.

This interdisciplinary program will educate future public leaders with a combination of legal skills and creative approaches towards solving the continent's unique challenges, extending Ashesi's strength in ethics and leadership to the public, non-profit and legal sectors.


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1.4 Strategic Plan Funding Goals Period 2002 – 2011 (Completed) 2012 – 2020

Key Goal Establishing Ashesi Increased Diversity Expanded impact

Financial Goal $14 million $20 million

scholarship fund

$27.5 million

Status $14 million raised

(completed)

$13 million raised

(65% of goal)

$3.5 million raised

Key Goals Accomplishments

Established Ghana’s first

liberal arts college

100% career placement

Growth to 500 students

Diverse student body

50% women; 40% receive

financial aid (over $3

million total)

14 African countries

represented

First in Ghana with a

student-led honor system

First in Ghana to elect a

female head of student

government

Financial operating

sustainability since 2008

Goals

Increase number of

students on

scholarship to 60-70%

Increase scholarships

to cover housing and

meals for the poorest

students

Expand our impact

across Africa, with 30-

50% of students from

outside Ghana

Goals

Grow to 1,000 students

Add new high impact

academic programs:

Engineering

Economics

Law & Society

Strengthen campus

culture by enabling

more students to live

on campus

Enrich campus life and

build community with

student life spaces

Attract talented African

academics to return to

the continent to lend

their expertise to new

disciplines


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2. Engineering at Ashesi Ashesi plans to start its curriculum expansion with programs in the field of engineering.

Learning from examples in India and China, we believe high quality engineering education can

have a long-term, sustained impact in Africa. By producing graduates who can build critical

infrastructure, start new businesses that create jobs and develop products designed to meet

the needs of local communities, we will help economies grow and improve lives.

2.1 Goals and Expected Outcomes 1. Develop a world-class engineering program that provides engineers with leadership

level skills for West African industry and governments, beginning with concentrations in

electrical and electronic engineering, computer engineering and mechanical engineering

2. Build a reputation as one of the finest engineering programs in West Africa as measured

by the professional capabilities of Ashesi’s engineering graduates

3. Maintain at least a 90% placement rate within 6 months for graduates in key West

African industries

2.2 Program Highlights A “whole brain” approach to engineering: In addition to engineering specialties (such as

electrical, or mechanical), there will be a strong emphasis on foundational concepts,

systems thinking, the scientific method, design and problem-solving.

Internships and applied projects: We will include practical problem-solving, gained either

through a co-op curriculum, internships, and/or engineering community service projects.

Pre-college outreach to women and the poor: Through intensive recruiting, scholarships,

and pre-college summer workshops, Ashesi will attract Africa’s brightest women and

students from families in poverty to its engineering program.

Communication skills: An engineer who is unable to communicate effectively about his/her

work cannot be an effective leader. Public presentations will be required of all engineering

students to foster strong communication and writing skills.

Teamwork: Learning how to work well with others is critical to success in the modern

business environment. Throughout their education at Ashesi, students will work on projects

in teams, including a year-long applied engineering project.


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Entrepreneurship: All engineering students will have a unique, year-long opportunity to

learn the fundamentals of running a business, by receiving funding to found and manage a

business of their own design.

Ethics: Ashesi is the first university in Ghana to establish an academic honor code among its

students. Students are required to take responsibility for their own academic integrity as

well as that of their peers, reporting any violations they see. As a result of this code, exams

are not proctored by Ashesi faculty or staff.

Adaptive innovation to meet Africa’s needs: In keeping with Ashesi’s emphasis on

“Innovative Thinking”, the program’s emphasis will be on new, creative, pragmatic

solutions, adapted from existing technology, rather than on basic research.

Financial sustainability: Ashesi is a non-profit with a financially sustainable model, where

income from students who can afford to pay covers annual operating expenses.

Philanthropy will subsidize the engineering program through its startup phase (see details

below), but after four years, the program must become self-sustaining. Thus, we will focus

on engineering fields with strong student and employer demand, which require moderate

capital investment in labs.

Range of Applications: Ashesi will start with engineering programs in electrical and

electronic engineering, computer engineering and mechanical engineering.

2.3 Funding Needs for Engineering We are seeking $6.12 million to help us establish a world-class engineering program at Ashesi

University College. Donations will help support initial capital expenses including the

construction of new classroom and laboratory buildings and the procurement of laboratory

equipment and supplies. Additional funding will be raised to subsidize operating costs such as

faculty salaries, textbooks and administrative expenses over the program’s first four years.

Four Year Engineering Program Startup Costs

Estimated Total Costs Raised to Date

Program Startup $0.61 Million

Instruments & Lab Setup Costs $0.73 Million

New Laboratory & Classroom Buildings $4.77 Million $3.5 Million

Total: $6.12 Million $3.5 Million

* All cost figures include 10% to be set aside in a contingency fund, plus 12% to cover administrative and fundraising expenses.


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Engineering Implementation Timeline

3. Economics for Africa's Future Leaders

Our global economies are becoming more and more interrelated and the successful management of economic resources more and more complex. The next generation of leaders in Africa must be savvy players in this international marketplace to ensure valuable resources are managed effectively to help spur development. Unfortunately, very few African universities are producing the type of economics undergraduates that can enter top global economics graduate programs, or hold down jobs in the multinationals who often end up producing, buying and selling our continent's natural resources. Economics is a complex field, requiring a familiarity with advanced mathematics. We need to follow the examples laid by leading countries in Asia, Central and South America, who established undergraduate programs that offer rigorous economics training. These schools are feeders for top global graduate programs and, eventually, top government and private sector jobs. From President's in Mexico and Chile, to top ministers in Singapore, Taiwan and China, training outstanding economists has made a huge impact on the economies of these countries.

3.1 Goals & Expected Outcomes

1. Develop an economics program that prepares students to enter top graduate programs

around the world. At least 5% of program graduates each year will be enrolled in

economics Masters or Ph.D. programs.

2. Establish Ashesi's reputation as a world-class undergraduate institute for economics

education. Become a magnate for top students from across the continent wishing to

enter the field of economics.

3. Have faculty and undergraduates involved in conducting meaningful applied economics

research for local industry and government.

4. Improve the pool of skilled economists for the African public and private sectors.

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Engineering Fundraising

$1.35 Million

Construction Lab Setup Engineering Wings A & B

Construction Lab Setup

Program Startup

Engineering Wing C

$4.77 Million


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3.2 Program Highlights

Focus on African economic Issues. Economics majors at Ashesi will be asked to solve real world

problems in both the domestic and the international marketplace. The program will train

qualified economists who can help formulate and optimize national economic policy;

agricultural and otherwise. We will therefore emphasize microeconomics, macroeconomics,

econometrics, agribusiness, supply chain management and commodity markets, and

international economics.

Quantitatively rigorous. Ashesi's economic program will prepare its students with the

advanced mathematics skills needed to solve complex economic problems and thrive in top

global graduate programs.

International exchanges. Top faculty from universities across the globe will be invited to co-

teach courses with Ashesi faculty for 2 to 4 week periods. Exposure to these experts will

improve teaching at Ashesi, encourage research collaboration, and help establish the

reputation of the program

Applied research. Building off our relationships with international academic institutions and

interest from local industry, we will actively seek opportunities to conduct meaningful applied

research. Organizations such as the Center for Economic Policy Analysis and the African Center

for Economic Transformation (ACET) are located in Accra and can serve as interesting partners

for research.

4 Law & Society

Ashesi's Law & Society program will produce critical thinkers with a solid understanding of law,

who are excellent communicators and can apply their knowledge and skills across multiple

areas of academia and industry

Acknowledging that the law does not exist in a vacuum, the course will draw from the

advantages of a holistic liberal arts approach, relating itself to African life, taking into account

the continent’s particular social, political and economic realities. A series of deliberate

experiences will expose students to a broad spectrum of society, engendering compassion for

their fellow man and revealing where the need for the rule of law springs. Graduates will be

civically-engaged, ethical leaders who will work across sectors (government, private industry,

non-profit) to address problems from a perspective that seeks the greater good of society.


August 2013

4.1 Goals & Expected Outcomes

1. Give students a coherent selection of courses that provide a sound legal foundation and

a good understanding of law and its relation to society, irrespective of their career

choices in, or outside of legal practice.

2. Expose students to a wide variety of academic disciplines in a way that makes them

rigorous problem-solvers across sectors (nonprofit, private and public) in an increasingly

globalized context.

3. Strengthen skills in strategic communication, resulting in students who read with

interpretive skill, write and speak well, listen actively and engage constructively.

4. Train and equip critical, analytical leaders with imaginations that know no limits, but are

grounded in practical, African realities.

5. Equip students to engage in applied research across disciplines, and to prepare them for

conceptual and practical work at the graduate-level.

6. Train a different kind of lawyer for whom ethical and societal considerations are

essential and deliberate, rather than accidental.

4.2 Program Highlights

Multidisciplinary knowledge base and knowledge-application skills. Students will be exposed

to a wide array of course offerings that will hone their critical thinking and problem solving

abilities.

Strategic communication skills. Program graduates will be excellent written and oral

communicators. Throughout the program they will be asked to hone their communication skills

through class projects and presentations.

Legal knowledge applied to real-life contexts. Students will look at real cases and the

application of law both in the classroom and in mock trial scenarios.

Practical engagement. Students will have the opportunity to participate in internships, applied

projects and service learning experiences, which will give them the opportunity to see the wide

range of application for legal expertise.

Exposure to the needs of a broad range of society. The foundations of modern legal practice

stem from the need to mitigate the natural inequality of power within human societies and the

desire for social and economic stability. The program will partner with several legal institutions

in Ghana to expose students to the wide range of needs in modern African society. This course

will expose students not only to the law, but the needs from which the law springs.


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Pre-law and Social Science tracks. Law & Society students will be able to choose from pre-law

and social science tracks depending on their interests. Pre-law students will be ready to start

legal practice within a year of graduation, while social science students will have the skills

necessary to work in a variety of sectors including media, government, non-profit and legal.

4.3 Funding Needs for Economics and Law & Society Programs

Estimated Total Costs

Economics and Law Building $3.6 Million

Administrative Building $1.1 Million

Visiting faculty housing $.9 Million

Scholarship Student Housing (96 beds) $1.8 Million

Operating Support $2.3 Million

TOTAL $9.7 Million

Philanthropy, Sustainability and Social Investment

We’ve got day-to-day expenses covered

From the beginning, the Ashesi business model was designed to attain operating financial

sustainability. As of 2008, we met that goal, whereby revenue from tuition and fees, paid by

students who can afford them, covers annual operating expenses and the majority of Ashesi's

scholarship program. Ashesi is committed to maintaining this approach of building self-

sustaining programs.

Philanthropy is essential for growth

Ashesi uses donors’ funds to expand our impact. Donations fund new buildings, establish new

programs, and create additional scholarships. After four years, all new programs at Ashesi are

expected to become self-sustaining. We have begun a campaign to raise $6.12 million in

philanthropy to help us establish a unique, high impact engineering program in Africa.

Social investment loan for housing

Demand for housing at Ashesi exceeds supply. Both full-pay and scholarship students want to

live on campus, and diversity in on-campus housing helps foster Ashesi’s values. Ashesi is now

seeking social venture investors to participate in a $2.5M loan to finance dorm construction.

This vehicle will allow investors to support Ashesi while preserving their long-term capital and

realizing a modest financial return. Once dorms are completed, rent payments will provide the

revenue stream for repayment.


August 2013

To discuss ways you can help expand Ashesi’s impact in Africa and educate a new generation of

innovative, ethical leaders – contact our foundation team in Seattle or Ghana.

5. Contact Information In the United States:

Joanna Bargeron

Vice President

Ashesi University Foundation

[email protected]

+1.206.545.6988

Ruth Warren

Trustee

Ashesi University Foundation

[email protected]

+1.206.399.5907

In Ghana: More Information:

Araba Botchway

Development Director

Ashesi University College

[email protected]

+233.302.610.330

Ashesi University Website: www.ashesi.edu.gh Ashesi University Foundation, a US 501(c)3 designed to support Ashesi: www.ashesi.org Visit us on Facebook – Twitter – You Tube

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