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Strategic Plan

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - KUMASI
STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-2025
DECEMBER, 2020

Table of Contents

  1. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
  2. SITUATIONAL ASSESSMENT
  3. STUDENT POPULATION
  4. STRATEGIC FOCUS
    a. THEMATIC AREAS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
    b. IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND EVALUATION

I. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

In January 2005, the academic units of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) were reorganised into Colleges. This was to promote efficiency through a more decentralised management of the University. Under the new system, the various departments, faculties/schools and research institutes were condensed into six colleges, namely:

  • College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR);
  • College of Architecture and Planning (CAP);
  • College of Art and Social Science (CASS);
  • College of Engineering (CoE);
  • College of Health Science (CHS); and
  • College of Science (CoS)

The then College of Art and Social Sciences (CASS) comprised five academic units, namely the Faculty of Art (FoA), Faculty of Law (FoL), Faculty of Social Sciences (FoSS), the KNUST School of Business (KSB) and a research centre called the Centre for Cultural and African Studies (CeCAST).

After a decade of growth, the University decided to restructure CAP and CASS in order to further enhance efficiency in the management of the two colleges. At the beginning of the 2014/2015 academic year, the University Council approved the transfer of the Faculty of Art from CASS to CAP. Subsequently CAP was renamed College of Art and the Built Environment (CABE) while CASS became CoHSS; i.e., the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The restructuring effort reduced the size of the College to four academic units, namely, FoL, FoSS, KSB and the CeCAST. Notwithstanding the changes, CoHSS remains the watershed of knowledge for all faculties in the University, offering diverse and cross cutting courses to the numerous departments in the University. This is based on the fact that the science and technology programmes of the University need a modicum of humanities and social sciences in order to become relevant for socio-economic development.

Since the human and social aspects in the various fields of academia are indispensable in our effort to achieve sustainable development, the College’s contribution towards the achievement of the University’s mandate cannot be underestimated. The College is, therefore, central to the quest for relevant knowledge creation in the University. The activities of the College also help in reducing the tension and stress associated with laboratory and studio-based programmes, and orient the science and technology programmes to mainstream society.

II. SITUATIONAL ASSESSMENT

SWOT ANALYSES/ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN

To accomplish the strategic objectives of the College, it is important to understand the environment and to leverage it. This will ensure that we identify and take advantage of the enabling factors that offer themselves as opportunities or strengths. In order to take full advantage of these factors, we have to understand and manage the constraints that pose as weaknesses and threats. Since we have a clear understanding of these factors, it will be sufficient to just mention and list them under the appropriate categories, as follows.

STRENGTHS

  1. A pool of highly qualified and competent academic and support staff.
  2. A multi-disciplinary expertise that lends itself well to collaborative and inter-disciplinary research.
  3. Ability to foster community engagement to enhance teaching and learning.
  4. The only ultra-modern Electronic Law Library with the largest database in Ghana.
  5. Global and local awards; for example, the Faculty of Law has won several international moot competitions.
  6. The Geography Department is endowed with a state-of-the-art geographic information system for decision making.
  7. Good local and international image and collaborations with both national and international institutions.
  8. Attractive postgraduate programmes.
  9. Good online teaching and learning infrastructure.

WEAKNESSES

  1. Inadequate staff strength
  2. High teaching load
  3. Inadequate office space for staff.
  4. Inadequate budgetary allocation for research and conferences.
  5. Inadequate lecture rooms.

OPPORTUNITIES

  1. The KNUST brand
  2. Existence of a business advisory centre (i.e., Centre for Business Development).
  3. Innovative capabilities of the wider university can be harnessed and the relevant faculties can assist in the commercialisation of the innovations (e.g. waste to generate electricity).
  4. The University website as a medium for disseminating research outcomes and increasing the visibility of the College.
  5. A pool of professionals in different but relevant disciplines within the College to develop a consulting hub.
  6. Market exists for short courses.
  7. Linkages and collaborations with local and international stakeholders.
  8. Income generation through the naming of streets and buildings.

THREATS

  1. Competition from private and other public universities.
  2. Inadequate government subvention.
  3. Inadequate skillset of lecturers and students for online teaching and learning.

III. STUDENT POPULATION

The College as at the 2019/2020 academic year had a total student population of 15,412, the College with the largest number of students in the University. This figure comprises of 13, 932 (90.40%) undergraduate students and 1,480 (9.60%) postgraduate students. Out of the 13, 932 undergraduate students, 7,380 (53%) are males and 6,552 (47%) are female students. Of the 1,480 postgraduate students, 972 are males and 508 are females.

Student Population by Gender (2019/2020 academic year)

Gender

Undergraduate Student Population

Postgraduate Student Population

Total

Female

6552

508

7,060

Male

7380

972

8,352

Total

13,932

1,480

15,412

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

postgraduate

undergraduate

IV. STRATEGIC FOCUS

VISION

To become an indispensable partner in the University’s quest to advance relevant knowledge for sustainable development.

MISSION STATEMENT

The College exists to promote collaborative research, innovative teaching and learning, and entrepreneurial attitudes in our community engagement for sustainable development.

CORE VALUES

The College shares in the University’s commitment to attract and develop excellent staff and students in order to contribute towards the achievement of the goals, targets and directions that the government of Ghana has set for higher education.

In fulfilling the Vision and Mission of the College, the following KNUST Core Values would be adhered to:

Leadership in Innovation and Technology

The College will endeavour to maintain and strengthen its’ position as the leader in generating and exchanging new knowledge in the humanities and social sciences to support the University and offer the needed services to government, industry and society.

Culture of Excellence

We strive to be the best and maintain a commitment to continuously improve upon our status in all our undertakings (research, teaching, entrepreneurship and service) for the development of society.

Diversity and Equal Opportunity for All

We ensure an environment of understanding and respect for cultural diversity and equal opportunity among students and staff. We uphold academic freedom in our quest to advance the frontiers of knowledge and in our attempt to attain self-development.

Integrity and Stewardship of Resources

We are dedicated to exhibiting the highest standards of professional ethics and integrity, efficient utilisation of resources and a culture of accountability and responsibility in all our operations.

 

a. THEMATIC AREAS AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

The College has seven broad themes that guide its’ activities. These themes represent the objectives and actions to be taken to achieve the vision of the College.  The thematic areas are as follows:

THEME 1: IMPACTFUL COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH & INNOVATION

In order to fulfil the mission of the College, there is a need for faculty to engage in collaborative research that leads to innovations and uptake / commercialisation of these innovations to improve quality of life in our society. The following strategic objectives will be used to achieve this theme. Specifically, to:

  • Increase the College Research Fund
  • Promote collaborative and inter-disciplinary research
  • Promote joint research and supervision of MPhil and PhD theses with other departments.
  • Develop a new college-specific and detailed guideline for theses writing especially for research degrees.
  • Support the growth and development of local journals in the faculties within the College.
  • Revive monthly inter-faculty seminar series for faculty members to present their on-going research work for peer review.
  • Research awards scheme that recognises teaching and research excellence.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

  • An increase in the college research fund and disbursement.
  • Increased promotion of both teaching and non-teaching staff.
  • More interdisciplinary research projects.
  • Publications on topics that cut across disciplines within and outside the College, KNUST and the African Continent.
  • Joint supervision of MPhil and PhD theses that are successfully defended and worked out into research papers for publication to top-ranked journals.
  • A thesis guide that is college/discipline specific for MPhil and PhD students.
  • Increased joint publications between research students and their supervisors.
  • Four local journals from the three faculties and the research centre (CeCAST) published at least twice a year.
  • Presentation and peer review of on-going research work/projects.
  • Increased publication in high impact journals.

THEME 2: MANAGING OUR HUMAN RESOURCES

The human resource capacity of the College plays an integral role in the fulfilment of the College goals. There is therefore the need to build on the University’s staff appraisal and development system in order to manage faculty teaching load to ensure a healthy balance in the allocation of time for research, teaching and service as well as non-work activities for the general wellbeing of staff.

The following strategic objectives will be used to achieve this theme:

  • Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for both teaching and non-teaching staff.
  • Accelerated promotion for staff in all categories.
  • Recognition and award scheme for highflyers/high achievers in teaching, research and administration.
  • Develop Work-Life Balance (WLB) policies and programmes to help staff better manage the work-life interface.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

  • An all-encompassing CPD document that is used to train all staff, all year round to enhance employee performance.
  • Vibrant and research focussed faculty that are conversant with modern ways of teaching and research.
  • Accelerated promotion of all staff.
  • A well-structured recognition scheme that is clearly communicated to all staff.
  • Staff strength increased by at least 10% annually.
  • Fairness in the distribution of workload.
  • Well defined roles for graduate and teaching assistants.
  • Increase in the uptake of Staff annual leave.
  • A family day-out event once a year.
  • Awareness created on all staff welfare, wellness and benefits policy in the university.

THEME 3: FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

The success of the College is dependent on its ability to attract, generate and manage it financial resources. 

The following strategic objectives will be used to achieve this theme:

  • To diversify and increase IGF.

KEY PERFORAMANCE INDICATORS

  • At least one flagship short course per each Department in the College.
  • A minimum of one proposal for research funding and/or uptake per each department per year.
  • Equitable allocation of financial resources across the College.

THEME 4: ENTREPRENEURSHIP DRIVE

In order to fulfil the mission of the College, there is a need for faculty in the College to improve the content and delivery of existing courses in entrepreneurship and also provide support services to drive entrepreneurial initiatives within the University community.

The following strategic objectives will be used to achieve this theme:

  • To improve entrepreneurial capacity of students using simulations.
  • To provide business development and legal support to drive entrepreneurial initiatives.

KEY PERFORAMANCE INDICATORS

  • Relevant entrepreneurial software acquired and used to teach students.
  • Commercialization/uptake of one innovation per each department in the College per year.

THEME 5: STAFF-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP

Staff-student relationship is an important component to the achievement of the College’s vision and mission as the student body form the single most important clientele of the University. A customer as well as an in loco parentis orientation will go a long way to not only manage the relationship between staff and students but to ensure that our students become good ambassadors of the College specifically and the University in general.

The following strategic objectives will be used to achieve this theme:

  • To facilitate student-staff relationship.
  • Closer collaboration with the leadership of the student associations to promote the welfare and interest of students in their self-governance system.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

  • Students’ feedback on communication with staff through a google form survey once a semester.
  • Feedback to student leadership on issues raised in the survey
  • Minutes of meeting and action plan drawn from discussions between College management and students’ leaders each semester.

THEME 6: IMPROVE AND MAINTAIN ICT FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

The development of ICT facilities and infrastructure is key in achieving the vision and mission of the College. ICT facilities and infrastructure that supports teaching and learning under the current circumstances which is most likely to become the ‘new normal’ will help the College to deliver on its’ mandate.

The following strategic objective will be used to achieve this theme:

  • To intensify the use of ICT facilities and infrastructure to enhance the quality of our research, teaching (synchronous and asynchronous), learning and to streamline our administrative processes.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR

  • Seamless synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning (to be evaluated through students and faculty satisfaction surveys).

THEME 7: COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Community and stakeholder engagement are pivotal in the existence and relevance of KNUST and the College. Therefore, the College will strive to engage our community and stakeholders in ways that is beneficial to both KNUST/ CoHSS and our key stakeholders.

This will be achieved by;

  • establishing a College Liaison Office (CLO) that will co-ordinate college-industry linkages.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

  • A team of faculty members drawn from each department in the College serving at the CLO.
  • A fully functioning CLO
  • Several academia-industry projects between industry and staff on one hand, and between industry and students on the other hand.

b. IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND EVALUATION

PLAN IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK

THEME 1: IMPACTFUL COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH & INNOVATION

Strategic Objectives

Strategies/Interventions

Key Performance Indicators

Responsibility

Increase the College Research Fund.

 

Establishment of Research and Grants Office to build capacity for large-scale grantsmanship. This is expected to diversify sources of funding for research and to mentor and support Faculty research and publications efforts.

 

A well-resourced and fully functioning Research and Grants Office.

The College Research Committee

Promote collaborative and inter-disciplinary research.

 
  • Institute mentorship programmes within the College which will include Faculty from other departments outside the College.
  • Promote cross-Faculty initiatives.
  • Expand strategic international research collaborations.

 
  • Increased promotions of both teaching and non-teaching staff.
  • Evidence of interdisciplinary research projects.
  • Paper publications on topics that cut across disciplines within and outside the College, KNUST and the African Continent.

The College Research Committee

Promote joint research and supervision of MPhil and PhD thesis with other Departments in the College.

 

Build a consortium or teams of research/thesis supervision groups across the College, based on interdisciplinary research themes.

  • Joint supervision of MPhil and PhD theses that are successfully defended and worked out into research papers for publication to top-ranked journals.

The College Research Committee

Develop a new College-specific and detailed guideline for theses writing especially for research degrees.

 

Put together a cross-faculty team that will develop discipline-specific guidelines for thesis writing for MPhil and PhD students.
  • A thesis guide that is College/discipline specific for MPhil and PhD students.
  • Increased joint publications between research students and their supervisors.

The College Research Committee

Support the growth and development of local journals in the Faculties within the College.

 
  • Establish a journal development help desk at the College office to provide the needed support and logistics.
  • Fund the development of quality faculty journals that meet international standards.

 
  • Four local journals from the three faculties and CeCAST published at least two times a year.

The College Research Committee

Revive monthly inter-faculty seminar series for faculty members to present their on-going research work for peer review.

The College Research Committee to coordinate with HODs to draw up a timetable for presentations
  • Presentation and peer review of on-going research work/projects.
  • Increased publication in high impact journals.

The College Research Committee

 

THEME 2: MANAGING OUR HUMAN RESOURCES

Strategic Objectives

Strategies/Interventions

Key Performance Indicators

Responsibility

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for both teaching and non-teaching staff.

 

 

 

 

 

Develop an effective CPD on

mentorship, impactful publications, commercialisation and uptake of innovations, administrative procedures among others.

 

 

 
  • An all-encompassing CPD document that is used to train all staff, all year round to enhance employee performance.
  • Vibrant and research focussed faculty that are conversant with modern ways of teaching and research.

College performance management committee

Accelerated promotion for staff in all categories.

 

Build a consortium of professors to help guide and accelerate the promotion of staff.

 

Increased number of promotions of all staff at all ranks.

Provost, Deans, HoDs, Faculty Registrars

Recognition and award scheme for highflyers/high achievers in teaching, research and administration.
  • Institute a comprehensive recognition scheme that celebrates high achievers.
  • Develop an award scheme with the relevant policies and create awareness.
  • An award ceremony for teaching, research and community service annually.
  • A well-structured recognition scheme that is clearly communicated to all staff.

Provost, College Registrar & College Quality Assurance Sub-Committee

Develop Work-Life Balance (WLB) policies and programmes to help staff better manage the work-life interface.
  • Increase staff strength
  • Equitable distribution of workload among staff.
  • Define roles for graduate and teaching assistants to help reduce the burden on teaching staff.
  • Staff should be encouraged to take their annual leave to rest, relax and rehabilitate.
  • Annual family day out for staff and family.
  • Organise annual meeting on staff welfare and benefits package.

Staff strength increased by at least 10% annually.

  • Fairness in the distribution of workload.
  • Well defined roles for graduate and teaching assistants.

 

  • Increase in the uptake of Staff annual leave.
  • A family day-out event once a year.
  • Awareness created on all staff welfare, wellness and benefits policy in the university.

Provost, Deans and HODs

 

THEME 3: FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

Strategic Objectives

Strategies/Interventions

Key Performance Indicators

Responsibility
  • To diversify and increase IGF.
  • Create avenues to generate multiple streams of income through industry-driven short courses, grantsmanship and commercialization of innovations.
  • Develop and implement a transparent model of sharing and managing resources including finance.

 
  • At least one flagship short course per each Department in the College.
  • A minimum of one proposal for research funding and/or uptake per each Department per year.
  • Equitable allocation of financial resources across the College.
  • College short courses committee
  • College research committee
  • College Provost and Deans

 

THEME 4: ENTREPRENEURSHIP DRIVE

Strategic Objectives

Strategies/Interventions

Key Performance Indicators

Responsibility
  • To improve entrepreneurial capacity of students using simulations.

 

 

  • To provide business development and legal support to drive entrepreneurial initiatives.
  • Enhance entrepreneurship courses with relevant simulation software so that students can experience, diagnose and resolve business/organisational problems in real time.
  • Collaborate with the Centre for Business Development, KNUST Legal Office as well as draw on the relevant competences embedded in the various faculties in the College to promote commercialization of innovative ideas from within the College and outside the College in order to generate IGF.
  • Relevant entrepreneurial software acquired and used to teach students.

 

 

 

  • Commercialization/uptake of one innovation per each Department in the College per year.

 
  • Provost, HOD (Department of Marketing and Corporate Strategy), College Finance Officer.
  • Provost, HOD (Department of Marketing and Corporate Strategy), College Finance Officer.

 

 

THEME 5: STAFF-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP

Strategic Objectives

Strategies/Interventions

Key Performance Indicators

Responsibility
  • To facilitate good student-staff relationship.

 
  • Faculty and staff to use appropriate communication channels such as survey google forms, staff-student durbars, social media platforms to enhance two-way communication between staff and students.
  • Students’ feedback on communication with staff through a google form survey once a semester.
  • Feedback to student leadership on issues raised in the survey.

 

Provost, Deans, HODs and Faculty Registrars

 
  • Closer collaboration with the leadership of student associations to promote the welfare and interest of students in their self-governance system.
  • At least two meetings between the College management and students’ leaders to address student welfare issues every year.

Minutes of meeting and action plan drawn from discussions between College management and students’ leaders each semester.

Provost, Deans, HODs and Faculty Registrars

 

THEME 6: DEVELOPMENT OF ICT FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Strategic Objectives

Strategies/Interventions

Key Performance Indicators

Responsibility

Intensify the use of ICT facilities and infrastructure to enhance the quality of our research, teaching (synchronous and asynchronous), learning and to streamline our administrative processes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  • Invest in the expansion of information communication technology capability by:
  • acquiring state of the art teaching and learning equipment and software.
  • providing continuous e-pedagogy training for staff.
  • employing adequate back-office ICT staff (technicians) to provide technical support for staff as we move to online teaching and learning and also maintain/repair the existing ICT equipment.
  • Seamless synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning (to be evaluated through students and faculty satisfaction surveys).

 

College management in collaboration with UITS.

 

THEME 7: COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Strategic Objectives

Strategies/Interventions

Key Performance Indicators

Responsibility
  • Establishment of a College Liaison Office (CLO) that will co-ordinate college-industry linkages.

 
  • Each Department should have an industry liaison officer (may be chosen from faculty) who is in charge of student internship placement.
  • Create a CLO (to be facilitated by the team of officers nominated by each Department) to facilitate and coordinate student and staff attachment/internships as well as for innovation uptake.

 
  • A team of faculty members drawn from each department in the college serving at the CLO.
  • A fully functioning CLO.
  • Several academia-industry projects between industry and staff on one hand, and between industry and students on the other hand.

 

Provost, Deans, HODs and Faculty Registrars.

 

 

 

Industry Links and Practice Team.