$1 for Higher Education Project

Palm Institute continues to be dedicated toward offering quality higher education to young Ghanaians with a focus on critical and practical thinking and ethical leadership. We are so grateful for your support because without your help, we couldn’t do the work that we do. 

The Year 2022 has been a fruitful and progressive year for Palm Institute. It was packed with a lot of activities and momentous achievements amidst all the challenges and difficulties we encountered. We consider it very paramount to share our successes and challenges with you because of your continued support in ensuring that we keep providing quality education to all Ghanaians and other Africans. The following are synopsis of our achievements and successes. Thank you so much your continued support.

PROGRAM ACCREDITATION

Palm Institute received accreditation to run two (2) four-year degree programs in 2022.  The BSc. Computer Science and BSc. Business Administration were accredited by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) this year giving Palm Institute the opportunity to diversify its program offering for students.

ADMISSIONS DRIVES

Palm Institute explored various admission outreach mediums including radio, house-to-house, church outreach, shop-to-shop, senior high schools, markets and career fairs in various high schools. We admitted the highest number of students; 20 students during the September, 2022 admissions season. For the first time in the history of Palm Institute, the female to male ratio of the student population currently is 11:20. More females were given the opportunity to enroll at Palm Institute as a result of our collaboration with CAMFED. Four (4) female students were admitted to study Information Technology and Computer Science programs at Palm Institute to champion the STEM agenda.

As the world turns towards inclusivity, Palm Institute admitted its first physically challenged student. She is a freshman studying BSc. Business Administration. Mary got to know about Palm Institute from a social media post that was forwarded to her by her teacher She applied for the BSc. Business Administration program and was invited to campus for an interview in May, 2022. On her way to campus she had an accident and lost her left arm. The team reached out to her days later to inquire about her absence during the interview and she informed us about the accident but didn’t give us so much detail. In September 2022, we reached out to her to check up on her and also to inform her admission was still ongoing.

She decided to reapply when she got know about the scholarship packages. She completed her application, made her payment for application fee and submitted her application. While the committee was going through her application, we saw that she lost an arm during the accident. The Admissions Committee visited her at her place of residence in Ada to assess the situation.

TENTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

During the year, Palm Institute celebrated its 10^th year of educating ethical and excellent leaders. The events which marked the celebration were Anniversary Lecture, Launch of the Center for Ethical Leadership, Forum on the Role of Women in Ethical Leadership and National Development, launch of the Palm Corporate Mentoring program, students debate on the theme, “Can the Ghanaian youth break the cycle of corruption?” Rep your SHS, Anniversary Technology Seminar Series and a Thanksgiving Service on Sunday. The 10^th Anniversary celebration was a time of reflection for us at Palm Institute. It was a time to take stock of what we have achieved so far and to look into the future as far as what we envision for the next ten (10) years and beyond.

THE PALM CENTER FOR ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

In keeping with our mission to produce educated ethical and excellent leaders in Africa, Palm Institute established the Center for Ethical Leadership (CEL). The Center was launched during the 10^th Anniversary week celebrations, October, 2022 with the help of the Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII). The GII is a local branch of Transparency International. The mission of the Centre is to attract, nurture, grow and produce a community of practicing ethical and excellent leaders in Africa.

APPOINTMENT OF A HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

During the year, we the Head of the Computer Science and Information Technology Department at Palm Institute. The Head of Department is a professor with over 20 years of experience teaching computer science curriculum that emphasizes active guided-inquiry, project-based learning, and entrepreneurship. He has also spent time working as a consultant for universities and businesses.

THE PALM CORPORATE MENTORING PROGRAM

The Palm Corporate Mentoring Program was also launched during the anniversary week The Center has intentionally been designed to facilitate the process of ensure our students connect with CEOs, business leaders, and professionals in different industries and fields of work and industries in the course of their study and experience at Palm. Nine (9) corporate mentors voluntarily signed up to mentor a sophomore at Palm Institute.

MAIDEN ON CAMPUS RESIDENTIAL FACILITY

The construction of the maiden residential facility on campus, a students’ hall of residence, The Phil & Vickie Rothrock Hall started in February, 2022 and was completed in October, 2022. Along came the construction of the hall of residence were sporting facilities – basketball and volleyball pitches, a football field and two summer-huts for student relaxation, group studies etc.

SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS PRACTICUM

Palm Institute hosted four (4) USA students from the University of Alabama and Colorado State University. The students were here for their social work practicum experience in Ghana. Two of the students lived on campus and the other two opted to live with a host family. The students are placed in Ghanaian non-profit organizations and some public spector organizations for their practicums. During their time here, the students were taken on field trips and other educational activities.

PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONS

During the year, Palm Institute partnered with Ghana Integrity Initiative towards advocating for ethical leadership and anti-corruption in Ghana. Through the partnership, the Executive Director of Ghana Integrity Initiative delivered the 10^th Anniversary Lecture on the theme, “The Role of Ethical Leadership in National Development; Corruption and its impact.”

Palm Institute also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Youth Arise Organization towards raising the next generation of ethical leaders.

Palm Institute also collaborated with CAMFED Ghana to provide tuition and accommodation scholarships to seven (7) females who happen to be Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) Association members (CAMA). The scholarships are from the Naa Amerley Palm Education (NAPE) Foundation. The ladies are freshmen pursuing Business Information Technology, BSc. Computer Science and BSc. Business Administration.

Your continued support in 2022 will allow us to raise ethical and excellent leaders.  Thank you again for generously supporting the mission of providing quality higher education to Ghanaians.  We are so appreciative. 

Sincerely,

AUGUST NEWSLETTER INSTITUTIONAL RE-ACCREDITATION AT PALM

The month of August was packed with a lot of progressive activities. A seven (7) member team from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), the regulatory body in charge of Institutional and Academic Program Accreditation in Ghana, visited Palm Institute on the 18th August, 2022 as part of the Institutional Re-accreditation process. The purpose of the visit was to ensure that Palm is doing all that is required as an accredited tertiary institution in Ghana. This visit was necessary to complete the reaccreditation process.

ADMISSIONS & STUDENT ENROLLMENT - SCHOLARSHIP INTERVIEW On Wednesday, 3rd August, 2022, the admissions and scholarship panel interviewed the Naa Amerley Palm Education (NAPE) Foundation and David Okai Okantey (DOO) Foundation scholarship applicants. The interviews give officers of Palm Institute an opportunity to meet the applicants in-person or virtually and to interact with them to determine their level of need and the authenticity of their request for support.

2022 INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY CELEBRATIONS As part of the 2022 International Youth Day Celebrations, Palm Institute in collaboration with Youth Arise Organization organized a roundtable discussion on Saturday, 13th August, 2022 to commemorate the celebrations. The event was hosted on Palm Institute campus with participants watching via the social media handles of the organizations. Officers and Alumni from Palm Institute, Youth Arise Organization, Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, African Professional Network and Fruit Masters sat around the table to discuss the following topics: Future of Food: Building Stronger and Sustainable Food Systems in Africa, Intergenerational Solidarity-Creating a World for All Ages, Resilience: 10 years of influencing young people and Announcement of Top 10 Delegates for Orange Innovational Challenge. It was such an amazing day with the Founder and President of Palm Institute and the Global CEO of Youth Arise Organization with other invited guests.

PALM PEER MENTORING PROGRAM TRAINING The Student Life and Career Services Department organized a second virtual training for the 2022/2023 cohort of peer mentors to outline the objectives and goals of the program at Palm and how to be an effective mentor. The Peer Mentoring Program is designed to assist new students at Palm Institute to transition smoothly into university life through the shared experiences of both peer mentors and peer mentees.

USA SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS AT PALM INSTITUTE On Saturday, 20th August and Sunday, 21st August, 2022, a group of students from Colorado State University and University of Alabama arrived safely at Palm Institute for their practicum in Ghana. On Monday 22nd August, they were taken to their various placements for their practicum of Palm Institute around the Tema vicinity. On Tuesday, 23rd August, 2022 a formal cultural training and Orientation was held for them at Palm Institute. The groups of students have commenced their practicum experience.

FIRST RESIDENTIAL FACILITY Thanks to Phil & Vickie Rothrock and donors, we have been able to construct our maiden student residential facility on campus. The Phil & Vickie Rothrock Hall of Residence is ready for student habitation. We look forward to hosting the Sophomores and Freshmen in September. We are so grateful for your support.

Links:

• Ribbon Cutting Ceremony - Phil & Vickie Rothrock Hall

HONOUR CODE VOTING

Congratulations to the Class of 2025 for voting unanimously to adopt the Honour System and the Palm Examination Honour Code. Throughout the 2021/2022 academic year, students were provided information and given various opportunities and platforms to discuss the Honour System in detail.  Palm Institute is the second university in Ghana and Africa to adopt the Honour System.

Read more about the Honour System at https://palm.edu.gh/about-us/honour-system/

ADMISSIONS OUTREACH

In April, the admissions team reached out to students and parents in various communities in the Greater Accra Region; Oyibi, Amrahia, Adenta and Madina.  The admission team also had the opportunity to meet students at Morning Star Senior High School. Palm Institute is seeking to recruit students to enroll in September 2022.

SEMINARS ORGANIZED BY THE STUDENT LIFE AND CAREER SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

Mr. Albert Welle Ali, a Chartered Marketer, Communications and PR Consultant provided a seminar on the importance of networking to promote one’s net worth.

Additionally, Mr. Felix Sie, a Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft, facilitated a virtual seminar entitled Cybersecurity Fundamentals. During the seminar he shared the importance of protecting personal data against online threats, information on ways to maintain and improve security and how to alleviate the consequences of cyber-attacks.

FIRST RESIDENTIAL FACILITY

The foundation and block laying for the first floor of the residential facility has been completed.  We are grateful for the generosity and continued support.

Please continue to support Palm Institute at https://napefoundation.org/donate/

Dear Donor

A very Happy New Year to you. We trust the New Year has started well for you. We would like to give you a bird’s eye view of what happened during the month of January, 2022 at Palm Institute.

ADMISSIONS OUTREACHES: In our quest to increase enrollment at Palm Institute, the Admissions Team embarked on an intense outreach effort to push for a more students as the January 2022 Admissions season came to a close. Our admissions outreach activities were directed towards high school graduates, marketplaces, bus stations, city malls, churches, communities and reliance on our social media platforms. These activities were undertaken under all the COVID-19 safety protocols. Most of the potential students we interacted had financial challenges as their reasons for not continuing with their education. Those who applied to enroll were taken through the needed steps to assist them with the pre-admission procedures. They were assisted with the completion of their application and scholarship forms, entrance examination preparations (for mature applicants) and admissions interviews.

GROUNDBREAKING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF HOSTEL AND FACULTY/STAFF LODGE

In keeping with mission of producing educated ethical leaders and providing an improved and welcoming campus, cut down on expensive private hostel costs and increase the revenue base of University, we have decided to construct a student, faculty and staff housing on campus. These would strategically lead to an increase in enrollment. The groundbreaking ceremony occurred on Saturday, 29^th January, 2022 to officially begin the commencement of the construction of the student hostel and faculty and staff lodge. Faculty, staff, council members, students and supporters participated in the ceremony.

PREPARATION FOR THE JANUARY 2022 SEMESTER

The new semester commenced on the 31^st January, 2022. All departments of the Institution have put preparatory measures into place to welcome our students. Career seminars have been scheduled with topics designed to shaped and boost the process our students for industry. Course allocations have been done and lecturers have started teaching.

The Center for Ethical Leadership at Palm Institute in partnership with the Ghana Integrity Initiative is also putting measures in place to source for funding to undertake its programs including Senior High Schools’ Conference, Ethical Leadership Conference and the launch of the Journal of Ethical Leadership. The Journal is designed to publish proceedings from the conference and also encourage other academics locally and internationally to publish with the Journal.

On September 4, 2021, our second group of BSc. Business Information Technology students reported to the Palm Hostel located at EMEFS Estate, Afienya – Mataheko. 

On Monday, September 6, 2021, the Freshmen arrived on campus to begin their orientation. They were formally welcomed by the President of Palm Institute. He spoke to them about the Palm Honor System and Examination Code and its relevance.

He further educated the Freshmen on the Palm Innovation Lab and Entrepreneurship Projects and the Palm Centre for Ethical & Excellent Leadership (PCEL) program.

The Registrar introduced the students to the various Academic Services and also gave them a talk on “Surviving the Challenges of University Life.”  She also went through the rules and regulations for the lecture hall, hostel and shuttle services with the students.

The Career Service Officer also introduced the students to the Career Services Department and its mandate such as provision of Internships, Job-Shadowing, Community Services and Corporate Mentoring opportunities for students.

The Librarian of the University College orientated the students on how to use the library effectively. He discussed the usefulness, purpose and objectives of the library. He also introduced to the students the Library policies students are expected to follow.

The Director for International Programs, addressed the Freshmen on International Students Exchanges and International Internships in USA and UK. She also educated the Freshmen on the Palm Sexual Harassment Policy.

The IT Officer, practically walked the Freshmen through the Online Students Information System (OSIS) Management and the E-Learning platform

As part of the orientation; Wednesday, September 8, 2021 was the Day with the Parents. Parents of the Freshmen arrived from all over the country to be present for the event. They were introduced to the services the University provides for the students and were also told about the expectations the University College has of them as parents who wards are receiving scholarships and education here at Palm.

During the orientation the students were addressed by the Board Chair of NAPE Foundation, USA, a Trustee of the David Okai Okantey (DOO) Foundation, the International Programs Coordinator, Oklahoma State University (OSU), the Ag. Director of Finance, the President of the Palm Student Council and a representative of the Palm Alumni Council.