Professor Jacinta Opara has been appointed as second substantive Vice Chancellor of<\/p>\n
Dominican University, Ibadan-Nigeria. In an official statement by the Chairman,<\/p>\n
Board of Trustees of the University, Chief Anthony Idigbe(SAN), the Board, in the<\/p>\n
exercise of its powers conferred by Federal Government of Nigeria and the<\/p>\n
Universities Act at its meeting on Wednesday, March 7, 2024 considered the<\/p>\n
submission of the Joint Governing Council, Senate, Search\/Selection Team and<\/p>\n
approved the appointment of Prof Opara as Vice Chancellor of the institution. The<\/p>\n
appointment followed a stringent recruitment exercise carried out by a professional<\/p>\n
recruiting firm and topnotch academics, in line with best global practices in headhunting for strategic<\/p>\n
positions in higher education institutions. The statement stated that the appointment is expected to<\/p>\n
usher in an era of innovation and academic eminence. It noted that a scholar of Prof Opara\u2019s status<\/p>\n
with a proven track record in higher education and a outstanding commitment to fostering learning<\/p>\n
and research, she is balanced to make a sustainable impact on the University and the broader<\/p>\n
academic community.<\/p>\n
The Dominican University Ibadan(DUI) formerly known as Dominican Institute is the first university<\/p>\n
of the Order of Preachers on the African continent. Popularly called the Dominican Order, the Order<\/p>\n
of Preachers was founded by Spanish priest Dominic de Guzman in 1216 with the approval of Pope<\/p>\n
Innocent III. In her more than 800 years of existence, the Order has been actively involved in<\/p>\n
university education around the world. In 1951, with a mandate from the Holy See during the<\/p>\n
pontificate of Pope Pius XII, three members of the Order of Preachers, Fathers Edward Lawton,<\/p>\n
Michael Dempsey and Arthur Kinsella arrived Lagos, Nigeria from Chicago, Illinois, the United<\/p>\n
States of America for the foundation of the Order in Nigeria. With the meeting of Vincent de<\/p>\n
Couesnongle, then Master of the Order of Preachers at the time and African Dominican friars in<\/p>\n
Ibadan., an umbrella body of Dominicans in Africa was established. Known as the Inter-African<\/p>\n
Order of Preachers (IAOP), it decided to establish the Dominican Institute in Ibadan as centre of<\/p>\n
philosophical studies for Dominicans in Africa. In 1993, the Dominican Institute became an affiliate<\/p>\n
school of the University of Ibadan. The DUI was granted license by Federal Government of Nigeria<\/p>\n
on November 22, 2016. That date marked the birth of the first university of the Order of Preachers on<\/p>\n
the African continent. The university is accredited and recognized by National Universities<\/p>\n
Commission. Illustrious Dominicans, such as the scientist and philosopher Albert the Great, and his<\/p>\n
student, the philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas, were towering intellectuals in pioneering<\/p>\n
universities of Europe in Paris, Bologna, Oxford and Cologne.<\/p>\n
By her appointment, Prof Opara is first female Vice Chancellor of the institution for a term of 5<\/p>\n
years. She is the Academic and Administrative Head, the Chief Executive of the institution and<\/p>\n
serves as the nerve centre of activities in areas of protocol, external relations and coordination of<\/p>\n
various internal organs. She reports to the Governing Council of the university.<\/p>\n
As the Vice Chancellor, Prof Opara brings a holistic perspective to university governance with<\/p>\n
emphasis on the importance of fostering a dynamic learning environment and community<\/p>\n
engagement. Her vision for Dominican University is to promote a vibrant educational community<\/p>\n
where staff and students and other stakeholders are supported to serve God to achieve academic<\/p>\n
excellence.<\/p>\n
Prof Opara is deeply committed to student success, and her tenure is expected to usher in new<\/p>\n
opportunities for partnership, research funding, international collaborations, innovations and a strong<\/p>\n
emphasis on community outreach.<\/p>\n
Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 1976, Prof Jacinta A. Opara, a leading African environmental<\/p>\n
scholar, scientist, educator, health researcher, consultant and development activist with the combined<\/p>\n
power of management and human rights is President, African Association for Teaching and Learning<\/p>\n
and Chairman, Governing Council of the Institute of Policy Management Development. Prof Opara<\/p>\n
is a graduate of University of Ibadan and University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She received postgraduate<\/p>\n
degrees from University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State University of Science and Technology,<\/p>\n
University of Granada, Central University of Nicaragua, Akerhsus University (now Olso<\/p>\n
Metropolitan University), Universidad Catolica San Antonio de Murcia(UCAM) and University of<\/p>\n
Chalco-Mexico.<\/p>\n
Prof Opara began her career in 1997 as Science Teacher(Biology) at College of the Immaculate<\/p>\n
Conception(CIC), Enugu under the National Youths Service Corps and later worked as Program<\/p>\n
Officer at Nigerian Gender Action Network and as Research Fellow at Afro-Euro Centre for<\/p>\n
Development Studies, Accra-Ghana. Since the last 25 years, she has held teaching, research and<\/p>\n
consulting experiences across Africa, America, Europe and Asia. She rose through the ranks and was<\/p>\n
promoted to full Professor in 2016 at Kampala International University(KIU). She has held<\/p>\n
appointments at a number of private and public universities. These include: Avance International<\/p>\n
University(AIU), University of Maiduguri; Federal University, Kashere; Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe<\/p>\n
University(KOMU); Sule Lamido University(SLU); Nasarawa State University(NSUK) and Ahmadu<\/p>\n
Bello University(ABU), Zaria-Nigeria where she showcased excellence in her dedication to teaching,<\/p>\n
research and strong passion for educational development<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Professor Jacinta Opara has been appointed as second substantive Vice Chancellor of Dominican University, Ibadan-Nigeria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36710,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-frontpage"],"yoast_head":"\n