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New Beginnings

2016, New Beginnings
University Management outlines major plans for 2016

By Dr. Samuel Kopamu 
Acting Pro Vice Chancellor

THE University of Goroka’s Top Management  Team is pleased to announce that classes for this year 2016 commenced on February 29.  We give full glory, honor, and praise to God for all that has happened to this University on the hilltop, as we look forward to another year 2016 with optimism and hope for better things to come. In fact, everyone thought that the 2015 academic year will not end  successfully as it did. But thanks to our resolute faith in God, and combined with the strategic interventions by the National Executive Council, the 2015 academic year was completed successfully with all student assessments done. 

In welcoming staff and students to the new academic year, the Management wishes to hereby announce that work towards providing free Internet Wi-Fi access for students has already commenced.
The Management has budgeted K800,000 for this purpose, and has already paid the first installment fee of K100,000 to Telikom for the installation of Wi-Fi Hotspots at various locations throughout the campus including:
  • Student Dormitories; 
  • Academic Departments; 
  • Lookout; 
  • Student Dinning Hall; 
  • Steven Eka Library; 
  • Mark Solon Auditorium; 
  • Staff Residential Areas; 
  • Midwifery; and, 
  • UOG farm. 
The network backbone connection is almost completed, and Telikom is currently awaiting switching equipment to arrive from Huawei in China. Once this equipment arrives and installation is completed, we expect students to have free Internet access from anywhere on the campus, starting sometime in the middle of this semester.
The University has recently established the new ICT Committee chaired by Mr. Kevin Me’e, and the new Media and Marketing Committee with Mr. Milan Boie as its chairman. Together with the arrival of a new ICT Manager Mr. Joseph Demiao, and his hard working deputy Mr. Russell Dekka and the rest of the ICT staff  members, they have set themselves some targets as follows:

1.    200 New Computers for Student Dormitory
These new computers will be hooked onto The University of Goroka network together with other computers on campus that are yet to be connected. It is planned that these new computers will be located in nine different tutorial rooms in the student dormitories, so that students can access intranet once the backbone network infrastructure is completed. 

2.    Trial Wireless Internet Access for
Students in the meantime, while waiting for the Telikom to install the complete Wi-Fi equipment, limited student Internet access will be made available for trial purposes at various locations around the campus, starting from March 16, using a cloud based switching equipment as an alternative.

3.    Email Accounts for Students
New students in 2016 will be the first to be issued with email addresses using the cloud based Google Apps for Education starting March 14 onwards. This means that students can access their emails from anywhere in the world provided there is Internet access. This service will be extended to other students later in the year.

4.    Official Launching of the Re-developed UOG Website
The date March 21 has been set as the target date for the launching of this re-developed website. The website will have a Staff Portal and a Student Portal, from which students can access our library resources from anywhere in the world. Before this can happen, Deans of Academic Departments will be asked to submit profile of each and every academic staff member, and provide a description of every diploma/degree program offered by their respective schools/institutes.

5.     Automation of Student Records
Finally but not the least. We have recently purchased the Open School software costing not more than K3,000. The automation of student records will enable us to manage student records efficiently, provide data security, and improve accessibility of student records to staff and students. Moreover, in the future (possibly starting second semester this year) our students will be able to apply or register online, and access student records online. In making these above announcements, the management wishes to hereby request everyone to respect, value, and take ownership of these very expensive ICT equipment now being deployed around the campus.
In the past, several computer accessories went missing or cables were cut in our computer laboratories.
We hope that this will not be repeated, and our new ICT equipment will continue to be used for academic purposes for other staff and students in the years to come. Possibly starting second semester this year, students will be able
to apply or register and access student records online.