Uva Wellassa University (UWU) and its way forward
View(s):Acouple of days ago, there was a Food Exhibition organised by the Department of Science and Technology of the Faculty of Science and Technology held at the Block D of the university where I was invited to witness the event. By observing the exhibition, I was once again enliven with the vision of the university that UWU began flourishing to be fertile adding value to national resources aligned with the vision of its establishment.
UWU Establishment as a new Model in Higher Education
The Uva Wellassa University was established in 2005 with a gazette notification with a visionary outlook of setting novel trends in a way of finding solutions to stagnating economy adding values to the promising youth in this country but creating opportunities for them to be well-rounded graduates who could contribute directly to the economic development of the country. Thus, deviating from the traditional system of universities avoiding many of the pitfalls the UWU was established with the belief that it would dedicate for the rapid economic development.
UWU being the only all entrepreneurial university in the country initiated setting its trends towards producing graduates knowledgeable and competent enough being employers and also decent employees in their own enterprises and then private and public organisations.
Faculties and their Roles within UWU Context
Initially, three faculties: Faculty of Animal Science and Export Agriculture, Faculty of Management and Faculty of Science and Technology were established with a strong emphasis on value addition to national resources in the country. Accordingly, the Faculty of Animal Science and Export Agriculture was set up primarily to produce graduates with modern agricultural knowledge and technological know-how competent enough to increase the agricultural productivity in the agricultural sector in the country for there had not been a contribution from the agricultural sector to the economy which might be due to various reasons. Hence, the respective academicians together with undergraduates are expected to come up through their innovative researches increasing productivity by introducing novel products, varieties of high yield fertile seeds and introducing them to farming community etc and also devising mechanisms of forming integrated Farming community and helping out their continuity.
The Faculty of Science and Technology also was established with the inception of the university with the aim of adding values particularly by concentrating on inventing things in the fields of modern science and technology to facilitate the production in both the agriculture and industry whilst also producing well-rounded graduates who are capable enough in innovation and some initiating their own ventures and others well-fitted to the emerging industries.
The faculty of Management having established at its inception expected to produce well rounded graduates who could be future entrepreneurs to run their own business firms whilst also producing graduates for the executive positions both in public and private sectors. The broader objectives of these faculties were actually do with innovations, productions and commercialization to make a significant effect in the Sri Lankan economy in the long run. As very precisely stated, it was expected from the Faculty of Science and Technology to do more inventions in order to facilitate the increasing production of the Faculty of Animal Science and Export Agriculture whilst Management Faculty to do with commercialization of products and inventions.
Coordination
What is required for a productive outcome for an organisation like Uva Wellassa University is to have a well organised coordination among faculties, centres and units guided by visionary leadership having a genuine commitment towards development. Although UWU claims for a short history a decade after its establishment, the initiatives made in areas like science and technology, animal science and export agriculture and management are of immense importance.
A Few Highlights in the Recent Past Aurora
This event is organised by the Department of Animal Science and Export Agriculture and is being held annually. The academic staff members and undergraduates take part as major players of the event whilst others member of the UWU family support for the continuation of the event.
UWU Poultry Forum
This event is organised once again by the Department of Animal Science of the Faculty of Animals Science and Export Agriculture an annual event with the view to introduce quality meat production and thereby to increase the productivity in meat market and this event is followed by foods exhibition held at the university premises.
Foods Exhibition using Natural Herbs
This is remarkable to witness that this event was organised by the Department of Science and Technology of the Faculty of Science and Technology and most of the products were made using natural herbs making an impact on hygiene and health.
At this exhibition, there were varieties of foods products made of using herbals which of course have a market value though there are at the experimental stage. It is high time for us to take measures of outsourcing infrastructure facilities and then taking these products to the community level with the aim of initiating small scale business ventures beginning at provincial level and expanding to national level productions.
Robot UWU Battles
This shows how the science and technology is progressing well over the past decade. The Robot UWU Battles is organised annually in two categories one being limited to schools robotics competition and the other being open challenge competition to test their creative skills in the field in broader sense technology. For this too what is required is to devise mechanisms in making some of the creative works available to the world of work though costly. it is a timely requirement now in forming an active UWU community including both passed out graduates and undergraduates to find various ways of producing one or items to release to the world of work where UWU can be branded in science and technology.
Galena
This event too is a novel initiative of the Department of Public Administration to expose undergraduates of the Hospitality, Tourism and Events management degree programme to a grand star class hospitality management. For this, Vice Chancellor, all the Council members, Deans of the Faculties, Heads of Departments, Directors, Senior lecturers and undergraduates of other degree programmes are invited to experience by introducing several packages just recover the cost of the event. Galena too is an annual event partly sponsored by the university and partly by packages introduced.
Launch of JAVA and JMTR
The Uva Wellassa University did not stop with their experimental inventions and productions but also made certain initiatives in dissemination their research findings launching two journals: Journal of Agriculture and Value Addition (JAVA) and the Journal of Management and Tourism Research (JMTR).
The initiatives in launching journals are imperative in the field of academia creating a platform for all those interested researchers come up with their publications to disseminate the knowledge paving a way for future researchers.
International Research Symposium
Initially UWU started in the form of symposium creating a platform particularly for the UWU young graduates to present their undergraduate researches to a large audience to witness what these young scholars have researched on with the supervision of their academic staff members. It was observed that within a couple of years, the number of researches to be presented was beyond the expectations. For this very reason, the UWU academia decided to create a wider platform turning UWU Symposium into an International Research Symposium paving way for all those scholars, researchers and, practitioners to share their findings, debate and discuss and come out with solutions to the issues prevalent at a wider spectrum of the society. Receiving more than six hundred (600) abstracts for 2019 International Research Symposium itself evident how far this has been successful.
UWU Entrepreneurs
Uva Wellassa University has already dedicated a considerable number of entrepreneurs to the society who are becoming well off with their businesses. In this sense, UWU can be happy of its contribution and it is expected to produce more and more entrepreneurs who are capable of running their own firms to contribute to the economic development of the country.
Mr. Cook
An undergraduate of the Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management degree programme started his business at his third year that is to run a mobile restaurant within and outside the university. A large number of crowds is attracted to this and is an eye-opener for those who are interested in initiating their own businesses.
Onta Travel Agency
This is another business initiated by a UWU undergraduate of the HTE degree programme introducing adventure tourism and exploration. These graduates who started their business organisations are extremely happy as they were able to make their way forward for the success of their lives.
Uva Thea Madura
Another business ventured by a passed out graduate of Uva Wellassa University setting an example for others who are really interested in running their own business firms.
This too has been now an attractive business in the field of tea where most of the customers are really interested in and also is popular now among customers in both Badulla and Kurunegala Districts.
Government Role
Any government having a clear vision for the country’s development ought to concentrate on various ways of getting both government and private organisations involved in development particularly how universities involvement can be made in this process. The responsible authorities in government should have various mechanisms getting these academicians, scholars, and practitioners involvement by facilitating their research implementations with particular reference to the inventions, productions and commercialization which any country needs for its development.
If simple explanation is provided for a precise exemplification, all what is available (commodities) in the market have come through a long way of research and many without their knowledge as to how they have come through used to consume to their satisfaction. If the researchers, scholars, and all those practitioners stop their inventions, productions and creations, it is imperative that the development of a country becomes stagnated and the country will never move forward.
Thus, it is the paramount duty of any government which comes into power to coordinate these academic institutions at an intellectual capacity whilst also sorting out for which projects that are constructive to be funded for implementation in its development else we shall be always a developing country: a sinking boat until the end of the world.
G.H. Abeyweera
Dean/ Faculty of Management
Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka