NewsLettermaking a difference

Vol. 17 Issue 1, June- Aug 2010

Uganda Mar tyrs Un ivers i ty

UMU in a SnapshotDemistifying ArchitectureEthics used and AbusedA trip to Notre Dame University

Vol. 17 Issue 1, June- Aug 2010

Uganda Martyrs Un ivers i ty

Demistifying ArchitectureEthics used and AbusedA trip to Notre Dame University

1

05 Inaugural Lecture on UMU’S 16th Anniversary06 Ethics Used and Abused07 Demystifying Architecture

REGULARS03 University News08 UMU Profi le - Professor Charles Olweny10 Students Corner A Trip to Notre Dame University Pictorial - UMU DAY - CULTURAL DAY 14 Events Diary

content

FEATURE

The Uganda Martyrs University Newsletter is published by the Public Relations Offi ce of Uganda Martyrs University. It is edited and designed by the Editorial Board of the newsletter. For further information concern-ing any of the articles in this issue, please contact:The PRO, Uganda Martyrs Univer-sity,Tel: +256-382-410611email: newsletter@umu.ac.ug

No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the prior permission of the publisher. Whilst every care has been taken to en-sure the accuracy of the edito-rial content, no responsibility can be taken for any errors and / or omissions. The Views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of Uganda Martyrs Univer-sity or the Editorial Board.

All rights reserved.© Uganda Martyrs University 2010

ChairmanAlex Agabaaagaba@umu.ac.ug

Editorial BoardAmelia ZalwangoJude SsempebwaHarriet MutonyiAloysius ByaruhangaAbisagi N. KasomaDavid N. TshimbaCaesar ButiBernadine BukomekoJane ApillaLayout / DesignThomas NiwamaraTony Ojok

Front Page: The UMU Choir, an ever present inspi-ration at University Functions

editorial

On behalf of the editorial team of the Communication Newsletter, I wel-come our readers to this fi rst Issue of the revived newsletter.This Issue takes us on a journey as we recapture some great UMU moments like the 16th Anniversary Celebrations with Prof Otaala delivering an Inau-gural lecture on “The Contribution of Educational Psychology in Africa: The Ugandan Case. On that same day we had a lot of talent show, as shown in the pictorial.This Issue also focuses on our very own UMU students and Staff who have made us proud; in spearheading the Greater Masaka Regional Centre of Expertise in Environmental Manage-ment; Representing UMU in the USA in the Human Development Conference at the University of Notre Dame in Indi-ana; Winning the International online essay contest.You can also read about Ethics Used and Abused, Demystifying Architec-ture, and Education for Sustainable Development in UMU.A Must read is the Conversation with our dear Vice Chancellor who tells us about his life, work and Vision for UMU.Finally I would like to call upon you to be part of this noble cause by sending in articles, advice and suggestions for the forthcoming issues. May we remain faithful to the name Uganda Martyrs University, a place of Love where it is good to be: guide us in wisdom to lead the world, Virtute et Sapientia Duc Mundum.

Amelia Zalwango KaggwaPublic Relations Offi cer Uganda Martyrs University

2

1

Issu

e 1,

May

201

0

UMU spearheads establishment of the Greater Masaka Regional Centre of Expertise in Environmental Management.

On 13th April 2010, The Uganda National Environment Manage-

ment Authority (NEMA) under the pa-tronage of the United Nations Environ-mental Programme (UNEP) organized Stake holders’ consultative meeting for the establishment of the Greater Masaka Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) in Environmental Management held at Masaka Social Centre – Bwa-la.RCE is a network of partners that in-clude Universities, Colleges, Schools, Business Enterprises, Industries, Munici-palities, Urban Councils, Civil Society, Media and Policy Research Institutions that come together to explore sustain-able development problems in their context and work together to develop and implement home grown solutions to those problems. The rationale behind the creation of such a global learning professional alliance dedicated to sustainable de-velopment is to engage all its stake-holders in a collective process of generating ideas regarding practical ways of managing the environment in a more participatory way. Through this, a behavioral change that will cre-ate a more sustainable world in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability and a just society for present and future generations will be advo-cated for. Professor Barnabas Otaala, the Dean of the faculty of Education, Bro. Aloy-sius Byaruhanga, Associate Dean Faculty of Education, Mr. Kisolo Lule one of the coordinators of the Univer-sity Outreach programmes and David Tshimba co-founder of Professor Wan-gari Sustainability at UMU, attended this Workshop as representatives of Uganda Martyrs University.Among things discussed on this stake-holders’ consultative meeting include the presentation about the trends of RCEs in Africa, introduction to the United Nation Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, and Keynote speeches from stakeholder’s representatives.After the workshop presentations and shared experiences with Greater Mba-rara Region of Expertise a focus group discussions were held and ended with the formation of a steering Commit-tee in charge of the Establishment of the Greater Masaka Centre of Exper-tise. This committee comprises all key representative Stakeholders and will

be spearheaded by Uganda Martyrs University under supervision of Mr. Lule Kisolo as the Chairperson of the Com-mittee.This greater Masaka RCE will register with the United Nations University (UNU) in the next nine months of its operation and will liaise with the United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan. In this respect Uganda Martyrs Univer-sity students are being called upon to take up community awareness in their respective settings.

David TshimbaEDS II

UMU Students win an online Essay contest.

On 1st October 2009, Earthzine in-vited undergraduate and gradu-

ate students from around the World to submit an essay for the 2009 Student Essay Competition under the theme “Sustainability through Earth Obser-vation and Engineering.” Earthzine, an online environmental journal, was conducting a competition to encour-age students to creatively examine the benefi ts that new technological systems in Earth observation and engi-neering can have on sustainability. Students were encouraged to submit essays that follow one of the two dom-inant themes in sustainability: social equity and environmental protection. Essays also had to be related to one or more of Earthzine’s focal topics: Agri-culture, Biodiversity, Climate, Disasters, Ecosystems, Energy, Health, Water, or Weather. After initial review, Earthzine posted several essays on its web page. The authors of the essays were to be in-vited to lead a blog about their essay and to participate in blogs of compet-ing essays. Winners will be determined based on the quality of the essay and the quality of the blog. Prizes to be given were $500 for fi rst place, $250 for second place and $150 for third place.This competition was made possible by a grant from the IEEE Foundation. Eligibility: Enrolment in an undergradu-ate or graduate degree program at an accredited college or university and attending full or part-time at the time of the contest. The deadline for the submission of es-says was October 17, 2009. Blogging occurred from November 15 – Decem-ber 15, 2009. Winners were announced on Earthzine on December 21, 2009.

university news

Uganda Martyrs University En-trance at the Nkozi Campus.The university fi rst opened its gates in 1993.

University Chapel at the Nkozi campus - source of spiritual nourishment

Staff housing located in a serene corner of the cam-pus. The lush green sorrounds ensure rest at the end of the day.

UMU IN A SNAPSHOT

3

1

NEW

Shave already embraced ESD to vari-ous degrees. An institutional policy for mainstreaming of ESD needs to be put in place to guide the process and ini-tiatives for change and create an en-abling environment for the consolida-tion of what is already in place.UMU is embarking on mainstreaming of Education for Sustainable Develop-ment by carrying out a reorientation involving all the three principal func-tions of the university, that is, teaching, research and community engage-ment as well as management.Operationally, the mainstreaming of Education for sustainable Develop-ment will involve the integration of environment and sustainability con-cerns into all the disciplines, faculties/schools/institutes, programmes and courses of the university. These con-cerns will be integrated into university policies, plans, management practices and student activities. The work should be carried in strategic partnership with UNESCO, UNEP, NEMA Uganda, our communities in the neighbouring dis-tricts and municipalities.

Bro.Byaruhanga Aloysius

university newsThe 2009 Student Essay Competi-tion Sustainability through Earth Observation and Engineering was pleased to announce the winners: First Place $500 to David Tshimba, Uganda Martyrs University, Kam-pala, Uganda for his essay “By Trying to Solve a Problem, Human Beings Have Now Created a New Issue” Second Place $250 to Suleiman Tejan Jalloh, Institute of Advanced Management and Technology, Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Af-rica for his essay “Agriculture” Third Place $150 to Benjamin-Axel Mugema, Uganda Martyrs Uni-versity, Kampala, Uganda for his essay “Sustainability: From Moder-nity to Humanity”

Adapted from Earthzine Organisation2009 International Students Essay Contest (1st Edition)

Education for Sustainable Development in Uganda Martyrs University

Last year saw Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) reach a van-

tage point in the process of pro-moting Education for Sustainable Development. Our institution was awarded by United Nations En-vironment Programme (UNEP) a prestigious recognition for com-munity outreach activities com-ing out fi rst among African univer-sities along with Rhodes University. Subsequently, Mr. Gilvan Kisolo Lule was invited to attend a con-ference on ESD in Canada. Also, our Vice Chancellor partici-pated in the Executive Confer-ence for the Association of Afri-can Universities whose main stress was on ESD and the Greening of the African Universities.Then two members of staff par-ticipated in the SIDA and MESA International Training Programme based in Sweden and Nairobi, Ke-nya. The two, namely Mr. Jimmy Spire Ssentongo and Bro. Aloysius Byaruhanga successfully wrote a proposal for Change Project of Capacity Development of the Management, staff and students in preparation for mainstreaming ESD in UMU.An institutional audit was carried indicating that different faculties

Life is a journey

There is a saying that goes, “every good thing comes to an end”. This to me implies that there are bad things that ensue after this nice experience. Probably you have been having a good time because you’re running away from some-thing or someone. However every-thing you do in this life catches up with you sooner or later. It does not matter how far you run or hide, within no time, you will be back to

where you started. Bad experiences are part of a jour-ney, a journey called life. Sometimes you might wake up one morning and everything falls into place, without you lifting a fi nger, and other times you wake up on the wrong side of the bed and you have to make an effort in everything that you do. Bad ex-periences are part of this journey. They may twist, pinch and bite you till you wish you were no more but they nevertheless part of life, they cannot be escaped no matter how many wishes you make. In life, the level of bad experiences you have may seem to be consid-erably more than the good. But do we have the choice to make or change our luck to attain more good in our lives? In my opinion the answer to that is YES! We al-ways have a choice in life; it’s just that some people think it easier to make they believe that they do not! Everybody has the ability to make themselves happy, after all it is your life and you can do what you want with it, so you can make every experi-ence count. The majority of peo-ple though make the choice to spend their lives pleasing others, who in the end are never pleased! Now that is really hurting, but is it worth it anyway.My advice to such people is this; Live your life. Live a life where you are comfortable in your own skin or better yet comfortable with who you are. You have the power to make every experience worth-while. What other people think about you and the way you live is really none of your business. You have absolute power to choose the pathway to happiness, so if you really want good things to happen to you, stop living accord-ing to other people’s expectations especially if they do not build you, and change to a positive attitude towards life. It is simply a matter of choice! In the end, life is a journey and it is what you make it, so get on with it and start living instead of existing!!!

Olga NamasembeBAM I4

1

Issu

e 1,

May

201

0

Professor Barnabas Otaala

NEW

S

Inaugural LectureAmelia ZalwangoPRO, Uganda Martyrs University

Professor Barnabas Otaala, Professor of Educational Psychology, deliv-

ered an inaugural lecture on Sunday October 18th, 2009, as part of the ac-tivities to celebrate Uganda Martyrs University’s 16th Anniversary. Entitled, “The contribution of Edu-cational Psychology in Africa: The Ugandan Case”, the lecture aimed to determine whether psychology was responsive to development problems in third world (or majority world) coun-tries such as Uganda.Professor Otaala defi ned psychology as the scientifi c study of behaviour and experiences of human as well as sub- human organisms. The aim of studying psychology is to enable us to understand ourselves and others bet-ter and to help ourselves and others lead a fuller and more satisfying life.Psychology in Africa has been criti-cized for not incorporating the results of its work into textbooks. As a result many educational institutions in Africa continue to use text books written in America or Europe. The most devas-tating criticism of psychology in Africa is that it does not play a role in address-

ing some of the critical problems in the continent and hence does not make a contribution to development efforts. Professor Otaala stated that the most critical problems in Africa include the HIV and AIDS pandemic; the growth of African cities which is far faster than the capacity of African governments to provide infrastructural support for the sprawling masses of people; and the confl ict- generated problems with their attendant toll on the African peo-ple.Professor Otaala then proceeded to

indicate what he and his col-leagues in the Faculty of Educa-tion as a whole have done to solve some of Uganda’s develop-ment problems.He cited preliminary researches in early childhood education and development which he and Pro-fessor Zimba did in various parts of Namibia, and which he and his other colleagues did in con-nection to services provided to children affected and infected by HIV and AIDS in Windhoek, Na-mibia. This study is in the process of being replicated in selected parts of Uganda. He also cited child- to- child activities con-ducted in Namibia, but more es-pecially in Uganda, where Kyam-bogo, particularly when it was dubbed ITEK became famous for its child- to- child programmes. Child- to- child activities, use pri-mary school children to spread health messages among their younger brothers and sisters, and other out- of- school children, their parents, and the communi-ties from which they come. Pro-fessor Otaala also described pre-liminary studies being conducted on mental health in schools.Finally, Professor Otaala indicat-ed areas of future interest that his Faculty would like to conduct research in. These include cog-nitive development in children, particularly using the Piagetian approaches and methodologies; development of the self- con-cept; and resilience in children.Professor Otaala’s overall con-clusion was that the Faculty of Education at Uganda Martyrs’ University, had in some effective way, started to address develop-mental issues, including those of HIV and AIDS, and Special Needs Education. Planned activities for future research will enable the Faculty, as the rest of the Uni-versity, “to make a difference.” Financial support and the de-

““ The Faculty of Educa on at Uganda Martyrs’ University, has in some eff ec ve way, started to address developmental issues, including those of HIV and AIDS, and Special Needs Educa on.

feature

5

1

FEAT

UR

ESvelopment of a critical mass of researchers were necessary to enhance the work already initi-ated by them.Professor Otaala’s inaugural lec-

Ethics Used and AbusedSsentongo Jimmy SpireLecturer, Institute of Ethics and Development Studies

““It has been a ques- on of centuries in

philosophical circles whether studying Eth-ics can make one ethi-cal - the weak point of Ethics is in its fl ex-ibility and elas city. Not weakness in the theore cal sense but rather in the prac -cal sense (in applica- on). And this is the

gateway of its abusive use. I have talked to a number students who hold that anything can be ethical so long you can argue for it!

feature

It has been a question of centuries in philosophical circles whether studying Eth-ics can make one ethical. Since the Ancient times of Philosophy, this question has not been substantively an-swered. I personally believe that studying Ethics can make one ethical if what they lacked before were skills of making ethical judge-ment, not integrity as such. I know integrity is related to one’s sense of judgement but it is more about our mor-al inclinations; whether we are inclined towards good-ness/rightness or badness/wrongness. Building personal integrity is a formative func-tion broader than the scope of the philosophical Ethics taught at university.Ethics cuts accross all fac-ulties in UMU under the as-sumption that studying it would form products of moral integrity and a good sense of moral judgement. And we deservedly boast of that difference. Granted, but there is another side for special attention. By its phil-osophical nature, save for some few ethical traditions, ethics is not a dogmatic dis-cipline. Contrary to some popular misconceptions, we do not teach a fi xed set of rights and wrongs as in dis-ciplinarian approaches. Of course discipline is generally emphasised but should not be conceived as synony-mous to Ethics, neither is mo-rality.Now the weak point of Ethics is in its fl exibility and elastic-

ture was the second to be delivered in the recent past, at the Uganda Mar-tyrs’ University. The fi rst one was deliv-ered by Professor Peter Kanyandago, Director of the School of Postgraduate

School, on October 18th 2008. The in-augural lecture series is expected to be an annual event.

ity. Not weakness in the theoretical sense but rather in the practical sense (in application). And this is the gateway of its abusive use. I

have talked to a number students who hold that anything can be ethical so long you can argue for it. That assertion is not wrong in itself but is very vulnerable to so-phistic manipulation. This is wors-ened by egoistic interpretations of pragmatic ethics by which a thing becomes true and ethical by the mere fact that it works. So if skimpy dressing works for me, it is ethical. On top of this, there is a libertarian stoic tendency of reducing ethi-cal criteria to whether an action is harmful to others or not. If carrying my breasts outside does not harm others then why the moral fuss, why the concern? A lot that would be ideally socially unacceptable passes as ethical under such re-ductionist approaches.These are not issues to resolve in a newsletter article like this. So all there is here are concerns and questions. By studying ethics, are students being equipped with skills

for making ethical decisions or with skills for skillfully justifying their moral permissiveness? Are they becom-ing more ethical or empowered to win arguments even when it means employing rationalisation and sophistry? The answers are not in yes or no. There seems to be a boundaryless mixture. At times, whereas we have to be con-cerned about people with no ex-posure to the ethical discipline, we also have to be concerned about crafty people equipped with the art of moral reasoning.

6

1

featureDemystifying ArchitectureAlex Ndibwami, Lecturer, Faculty of Built Environment

I fi nd the view of a sunset such a fulfi ll-ing experience; however, the number of times I come across breathtaking sunsets are countable. Architecture, just like a breathtaking sunset, is hard to come by let alone appreciate.Architecture is one of the most chal-lenging yet fascinating professions. Wait a minute: who am I kidding? I sus-pect each of us would say the same

is just a sunset after all, and the same could be said for architecture.In courting architecture therefore, one may say a building is bad and indeed when you look closely it is because one cannot trace any architecture. Architecture and building(s) are not the same as such you cannot substi-tute either for the other. A building is just a building until a number of criteria

are fulfi lled.It ought to fulfi l its function and provide a conducive environment for its users. The surroundings and the environment within which it is situated also have to be respected and embraced. In there lies the architecture. Remember, be-fore you relegate a building or space to wastage, fi rst contemplate or ask what function(s) it is dedicated to. Out of a myriad of aspects to consid-er, I will pick three that you can eas-ily go back to and use as a starting point. These are: the location of the entrance, the indoor-outdoor relation-ship and the size of the openings.An entrance may be situated any-where; on the one hand probably glorifi ed as a welcoming gesture or on the other hand concealed to protect the users from the noise of say traffi c or promote privacy for the sake of a

form of foyers, courtyards, veran-das, piazzas and balconies. It is worth noting that such spaces may come with a cultural mean-ing and environmental benefi ts to match. Last but not least is the size of openings and how well the spac-es they serve are shaded from heat gain. Large openings pro-mote natural lighting and ventila-tion which is a plus for any space and the user. It also saves on energy spent on artifi cial light-ing during the day. Why people have a phobia for large open-ings even worse how often they keep them open is puzzling. An even bigger discussion for an-other time is the incidence of respiratory complications among other health and safety issues as a result. It is supposedly a cul-tural thing: a misguided need for privacy and the fear of burglars. Extra measures have even been taken by providing burglar proof-ing and perimeter walls. The bur-glar proofi ng is often ugly and impractical because it is rarely designed for the openings. The perimeter walls have created neighbourhoods that look like a collection of prison cells. Where is the sense of community we talk about in Africa? And who said there are no better environ-mentally friendly and community building solutions? I will say again: Architecture like a breathtaking sunset is hard to come by. Like a painting or clas-sical music, you need a certain level of interest, sophistication and awareness to appreciate and enjoy it. According to the American Architect Richard Mei-er, “Any work of architecture that has with it some discussion, some polemic, I think is good. It shows

that people are interested, peo-ple are involved.” I agree with him but in haste will go back on my contest that good ought to be used carefully. Above all, the discussion he is talking about can only be sustained by an informed society. Perspective is every-thing: seek it.

about our respective professions, vo-cations, occupations, etc. Perhaps the more pertinent issue here is: how far does one go in fi nding out about other professions? Only then will one be in position to make more educat-ed decisions and contribute, however subtly, intellectually to any discussion. I listen to people a lot and in equal measure ask questions. The aims are twofold: fi rst; to learn how passion-ate one is about who they are and second; how objective one may be about the things that they genuinely do not understand let alone are not experts at. Case in point is how Archi-tecture is grossly misunderstood, even worse taken for granted.What I am going to try to do is to in-crease your awareness of what Archi-tecture is and how to associate your-self with good Architecture.First things fi rst though: Architecture is the profession and the designated title for a registered practitioner is Architect and not an architecture. Also, the roles an Architect plays are different from those an Engineer, Builder or Contrac-tor play as such they are not the same person nor profession. Nonetheless, they are all responsible for a number of aspects that complement each other in the built environment. Now, I will take you through a few steps on how to court good Architec-ture. Trouble here is the term good as a quality of Architecture. Architecture in my opinion should inherently never associate itself with bad. Like a sunset, once in a while there will be one that will blow your mind, and never one that deserves to be labelled bad. It

““ First things fi rst though: Architecture is the profession and the designated tle for a regis-tered prac oner is Architect and not an archi-tecture...

given activity.Secondly, if you study how people live, work, relate, consume, think and grow, you will appreciate the need for an elaborate indoor-outdoor relation-ship. For example, in any educational environment it is eminent that learning does not start/stop indoors. As such, the interface between indoor and outdoor learning experiences is only prudent. Such interfaces come in the 7

1

FEAT

UR

ESUMU Profi le - Professor Charles Olweny

Nation, World and Church: the Life, Work and Vision of Professor OlwenyProfessor Charles Olweny (MD) became Uganda Martyrs Univer-sity’s second vice-chancellor in January 2007. But how much do you know about the professor of international repute? Well, Ugan-da Martyrs University Newsletter was privileged to interview him about his life, work and vision for Uganda Martyrs University.

fellowships; you could go to Ibadan in Nigeria and do a three months course in Immunology or to Karolinska Institu-tet in Sweden and work with Professor George Klein for about three months”. I chose Karolinska Institutet because I was aware of Professor Klein’s repu-tation as a monolithic researcher. So I was in Karolinska between March and June 1971. Upon return, I stayed

Kyalwazi, who held my hand and said, “Son! Don’t you worry—I will support you”. I was promoted Senior lecturer in 1973, Associate Professor in 1975 and full Professor in 1979.

UMU Newsletter: How old were you at that time?

PCO: Thirty-one! So I started work and Professor Kyalwazi did weekly ward rounds at the Cancer Institute. That time was diffi cult for many people but it was the most productive period for me. I produced three or four research articles every year and, in 1978, I com-pleted my doctorate and graduated with M.D. In 1981 I applied for sabbati-cal leave but the vice-chancellor said, “You are head of Medicine and the Cancer Institute; there is nobody to replace you.” I reapplied in 1982 and, because one of my former teachers had come back, I told the vice-chan-cellor that he would fi nd a replace-ment if I dropped dead. So he allowed me to take leave and I chose to go to the World Health Organization Tropi-cal Disease Research Center in Ndo-la, Zambia. While in Zambia, I started refl ecting and realized that, on many occasions while in Uganda, I was close to death. I decided not to return and made arrangements to relocate my family. I remained in the tropical dis-eases research center for two years after which I moved to work as pro-fessor of Medicine in the University of Zimbabwe assigned special duties by the World Health Organisation. After a year at the University of Zimbabwe, I was invited to take up a position of professor of Medicine at the Royal Ad-elaide Hospital in South Australia and to start a department of Medical On-cology. While in Australia, I became a Fellow of the Royal Australian College

in Uganda for a month before going to the United States to work with Dr. P. Carbone and G Zubrod at the Na-tional Cancer Institute. I spent my fi rst year at the Institute doing clinical work and spent the second undertaking re-search. While I was doing the research, I received a letter saying that if I did not return to Uganda immediately I would fi nd nothing to return to—because ex-patriate staff were leaving Uganda, following President Idi Amin’s expulsion of Asians from Uganda. I returned be-fore completing the research project. I reported to the late Professor Kibuka Musoke, then the Head of Medicine, and he said, “Welcome back! I would like you to go and head the Cancer Institute.” I said, “Who am I to head the Cancer Institute? There were six people; now there is nobody. I don’t have the competence”. Then he sug-gested that I talk it over with Professor

“ I reasoned that I had done enough national service, because I was at Makerere Universi-ty for fi fteen years; and enough international service, because I was in Canada for sixteen years, in Australia for fi ve years, in Zambia for two years and Zimbabwe for one year. I, therefore, decided that it was time to do something for the church”

“My vision is to make Uganda Martyrs Univer-sity a student – centered university, a research intensive University, a university that is uniquely Ugandan in character, a university embued with Christian Values and a university that responds to the needs of the Church and the people of Uganda.”

UMU Newsletter: Who is Professor Charles Olweny?

PCO: I am a Medical Doctor. I am a husband and a father of fi ve children; one is in the United States, one is at Uganda Martyrs University and three are in Aus-tralia while my wife is in Canada. I graduated from Makerere Uni-versity in 1966, with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery. During my undergraduate training, I won the Louis and Joan Mitchell scholar-ship as the best student in Medi-cine and surgery; and got a Nes-tle prize in pediatrics. By the time I graduated, I had published four articles and was the Editor of Mu-lago Medical Journal, now Mak-erere Medical Journal. Makerere started postgraduate training in 1968 and I became one of the fi rst enrollees in its masters program, specializing in internal medicine. Soon after starting my masters degree, I was appointed tutorial fellow in the department of Medi-cine and soon after graduating in 1970, I was promoted to lecturer. In January 1971, the dean of the School of Medicine called me to his offi ce and said, “You know what? I am of the opinion that you have great potential and I would like you to consider two possible

8

1

Issu

e 1,

May

201

0FE

ATU

RES

of Physicians. Five years later, I was in-vited for a position at the University of Manitoba, where I stayed for sixteen years. During those years, I was Profes-sor of Medicine and head of the World Health Organization Center for Quality of Life in Cancer Care and became Head of Medical Oncology at one of the Teaching Hospitals of the Univer-sity.

UMU Newsletter: So how did you come to Uganda Martyrs University?

PCO: While in Canada in 2005 when I received a letter from the Arch Bishop of Mbarara Diocese, then the Chair-man of Uganda Episcopal Confer-ence, telling me that the bishops had considered and appointed me vice-chancellor of the University. I wrote thanking him acknowledging receipt but indicated that I needed to dis-cuss it with my family. In August 2005, I raised it for discussion at a family re-union. There was a strong division of opinion. Some said, “Grab it” while another said, “Over my dead body!” I must say it was the most diffi cult de-cision I have ever had to make. For several reasons, I was comfortable with my position and was being paid very well. We agreed that I go and see what exists in Uganda Martyrs Univer-sity before accepting or rejecting the position. Accordingly, I came to UMU January 2006 and spent two weeks, during which I met with heads of de-partments, several Bishops and other people. On return to Canada, I rea-soned that I had done enough nation-al service, because I was at Makerere University for fi fteen years; and enough international service, because I was in Canada for sixteen years, in Australia for fi ve years, in Zambia for two years and Zimbabwe for one year. I, there-fore, decided that it was time to do something for the church. That is why I decided to pack my bags and come. When I told my boss that I was leav-ing, he said, “No. We cannot let you go. You go and chose whatever you want and we will give it to you. We will double your salary if you stay.” But I de-cided to come, despite the fact that I earn only twenty percent of what I was earning then.

UMU Newsletter: What are your impres-sions of Uganda Martyrs University?

PCO: The atmosphere is correct and the people are friendly and straight forward. There is no doubt that there is a lot of talent in UMU. Look at UMU day, for instance; look at graduation;

look at the cultural day; look at the open day. There is a lot of talent and one of the things that impress me is the willingness for people to volunteer their services. My goal is to make this institution the benchmark of all institutions of higher learning in the Great Lakes region. Of course that is not to say that there are not any challenges. I am extremely busy. I go to of-fi ce at 8:00 am and usually leave at 8:00 pm. In addi-tion to being vice-chancellor and, therefore, a member of Senate, Governing Council, Fi-nance Committee, Review Com-mittee and Appointments Com-mittee, I am also a member of the Board of Governors of Nsambya Hospital; I am the chairman of the Board of Directors of Uganda Cancer Institute; I am a m e m b e r of the g o v -

erning council of the Catholic Univer-sity of Eastern Africa; I am a member of the Executive Committee of the Governing Board of the Inter Univer-sity Council of East Africa; and I am a member of the governing board of the Association of African Universities. The list goes on and on and at times I ask myself how I manage.

UMU Newsletter: Thus far, what have you achieved at Uganda Martyrs?

PCO: Well, I have been here for three years. I believe I have achieved a lot

but a lot is yet to be done. I be-lieve I have encountered very many challenges. One of them is the fact that Uganda Martyrs University depends entirely on tuition. My intention is to reduce dependence on tuition fees to fi fty percent in the next fi ve years. We need an endowment fund badly. We also need to encour-age the spirit of volunteerism. I am working hard on getting poli-cies in place. One of these is our expansion policy, which aspires to extend UMU’s infl uence in the

UMU Profi le - Professor Charles Olweny

9

1

A trip to Notre Dame UniversityOn 20th February, a delegation from Uganda Martyrs University went to USA to represent our University in the Hu-man Development Conference at the university of Notre Dame (ND) in Indi-ana. This conference was organized by the Ford Family Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity at the Kellog Institute in collaboration

ferent workshops that were more than benefi cial. The DVC and the other uni-versity staff attended many interactive meetings with staff at the University of Notre Dame to discuss about how best UMU can collaborate with the ND. As students, we attended some classes with students at the University of Notre Dame. We also attended forums on Education on Wednesday 24th and Justice on Thursday 25th. In my special capacity as Uganda Martyrs Students’ Union Vice- president I was invited for a Notre Dame students’ Union Council meeting where I advocated for col-laboration between our two Unions. I highly appreciated the learning sys-tem. The classes are student-centred with presentations, research reports, a lot of readings and other elements that show a high involvement of the stu-dents in the learning process. The class I liked the most was the “Education in-novations in poverty” class which was a participatory critical and analytical discussion about what is commonly proposed as solutions to the “child la-bour” problem.On Friday 26th, at 1:15 P.M., the con-ference was on. The general theme of the conference was: “People power and pragmatism; the future of human development in our changing world.” The Conference started with a ple-nary session where Mr. Willex OTABO presented his paper “Analyzing the performance of the Poverty Eradica-tion Action Plan in Kwapa Sub-county, Uganda”. The other papers in that ses-sion where:- Global Constitutionalism and Human Development, presented by Adam Gannaway- The colonial roots of divergent hu-man development trajectories; forced settlement, colonial occupation and education outcomes in the developing World, 1960- 2000 by Olukunle Owola-bi, postgraduate students at ND.- Development agencies and Human agency: promoting socio-structural change in Rural Burundi, by Andrew Peterson, postgraduate students at ND. The plenary session was followed by panel session with four panels on the following general topics: “- Approaches to development I, - Stresses on the environment, - Understanding the challenges affect-ing modern women. - Youth and systems of violenceThe panel on Stresses on the Environ-ment was moderated by Dr. Ssekyewa Charles.The fi rst day of the conference was concluded by special remarks from Ray Chambers the UN Secretary General’s Envoy for Malaria who was reached by Video- conference from

Speaker: Niyungeko Simplice

Mr. Willex Otabo

with the Centre for Social Concerns, both working at the University of Notre Dame with special sponsorship of the SIT Study abroad World Learning Pro-gram.The delegation comprised of the Dep-uty Vice- Chancellor Academic Affairs Dr. Fr. Kisseka Joseph, the Director of Research, Dr. SSekyewa Charles, the Director of the Outreach programs Mr. Kisolo Gilvain, Lecturer in Health Sci-ence Faculty, Dr. Nakiwala Stella, A post-graduate student and Assistant lecturer in the Institute of Ethics and Development Studies Mr. Willex Ota-bo, and myself, Niyungeko Simplice an Undergraduate student in Financial Mathematics. As this was my fi rst expe-rience in the USA, the fi rst impression counted. The coldness was a signifi -cant contrast from the warm weather in Uganda. The snow was so beautiful.In the week leading to the confer-ence which was due on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th February, we at-tended in our different positions dif-

four ecclesiastical provinces of Ugan-da (that is, Kampala, Tororo, Gulu and Mbarara). That is why we are opening a campus in Mbale in the Ecclesiasti-cal Province of Tororo next academic year and that is why we have signed a memorandum of understanding with Lira Diocese in the Ecclesiastical Province of Gulu. After that we will move to Kabale. We have developed strategic alliances with government, NGO’s, International Organizations and we worked very closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in planning for our East African School of Diplo-macy, Governance and International Studies (to be opened next academic year). We have also worked closely with the Ministry of Local Government and our Department of Good Gov-ernance has won contracts to teach local government offi cers. We have worked very closely with the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry and they have given us resource materials, especially books, that we will use for training in the Master of International Trade Policy and Law (to be started next semester). We are also starting a Postgraduate School of Medicine at Nsambya and almost everything required for this is in place. My vision is to make Uganda Martyrs Univer-sity a student – centered University, a research intensive University, a uni-versity that is uniquely Ugandan in character, a University embued with Christian Values and a University that responds to the needs of the Church and the people of Uganda. When I decided to come to Uganda Martyrs University, I selected areas on which I would lay emphasis. These are service to the church, HIV/AIDS (I don’t need to explain why), poverty alleviation, Peace and Justice and management of local food resources. I would like to make sure that our campuses are up and running in all the ecclesiastical provinces of Uganda. Kisubi Brothers University is now a constituent college of Uganda Martyrs University. We have also been given the opportunity to take on Nile University by the National Council of Higher Education. We have developed a master plan and have a ten year strategic year plan that goes with it. The plan tells us that we should stop increasing numbers until we have infrastructure in place lest our quality will go down. We need a fully function-al central sewer system; many people don’t think of it but we need it badly. We have to look for funds to diversify our income base and when we bring our dependence on tuition fees to fi fty percent level, I will readily step down.

students corner

10

students corner

1

New York.The second day of the conference was a very busy day with three panel ses-sions each with four presentations. The morning panel session on Economic assumptions, development plans and the results had four general topics: “In-ternational infl uence on education”, “Conservation as a pathway to de-velopment”, “Economic assumptions, development plans, and the results” and “Approaches to development II”. I presented my paper entitled “Human development and Economic Growth: the Burundian Case.”The second panel session had panels treating “Challenges to preventive and curative health care” moderated by Dr. Nakiwala Stella, “Effects of in-ternational business and fi nance on development”, “Challenges and op-portunities for local education”, and “Water: a necessity for life”. The fourth panel session had four general topics “Development at what price? Barri-ers arising on the path to progress”, “Maintaining identity and agency”, “Fighting the legacy of injustice and reconstructing post-confl ict society”, and “Sustainable infrastructure and technology”. The conference had as a fi nale, a Documentary Presentation on “local effects of climate change: a Bolivian story about glaciers and water resources.”During the conference some interna-tional networks were introduced to the participants. These were organizations such as Africa Faith and Justice Net-work, US Institute of Peace, Catholic Relief Services and others. The closing banquet had for keynote speaker Mr. Joseph Sabarenzi, former speaker of the Rwandan Parliament, lecturer at the SIT Graduate institute and author of the book “ God sleeps in Rwanda: A journey of transformation (Atria, 2009). The conference was a hundred per-cent animated by students. The pa-pers presented were reports of experi-ences lived by the presenters in over 40 countries around the world. The two days of the conference were very instructive on the many ap-proaches of development from differ-ent perspectives and different coun-tries all over the world.The general conclusion for most of the papers was that all development endeavours are effective if they are participatory involving the concerned parties. The main conviction that I got from the conference is that there is something to be done, to be done now and to be done with the people you are doing it for. I can’t mention everything but I would like to mention some elements that I appreciated and would like to recom-mend to Uganda Martyrs University.

Arch Bishop Kiwanuka Me-morial Library at the Nkozi Campus.The universitys nerve centre towards achieving acca-demic excellence.

The Anna Montano Building for Health Sciences is the most recent entrant to the existing number of teaching spaces at the Nkozi campus.

The Onyango Registry Build-ing.The administrative centre of the University housing offi ces for both the Registry and Finance department.

UMU IN A SNAPSHOT - I was amazed by the library which is an enormous building with lots and lots of books and reading facilities at the students’ disposal.- The building design of multi-fl oors buildings is a practice UMU should borrow to save on space and solve problems like unfi tting lec-ture rooms or ineffi cient private accommodation facilities for stu-dents.- The book store is also an im-portant piece to the puzzle of a University. It is a loophole that Uganda martyrs university does not have a place where visitors can buy souvenirs from their stay at the university or where students can buy their academic books. - I also recommend enhanced re-search procedures that start from classes. Lecturers should invite students to research and initiate them to research report tools such as power point presentations. - The university outreach programs should involve more and more UMU students to bring about im-plementation of research recom-mendations. - And defi nitely, the university should embrace the initiative of having such conferences in UMU as they open the eyes of the stu-dents to the world’s needs.On my journey back to UMU, in that American Airlines fl ight from Chicago to Brussels I asked my-self: “Why is the difference that big? What have we been do-ing to be this late? The thought tormented me till I remembered what Joel Osteen says in his book Become a better you that “you cannot change the past, but you can do something about the future”. I also remembered the fi nal words of the motivating speech of Mr. Joseph Sabarenzi that “this is the time to make the difference!” Today, I share with you these thoughts hoping that you are going to be moved and put your power and pragmatism at the service of development in your country.In conclusion, I thank the Univer-sity for the Honour given to me to be its representative and wish that what was brought back from ND will help us improve and move forward.

Niyungeko SimpliceFinancial Mathematics III

11

112

2

4

6

8

The cultural festival held at the Uni-versity Campus from 6th -7th March 2010 brought together cultures from the whole world. These included Banyankole, Baganda, Banyoro, Batoro, Northerners, easterners, Bu-rundians, Rwandese, Bakonjo, Ca-nadians, Dutch among others.On the fi rst day of the festival, stu-dents exhibited traditional items in-cluding food from their respective regions and thereafter the night was crowned with live music from Flush band. The following day began with Mass which was animated with Cultural dances and hymns and graced By Fr. Muwonge Mukasa and the guest of honour Mr. John Etyang. Other people noticeably present were Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Charles Olweny, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Finance and Administration Assoc. Prof. Dr. Simeon Wanyama, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Affairs Assoc. Prof. Dr. Joseph Kisekka, Ac-ademic Registrar Mr. Innocent M. Byuma and many more.The Mass was followed by cultural performances by various groups for which marks were awarded. The Great North and East, Nko-bazambogo and The Western-ers of Uganda Martyrs University emerged victorious.

Alex Agaba

1

3

5

7

1. Cultural wear from the East2. Cultural dance by congolese students3. Ganda traditional dance4. Grace and beauty in Kirundi cultural dance5. High tempo dance from Western Uganda6. Visiting pupils grace the occasion7. Different cultures brought together under one roof8. Fr Muwonge leading mass9. Modern Dessigns by Angella, a glimpse of the ever changing face of culture.10.Eventual winners. The Great North Cultural group

Culture, music and dance

10

9

pictorial

1

Issu

e 1,

May

201

0

11

3

2 3

16 Years of service to the Church and the Nation

4

5

6

7

8

1. Chief Guest leads mass2. Students perform “ malaika” by Makeba3. Vice Chancellor professor Charles Olwny4. Mr. Euzebio Katurogo Akiiki 5. Monsignor Dr. John Baptist Kawuta6. Cultural groups perform together7. Students perform a contemporary dance piece8. Modern dance by students9. The UMU choir

pictorial

Last year’s Uganda Martyrs University day was its 16th an-niversary held on the 18th of October 2009 in memorial of its birth day which is celebrated annually. The day started with mass which was animated by the university choir and graced by the chief guest Monsignor Dr. John Baptist Kawuta whose homily emphasized a lot on strengthening our faith and service for one another. Mass was followed by entertainment from students, cultural dances from Kobazambo, Uganda Martyrs University Great North and East Students Association

and the Burundian communi-ty which welcomed the inau-gural lecture by Prof. Barna-bas Otaala and a word from the Vice Chancellor. Professor Charles Olweny. On the same day awards were given out by the Director Human Resources Mr. Euzebio Katorogo Akiiki to outlived staff members that had left the university. New members of staff were also introduced on that day. The day was closed by the chief guest who blessed the meal that had been prepared.

Bernardine Bukomeko, Editor

13

9

1

How we made a national radio show, a daily blog - and

fi nally a team!One hour of quality radio program-ming per week... Doesn’t sound that much, right? But when you want to make it really professional-sounding, full of content and at-tractive, well, it can easily take the whole week! And you need people who are willing to walk an extra mile again and again and again...Studio Edirisa’s radio show “to help you succeed in life, encourage your creativity and make you proud to be African” was built on the idea that UMU students would play a central part. If you are making something for young East Africans,

Moreover, there were fi rst-year stu-dents ready to come to The Gardens almost every evening to do news. They browsed through everything published on East African websites and selected what they deemed interesting. That job took hours too, and resulted in only a couple of lines on our website!Our special way to say thank you was to take everybody available for an Edi-risa canoe trekking at Lake Bunyonyi (Kabale, SW Uganda) for Easter. That means a day and a half of paddling and one day of rather demanding trekking over Karembe Hill (2487m), a combo that becomes even more chal-lenging in the rainy season... But it surely helps build a team! At the end we were muddy and exhausted, yet defi nitely among friends.You can see more photos in our Face-book albums (www.facebook.com/stu-dioedirisa) and download all shows of our fi rst radio season from www.studio.ug or from the UMU intraweb.

let it better be made by young East Africans, don’t you agree? We do have a core team of international volunteers but this team is supposed to stay in the background (minus our Australian megastar who needs the limelight to thrive).With a pressing deadline every Fri-day - the show needed to reach Voice of Kigezi in Kabale and Best FM in Masaka - we were pretty much dependant on students’ seriousness, free time, talent and good will. They did not disappoint us! On the contrary, we were really impressed...

If you want to get involved, do drop us a line on studio@edirisa.org - no matter where you are located. We don’t target multimedia talents only, we crave ev-erybody’s help in spreading the good news that something very ambitious is growing at Nkozi.If you are on Facebook, start by clicking on “Like” and becoming a fan of Studio Edirisa (all entries will then automatically appear in your “news feed”). Otherwise, tell everyone you know that there is a simple website address www.studio.ug full of interesting and useful content!

Miha LogarUMU alumnus, co-founder of Edirisa

1. D in charge of weekly radio promos2. Moderators Akiiki & Rudende in front of the Equatorial Studio3. Ingabire, the one moderator left standing4. Pheonah and Jacky doing news (Martha seriously missing)

1

2

3

4

Just sayingCulture - Meaning and

PurposeNowadays, the word “culture“is used in so many peripheral contexts that its original meaning has submerged, for example, we have a “popular culture“, which is taken by some as a determinant of the status of a person along with his educational success and or fi nancial strength.To be an integral part of this culture in Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi, one has to have a higher spending power, which yields a greater availability of materialistic pleasure and facilities. we also hear an “emerging culture“which refl ects the attitudes and the behav-iour characteristics of a particular so-cial group.An emerging drug or pub culture among the youngsters of today is an example of modern colleges and Uni-versities like UMU, where students take pride in their “competitive culture“ that helps to bring out the best in stu-dents and aid their intellectual devel-opment.

Vivian AtukundaBAM II

14

UMU EVENTSUganda Organic Agriculture Sector Training at UMU, Nkozi. 6th - 17th June 2010.

Summer School at UMU, Nkozi. 20th June 2010 to 26th July 2010.

Alumni Home Coming at UMU, Nkozi. Date: 6th - 8th August 2010.

Opening of Mbale Campus at UMU, Mbale. 16th August 2010.

2010 – 2011 Academic year begins at UMU, Nkozi. 16th Au-gust 2010.

IN THE NEXT ISSUE

UMU @ Kenyatta University

NCHE exhibition 2010

THE LAST WORDThe UMUNEWSLETTER Editorial board comprises of staff and students with the vision of having all members in UMU to contribute to the Newsletter. We have created a platform on which everyone can share their story or opinion about the University. For this particular issue (June – August 2010) we could not have made it without support from UMU management, PRO’s offi ce and of course those that responded to our call for articles rather on short notice. The newsletter will be published quarterly and we invite contributions and suggestions to be for-warded to our email address newsletter@umu.ac.ug.Alex Agaba,Chairman, Editorial BoardUMUNEWSLETTER

UMU and the community

UMU as seen through the pencil of Tino Nora Eds III

HOW TO APPLYApplication forms can be obtained either from the Registrar’s Offi ce in Nkozi, or the UMU Kampala Offi ce located at theUganda Catholic Social Training Centre-Rubaga.Application forms can also be downloaded from our website(http://www.umu.ac.ug).

Our MissionTo be a University that is Nationally and Internationally recognised for excellence in research and the advancement of Knowledge.Uganda Martyrs University is committed to the development of each individual through education at all levels, stressing in particular the creation of an environment where intellectual and moral values are priorities. Since the person is at the centreof all growth and development, both at individual and soci-etal levels, all members of the community respect each other in an attempt to create an environment of openness and trust.The University is also committed to promoting justice, respect,solidarity, human rights, equality and environmental protection,both in its own community and in society in general. While providing a higher education of quality, within which Chris-tian and human values are priorities, the University upholds its Catholic identity of universality by being open to all regardless of religious affi liation. The University implements its policyof non-discrimination on the grounds of race, tribe, sex, social status, or disability.

Programmes OfferedDIPLOMA PROGRAMMESComputer Science & Information Technology (FT, PT)Democracy and Development Studies (DL)Health Promotion and Education (FT)Health Services Management (FT)Local Governance and Human Rights (DL)Micro Finance and Community Economic Development (DL)Primary Education (DL)

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMESAdvanced Diploma in Environmental Design (FT)Advanced Diploma in Health Services Management (FT)Advanced Diploma in Health Promotion & Education (FT)BA (Ethics and Development Studies) (FT)BA (Democracy and Development Studies) (DL)BA (Local Governance and Human Rights) (DL)BA (Micro Finance and Community Economic Development) (DL)BA (Social Development and Counseling) (PT-Rubaga)Bachelor of Business Administration and Management (FT-Nkozi, PT-Masaka)Bachelor of Education (Primary) (DL)Bachelor of Environmental Design (FT)BSc (Organic Agriculture) (DL)

For more information contact The Registrar, Uganda Martyrs University P.O. Box 5498 Kampala. Tel: +256 382 410 611 Fax +256 382 410 100E-mail: registrar@umu.ac.ug website: http://www.fi uc.org/umu

BSc (Agriculture) (DL)BSc (Business Economics) (FT)BSc (Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science) (FT)BSc (Financial Mathematics) (FT)BSc (Information Technology) (FT)

POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMESPG Diploma in International Trade, Policy and Law (Evening-Kisubi)PG Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (DL)Master of Architecture (FT)Master of Business Administration/Postgraduate Diploma (FT & PT)Master of Human Rights (PT)MSc Development Economics/Postgraduate Diploma (FT & PT)MSc Health Services Management (FT & PT)MSc Information Systems (FT & PT)MSc ICT Management, Policy and Architectural Design (PT)MSc ICT (PT)MA Development Studies/Postgraduate Diploma (DL, FT & PTRubaga & Masaka)MA Education and Development/Postgraduate Diploma (FT)MA International Trade, Policy and Law (Evening-Kisubi)MA Local Governance and Human Rights (DL)

Note:FT - Full-timePT - Part-timeDL - Distance Learning.

Uganda ganda Martyrs artyrs Universittversiiversiriversitniversi