Meeting with the Dean of the School of Liberal and Performing Arts, Dr. Pamela Khanakwa

It was a pleasure to sit down with Dean Khanakwa. In particular, I appreciated her insights about improving teaching and learning -- and how we could work together to promote internationalization across the curriculum. 

For more about Dean Khanakwa, see https://chuss.mak.ac.ug/en/personnel/pamela-khanakwa/

 

My Host University -- Makerere University -- Video

 CLICK HERE to view a short video about my host university, Makerere University:

 Makerere University video 

  

Meeting with the Principal of the College of Humanities and Scoical Sciences (CHUSS) at Makerere University Dr. Helen Nambaliwra Nkabala

It was a privilege to sit down with the Principal of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), Dr. Helen Nambaliwra Nkabala.

The College (with more than 200 faculty) is home to 4 Schools

School of Psychology

School of Liberal & Performing Arts

School of Languages, Literature, & Communication

School of Social Sciences

And these Schools are host to a number of centers and institutes -- such as the Center for African Studies, the Center for Arabic Studies, the Confucius Institute, and, of course, my favorite -- the Great Lakes Center for the Study of the United States!  

For more about Principal Nkabala, see https://chuss.mak.ac.ug/en/personnel/helen-nambalirwa-nkabala/ 

For more about CHUSS: https://chuss.mak.ac.ug/en/#

Tour of the Makerere campus with the International Relations Office (IRO)

Betty Nabisubi of the International Relations (IRO), led by Director of the IRO Mathias Ssemanda, office was kind enough to show me around the Makerere University campus as a part of my orientation to campus as a visiting international scholar.

I could tell from the city map that the campus was quite large.  We actually used her car to drive from point to point (in the interest of time, and the cloudy weather)

Even with the car, this was Part 1 of the tour (next week we will visit the Library together).

The highlight of part one was the visit to the innovation hub -- there were several spaces for students to create -- from the agriculture sector, music, electric vehicles, and more. I loved seeing the students' creativity and ingenuity.

Thank you, Betty, for picking me up at the Center and taking me on a campus tour (part 1)

Meeting with the International Relations Office at Makerere University, Betty Nabisubi

We had a very productive meeting with an administrator from the Makerere University International Relations Office (IRO) -- Betty Nabisubi.

She gave me an orientation to Makerere University, sharing more about the university as well as the services provided by the IRO under the leadership of Director Matthias Ssemanda.

Internationalization of the curriculum is one of the university's 2020-2030 Strategic Planning goals -- so the initiatives of the Center for the Study of the United States will dovetail with university and IRO mission.

First up -- I will lead a Faculty Development Workshop about integrating Virtual Global Exchange (VGE) into the curriculum. We are looking forward to partnering with Betty to engage faculty who are interested in internationalizing their courses by partnering with faculty/course in the US. Stay tuned for more updates on this blog ... 

For more about the IRO, see https://mak.ac.ug/about/advancement-international-office 

Prof Kaweesi, Prof McLauchlan, and Ms. Nabisubi

 

White Sand Beach

On the drive back from the chimpanzees, we passed a sign that said White Sand Beach. Well, friends, you know I always gravitate towards the beach! And fortunately he stopped for me. I paid the 10,000 UGX entrance fee so I could visit. This beach is on Lake Victoria- the largest lake in Africa and 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world. 

Jane Goodall - My Life with the Chimpanzees

Before visiting with the chimpanzees at the Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary ( https://ngambaisland.org/) I wanted to read Jane Goodall's My Life with Chimpanzees.  I bought a used copy on eBay and intended to read it on one of the 3 planes that it took to travel from Tampa to Entebbe.  Sadly, Jane Goodall died the day I set out on my journey to Uganda.

I very much enjoyed reading about her childhood - and how literature (like Dr Doolittle, Tarzan, The Jungle Book) kindled her passion for becoming an ethologist. "I wanted to learn things that no one else knew, uncover secrets through patient observation. I wanted to come as close to talking with animals as I could, to be like Dr. Doolittle. I wanted to move among them without fear, like Tarzan."

I loved reading about her persistence and perseverance  - and how she came to be a researcher with Louis Leakey. About her observations of the chimpanzees and scientific research.  And how passionate she was about sharing her research with the general public as well.

This edition that I was reading was geared towards young people - and what an inspiring message of hope! I actually did not know about Roots & Shoots (!) - and now I need to find out if there are chapters in the Tampa Bay area.

I could not agree more with her message that each of us must realize that we can each make a difference - that we must seek to make a positive difference in our communities.

I have since bought more of her books on eBay that have been shipped to my home in Florida. So I will be able to continue learning from Jane Goodall after I return home from Africa. (And I hope my daughter will read My Life with Chimpanzees over winter break. All young people should!)

finished reading the book on the boat ride over to the island sanctuary