Abuja: Veritas University, Abuja, has launched a three-day staff retreat focused on creating strategies to elevate the institution to world-class status through technology, collaboration, and staff development. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Hyacinth Ichoku, opened the retreat, emphasizing the opportunity for strategic thinking, renewal, and recommitment to the university’s vision and mission.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the retreat is themed “Building a World-Class Nigerian University: Strategies, Challenges and Opportunities” and is facilitated by Emeritus Prof. Peter Okebukola, former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC). Prof. Ichoku highlighted that the university’s aspiration to become world-class relies on the collective efforts of management, academic, and non-academic staff, focusing on the quality of relationships and collaboration among its members.
Prof. Ichoku stressed the transformative role of technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), in teaching, learning, research, and administration. Veritas University is enhancing training programs to ensure staff proficiency in AI and other emerging technologies. The university is also investing in technological infrastructure with the importation of 350 computers and 60 smart boards, supplementing the 18 smart boards currently available.
Prof. Okebukola advised the university to begin retreats and training with a needs assessment to address specific staff challenges and priorities effectively. He stated that AI emerged as the top area of interest among staff, prompting the focus on this technology during the retreat. He warned against ignoring AI, emphasizing its significant role in future developments.
The retreat will feature practical sessions to deepen participants’ understanding of AI beyond common tools like ChatGPT and Claude, exploring AI’s limits, human roles in automation, and associated risks. Okebukola also highlighted the importance of maintaining Veritas University’s Catholic identity while pursuing academic excellence, aspiring to match leading Catholic universities worldwide.
He urged the university to invest in research, teaching, and facilities to improve its ranking, while ensuring its Catholic identity remains central. With the Federal Government’s directive for Nigerian universities to participate in rankings, the retreat is seen as a critical step in enhancing Veritas University’s academic and institutional standing.
The ultimate goal, according to Okebukola, is to produce graduates who are academically competent, professionally capable, morally grounded, and committed to the common good, embodying the values expected of students at a Catholic university.