Congratulations on this unique recognition of your excellent service to the teaching profession. May God keep and protect you, Amen!
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From: Toyin Falola <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu>
Sender: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Date: Thu, 9 May 2013 13:07:06 +0000
To: Yoruba Affairs<yorubaaffairs@googlegroups.com>; dialogue<USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>
ReplyTo: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Prof. Diji Aina Distinguished Public Service Award
Congratulations is due to Prof. Aina, VC Adeleke University, recipient of the Africa Conference 2013 UT's Distinguished Public Service Award
Distinguished Public Service Award:
Dr. Ayandiji Daniel Aina
A president of a university invariably lives a life of public service. However, for Dr. Ayandiji Daniel Aina, this life of public service began long before his appointment as President/Vice-Chancellor of Adeleke University in 2011. Dr. Aina's commitment to the promotion of higher education in Nigeria is most admirable and worthy of emulation.
Dr. Aina began his education at Oduduwa College in Ile-Ife, before moving on to the University of Ibadan, with additional courses at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos City Computer College, and the Independent Journalism Centre in Lagos. At the University of Ibadan, Dr. Aina earned a Bachelor's with Honors in Political Science, a Masters in Political Science with a focus on public administration and management, and finally a PhD in 2000 in Political Science, with a focus on public communication.
As an educator, Dr. Aina has served as a lecturer at Kaduna State Polytechnic, the Nigerian Institute of Journalism in Lagos, and Babcock University, quickly moving through the ranks of the latter to earn the title of Professor of Political Science in 2007. At Babcock, Dr. Aina has taught undergraduate courses ranging from Introductions to Political Science, Public Administration, and International Relations, to courses in Constitutional Development in Nigeria, the Politics of Underdeveloped States, Comparative Politics, Contemporary Political Analysis, and International Institutions.
Dr. Aina has also taught several courses at the graduate level, including Issues in African Governance and Politics, Contemporary Issues in Defense and Strategic Studies, Investigative Journalism, and Communication Research. He has supervised numerous graduate students, as an advisor to PhD students and forty-seven Master's students, and as an external examiner to 82 Master's theses and eight PhD dissertations.
Dr. Aina has attended numerous international conferences and workshops, as well as going on many international assignments, ranging from the first Education Summit of Nigerians in the Diaspora in New Jersey, to the Workshop on the Pedagogy of Teaching Black Political Science, held in Atlanta, and the First Annual Conference of Personnel of Student Affairs and Development, Adventist Universities of Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon, held in Accra, Ghana.
Dr. Aina has published numerous articles for journals such as the International Review of Politics and Development and the Journal of Pan-African Studies, where his article, "Globalisation and the Retrenchment of an African Economy: Revisiting Post $18 billion Debt Cancellation in Nigeria," won the prize for second best article of the year. He has contributed numerous chapters to edited volumes, and his monographs include, Corruption and the Challenge of Human Development.
He got a Codesria grant alongside other scholars to conduct extensive research on the important subject of quality assurance in Private Universities in Nigeria. He was also part of the Democracy sustainability project in West Africa, supported with funds from Sweden-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (I-IDEA).
In addition to his academic publications, Dr. Aina regularly contributes as a journalist and editor for publications such as The Diplomat Press, the Daily Times Nigeria, and the Anchor Newspaper. Altogether, he has written over 200 major press interviews and reports for publications such as the Times International Magazine, the Times Week, and the Sunday Times of Nigeria, and over 100 news editorials for publications such as the Vanguard Newspaper and the defunct Daily Times. He has been named the Best Feature Writer twice for his work for the Daily Times.
In addition to his responsibilities as a writer, scholar, and educator, Dr. Aina has always focused on his commitments to his institutions. While at Babcock, Dr. Aina served as the editor of numerous campus publications and a member of committees ranging from the Library and Archives Committee to the Committee of Deans. He raised substantial funds for the Department of Political Science and Sociology and Department of Political Science and Public Administration. He served as Chairman of the Postgraduate School Board of Studies, the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences Board of Studies, and the Department of Political Sciences Board of Studies. And this is just the short list! Therefore, it is unsurprising that for his commitment to the growth and development of Babcock University, Dr. Aina was awarded the Best Academic Staff of the Year award in 2003.
Dr. Aina has been head of department, dean, and acted as deputy vice-chancellor, all while planning the creation of the new Adeleke University, for which he served as an Academic Planner, Member of the Planning Committee, and a Member of the Implementation Committee before being appointed the President in 2011. Dr. Aina has also extended his great capacity as an administrator to the creation of Osun State University in Osogbo, where he served as a Pioneer Head of Department of Political Science and International Relations, Senate Representative on the Development Committee, a Developer of Curriculum, and Chairman of the Student Disciplinary Board, the Publicity and Advertisement Sub-Committee, and the Speakers and Rapporteurs Sub-Committee.
His passion for excellence and setting standard had endeared him to be appointed on several occasions as member of the accreditation panels to federal and state universities in Nigeria. International, he was also the only African on the Accreditation team to Loma Linda University in California in November 2010 where his focus was on the graduate school and personnel administration. He currently serve as External Examiner to many universities in Nigeria. He still nurses the desire to obtain a degree in Law with which he intends setting up an advocacy institute and open a chamber for the defense of the less privilege after retirement from public service.
Dr. Aina has demonstrated throughout his career an ability to balance the many and often conflicting responsibilities of academic life. However, rather than simply fulfilling his administrative responsibilities, Dr. Aina has gone above and beyond to ensure the success of his institutions and of higher education in Nigeria. For this, we are proud to honor him with the 2013 Distinguished Public Service Award.
Toyin Falola
Department of History
The University of Texas at Austin
104 Inner Campus Drive
Austin, TX 78712-0220
USA
512 475 7224
512 475 7222 (fax)
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