The vice-chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU), Ayodeji Badejo, has charged the university’s Senate to work toward making the institution Africa’s most impactful city university.

Mr Badejo made the call at her inaugural senate meeting at the university’s main campus at Ojo, according to a statement by the institution.

Mr Badejo said the university must move beyond being admired for its size and infrastructure to delivering measurable benefits to Lagos State and its residents.

The vice-chancellor said the institution’s success should also be measured by the quality of its graduates, their employability, research output and contributions to public policy. She said that although LASU had recorded significant growth in student enrolment and academic programmes, it needed to improve in research funding, infrastructure and staff welfare.

Mr Badejo disclosed that 84,326 candidates chose LASU as their first-choice institution in the current admission cycle, making it Nigeria’s most preferred university for the second consecutive year. She added that the university had more than 85,000 students across its campuses in Ojo, Ikeja, Epe and Badagry.

The vice-chancellor urged members of the senate to work together to address the institution’s challenges and strengthen its academic standards.

She appealed to experienced academics who had stopped attending senate meetings to return and contribute their experience to the university’s development. According to her, cooperation between experienced academics and younger scholars is necessary to improve decision-making and sustain institutional growth.

Mr Badejo outlined five guiding principles for her administration, including using Lagos as a centre for practical research, prioritising measurable outcomes and improving student welfare.
The others are promoting industrial harmony among staff and ensuring that institutional achievements would outlive her administration.

She promised to provide every staff member with a confidential statement of verified entitlements within the first 100 days of her administration. The vice-chancellor also pledged to establish a LASU counselling and well-being centre and a student opportunity fund to support students’ academic and personal development.

She said the university would introduce a comprehensive academic quality audit, an admissions standards framework and a policy on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in teaching, assessment and research within the first year of her administration.

Ms Badejo called for unity among members of the university community, saying the institution’s campuses and faculties must work together toward a common goal.

She assured the senate members that matters requiring the senate’s prior consideration would be brought before it and that supporting evidence for administrative proposals would be made available for scrutiny.

The vice-chancellor said that her administration would be judged by its ability to deliver measurable results, including improved academic quality, transparent performance reports and better staff welfare.

(NAN)