Bola Bamigbola, Osogbo

No fewer than 410 persons will bag doctoral degrees in various disciplines at the combined 2015/2016 and 2017/2018 43rd convocation of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.

Addressing newsmen on Wednesday, the Chairman, OAU Ceremonial Committee, Prof. Oluseye Bolaji, said 9,191 others would bag first degrees.

Giving the breakdown of grades of the graduating students, Oluseye said, “For the 2015/2016 and 2017/2018 combined convocation, 182 students made first class, 2,925 made second class upper, while 4,146 students graduated with second class lower division. We have 1,088 students graduating with third class and 790 with unclassified grade.

“326 students will bag 326 postgraduate diplomas, 1,701 students will bag professional master, while 1,629 will bag master by research. 145 others will bag Master of Philosophy, 410 students will bag Doctor of Philosophy.”

Oluseye mentioned one Miss Aarinola Olaiya as the first student in the last 28 years to graduate with distinction from the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, saying the institution would celebrate her during the convocation.

He added that Olaiya needed three distinctions to graduate, but she got 13 distinctions.

According to him, one of the activities lined up for the 43rd convocation was a lecture, titled, ‘University Education in Nigeria: Revisiting the Ife Dream,’ to be delivered by a retired Professor of History and Second Republic Senator, Professor Banjo Akintoye.
Oluseye said, “The grand finale comes upon on Friday, 14th of December, 2018, with the conferment of Master of Philosophy, Doctor of Philosophy and honorary degrees.

“Visitor to the university is expected to attend the grand finale. Our honorary graduand this year is a distinguished Nigerian academic and radical, intellectual activist, Professor Biodun Jeyifo, a Professor Emeritus in the English Department at Cornell University, Ithaca, USA and currently a professor of Comparative Literature/African and American Studies at Harvard University, Boston, USA.
“He will receive Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) Honoris causa for his outstanding intellectual and academic achievements.”
Cc: Lalasticlala

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