Source: Ike Ehie, 785-532-6180, iehie@k-state.edu
Photos available. Contact media@k-state.edu or 785-532-2535.

Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BOOK DRIVE NETS TEXTBOOKS, JOURNALS FOR NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY

MANHATTAN -- Faculty from the College of Business Administration at Kansas State University have donated more than 2,000 current business textbooks and journals for the development of undergraduate and master of business administration libraries at the University of Lagos in Nigeria.

The book donation was part of a nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development to K-State for strengthening business education in Nigeria.

"The books were donated through a book-drive competition among the College of Business Administration's four departments: accounting, finance, management and marketing," said Ike Ehie, associate professor of management and co-director of the project. "The K-State donation makes it possible for both business students and faculty at the University of Lagos to have current and much needed textbooks and journals that will help strengthen the business curriculum."

The department of finance won the competition for donating the most books and journals.

"These books and journals make a world of a difference in the learning process of young people in that part of the world," said Myra Gordon, associate provost of diversity and dual career development and project co-director. "The value of these books is immeasurable in terms of the economic development potential they provide in that region of the world."

The University of Lagos offers courses for a bachelor of science in accounting, actuarial science, business administration, finance, insurance, industrial relations and personnel management. The master's degree program in business administration is specially designed to meet the requirements of Nigerian business executives. The school is widely recognized as the institution of choice in Nigeria, and the first institution in tropical Africa to offer an executive business education, according to Ehie.

The business administration faculty at the school has 80 regular and adjunct faculty members. They serve about 4,000 undergraduate students and 400 graduate students. The revised business curriculum will be implemented at the beginning of the next academic session, which starts in November.

"Our faculty recognize the needs of undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Lagos, and firmly believe that everyone should have an opportunity to get the education they desire," said Anand Desai, associate dean of the College of Business Administration. "I thank Dr. Ehie for his leadership in this project and for his efforts in ensuring that these materials reach the libraries at the University of Lagos. To see these books and journals being read by these students is a gratifying experience for all of us."

Other units that assisted with the book drive included the Black Student Union at K-State, which conducted a book drive at eight of the Big 12 Conference schools; Varney's Bookstore; and McGraw-Hill Publishing.