The Chairman of the HOPE Roadshow Committee of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), Dr Michael Odame, has underscored the importance of the University’s core values and urged fresh students for the 2026/2027 academic year to uphold them throughout their academic journey.
Dr Odame, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Sustainable Development and Policy, was speaking at the opening of the 2026/27 HOPE Roadshow, an initiative designed to introduce fresh students and staff members to the University’s core values of Honesty, Opportunity, Perseverance and Enterprise (HOPE). The event, held at the Auditorium, Multipurpose Building, was anchored on the theme “Embracing the UESD Core Values.”
He urged the students to embrace honesty, seize opportunities, persevere through challenges, and cultivate an enterprising mindset as essential ingredients for personal growth. He urged them to look beyond the academic programmes, courses, and activities they would undertake during their stay at UESD, stressing that the University’s identity should be defined not only by what it teaches but also by the quality of graduates it produces and the values it instils in them.
Dr Odame reiterated the University’s commitment to “producing persons who have HOPE in themselves, exude HOPE, and who are poised to give hope to the world with their knowledge and work ethic.”
The highlight of the programme was the “HOPE Experience Session,” which featured real-life experiences shared by four University alumni: Henry Hude, Diana Seyram Setordzi, Benard Bempong-Boateng and Edhard Kwasitse. Their stories illustrated how the HOPE values had influenced their academic and professional journeys. The alumni recounted how honesty guided their decisions, how they persevered through difficult times, the opportunities they recognised and embraced, and how some developed entrepreneurial skills during their time at the University. Their experiences offered the fresh students valuable insights into the practical relevance of the HOPE values and demonstrated how these principles could shape their personal growth and future endeavours.
The Chairman of the occasion and Head of the Administration Division, Mr Baffuor Osei Akoto, reiterated the need for the freshers to get acquainted with the University’s vision, values and expectations. He encouraged them to embrace service, build meaningful relationships and take advantage of opportunities for personal growth while upholding the HOPE values in all their endeavours.
He urged the students to remain committed to their personal development, give back to society and contribute meaningfully to environmental sustainability and national development.
Similar sessions will be held for the rest of the University community during the academic year.