Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente on Wednesday met with Dr. Patricia Campbell, the Chancellor of the University of Rwanda, and the two discussed how to develop the institution and the general university education in the country.

Campbell was appointed honorary Chancellor of the University in September last year, bringing with her quite rich experience from Tufts in the US where she has served in top administration since 2007.

In the meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office in Kigali, Ngirente and Campbell’s discussions centred on the programmes and government policies aimed at developing the university, especially in the fields of learning and teaching.

According to Dr. Eugène Mutimura, the Minister of Education who also took part in the discussions, the Premier also asked Campbell to use her expertise to advise the country concerning "how best to develop quality at the University of Rwanda.”

The University of Rwanda faces challenges, for which it may need to find solutions during its new leadership to be able to churn out better graduates.

The challenges include inadequate academic staff with PhD.

According to a recent interview with Dr. Charles Murigande the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Institutional Advancement, the PhD staff at the university stands at just 26 per cent, which he said affects the volume of research output.

Campbell is currently the chief administrative officer of Tufts University, a private research university-based in Massachusetts USA.

She replaced Dr. Mike O’Neal, who was chancellor of UR for almost five years

She has a long-time experience in administration having been appointed the executive vice president of the Tufts University in September 2007, after serving as vice president for finance and administration at WGBH, a public radio station Boston, Massachusetts for three years.

From 1996 to 2004, Campbell was executive associate dean of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, where she introduced a new information technology system, established new financial controls, initiated a strategic planning process and reorganized the school’s dental clinic operations.

Prior to 1996, she was deputy commissioner for administration and finance for the Office of Mental Health in New York, where she oversaw a $1 billion budget.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com