I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the staff of the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) for the hard work, dedication, and commitment to the College. Your collective efforts have been instrumental in our achievements across academics, research, outreach, and institutional growth. Before delving into these areas, I would like to:
- Congratulate our colleagues who have been promoted within the University service and those who have attained their doctoral degrees in 2024. Your accomplishments inspire us all and elevate the stature of our college.
- Commiserate with colleagues who have experienced the loss of loved ones during the year. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your families during these difficult times.
Let us now reflect on the highlights and updates across our areas of mandate:
1 Academics
I extend my congratulations to all of you for successfully concluding the teaching and learning activities of the year 2024.
In line with the University’s focus on graduate training, I urge all School Deans to prioritize increasing graduate admissions, especially at the PhD level. Our goal should be a minimum of five PhD candidates graduating per School annually.
To support this, we will introduce an Annual PhD Symposium, bringing together all PhD students from the three Schools within CoBAMS. Dr. Kasimu Sendawula from the School of Business will coordinate this initiative.
2 Research, Grants, and Outreach
We remain committed to contributing to Makerere University’s strategic direction of being a research intensive and innovation-driven institution. Congratulations to colleagues who secured research grants this year! I encourage all staff to form teams and respond to available grant opportunities, including MakRIF and external calls.
At the College level, we provided modest research grants to applicants this year. I implore recipients to expedite their work, which will form part of the CoBAMS Working Paper Series, serving as a foundation for our annual conference, journal publications, and book chapters.
In outreach, I commend colleagues who participated in national and international conferences and policy dialogues. In 2025, we plan to hold an Annual CoBAMS Conference, alongside policy dialogues and technical workshops. Dr. Peter Babyenda, our Policy Engagement Coordinator, will oversee these activities.
3 Vice Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award 2024
Congratulations to our colleagues who won the Vice Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award in 2024! I urge all staff to upload their research and teaching information to the Self-Assessment System (SAMS) at https://quality.mak.ac.ug/sa/index.php. It is only those colleagues who will upload their work that will compete for the awards. This is a valuable opportunity to showcase our achievements and elevate the profile of CoBAMS within Makerere University.
4 Infrastructure Improvement and Expansion
We are closely monitoring progress on the CoBAMS Infrastructure Expansion Project, approved by the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development. We are optimistic that funding will be disbursed in FY 2025/26 to kick start this project. The building will expand the teaching and learning spaces hence addressing the critical challenges such as overcrowding in offices and classrooms.
5 Capacity Building
Capacity-building opportunities remain available to staff despite financial constraints. Deans and Administrative Heads are encouraged to share training needs with my office, and we will support facilitator costs where possible. Additionally, Makerere University offers free training programs in areas such as grant proposal writing (GAMSU) and supervision (DRGT). Please inform us of suitable schedules to enable us plan for and organize these sessions.
6 Finances
The University faced a significant financial cut this year, which affected all units.
I urge Schools to initiate special programs like short courses, which operate as projects and on an 80:20 revenue-sharing model, to generate additional income. In this model, the college retains 80% while 20% is remitted to the centre. Furthermore, we are committed to growing the College’s Endowment Fund, with its launch planned for early 2025. This event will enable us to engage alumni in supporting the Fund.
7 Staff Wellness
I encourage all colleagues to prioritize their wellbeing by participating in the free University-wide Physical Wellness Program, organized by the Institute of Sports Science in the College of Natural Sciences. Sessions are held every Wednesday and Friday at the JICA Grounds after 5 PM.
Looking ahead, we are committed to establishing our own wellness initiatives within CoBAMS. The Deputy Principal is particularly passionate about creating a fitness club tailored to our staff’s needs and establishing a welfare SACCO to enhance financial support and community building. These initiatives will further promote health and well-being among our staff in the near future.
Closing Remarks
As we reflect on 2024, I am deeply grateful for your unwavering dedication to CoBAMS and its mission. Together, let us look forward to 2025 as a year of continued success and growth for our college.
As we build for the future.
Edward Bbaale, PhD
Professor & Principal