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USIU-AFRICA

52 YEARS OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

The USIU-Africa vision is to be the premier institution of academic excellence with a global perspective. The mission is to promote the discovery and application of knowledge, the acquisition of skills, and the development of intellect and character in a manner that prepares students to contribute effectively and ethically as citizens of a changing and increasingly technological world.

The core values that have driven USIU-Africa throughout its 52 years of academic excellence are lifelong-learning, integrity, innovativeness, social responsibility and academic freedom.

USIU-Africa is governed by an eminent Board of Trustees, the University Council and the Chancellor. Holding these positions are very well established executives and academics from within and outside Africa.

USIU-Africa is one of the very few Universities in Africa with a Staff Council in its official governance structure, which comprise elected representatives of the various constituencies making up the university community, a major hallmark in good Governance and Management Best Practice and underpinning its Goal Number 4 in the USIU-Africa Strategic Plan 2021-2026; Excellence in Service and Community engagement.

The USIU in San Diego, was founded by Dr. William Rust in 1952. Today, the fully independent USIU-Africa enjoys a journey of high quality, student-focused teaching and learning that has ensured each student acquires an international education in a multi-cultural campus with global exposure that distinguishes them in the marketplace.

Guided by its tagline – ‘Education to take you places’, USIU-Africa hosts over 60 different nationalities and offers 30 Undergraduate, Graduate and Doctoral programs offered across 5 Schools, the Chandaria School of Business, School of Communication, Cinematic and Creative Arts, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and School of Science and Technology. Also established is the School of Graduate Studies, Research and Extension which oversees graduate programs, partnerships with other universities and industry, research opportunities and funding, upcoming conferences and workshops, colloquia and scholarships for graduate research.

Among its Unique Selling Proposition (USPs) are the flexible class schedule which offers hybrid options of online learning or face-to-face instruction and employability of the students that enables them to get jobs after graduation.

Enrollment
The university’s student enrollment numbers have continued to grow from the initial 5 students to the current number of about 5,400 as at May 2021, cutting across Undergraduate, Masters and Doctorate programs. USIU-Africa’s academic year is divided into three semesters of 14 weeks each; Fall (September), Spring (January) and Summer (May).

Faculty
The university has a relatively low faculty-student ratio of 1:31 compared to the national average of 1:70. Currently, 73% of USIU-Africa faculty hold PhD degrees and are involved in cutting-edge research, a quality hallmark in comparison to a national average of 34%, who bring together many years of academic excellence and research experience locally and globally. Students are able to get personalized attention from the faculty thus becoming high achievers and more self-inspired.

Facilities
The university has invested in state-of-the-art higher learning infrastructure that gives students an exciting learning experience, making them more empowered, and exposing them to different interactions. The state-of-the-art classrooms are equipped with e-learning technology; an auditorium which can hold up to 500 persons; a contemporary Library and Information Center; a cafeteria; Freida Brown Student Center incorporating a health center, counseling center, recreation center, training kitchens, two restaurants, student council body offices and a swimming pool, and an on-campus student hostel facilities.

The university is expected to double its learning space with the launch of the new School of Humanities and Social Sciences building in August 2021. It will have 25 modern classrooms, 65 faculty offices, a Moot Court for the Criminal Justice program, a 3-bedroom Crime Scene Simulation house, a Forensic Lab, a Language Lab, a Psychology Lab, an ICT Lab, 18 breakaway Student Pods to enhance interactive learning, and a roof-top Cafeteria.

Alumni
USIU-Africa has an alumni network made up of over 22,000 former students making an impact in their own way nationally, regionally and globally in all sectors of the economy.

Exchange Programs
Through the 26 exchange programs offered at USIU-Africa, in partnership with universities in Japan, South Korea, Germany, Norway, France, Britain, Spain, and Turkey, students get international exposure, learn global work ethics, acquire global citizenship and get enriched learning opportunities. They further get real life working opportunities in other countries, exposure to industry and employment opportunities.

Financial Aid
In July 2020, USIU-Africa and Mastercard Foundation partnered in its global Scholars Program to provide scholarships to academically talented youth from Africa facing financial, gender, displacement, or disability constraints. This will see 1,000 students from across the continent educated over 10 years at a cost of $63.2 million (Kshs. 6.8 billion).
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at USIU-Africa provides full-cost scholarships to young Africans who are first-time Undergraduate degree-seeking applicants.

Online Infrastructure
In Mid-March, 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, USIU-Africa shifted to online teaching and learning using the Learning Management System, Blackboard. The system hosts an average of 800 courses, 300 faculty facilitating teaching and learning, over 5,600 students accessing various learning content and assessments. These include assignments, notes, discussions, tests and quizzes, on the platform every semester. Faculty can track and analyze student performance, then take remedial measures to support especially those students at risk of poor performance.
In addition, students receive support through video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and BlueJeans.

Blackboard has an inbuilt antiplagiarism software that ensures originality of students work through the deployment of two solutions: Respondus Lockdown Browser and Respondus Monitor. Respondus Lockdown Browser is a custom browser that locks down the testing environment and is ideal for assessments delivered in classrooms or proctored settings and Respondus Monitor adds webcam and video technology to LockDown Browser to prevent cheating during non-proctored exams – such as those taken remotely.

Through a virtual private network (VPN) connection, students access journals from over 60 databases, and over 600,000 e-books available in the library so that they can learn and do their research remotely.

In November 2020, the University launched the online MBA program, the first in the country with dual accreditation by the Commission for University Education (CUE) in Kenya and the United States of America (USA) by WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

New Programs
5 new programs have been launched and will commence in September 2021 that are designed to meet market needs and solve current problems and to equip students with the knowledge to address future needs. The programs include:

• Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering
• Bachelor of Science in Applied Data Science & Analytics
• PhD. Information Systems & Technology
• Bachelor of Technology in Analytical Chemistry
• Bachelor of Science in Applied Biochemistry
For more information please visit our website: www.usiu.ac.ke
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