KABRUISE LAID TO REST (PAGE 3, FEB 15, 2010)

THE remains of Professor John B. K. Kabruise, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University for Development Studies, have been laid to rest in Navrongo.
The burial was preceded by a burial mass at the Our Lady of Sorrows Cathedral.
The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, led a government delegation to the funeral. Other members of the delegation were the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Mahmud Khalid, and municipal and district chief executives from the Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions.
The university community in Ghana and other countries were present at the funeral of the late Professor who was appointed the second Vice Chancellor of the UDS from April 2002 to April, 2007.
Tributes were read by his family, spouses, children, the UDS, the Committee of Vice Chancellors, among others.
Mr Mahama, in a tribute, said the late Professor Kabruise was noted for his intelligence during his school days and working life.
According to him, the deceased excelled in whatever position he found himself in, hence his demise was the loss of a genius to this country and even beyond the borders of the country.
He recounted the performance of the deceased as vice-chancellor of the UDS and said as a visionary and strategic leader, the late Professor first and foremost developed a five-year strategic plan spanning 2003 to 2008.
He said he opened the Faculty of Integrated Studies in Wa, transferred the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies from Tamale to the Navrongo Campus, expanded the student intake in all the campuses, ensured gender equity in all the programmes, among others.
“Though Professor is gone, the legacies he left behind are carved in gold that can never be erased from our memories,” he said.
Vice-President Mahama said the deceased discharged his duties creditably and diligently until his retirement as vice-chancellor, saying even in his retirement he believed he was quite energetic and could contribute meaningfully towards the development of the country.
He said although Professor Kabruise decided to venture into politics in 2008 by contesting the primaries of the NPP for the Navrongo Central seat and was disqualified, he never reneged on his political ambition but continued to avail himself to various political leaders by offering good counsel and sharing his vision with them for the betterment of the country.
“The government and the people of Ghana indeed owe you a great debt of gratitude for your unparallel political contribution towards the development of Mother Ghana,” he said.
Vice-President Mahama, on behalf of the government, later presented GH¢3,000 and assorted drinks to the bereaved family.
In its tribute, the Committee of Vice-Chancellors said as Chairman of the committee, the late Professor Kabruise brought his legal and international experiences to bear on labour negotiations with unions on improved conditions of service.
The committee noted that he, together with Prof. Assenso-Okyere, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, instituted the retreat of vice-chancellors to deliberate on problems confronting university education in the country.
The life of the late Professor Kabruise was that of a rigorous academic career of lectureship and leadership. These included the holding of many positions, such as Visiting Research Fellow in Law at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA (1977), Fulbright Visiting Professor, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, USA (1981).
He was also a Visiting Professor, Institute of Foreign and Comparative Law, UNISA Pretoria, 1987, and Official Visiting Fellow, Clare Hall, University of Cambridge.