Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed faculty members, staff, students, and distinguished guests, it is with great honor and gratitude that I stand before you today as the newly inaugurated president of this prestigious post-secondary institution, the American University of Nigeria. Let me start today by giving my most heartfelt thanks to our Dear Founder, because it is by his dream and generosity that each of us sit in this wonderful commencement hall today, his dream of a Harvard on the Benue (BenWAY) is becoming a reality. Happy birthday Dear Founder, you are loved by so many of us, including me. I would be remised if I did not also take a moment to say thank you to our Dear Chairman, High Chief Ben Obi, who has spent countless hours assisting me and teaching me not only about the AUN but the culture of Nigeria. His calm and kind demeanor helps me be a better leader and I am most thankful to him. I would like to express my appreciation to the board of trustees and governing council for their unwavering support and belief in my leadership.
And, to President Titus, thank you for the kind words, thank you for the mentorship and friendship over this past decade and thank you for taking the chance on a young man from Kentucky to come and be your Provost at Iowa Wesleyan. To the Titus family, I am deeply honored that you are here to share in this special day with us. Thank you to our family friend Maddy Daughtery for being here. This is her first time out of America and she gets to visit one of the best countries in the world….our Nigeria. And last but not least, thank you to my son Zac Frazier. He is one of the most important people in my life, and he is one of the best, smartest and kindest sons a father could ever ask for. Thank you for being here for me and representing our family today, I love you buddy and I would literally move mountains for you.
Today’s inauguration is the dawn of a new era, one that all of us will partake as we follow our Founders words and “write our own stories”.
I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the faculty members, whose tireless dedication to teaching and research has shaped the minds of countless students. Your commitment to excellence is truly inspiring, and I am committed to providing you with the resources and support necessary to continue your invaluable work. The heart of any university is found in the quality of its teachers, and our heart is very strong, as strong as a world class marathon runner.
To the staff members who work diligently behind the scenes, your dedication ensures the smooth functioning of this university. Your hard work and commitment to creating a conducive environment for learning and growth do not go unnoticed. I am grateful for your unwavering support and look forward to working even more closely with each of you.
To the students, you are the soul of this institution and why we all come to work each day. Your thirst for knowledge, curiosity, and enthusiasm are what drive us forward. I promise to be an advocate for you, to listen to your concerns, and to work tirelessly to provide you with the best educational experience possible. Together, we will foster an inclusive and diverse community, where every voice is heard and every individual is valued. I am here because of you all, we are all here because of you, and please know how special you are and never give up on your dreams, you are loved and valued here.
At AUN will prioritize innovation, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and creating opportunities for groundbreaking research and world class teaching. As your president, I will strive to build strong collaborations with our alumni, community partners, and industry leaders, forging meaningful connections that will benefit not only our students but also society as a whole. We will work together to address the challenges of our time and make a positive impact in our local and global communities.
I am filled with excitement and optimism for the future of this university. I am confident that, together, we will achieve great things and continue to be a beacon of knowledge, enlightenment, and progress. I am committed to upholding the values and principles that have been the foundation of this university. Values such as Excellence, Integrity and Services that permeates through the entire campus. I will follow and uphold our bylaws like never before, as I accept them with great honor. When you do things the right way, God will bless you….this is a promise.
Do you believe in dreams and how they can come to reality, I certainly do? I am often reminded of a young orphan child from Jada who dreamt that he could be more, that he could make a difference, and the group of teachers from the America Peace Corp that encouraged his dreams. Our Dear Founder is a visionary, and 20 years ago he would commission and open the first university in Nigeria to adopt the American model of higher education, offering a liberal arts-based education that promotes critical thinking, creativity, and experiential learning. I have looked up to him for almost two decades, all starting when I discovered this university. I venture to say, as a single person, he has done more for education in the continent of Africa than any other person in history….and it all started when a poor orphan boy had a dream.
For some of you, you may not know that I come from a similar background to the Founder, born and raised in one of the poorest parts of the United States, a place called the Appalachian region of Kentucky. Growing up in a trailer with over 12 people in the home at a time, poverty was a reality and one that I knew all too well. But through the love and support of my grandmother, Evelyn Frazier, and the power of our Almighty God I was able to receive an education and be the first in family with a secondary school degree and later, a bachelors, masters and PhD. God did not bless me with material things, but he blessed me with a heart for people and compassion to serve others and that was instilled in me at an early age through the love of my grandmother and the support of my local church, First Baptist Church of Lebanon Junction.
I have dedicated my career to education and service, and to serve as the President of the American University of Nigeria is a dream for me as it combines both of these passions. Who would have thought, that I would be standing before you today with the blessing of leading the first development university in the African Continent. I am so deeply humbled, and thankful for the opportunity to be here today as together, we are going to take the American University to all new heights and we will literally change this country, region and world.
Founded in 2003 and the first students enrolled at the American University of Nigeria in 2005, this university would be one of the first private post-secondary institutions in all of Nigeria. Today, there are 170 universities in the country. As of 2023, 79 were private, federal universities amounted to 43, while state universities were 48. But even with this proliferation of private universities across this great country, AUN remains a tower of light and one of the most unique in the country. With liberal arts component similar to its sister universities in the United States, AUN was founded on the principles of creating Renaissance Men and Women who were well rounded in many subjects and could combine a multidisciplinary approach to the problems they face. But it did not stop there in our uniqueness, as each student is required to take courses in entrepreneurship no matter their major as this institution remains a place where job creators are produced and dreams are nourished.
Allow me to officially welcome you on this day, as we celebrate the launch of this great university and celebrate the birthday of one of the greatest supporters of education and opportunity in the world, our Dear Founder, Waziri Atiku Abubakar.
Our dear Founder was born on November 25th, 1946, in a small village of Jada, Adamawa State. As the most famous son of Adamawa, I say thank you Dear Founder, for never forgetting where you came from, and caring about the people of this region with such dedication.
Our Founder could have easily placed the AUN in larger cities like Abuja and Lagos to make significant money, but that was never the intent of this great university. The Founder established the university right here in Adamawa, in our town of Yola, and for this, all of us are deeply appreciative.
My dear Founder, let me say to you, Happy Birthday from all of us at your university, you constantly serve as a role model for us and I will do everything in my power to help see the AUN grow to greater heights than we ever imagined and we will make you proud, that is a promise.
In a world of constant change, a world of hurt, darkness and despair, I ask each of you to be the light for others to see…love just a little more, care just a little more and give just a little more. In a time and era, you can be anything, I ask that each of your chose to be Kind.
DeWayne Frazier, PhD
President/Vice Chancellor
American University of Nigeria