On Tuesday 9th May 2023 at 10:30am, Robert Kumapley, a licensed professional engineer in the USA, paid a visit to his Alma mater (CoE) KNUST. He came along with his wife Dr. Genevieve Kumapley and his daughters Sena and Delali Kumapley.
Robert Kumapley is the son of Professor Kumapley who was the Dean of the then Faculty of Engineering which is now the College of Engineering.
Robert is a Civil Engineer and currently the Chief of Enterprise Asset Management Division at The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Their first point of call was the Provost’s Office. The Provost, Prof. Kwabena Biritwum Nyarko welcomed Robert and his family, and expressed his excitement at their visit. He recounted the influence Prof. Kumapley had on his career journey to becoming a Civil Engineer.
He explained the origin of the KNUST Engineering Education Project (KEEP), stating that it is the foundation built by predecessors like Prof. Kumapley that enabled it. He said that at the time, post graduate courses were only peculiar to Civil Engineering.
Among other things discussed was mode of tutoring. Dr. Genevieve Kumapley (wife of Robert Kumapley) appreciated the reception accorded the family. She was impressed by the college facilities, and how adaptable the college was to new trends in university education. She noted that the incorporation of new technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education can only inspire and empower students to develop practical solutions to local problems that can be adopted worldwide. She thanked the Provost for his hard work, and role in building upon the work of his predecessors.
The family were happy with the strides made by the College and acknowledged that infrastructure-wise, CoE can rub shoulders with Universities Worldwide. The Kumapleys encouraged the college to keep engaging the College of engineering Alumni and get them involved in the development and implementation of future vision. Robert and his wife were happy to hear about the KNUST College of Engineering Endowment Fund (KCEEF). The family encouraged staff to keep Alumni engaged and abreast with developments and innovation going on at the college, as this can help attract funding from Alumni to support research and innovative projects.
The KCEEF is primarily set up to fund postgraduate education since this translates into knowledge, and solutions to problems (especially localized problems), through research. The KCEEF will also help with equipment and infrastructure for research. For more about the KNUST College of Engineering Endowment fund, please visit KNUST COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING ENDOWMENT FUND
The descendants of Prof Kumapley have established an annual award given to the best geotechnical student of each graduating class. The Robert Kumapley family also pledged their support to the College of Engineering and also to Alumni initiatives.
