History


Establishment of The University

The National Accreditation Board, at its 61st Meeting held on 29th March, 2007 granted approval for the then Ghana Christian College and Seminary to change its status to a University College. Prior to that, at its 15th Meeting held on the 25th September, 1997 the Board had granted a two-Year Interim Accreditation Status to the B.A in Christian Ministries program offered in the institution with effect from that date (National Accreditation Board’s letter of 14th July 1998).

Ghana Christian University College and Seminary had been established by Gerald A. Gibson, in Kumasi in June 1966 with the main objective to add a “strong, trained biblically based leadership to the future of the spiritual and independent churches in Ghana with no seminaries of their own”.

The college was relocated in Nima, Accra, in July the same year, with its five students from Kumasi to enable Gibson complete the paper work required to officially establish it as a private school. It received the Ministry of Education’s approval on 22nd August, the same year with classes starting on the 4th October. In January, 1967 it moved again to Kokomlemle, with its student population of thirty (30).

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AFRICAN EVANGELISM MISSION FACULTY

Apart from Gerald A. Gibson, the families of missionaries who joined the faculty later were first, Richard Hostetter M. A. graduate from Kentucky Christian College (16th January, 1967), Cyril C. Simkins (16th February, 1967), Kent Taylor (22nd September, 1967), Ronald Rife, who Gibson had been chasing long time ago to join him (22nd October, 1967) and Derrence Smaage (22nd November, 1967). Gibson had left in April, 1967 and had been handed over to Simkins who also handed over to Rife on 13th December (three months after his arrival) to go on his furlough. He returned on 8th September, 1969, but left on 11th January, 1970 for good.

It was Rife who initiated more improvement programs, a two-year curriculum and a four-year degree programme. The school week was extended from three to four days (Tuesday-Friday). Three evening classes a week were introduced. On April 12, 1968, Ms. Dorothy Eunson joined the faculty from Milligan University for the first time.

In the late 1967, Cyril C. Simkins succeeded in incorporating a meeting that could be used for the entire continent. Africa Mission Evangelism was incorporated in Tennessee. Its initial incorporated members who had to be residents in Tennessee were Simkins, Robert and Juanita Mize, Roy Lumpkin Jnr., and Erwin Wize Peaze. In 1969, its constitution was amended to include the missionaries associated with the college at the time – Rife, Hostetter, Smaage, Taylor and Eunson.

Its first president was Robert Mize (1968 – 71) with Roy Lumpkin Jnr. as Secretary/Treasurer (1968 – 71), Kent Taylor (1971 – 72), to be followed by Richard Nischan (1972 – 74), Ronald Rife (1974 – 78). It was this body that constituted the Board of Directors.

GHANAIAN FACULTY

The first Ghanaian faculty member to be engaged in 1970 was Christian Patrick Adjei who had enrolled in 1966 and completed his B. A. degree as the first degree graduate. The next to follow Christian Patrick Adjei was Joseph Nsiah on September 1973 who had graduated in 1972 with B. A. in Pastoral Ministries. He was engaged to take over the Takoradi extension from David Kalb. On 16th May, 1977, he left for his Masters Degree course at Cincinnati Christian Seminary up to 10th September, 1987. Incidentally, both Ghanaians later reached the highest offices of Principal and Vice-Principal.

Following them in the enrolment as faculty members in the school of theology were: Akua Eghagha (1985), Enoch Nyador (1986), Manuel Budu Adjei (1987), Nelson Swedstrup Ahlijah (1989), Afua Wiafe (2001), Christopher Rockson Adjei (2001), James Yamoah (2002), Juliana Lartey (2005), Gabriel Sodja Annan (2006), John Kofi Avorgah (2009), Johnson Asibuo (2009), Frank Tetteh Akuwayo (2010), Ernest Odei (2013) and David Dosoo (2015)

AFRICANIZATION OF LEADERSHIP

By 1982, the Board of Directors was prepared to accept granting the faculty the responsibility for the daily operating of the College. Carl Bridges’ recommendation at the fourteenth Annual meeting in October 9, 1982 for Christian Patrick Adjei and Joseph Nsiah to take over from him (Bridges) and his wife in July 1983, as the Principal and Treasurer respectively, and was unanimously approved. This marked the beginning of Africanization of the College’s leadership. Mr. Joseph Nsiah was promoted to the position of the Vice-President (Academic) later and was succeeded by Manuel Budu Adjei who had been hired in 1987 as an instructor. When Christian Adjei retired in March 2006, Manuel Budu Adjei was appointed in April of the same year to succeed him as the President (as the post had been re-designated). Currently, the College is under the Presidency of Dr. Nelson Swedstrup Ahlijah.

LEADERSHIP OF THE COLLEGE

The leadership of the collage has gone through the following hands:

Presidents

June, 1966 – April, 1967                               –            Gerald A. Gibson

April 1967 _December 1967                        –            Cyril C. Simkins (Acting)

October 23, 1967 – June 1970                    –            Ronald D. Rife

June 1970 – June 1971                                  –            Richard Hostetter (Acting)

July 1971 – July 2, 1974                                –             Ronald D Rife

July 1974 – May 13, 1976                             –             Richard Hostetter

May, 1977 – June 20, 1978                          –             David Kalb

July 20, 1978 – June 23, 1979                     –             Carl Bridges (Acting)

September 4, 1979 – June 1980                 –             Christian Patrick Adjei (Acting)

June 11, 1980 – July 11, 1983                     –              Carl Bridges

July 11, 1983 – May 1986                           –               Christian Patrick Adjei

1986 – 1987                                                  –                Joseph Nsiah (Acting)

1987 – November 2006                              –                 Christian Patrick Adjei

April 1, 2006 – August 31, 2016              –                 Manuel Budu Adjei

September 1, 2016                                   –                   Nelson Swedstrup Ahlijah (Acting)

April 1, 2017                                              –                    Nelson Swedstrup Ahlijah