 | I am going to tell my colleagues who were unable to come that they missed something unique!
| | That comment was made by Prof. Nyagava, the Deputy Provost for Academic Affairs of Iringa University College, who was truly satisfied by the recently ended Pennsylvania State University (PennState) – SEKUCo Summer Institute. It was the first institute of its kind to be conducted at the newly born university college! People from near and afar came together at SEKUCo Campus A to share experiences and exchange ideas on nature conservation and eco-tourism. Professors Duarte Morais and Ladislaus Semali attended from PennState University and were among the key facilitators. Other participants and facilitators from different parts of Tanzania were Prof. Nyagava and Mr. Melubo from Iringa University College; Dr. Kimaro and Dr. Kidegesho from Sokoine University of Agriculture, Dr. Kangalawe, Mr. Jambia from University of Dar es Salaam and Mr. Zakaria from Ardhi University, DSM. |
The Lushoto District Administrative Secretary represented the District Commissioner in welcoming the guests to Magamba. Mr. Rashid from the District Council, Mr. Jali and Mr. Sheiza from the NED head-office, and Mr. Bendera from Bangala Lutheran Junior Seminary were also among the participants. Other participants from the local community were the assistant manager of Mullers Lodge and tour guides from Tanga Youth Development Association and Friends of Usambara.  Bishops Stephen Munga and Joseph Jali were responsible for the opening and closing of the summer institute respectively. Both of them reminded us that human beings are called by God to take part in the task of healing a suffering creation. The idea of having a Summer Institute came up for the first time in May 2007 when Prof. Ladislaus Semali from PennState University, Philadelphia, USA, visited Lushoto. His arrival coincided with the verification visitation of the Technical Evaluation Committee of the Tanzania Commission for Universities which eventually resulted into SEKUCo being granted the Certificate of Provisional Registration. Despite the hectic timetable, Prof. Semali and I were able to sit down and talk about the possibility of beginning a partnership between SEKUCo and PennState University. For SEKUCo, such partnership would open up opportunities of getting access to the knowledge and experience banked in a university like PennState. We eventually agreed on the two universities jointly conducting a summer school on eco-tourism and nature conservation. A Cooperation Agreement between PennState University and SEKUCo was signed in April 2008. Thereafter, the preparations for the recently concluded summer institute began. 
During the past week, several papers have been delivered laying a good foundation for constructive discussions. Moreover, two study tours were made. The first one went to Irente Farm where the participants had the opportunity to visit the forest of indigenous trees, the food processing unit and the lodging/camping facilities. Mullers Lodge, a well-known tourist attraction in Mkuzi area gave the institute delegates an opportunity to observe the richness of Usambara nature in terms of landscape, animals and plant species. The combination of well-prepared presentations in the meeting room and practical field visits resulted into good proposals which will be useful in implementing the curriculum of the programme of Bachelor of Science in Eco-tourism and Nature Conservation at SEKUCo once it takes off. 
The Deputy Provosts, Dr. Fanuel Shechambo (Administration) and Dr. Honoratha Mushi (Academics) moderated the sessions of the institute professionally. Dr. Paul Nwaogu took care of the minutes recording in the most responsible way. In general, the technical and supporting staff of SEKUCo did their utmost to ensure that the logistics around the institute were taken care of. The intention is to have a Summer Institute each year, using the premises of SEKUCo. As Prof. Semali put it when he delivered greetings from PennState: We are here to stay! 
In the beginning of this year, Prof. Morais led the efforts of presenting a collaborative project proposal to Tourism Cares Worldwide titled “Capacity Building and Guide Training for Cultural Tourism in Lushoto”. The proposal was approved. Thanks to the funds acquired, the next step in the PennState – SEKUCo partnership will be to establish a cultural center that will help in securing the traditional heritage of Usambara. And in February next year, the first course for tour guides will be conducted at SEKUCo. 
In other words, more is coming…! Greetings to all of you from us at SEKUCo through Anneth
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SEKUCo 
