Garissa University College

Garissa University College (GUC) is a public university in Garissa, Kenya.

Overview

Garissa University College was founded in 2011 as a constituent college of Moi University, in the facilities of the former Garissa Teachers Training College.

The school's library was established in 1996, as a resource for the former teacher training college. It was later staffed in 2006.

It was the first and only public post-secondary school to offer approved university degree courses in the North Eastern Province. The institution provides courses in the schools of education, information science, and arts and social sciences.

The school principal is Prof. Ahmed Warfa, the Deputy Principal (Finance) is Prof. Kirimi Kiriamiti, and the Deputy Principal (Academics) is Prof. Genevieve Mwayuli. The university college has 75 staff members.

2015 attack

On April 2, 2015, gunmen stormed Garissa University College, killing 148 people and wounding 79 or more. The attackers claimed to be from the Al-Shabaab militant group and indicated that they were retaliating over non-Muslims occupying Muslim territory. The militants took several Christian students hostage, but freed most Muslims. The following day, national and county leaders agreed to suspend courses at the college indefinitely, to allow security services to investigate the attack. Buses were also hired to return students to their homes, and several students insisted they would not return to the university.

University College

University College can refer to several institutions:

Australia

Canada

University college

The term "university college" is used in a number of countries to denote college institutions that provide tertiary education but do not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies from country to country.

Australia

In Australia, the term University College was used to refer to educational institutions that were like universities, but lacked full autonomy. The Latrobe University College of Northern Victoria was one such college. University colleges existing today generally cater for specific subjects (such as Theology, or the Arts). UNSW@ADFA was previously known as the University College, ADFA, and it provides the tertiary education component of officer cadet training at the Australian Defence Force Academy . It is a branch of the University of New South Wales.

Additionally, some residential colleges associated with universities are named "University College". These halls of residence are common in Australian universities and primarily provide accommodation to students. They may also provide academic support (such as tutorials) and social activities for residents. University College, Melbourne, formerly University Women's College, is one such residential college. It is affiliated with the University of Melbourne.

Garissa

Garissa (Somali: Gaarisa) is the capital of Garissa County, Kenya. It is situated in the former North Eastern Province.

Geography

Garissa is located at 0°27′25″S 39°39′30″E / 0.45694°S 39.65833°E / -0.45694; 39.65833. The Tana River, which rises at the Aberdare Mountains west of Nyeri, flows through the city.

The Bour-Algi Giraffe Sanctuary, situated 5 km south of Garissa, is home to endangered wildlife including the Rothschild giraffe, gerenuk and other herbivores including Kirk's dik-dik, lesser kudu, warthog and waterbuck.

Demographics

According to the 2009 census, the town has a total population of 119,696.

Most of Garissa's inhabitants are Somalis. These are further sub-divided into clans, with the Ogaden sub-clan of the Somali Darod especially well represented. There are also a small number of other minority ethnic groups, commonly referred to as corner tribes.

Economy

Garissa is a market center and the commercial hub of the Garissa County. The town even has a university, Garissa University College.

University

A university (Latin: universitas, "a whole") is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which grants academic degrees in various subjects and typically provides undergraduate education and postgraduate education. The word "university" is derived from the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium, which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars."

History

Definition

The original Latin word "universitas" refers in general to "a number of persons associated into one body, a society, company, community, guild, corporation, etc." At the time of the emergence of urban town life and medieval guilds, specialised "associations of students and teachers with collective legal rights usually guaranteed by charters issued by princes, prelates, or the towns in which they were located" came to be denominated by this general term. Like other guilds, they were self-regulating and determined the qualifications of their members.

In modern usage the word has come to mean "An institution of higher education offering tuition in mainly non-vocational subjects and typically having the power to confer degrees," with the earlier emphasis on its corporate organization considered as applying historically to Medieval universities.