Fourah Bay College

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Fourah Bay College
File:SierraLeoneHofstra2.2.jpg
Fourah Bay College (Old building, 1930s)
Type Public
Established February 18, 1827 [1]
Students 3,465 total
Location ,
Campus Freetown campus (urban)
Affiliations University of Sierra Leone
Website http://www.fbc.usl.edu.sl/

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Fourah Bay College is a public university in the neighborhood of Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Founded on 18 February 1827,[1] is the oldest university in West Africa and the first western-style university built in West Africa.[2] It is a constituent college of the University of Sierra Leone (USL) and was formerly affiliated with Durham University (1876-1967).

History

Foundation

The college was established in February 1827 as an Anglican missionary school by the Church Missionary Society with support from Charles MacCarthy, the governor of Sierra Leone. Samuel Ajayi Crowther was the first student to enroll at Fouray Bay.[2] Fourah Bay College soon became a magnet for Krio and other Africans seeking higher education in British West Africa. These included Nigerians, Ghanaians, Ivorians and many more, especially in the fields of theology and education. It was the first western-style university in West Africa. Under colonialism, Freetown was known as the "Athens of Africa" as an homage to the college.

The first black principal of the university was an African-American missionary, Reverend Edward Jones from South Carolina in the United States. Lamina Sankoh was a prominent early academic; Francis Heiser was principal from 1920 to 1922. Abioseh Nicol was the first Sierra Leonean administrator in 1966.

Administration

Faculties

  • Faculty of Arts
  • Faculty of Engineering
  • Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences
  • Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Institutes

Institute of Adult Education and Extra-Mural Studies

Institute of African Studies

Work began on the building of the Institute of African Studies in 1966 with half the £40,000 being provided by the UK Technical Assistance Programme. The first Director was Michael Crowder with J. G. Edowu-Hyde as secretary. The journal Sierra Leone Studies was also relaunched at this time.[3]

Institute of Marine Biology and Oceanography

Institute of Population Studies

Institute of Library and Archive Studies and Mass Communications

Students

As of 1998/1999, the student enrollment was around 2,000 in four faculties and five institutes. It had consistently expanded in the 10 previous years.

Notable alumni

See also Category:Fourah Bay College alumni

References

  1. tusol.org/historical
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External links

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