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Mr. Ahmed Bello, the Head of Marketing of Skyline University Nigeria, speaking during the Professional Skills Development Programmeme (PSDP) has posited that the knowledge of Business Communication in any establishment, can be the difference between identifying opportunities and getting important feedback from class schedule to real-world practice. He added that Effective communication can help to foster a good working relationship between students and staff as well as lecturers, which can, in turn, improve morale and efficiency. The Professional Skills Development Programmeme was organized on 26th April 2021, for students of the University by the University’s Students Service Department (SSD). The Programmeme is aimed at helping students gain various skills that will enable them to tackle issues and problems effectively which are commonly faced in daily life. The PSDP is also designed to help students adapt to positive behaviour that enables human beings to deal with life’s challenges and situations effectively. Mr. Ahmed, who facilitated the PSDP Programmeme, advised students of the importance of business communication, communications process, types of communication amongst others. He stated that the importance of business communications will help improve organizational practices, eliminate poor feedback between students and lecturer as well as business owners, keep the student informed and reduce errors of communication. “Effective business communication is essential for success and growth of every organization”, he added. While appreciating the facilitator for the amount of work put in delivering the training, Mr. Nazim Islam, the Head of the University’s Students Service Department, assured the students of the commitment of the SSD in developing the students capacity towards improving their professional skills. In his concluding remarks, Mr. Ahmed stated that the importance of learning business communication skills in universities remains valid due to the intense hands-on study, opportunity to get important feedback and make revisions as well as get real-world practice via internships.

The undergraduate years are a period when students enjoy more freedom than in O’level, while also having to handle more responsibilities. These responsibilities range from setting own schedule to deciding what class to take based on general or major requirements, working out your game plan and scheduling important time for studies. Additionally, it is a time when students will choose on a career path. Hence students will require support on making some decisions, big or small. There are certain differences between the university and secondary level. What is very much common within the university settings, is that in addition to the aforementioned, a student is treated as an adult and it’s up to them to be responsible and follow through on their commitments. Understand where it is they’re are struggling, ask others for help and acquire the assistance and clarification needed. The university is a whole new ball game with different expectations and policies and this presents a really unique expectation on the students. These expectations include; MEET YOUR ACADEMIC ADVISOR Academic advisors sometimes called Student Service officers or University councillors are one of the greatest resources for university students because they’ll help with your entire university career—from classes to Programmes, to career preparation. The best way to help you is by having them know you. So when you meet with them for the first time, tell them about yourself. Tell them your passions, your career aspirations, what you’re interested in becoming. The more they know about you, the better equipped they will be to assist you. WORK HARD & STAY MOTIVATED A focus on your academics with proper diet and exercise can be very instrumental in helping you meet your expectations. While there’s no rule book on how to get there, an important starting point is to possess self-awareness, confidence and a healthy mind. If you’re studying for the semester exam or any professional exams, you could use a little motivation from time to time. When you put in long hours studying, each week can be enough to make you want to quit pursuing your dreams of passing the exams. PLAN YOUR TIME & USE IT Time management for imminent graduates is extremely important. Plan and write down every single thing you need; assignments, projects, outings, free time etc. and review the list daily to ensure that you are working on the most important task at any time. This will help you to remain focus and use your time well. GO TO LECTURES & KEEP UP It’s true that some of the things you get from lectures, you can get online or with textbooks but attending lectures will help you draw connections between different content/data and/or provide valuable context to the material that might be in the textbooks or internet. This is why a Professor would take his time to make his lecture engaging and interesting. Lectures in the university sometimes tend to sneak up on you especially with impromptu lecture notifications or postponement. Hence you will need to ASK QUESTIONS & GET HELP WHERE YOU ARE STRUGGLING Most lecturers welcome questions at any time but it’s a good idea to check with your lecturer first, they may prefer that you wait until a certain point in the lecture where they stop for questions or until the end of the lecture. If you are not sure, wait until the end of the lecture and ask your questions. The University system is a compassionate and collegial environment and it’s a place with a lot of wonderful resources to help you when you are struggling. Don’t hesitate to seek help when you need it – visit health services when you are sick, or talk to your academic advisor if you are having difficulties with your Programmeme. Most importantly: know what services are available ahead of time.

In Skyline University Nigeria (SUN), there are varied supportive opportunities available for the students’ community. These opportunities are designed to stimulate academic and professional growth as well as provides a vibrant and supportive platform that promotes and nurture students learning, improve leadership skills, social responsibility, team building etc. Some of these activities such as Students organization, Student Sports and Clubs, Community Service, Volunteer service, students part-time activities, SIWES Programmemes, etc. are focused on experiential learning and student’s involvement. They are also designed to help students to build connections and meaningful relationships at SUN and help them to find a sense of belonging, to get connected and try new things, embrace change and ultimately find new interests within the university campus. Students Organization & Clubs Activities The students’ organization is a place to get involved on campus. Involvement in students’ organization is a great way to get connected to the campus, develop leadership skills, meet new people and have great fun. While there are varied organizations to help you connect, here are some that may be right for you. They include Campus activities, Community development & Students Development, Programmeming, Orator, Software, Debate, etc. Sports Activities Joining the campus sports activities will allow students to engage in playing the sports they love while they undergo their studies at SUN. Examples includes foosball, football, basketball, Table Tennis, Badminton, etc. Practice time, sports schedule, health checks, weight loose challenge, competitions and other updates about the Sports Department are available at the university’s Sport’s Department. Registration of these sports activities can be done through the university’s Sport Department. Volunteer Activities Apart from campus activities, there are other opportunities that are geared towards community development. Getting involved with volunteering services is a great way to acquire certain skills, experience and a way to give back to the society. It helps to improve student’s experience in various fields, as employers are more willing to employ graduates with working experiences. Perhaps you want to learn something new, gain certification, credentials and building skill, becoming a good team player etc.

In a bid to improve employee performance, employee satisfaction and morale, consistency, productivity and adherence to quality standards, increased innovation in new strategies and products, as well as enhanced brand reputation and profile, Skyline University Nigeria (SUN) has organized a workshop for the staff of the university. The workshop with the team Staff Development Programmeme (SDP) was held on 17th April 2021, through the University’s HR department to give impetus to the University’s quest for becoming a leading world-class research university. An International Relations Expert and a Lecturer in Skyline University Nigeria, Mr. Farid Illo, who facilitated the training Programmeme on “Conflict Management in the Workplace”, posited that workplace conflict management should be taken seriously so that team members can make progress towards accomplishing goals that need to be reached. Mr. Farid sensitized participants present that the training will help staff to; use differences of opinion and conflicts constructively; use proven strategies and communication skills to prevent and manage conflict; understand the conflict management elements and how to improve relations amongst staff; know when to intervene and how to approach conflict resolution conversation in the office; finally, to get the root cause of workplace conflicts and prevent resentment from lingering. He defined conflict in the workplace as a daily occurrence that can either propel or disrupt the momentum for a leader, a team or the entire organization. “The workplace can become a toxic environment when leaders allow conflict to fester rather than manage it”. On the subject of managing conflict, he stated that an important part of the process of managing conflict is knowing how to see conflict and when to seize the opportunity within the conflict before healthy tension turns into overly disruptive chaos in the workplace. In his concluding remarks, he stated that success in life will require the knowledge and strategies of navigating through workplace conflict. The workshop was attended by the staff of Skyline University Nigeria.

Engr. Othman Abdulrasheed, Guest Speaker at the 5th Online CEO Lecture Series of Skyline University Nigeria (SUN), has sensitized students of the university that brilliant entrepreneurship ideas, overcoming silent dream killers, believing in self, having an understanding of immutable laws are important for anyone that wants to excel as an entrepreneur. He made this assertion on Thursday, 12th April 2021, through an online platform, while delivering a lecture title ‘Entrepreneurship’. The guest speaker, a Certified Leadership Coach, Speaker, Trainer and Author, stated that great business ideas surface sporadically from the brain and while there isn’t a magic formula for creating entrepreneurial brilliance, there are, however things you can do to become a successful entrepreneur. He defined success as the progressive realization of a worthy goal – stating that once you come up with those ideas, you have to write them down, make plans to hone and act on them. Engr. Othman added that entrepreneurship is about solving problems, selling product or services or being able to identify a problem and proffering a solution that will in turn bring financial gain. According to him, “A great entrepreneur must be able to effectively communicate, sell, focus, learn, and strategize. An ability to continuously learn is not just a key entrepreneurial skill, but also a very valuable life skill”. He stated. The Vice-Chancellor of Skyline University Nigeria, Prof. Ajith Kumar V.V, while giving his remarks, appreciated the Guest Lecturer for honouring the invitation to speak on the 5th Online CEO Lecture Series of the university. “Our goal is to graduate students who are job creators than seekers, and the Guest Lecture Series is one of our platforms set aside to inspire the students and expose them to the activities that can enhance brilliant entrepreneurship ideas”. Prof. Ajith added. He thanked all staff and students present for making the event successful and noted that the CEO Guest Lecture Series played a critical role in enhancing the short and long term vision of the University, albeit in a capacity of applicable education.

Depression and anxiety have become a common phenomenon in Africa and is now creeping into the lives of some undergraduate students. According to individuals who participated in sports, there have been some benefits associated with physical activities that have over time reduced anxiety amongst students as well as positively improve mental health. It’s not just your body that benefits from sports, playing sports contributes to your wellbeing, helping you prevent depression and increase self-esteem. This notion is further supported by health professionals (University of Missouri Childrens’ Hospital), that playing sports is a key strategy for reducing stress because the body releases feel-good endorphins during exercises. It’s also true that some sports are associated with particular health advantages. For example, pushups can help achieve greater bone density because of the frequent body lifting. People who play volleyball benefit from increased hand-eye coordination and flexibility. Table -Tennis also helps players increase hand-eye coordination, while it also promotes better brain health because of the fast thinking involved. According to Mr. Musa Mohammed, the Head of Sports, at Skyline University Nigeria (SUN), “Making just a few changes in your lifestyle can help you live longer”. Fortunately, degree courses or university admissions department has taken initiative to develop stakeholders both physically and mentally. To keep the body looking healthier, it begins with throwing away those unhealthy behaviours from our system. Unhealthy behaviours like smoking habits, drinking too much alcohol and drug addiction should be jettisoned, while a healthy lifestyle, regular exercises such as running can add up to give you healthy body and fitness. Another reason that sports are important for health is that participating in sports can encourage positive lifestyle decisions. For example, if you belong to a football league, you might spend your evenings and weekends practising with your team rather than stopping for a snack after a lecture or ordering junk food. Sports contribute to muscle development, coordination, cardiovascular health and numerous other benefits associated with disease prevention; physical activity can help ward off chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity, depression and osteoporosis. Finally, whether you’re hoping to get stronger, lose weight or lower your odds of disease or all of the above, you ought to take a moment to establish your baseline. Sports of any kind is highly encouraged.