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Facilitators at the recently held 2021 World Environment Day Webinar with the theme, ‘Resetting our relationship with nature’ have sensitized the public that protecting nature is vital in our fight against the current environmental crisis. These crises include Global warming, the depletion of stratospheric ozone, the acidification of surface waters, the extinction of species, the destruction of tropical forests and the precipitous decline of biodiversity. The webinar was organized by Skyline University Nigeria (SUN) on Friday 4th June 2021. Prof. R.Y Hiranmai of the Central University of Gujarat, Dr. Debashish Ghosh of CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dr. Dharmendra K. Dube of Bule Hora University, Ethiopia, Dr. Ameer Kalandra of Jigjiga University, Ethiopia, Dr. Shahid Khan, a Tourism expert and Dr. Iliyasu Garba of Skyline University Nigeria (Visiting), all Keynote Speakers at the webinar agreed amongst others that environmental crisis presents an immense challenge to policy-makers and to many other organizations and individuals who must find a creative solution to sustainable environment. Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Skyline University Nigeria, Professor Ajith Kumar V.V, stated that as part of the effort to promote a sustainable environment, which is aligned with the theme of the webinar, the university has deemed it fit to hold this webinar as well as the poster competition amongst secondary school in Kano. He thanked the participants and facilitators for honouring the call to be part of a Programmeme that will promote ‘mother earth’. He stated that the webinar served as a platform for generating awareness on the problems facing our environment such as air pollution, plastic pollution, among others. “Furthermore, we will be involving the student to helps drive change in sustaining national and international environmental policy” Prof. Ajith noted. He ended his speech with a note, “Take time for everything before time takes care of everything”. Sanjoy Pal, a Professor of Biology & Microbiology in Skyline University, gave the closing remark. He expressed appreciation to the Vice-Chancellor for his enthusiasm towards the event and appreciated the speakers for their wonderful presentations. “We will hold the next round on Monday, 4th June, 2021 on poster competition to spread more awareness”. Dr. Sanjoy stated.

Too often students placed more emphasis on making good grades and very little emphasis is placed on studies, building soft skills or building intelligence in school. But, there is no substitute for being able to think, solve problems, analyze situations, and understand social values, customs and norms, as required in the workplace without due intelligence. That’s what you get from going to school and learning the right way. Students who studied hard to pass an examination can succeed more in the workplace because they have learnt to manage a problem or situation from their participation in such examinations.  Being attuned to graduate work life is even more significant in analyzing the problems of cheating examinations in the undergraduate days. Here, you will be required to understand, express and manage your own emotions, maintain good social relationships as well as think clearly and solve problems under pressure. Let’s try this exercise. Recall a recent incident where you happened to cheat examination and still manage to get the desired grade. Visualise your knowledge of the course or subject taken as an observer and not a participant. This self-awareness will help you see that you didn’t remember anything from the semester in which you cheated. It is for these reasons that Skyline University Nigeria (SUN) has made it important for students to study intelligently, build relationship bond and be assertive, as well as to give back to society and be helpful. In addition to learning and develop the skill of impulse control, the ability to resist temptations to act professionally, etc. which are some of the core areas for students overall development. The sure way to think, solve problems, analyze situations, and understand social values, customs and norms, and competencies, is to work them. Just like strengthening your muscles through exercise, the only way to build these competencies required in the workplace is if you practice working them. If you want to build your biceps, you do need to do heavy weight lifting to improve them. The same thing applies to developing one’s intelligence. If you want to make an enviable grade and have the knowledge stayed with you, you will need to study hard. The more you commit to studying, as well as learning other skills as an undergraduate, the better your personal and professional lives will be. Take the advantage of the resources and facilities available in SUN to learn to solve problems and communicate your skills better.

The Director of Academic Support Service in Skyline University Nigeria (SUN), Ms. Sarada Maganti, speaking during the university’s maiden orientation for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) courses, has suggested that Government and Private sector in Nigeria and Africa should invest in education as a solution to the problems of high unprofessionalism and unproductivity in the workplace environment. She made this suggestion on Friday, 28th May 2021. The ACCA Programmeme in Skyline University Nigeria is under the Centre for Continuous Learning (CCL), geared at providing short professional courses to the people of Kano and Nigeria in general. The maiden orientation for the ACCA Courses was organized to help participants discover a world of opportunities when they study with ACCA in the university. “When you take ACCA in SUN, you open doors to the best and most interesting roles all over the world as well as become one of the sought-after finance professionals”, Ms. Maganti added. While delivering the opening remark, the CCL executive, Mr. Kasif Iqbal, stated that the benefits of the ACCA Programmeme in Skyline University Nigeria include a rewarding and intense path that will support participants at every stage of their career. “When you join the Programmeme, you become part of a diverse body of more than 219,000 members and 527,000 students in 179 countries that will stand out to the best employers seeking out trained professionals”. Earlier in his remark, the Vice-Chancellor of Skyline University Nigeria, Professor Ajith Kumar V.V, while addressing the participants at the ACCA orientation Programmeme, stated that “All participants looking forward to joining the Programmeme at SUN are guaranteed continued support to build a strong professional network needed in today’s fast-paced business world. He congratulated the team for a successful orientation.

The world is moving so fast that it becomes mathematically impossible to know what skill set to acquire along with one’s career progression. So, even the smartest of students won’t have all the right answers yet. While a skillset is defined as a combination of abilities, qualities and experiences to be applied to perform tasks well, spending time on improving the right skills can help you achieve personal career goals and become an expert in certain areas. For undergraduate student, there are a number of skills to acquire along chosen disciplines. These can include soft skills such as interpersonal skills, communication, analytical, adaptability, problem-solving, planning, organizing and leadership as well as technical skills such as research, computer Programmeming, accounting, creative writing and more. So, it’s not about developing these skillsets randomly but making the right CHOICE as related to one’s specific disciplines and having SELF-AWARENESS, which will help students to adjust to this changing world. If there is one skill set that people can develop, is really in the ability to understand themselves. Giving all the change in the world, the advancement of technology, the change in the market place etc. Students need to be able to understand this change then understand who they are in this world that is changing so fast. Two points to consider here, which is Self-Awareness and Choice. Self-awareness will help the student to be better understand themselves, diagnosed problems, and therefore correct weaknesses. Choice, on the other hand, brings with it the need to lead your self-aware life, which so many people don’t know how to do. They don’t know how to see change and adapt to it. They don’t know what skillset fits their passion, they don’t know how to change the path they are on to now point at the change in front of them and make a lasting impression. 10 years ago, Ariel photography was possible with the help of a pilot and a helicopter. Today, both pilot and cameraman have lost their jobs due to the change in the world, and their job had been replaced by drones. It is important therefore to note that given the speed at which the world is moving, knowing what skill set to acquire along with one’s career progression will require the skill of Self-Awareness and Choice.

The Vice-Chancellor of Skyline University Nigeria (SUN), Professor Ajith Kumar V.V has called for greater participation of students in the activities of the university’s Toast Masters Club, as this would allow students to build skills they need to become more confident public speakers and better leaders in every spare of life. He made this call on Saturday, 22nd of May 2021, during a courtesy call by the executives of the Toast Masters Club. The executives were led by the Divisional Director, Ms. Omei Bongos – Ikwue. Having in mind, the many benefits that the Toast Masters Club brings, Prof. Ajith stated that a club is a place of happening, where students go to become part of something bigger. He added that though the university’s toastmasters club is just starting, a lot of changes are already being noticed amongst the students who make up the club. “We are beginning to notice a higher level of skill and self-confidence as well as a spark of new learning and leadership opportunities available through the club”. Ms. Omei Bongos – Ikwue who led other executives of the Toastmasters Club to the university, was pleased with the reception received from the university management. While making a speech, she stated that lots of other prospects availed for members upon joining. She extended heartfelt gratitude to the university management for being open and recognizing the benefits of the Toastmasters Clubs in Skyline University Nigeria, whose benefits she stated, extends beyond club activities to become champions in public speaking. The SUN Toastmasters Club was recently launched along with other clubs in the university, such as Music & Theatre, Arts & Photography as the latest additions to SUN Students’ Clubs. The SUN students’ slub is managed by the Students’ Service Department (SSD). All clubs in SUN are listed in the SSD department, which maintains a directory of clubs officially sponsored by the University. Students are welcomed regardless of their major, gender, sexuality, race or religion.

200 level students of the Mass Communication Department of Skyline University Nigeria being led by a faculty, Mr. Abdulhameed Olaitan Ridwanullah, has paid a technical visit to the Abubakar Rimi Television (ARTV). The visit was part of an attempt to expand field understanding of the world of Mass Communication and prepare students to access and use the most effective communication tools and strategies to promote messages, products and Programmes. The technical visits which took place on Wednesday, 19th May 2021, was an important part of students’ learning. Visiting a real-time television studio allows the students to develop a greater understanding of how Mass Communication theory is put into practice. The visit involved a presentations from the site team, a brief overview of the overall operation and a tour of the station as well as gave an impetus on how TV contents are generated or sourced, how Programmemes are generated and designed, etc. The Deputy Director Engineering of the ARTV, Engr. Muhammad Tasiu Adamu, accompanied by Mr. Sadiq Salihu Usman of the Admin Department of the ARTV, while receiving the students, informed them of the importance of such visits. He stated that Mass Communications is one of the most in-demand courses in 2021. “There are a lot of opportunities for people in various industries and the job and career opportunities diversify for the people who have a degree in mass communication to work as Broadcast Journalists, Fashion and Freelance Photographers, News Anchors, Public Relations Officers, Market Researchers, etc.” he stated. To further reward the students’ effort and motivate more participation for future events and visits, the students were accompanied on a tour of the station. This will help them gain first-hand information and experience of the Media tools and practice. The students visited the different section of the broadcasting studio, including the transmitting room, control room, broadcasting studio, amongst others. Other members of Staff of SUN who accompanied the students to the site include the Corporate Affair Supervisor, Mr. Saka Shehu, and a representative of the University’s Media Department, Mr. Abdullahi Opoola.

As an undergraduate, we have to be careful about the choices we make of school. On the one hand, students want to take a course with clarity on their career prospect, if the course is going to impact their lives in a way that they can see in advance. For example, a student of Engineering sees him/her self becoming an engineer. On the other hand, it’s not likely to happen that way because the future doesn’t always work on the obvious path but that doesn’t mean that it’s not important to want to take a course with clarity on career prospect. When you graduate from university, you walk into a different world entirely (the market place), with different jobs, without knowing which job is right for you. Maybe it’s the job in your father’s company or the job that pays the most salary. You are going to get the job for sure but you may not have the necessary skills required to grow the organization. Then you are going to realize. I don’t like this job much, you will look up and see your bosses job and yet you don’t like their jobs. Generally what most people do, is to just hang on because the next job they take might not even be worth the first and then they start to lose attraction in their career, which could have a major impact on their lives. Having the skills of problem-solving, critical thinking and logical reasoning are important for every aspect of human lives and the market place. While the university is an important place where you can learn these valuable skills faster, the transformation of the student through these relevant skills, is the game changer in addition to your qualifications. Although the students can’t see where it’s going to take them while on campus but by keeping an open mind and thinking about things differently, they start to create a different path for themselves that will likely inform their career choices. Once a student understands these concepts, they will be motivated to learn more. That way of thinking, of creating our own solutions, required you to have an open mind, to the things that don’t necessarily add up to the answers that make immediate sense. The likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates for example that we all talked about today, even though they later dropped out of the university, one thing common about them, is that they all went to the university and pursued other interest (skills). Before he dropped out, mark Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook from his Harvard dorm. Steve Ballmer a colleague of Bill Gates finished Harvard and took over as the CEO of Microsoft for 14 years. Let’s say you have an interest in working with these incredible companies (Google, Dangote, Microsoft etc), first, you will need to have a degree and then the required skill set to deliver the job right. So if you are sitting there wondering if learning a skill or two or pursuing other interest while in the university is overrated, then you are making an expensive mistake. Go to the university and while you are studying, start the things you dream about, put your dreams, time and energy into learning something new and commit to them at the same time. Skyline University Nigeria (SUN) has a way of lifting people and helping them connect with their dreams because, profoundly, your dreams matter.

In the essence of love, sacrifice, devotion, forgiveness and care, Students of Skyline University Nigeria (SUN) organized an Iftar on Tuesday, 4th May 2021. Iftar in Skyline University Nigeria is an annual event hosted by the University management to draw Muslims together during the month of Ramadan. This year’s Iftar was initiated, coordinated and sponsored by the students’ community, within the framework of the support of the Students Service Department (SSD). The Iftar, was held in the University’s campus garden and also aimed to keep students connected amid Ramadan, the busy academic and social life in the university. It also encouraged students to incorporate charity into their daily lives, spend Iftar with friends and be motivated as well as reminded of the prophetic tradition of breaking bread with people during the holy month of Ramadan. Students were encouraged to share meals with friends, and other members of the students’ community in a safe environment. As part of the Iftar, all food and drinks were provided by the collaborative efforts of the students. The menu plan includes fried rice, jollof rice, chicken and shredded beef sauce as the main dishes. The side dishes include fruits( apples, bananas and dates), vegetable salad, snacks( spring rolls, samosas and meat pies), bottled water, soft drinks and vegetable drinks. It was a blessed event as members of the University Management present, praised the students’ efforts and generosity towards the Iftar. Members of the University Management present includes the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ajith Kumar V.V, the Head of the SSD, Mr. Nazim Islam, the Head of Sports Department, Mr. Musa Mohammad as well as other Staff and Faculties.