By Eriah Lule
An American Fulbright Scholar is in Uganda with a goal of helping Uganda Christian University (UCU) establish a writing center. 

Thomas A. Deans, a Professor of English, began working in late August with UCU’s Department of Languages as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Uganda on a teaching and research award. The proposal of a writing center at UCU, Deans says, was the centerpiece of his Fulbright application. 

And it is not by accident that Deans is pushing for a writing center at UCU. He is currently the Director of the University Writing Center at the University of Connecticut, a position he has held since 2005 when he joined the institution. 

In fact, even before joining the University of Connecticut, Deans played a pivotal role in steering a college writing program. He was the Director of College Writing at the Haverford College in Pennsylvania. No doubt he is fully aware of the benefits an institution can reap from a center designed to enhance writing skills. 

Writing centers are places for collaboration between writers and their tutors. Writing centers may offer one-on-one scheduled tutorial appointments, group tutoring, and writing workshops. They are maintained by universities or created as part of the writing program to help students find their writing voice and tackle any writing challenge.

From August 2021 to the end of February 2022, the duration of the scholarship, Deans is teaching two courses and conducting a research project on undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics writers. 

The 54-year-old also has been using the six months to help review UCU’s Department of Languages’ graduate curriculum for master’s students and work closely with the writing and study skills department.

He also is extending his more than 30 years of professional experience to Makerere University in Uganda, where he will be offering faculty development workshops through that University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Support. 

“For most Fulbright scholar awards, a letter of invitation is recommended or required, and that can leave applicants who don’t already have established relationships with a potential host institution feeling at a loss,” Deans says.

Initially, Deans had contemplated Finland as his host country for the Fulbright. But that was not to be as his request for a letter of invitation was not granted.

The cold shoulder he got from Finland was a blessing in disguise for UCU. When Deans thought of the warm encounter he had had with Ugandan scholars, he re-established contact with Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, whom he had met while the latter was pursuing his PhD at the University of Connecticut. Mushengyezi did not hesitate to invite Deans to UCU. When Mushengyezi first met Deans, the former was an academic at Makerere University.

According to Dr. Taabu James Busimba, the newly appointed Head of the Department of Languages, Prof. Deans is laying a firm foundation by establishing the center. Busimba believes the center will not only offer a head start for more scholars to go to UCU, but also open doors for them to win grants and sponsorships for the department. 

Exams are among the activities which give students goosebumps at school. No wonder, Katusiime Gift, a master’s student in the Department of Languages at UCU, is excited at one proposition by Tom Deans to replace exams for some master’s students in preference for research and presenting of papers.

“I am so excited to have a Fulbright scholar in our department,” Katusiime said.

While exams are an option to research papers in many United States post-graduate programs, Tom Deans asserts that “MA students won’t grow as researchers unless they are writing seminar papers that involve sustained research.”  A substantial paper or literature review (completed in several drafts, with feedback and revision) could help build the research and writing experience and could be preferable over a test. 

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards more than 800 fellowships annually to scholars at all career levels who take up teaching, research, and professional projects in more than 135 countries. Deans won the award under the theme “Cultivating Writing Centers and Writing across the Disciplines in Ugandan Universities; UCU /Makerere University.” 

He is married to Jill Deans and they have two sons – Griffin, 21, and Elliot, 18 years. Griffin and Elliot are expected to join their parents for the Christmas holidays in Uganda.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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By Eriah Lule
Tough. Tense. Lucky. Diligent. That is how one would sum up the educational journey of Douglas Agaba, an October 2021 Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduate with a First-Class Degree in Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance.

Agaba, who was among the more than 3,000 graduates at UCU’s 22nd award ceremony on October 22, 2021, attributes hard work as the main factor in his attainment of a 4.5 of 5.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average.  The best student at the graduation, Sore Maureen, obtained 4.78.

While Agaba is jubilant about his success, the 26-year-old had rough patches in his education journey. Agaba was orphaned at an early age, resulting in his move from one relative’s home to another.  He struggled through school. Yet, each time when he was just about to lose hope, luck smiled on him.

For instance, because of his good academic performance, Agaba earned himself a high school sponsor. He attended Kisugu Primary School, Tropical High School and, later, Buloba High School – all these in central Uganda.

As he sat his Senior Six examinations, one thing was clear to Agaba. He would have no sponsor willing to foot the high tuition fees at a university. While working hard on his studies, he looked for a window of government sponsorship for the best students.

When the results of the admission shortlist in the public university – Makerere – were out, Agaba’s name was not among those who were to study on government sponsorship. He was despondent. As he waited for the next move, a retired Ugandan accountant who belonged to Agaba’s church learned of his dilemma.

Catherine Katwe did not hesitate to offer to meet the cost of Agaba’s university education. In 2017, he was admitted at UCU to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance course.

His tenacity, excellent leadership and resourcefulness is lauded by both classmates and teachers. Agaba was a class representative all the three years of his undergraduate study. He occasionally stepped in to hold academic group discussions for his classmates, to break down course units that his fellow students found too tough for them.

Nixon Katusime, Agaba’s former lecturer, credits his former student for being “ambitious and selfless.”

“He used to help me discuss some topics for his colleague students during online studies,” Katusime said.

Agaba’s strong desire to equip himself with all the marketable skills in the accounting field awakened the overwhelming talent in him. In a bid to supplement on his pocket money, Agaba started holding online private tutoring sessions in his field of study and, he says, many students even from other universities to receive his services.

He also engaged in research and filing tax returns for businesspeople at a fee. With the experience he has acquired, Agaba hopes to register a company to carry on with the services he has been offering.

As a student at the university, Agaba created time to teach at a secondary school on a part-time basis. He says much as he earned sh120,000 (about $35) per month, his passion for sharing knowledge kept him on the job.

At one point, Agaba also worked the night -shift at a filling station, a place he believes he learned the virtues of good customer care, self-discipline and willingness to work even in tough conditions.

Agaba believes that the high moral Christian virtues that UCU stands for is responsible for the success of many of its graduates and he has faith that it is just a matter of when he will also be a recipient of that success in his next job after school.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.