By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Fifty-five years after its establishment, the University of Jos, Plateau State, has broken its male-only leadership tradition with the appointment of Prof. Patricia Mamko Lar as its first female Vice-Chancellor.
Lar becomes the university’s 11th substantive Vice-Chancellor, succeeding Prof. Tanko Ishaya, whose tenure is coming to an end.
Her appointment was announced on Thursday, by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Sen. Grace Folashade Bent, during a special meeting of the university’s 15th Governing Council.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued by Emmanuel Madugu, Deputy Registrar, Information and Public Relations, on behalf of the Registrar and Secretary to Council.
Presenting the letter of appointment, Bent charged the incoming Vice-Chancellor to remain focused and committed to the responsibilities of her new office.
A Professor of Medical Microbiology, Lar joined the University of Jos in 1987 as a Graduate Assistant and rose through the academic ranks before becoming a professor in 2015.
Her research interests include infectious diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS, malaria and antimicrobial resistance.
She obtained her academic qualifications from Ahmadu Bello University and the University of Lagos before undertaking postdoctoral training at the University of Maryland, United States, under the NIH-Fogarty Fellowship Programme.
Lar has also served the university in several administrative capacities, including Head of the Department of Microbiology and Director of Linkages and Collaborations.
Before her appointment, she served as Acting Vice-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, formerly the University of Abuja, for six months.
Her appointment marks a historic milestone for the institution, established in 1971, as she becomes the first woman to occupy the substantive Vice-Chancellor position in its 55-year history.