Jimma University
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Jimma University (JU) is a public research university located in
Jimma Jimma () is the largest city in southwestern Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is a special zone of the Oromia Region and is surrounded by Jimma Zone. It has a latitude and longitude of . Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administrativ ...
,
Oromia Region Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa. It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar Region and the Benis ...
,
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
. It is recognized as the leading national university, as ranked first by the Federal
Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
for four successive years (2009–2012). The establishment of Jimma university dates back to 1952 when Jimma college of Agriculture was founded. The university got its current name in December 1999 following the amalgamation of Jimma College of Agriculture (founded in 1952) and Jimma Institute of Health Sciences (founded in 1983).


Overview

The university is located in the city of
Jimma Jimma () is the largest city in southwestern Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is a special zone of the Oromia Region and is surrounded by Jimma Zone. It has a latitude and longitude of . Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administrativ ...
, situated around 352 kilometers southwest of
Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
. Its grounds cover some 167 hectares. JU is Ethiopia's first innovative community-oriented educational institution of higher learning, with teaching centers for health care students in
Jimma Jimma () is the largest city in southwestern Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is a special zone of the Oromia Region and is surrounded by Jimma Zone. It has a latitude and longitude of . Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administrativ ...
, Omo Nada, Shebe, Agaro, and Asendabo. JU is a pioneer in
Public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
training. It has academic and scientific collaboration with numerous national and international partners. JU also publishes the biannual ''Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences'', and launched the ''Jimma University Journal of Law'' in October 2007.


Academics

Jimma University is one of the largest and comprehensive public research universities in Africa. The university has more than 4,000 faculty and staff members. It also has twelve research facilities, a modern hospital, a community school, a community radio station (FM 102.0), an ICT center, libraries and revenue generating enterprises. The university is operating on four campuses and it is on the phase of establishing its fifth campus at Agaro. Currently, the university educates more than 43,000 students in 56 undergraduate and 103 postgraduate programs in regular, summer and distance education with more enrollments in the years to come. The university has many national and international linkages and collaborations in the area of research, education and community service. Its innovative educational philosophy, staff commitment and motivation and availability of better research facility have helped the university in attracting both national and international partners.


Faculties, Institutes and Schools

The university consists of the following academic units: * School of Graduate Studies * Institute of Technology * Institute of Education and Professional Development Studies * College Of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine * College of Business and Economics * College of Natural Sciences * College of Humanities and Social Sciences . College of Law and Governance * College of Public Health and Medical Sciences * School of Art * Agaro Campus


Initiatives

Jimma University is highly committed to pioneering concepts, as reflected in its motto, the university was initially founded based on the concept of Community-Based Education (CBE). Throughout its history, the university has been committed to this scheme, and almost all of the academic curriculum are based on CBE programs. Jimma University is the first university in Africa that has established an exclusive office under the President's office to supervise all innovative programs across the university.


Jimma University College of Public Health and Medical Sciences

The establishment of the College of Health Sciences of Jimma University (JU) can be traced back to 1983 with the birth of the then Jimma Institute of Health Sciences (JIHS). The very beginning of the establishment of JIHS is marked as a continuation of the Ras Desta Damtew Health Assistant Training School established in 1967 by the Ethio-Netherlands health project in the premises of Jimma Hospital. On this foundation, the School of Nursing was established in 1983. Subsequently, the School of Medicine as well as the School of Pharmacy emerged in 1985; the School of Medical Laboratory Technology and the School of Environmental Health launched in 1987 and 1988, respectively. Jimma University teaching Hospital (JUTH) is one of the oldest public hospitals in the country. It was established in 1922. Geographically, it is located in Jimma city 352 km southwest of the capital Addis Ababa. It has been governed under the Ethiopian government by the name of “Ras Desta Damtew Hospital” and later “Jimma Hospital" during Dergue regime and currently Jimma University Specialized Teaching Hospital. Though old for its age, it had not made remarkable physical facility improvement for years. However, in the later times it became evident that some side-wing buildings were constructed by different stakeholders at different times to respond to the ever-growing pressure of service demand and clinical teaching need derived from the public and Jimma University respectively. Especially, after transfer of its ownership to Jimma University, the university has made relentless efforts in extensive renovation and expansion work to make the hospital conducive for service, teaching and research. Cognizant of the fast growing service and teaching role of the hospital, the federal government considered construction of a new and level- best 600 bedded hospital which’ will be functional as of September 2015.


Department of Materials Science & Engineering

Department of Materials Science & Engineering, as a national role model for research-oriented departments, was established with a start-up budget of US$10 million. This is the first comprehensive department of materials science in Ethiopia, which offers all MSE programs. The main theme of the department research is nano-materials under supervision of Professor Ali Eftekhari, President of the American Nano Society.


Notable alumni

*
Gebisa Ejeta Gebisa Ejeta (born 1950) is an Ethiopian American plant breeder, geneticist and Professor at Purdue University. In 2009, he won the World Food Prize for his major contributions in the production of sorghum. Early years Ejeta was born in the ...
- 2009
World Food Prize The World Food Prize is an international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world. Conceived by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nor ...
winner (considered the Nobel prize of Agriculture) *
Lia Tadesse Lia Tadesse Gebremedhin ( am, ሊያ ታደሰ ገብረመድኅን; born 1976) is an Ethiopian politician and physician serving as the current Minister of Health since March 2020. Prior to her appointment, Lia served as State Minister of Hea ...
- Ethiopia Minister of Health * Tefera Belachew - Renown nutrition professor


References

{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1952 1952 establishments in Ethiopia Universities and colleges in Oromia Region