Professor Robert Ikoja-Odongo, also Robert Ikoja Odongo or simply Robert Ikoja (born 1950), is a

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

and

academic administrator Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the Faculty (academic staff), faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint ...

. He is the current

Vice Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

Soroti University Soroti University (SUN), is a public multi-campus university in Uganda. It is one of the nine public universities and degree-awarding institutions in the country. Location Soroti University has its main campus in Arapai, Arapai sub-county, Sorot ...

, a public University in Uganda.

Background and education

He was born in Soroti, Uganda, circa 1950. He holds the degree of

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

, awarded by

Makerere university Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...

, the largest and oldest public university in the country. He also holds the degree of

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

in Publishing Studies, obtained from the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built w ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. His degree of

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

in Library and Information Science, was obtained from the

University of Zululand The University of Zululand or UniZulu is the only comprehensive tertiary educational institution north of the Tugela River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Its new status is in accordance with South Africa's National Plan for Higher Education ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Career

Ikoja-Odongo has worked in various roles in

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...

, including as: * Principal of the College of Computing and Information Sciences * Head of Makerere University Institute of Psychology * Lecturer at the university's East African School of Library and Information Science. In August 2012, he was named Vice-Chancellor of the then newly created

and was named to head the task-force charged with establishing the university.

Academic Authorship

He has over the years of his career participated in research studies most especially in the field of library science and information science which have made his one of the top experts in the country. some of his work includes; ''Information needs and information-seeking behavior of artisan fisher folk of Uganda''. This study revealed that fisher folk require different kinds of information to carry out fishing activities effectively. ''Information seeking behavior of the informal sector entrepreneurs: The Uganda experience.''The results suggested that modern/exotic models of information transfer based on textual media and ICT exhibit less impact on the entrepreneurs' information needs and use at macro levels because of poverty, illiteracy and poor information infrastructure. ''Application of information and communication technology (ICT) in health information access and dissemination in Uganda''. The study established that a number of challenges must be addressed if the full benefit of the use and application of ICT in health information access and dissemination is to be realized in Uganda. ''The impact of cybercafes on information services in Uganda.'' the study suggested that ICT policies be instituted and computers and the Internet be made part of the school curriculum to equip Ugandans with the necessary skills and to extend these new Internet services to the Ugandan rural community as well. ''Information needs and use among urban farmers in Kampala district in Uganda.'' This study emphasized the need to disseminate agricultural information in Kampala City to be based on the urban farmers' enterprise groups and their information needs. A study of information needs and uses of the informal sector of Uganda. The study determined the information needs and uses of the informal sector in Uganda. Public library politics: The Ugandan perspective. The article established the feelings of respondents on the importance of public library services and the problems affecting them. ''A framework for developing a knowledge base for indigenous ecological knowledge in Uganda''. This article presented a framework for documenting indigenous knowledge in Uganda and raised issues to document and use develop the framework ''An observational study of the information seeking and communicating behaviour of enterprenures in the informal sector in Uganda''. The study established that entrepreneurs seek and communicate information mostly informally and orally. ''Private camel library brings hope to pastoralists: the Kenyan experience''. The article discusses an innovation in the Kenya National Library Service, the Camel Library Service (CLS) in North Eastern Province, Kenya. Uganda's public library system and services from colonial times to the present. The article traced the history of the Public Library Service in Uganda from colonial times.

Other responsibilities

Professor Robert Ikoja-Odongo is a married father.

References

External links