The success of the students is the ultimate goal of any educator. In the end of year awards ceremony held in April 2023, Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) awarded the Student Success Champion Award to Professor Peter Ndiang’ui from Mathakwa-ini Village Kenya.
This award is given to a professor who has gone beyond the call of duty to ensure that the students succeed. The recipient works tirelessly to lead transformational programs and activities to ensure that the students excel inside or outside the classroom.
In announcing this award, Dr. Lisa Johnson the Vice-President in charge of student enrollment noted that students had described Ndiang’ui as the most inspiring professor in campus.
The students noted that, Ndiang’ui goes out of his way to ensure that every student succeeds. One student stated that “ Prof. Ndiang’ui has so much time for me that I feel like I am his only student”.
Consequently, Professor Ndiang’ui has one of the highest pass rates in his Child and Youth Studies (CYS) Program. Professor Ndiang’ui infuses hands-on practices in which students conduct research as they study. Several of his students have made presentations and won awards in international conferences.
Through the Global One Voice Consortium (www.onevoiceconsortium.com) in which he serves as the Executive Director, Ndiang’ui has been in the fore front in the recruitment of graduate student-teachers from Kenya to study in FGCU as they work in Lee County School District.
In her recommendation, FGCU College of Education Assistant Dean Keiana Desmore noted that Peter is selfless in his nurturing and mentoring of students. In addition, he goes out of his way to help the university recruit a diverse group of high-performing students.
For instance, last year (2022) he initiated a program in which we get students from Africa through the Curriculum Practical Training (CPT) Program. This program has exposed the students to other cultures which prepares them to be global citizens.
Through his mentoring program, the students graduate with honors. In the most recently released Fall 2022 President’s and Dean’s Lists, CYS had the largest number of honorees from the COE (24 in President’s list and 35 in Dean’s list).
Ndiang’ui was recently appointed as the Honorary Ambassador of Nyeri Kenya. Together with the members of the Nyeri County Diaspora Advisory Council that he put together with Governor Mutahi Kahiga and Nyeri County cabinet, Ndiang’ui has used this position to set up a Leadership Academy that mentor children from low-income families.
He is currently paying tuition for 20 such students from different parts of Nyeri County (www.ndlai.org). Several of the children supported by the academy are grandchildren of Mau Mau warriors.
The academy has also partnered with the State Department of Diaspora Affairs to adopt a forest in the region.
We are very proud of this, and the many accomplishments of Prof. Peter Ndiang’ui. He has been a role model of many people in the diaspora and at home.
Kenyan Professor wins coveted award in Florida Gulf Coast University
