Next: Awards and accolades
Posted Jun. 19/07
Since he first came to Carleton University as a doctoral student, our community has benefited from knowing Edward Osei-Kwadwo Prempeh. When he died of cancer on March 3, 2007 at the age of 47, Prempeh, PhD/96, left a legacy of celebrating diversity and promoting human rights.
An associate professor in the departments of Political Science and Sociology and Anthropology, Prempeh was a gifted teacher, receiving a Carleton University Teaching Achievement Award in 2001-02 and a Public Affairs Teaching Award in 2006. He introduced countless undergraduate and graduate students to issues related to global democratization and human rights. His contributions to curriculum development can be seen in the African Studies program to be introduced in September.
Prempeh facilitated a relationship between Carleton and institutions in Ghana and in 2004, Carleton signed a formal agreement with the University of Ghana that enables Carleton students to spend a year studying there and brings a University of Ghana professor specializing in African studies to teach for one year at Carleton.
As Carleton’s Race Equity Coordinator from 1996 to 2002, Prempeh helped create a climate that values racial diversity. He was also the president of the Carleton University Academic Staff Association in 2005-06.
“Edward was a wonderful colleague. His devotion to his students and to the best interests of the university was unstinting,” says Katherine Graham, dean of the Faculty of Public Affairs. “He should be remembered for these things and for his principled approach to the pursuit of social justice.”
Prempeh is the posthumous recipient of the 2007 Founders Award, Carleton’s highest non-academic honour.
To donate to the Edward Osei-Kwadwo Prempeh Memorial Scholarship to support students in African studies at Carleton, please contact Elizabeth DiSabato, scholarship development and stewardship specialist, at 613-520-2600 ext. 8977 or elizabeth_disabato@carleton.ca.