Palm University Foundation
The Palm University Foundation Story
During the first 12 months of his exposure to the United States, Dr. Peter Carlos Okantey was astounded by the differences between the U.S and Ghana, where he grew up. The basic infrastructure in the U.S alone led him to start asking, “Why?” As he continued to ask why, three themes emerged; sacrificial leadership, investment, and higher education.
Peter became convinced these three themes are the foundational reasons why the West is far ahead of Ghana and the rest of Africa today. According to Peter, Western leaders have come to realize the need to selflessly support their people to advancement the lives of individuals and society.
He also noted a strong “spirit of investment” where both rich and poor communities are willing to put their resources towards individuals’ and society’s overall advancement. Finally, he noted there are significant levels of “investment in higher education” (colleges and universities).
Among the themes identified, Peter became certain higher education was the “hope of Ghana and Africa.” He realized he could selflessly invest towards the creation of higher educational opportunities in Ghana to bring an enhanced future to many.
As a result, Peter began exploring and comparing differences in the number of post-secondary and higher educational institutions in Ghana. Compared to Oregon, where he lived in the United States, he quickly discovered Ghana and Africa had a severe lack of tertiary-level educational institutions at the time.
Coupled with his challenges of accessing higher education in Ghana, the exceptional experience he had at Warner Pacific University and Regent University and his passion for ethics and excellence in African leadership, Peter decided to pursue the dream of founding a university – Palm University College with a strong focus on Ghana and Africa, grounded in excellence, values and ethics-based to facilitate the process of educating a generation of leaders in Ghana and Africa who will assist in identifying short and long term solutions to the many challenges of the continent. Peter founded the Palm University Foundation and has created a number of scholarship funds to honor individuals who have impacted his life while growing up in Ghana and living in the United States.
All the individuals he named the scholarship funds after have been very supportive of the work of the Foundation since its inception. The Palm University Foundation was founded by Peter in March of 2006, named after his mother, Naa Amerley Palm, who passed away a year after Peter settled in the United States.
Peter and his wife, Beth Okantey thought it was relevant to name the Foundation and the university after his mother because of her motivational and financial investment in his education in Ghana. Palm University Foundation is run by a board and advisers from the business community and the academe in Ghana and the United States. Palm University Foundation has been awarding scholarships to Ghanaian students at high school and university levels since 2006.
Currently, scholarships are awarded to Palm University College students through, the Lee Nusich & Lane Powell Scholarship Fund, the Matthew S. Essieh & Family Scholarship Fund, the Florence M. Hutchful & Family Scholarship Fund, the Nathan Howell Scholarship Fund and the Susan & Robert Smith Scholarship Fund.
Mission
Our mission is to educate ethical and excellent leaders with integrity for corporate, national and continental: creativity, innovation, service and sustainability
Vision
Our vision is to educate ethical and excellent leaders who are committed to the application of knowledge for the transformation of the African continent.
Core Values
At Palm, living and working with integrity is neither optional nor situational for faculty, staff and students. Integrity is an integral part of our daily lives and activities because it is the very foundation on which we build trust for individuals and as a community. Students at Palm University College are encouraged to practice and live with integrity in all their dealings.
Members of the Palm community are encouraged to stand for what is honest, truthful, moral, and ethical with or without anyone looking. We strongly believe integrity is the foundation on which we can build a University that transcends generations that educates and prepares ethical and excellent leaders for Ghana and Africa.
Ethical leadership is one of the foremost needs of the African continent hence the decision to choose “leadership” as one of our core values. As an institution of higher learning, we are committed to educating incorruptible, ethical and excellent individuals who will take up positions of responsibility and exert a positive influence in Africa.
We are committed to training ethical, innovative, creative and critical thinking leaders and entrepreneurs who possess the capacity to identify existing opportunities, challenges and problems in our society. Our graduate would provide long-lasting solutions to such problems and challenges confronting our society. They will equally take advantage of the enormous opportunities at their disposal. At Palm, we are focused on educating leaders who will positively and ethically change and enhance the story of Ghana and Africa as a whole.
Excellence embodies everything we do at Palm. Our definition of excellence is to demand more of ourselves even after we have met our targets with the utmost effectiveness and efficiency. We believe there is always more room on the ladder of excellence. As an institution of higher learning with an emphasis on educating excellent leaders and entrepreneurs, we do not condone mediocrity.
Academic and professional distinction, superiority and supremacy are the highest points we expect from our staff and faculty and envision for our students and graduates. We endeavor to train outstanding human resources for today and tomorrow’s industries. Our students have an unwavering quest for working towards excellence. Our faculty and staff aspire for nothing below excellence.
Visit Palm University Foundation website
