Udoh Elijah Udom was born into a monogamous family, with strongparental guidance, hinged on Christian values. He was socialized earlyto think of education as sine qua non to surviv...vizualizați mai multeUdoh Elijah Udom was born into a monogamous family, with strongparental guidance, hinged on Christian values. He was socialized earlyto think of education as sine qua non to survival in this world. Hegrew up with a ravenous appetite for knowledge. Unfortunately, hiseducation was put on hold when his father passed away before he evencompleted his primary education. With the money earned from menialjobs, coupled with the help of his mother, he completed his primaryeducation and moved on to study privately for ordinary and advancedlevels General Certificate of Education (GCE). Success in GCEopened doors for further studies in institutions of higher learning.He earned his bachelor’s degree in social science/psychology fromThe University of Wisconsin (USA); Juris Doctorate degree from TheUniversity of Iowa (USA); Master of Law degree from The Universityof Leicester (UK), and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Government/Public Administration from The University of Texas at Austin (USA)—mission accomplished. His combined training in law and publicadministration became the passport to his future. It opened doors foremployment at both local and international levels. While in graduateschools, he served as Faculty Assistant to different faculty membersand was diligently involved in Research. This was when he developedan interest in academics, but that interest in academics was overtakenby an attractive job offer with the World Health Organization (WHO)regional office for Africa (AFRO) in Brazzaville, Congo.He began a long career journey in the WHO that lasted for two decades(1984 – 2004). He served AFRO in various legal and administrativecapacities for thirteen years. During his time in AFRO, he wasprivileged to travel to, live, work, and visit many African countries,South of the Sahara. As he often says, there is no better educationin African history and politics than the exposure he had traveling todifferent African countries and learning, firsthand, their culture andsocio-political developments. He loved working in the African regionof WHO, except when he was assigned to war-torn countries. In 1997,he was transferred from AFRO to WHO Headquarters in Geneva,Switzerland, where he served as the Head of Administrative Servicestill he retired in July 2004.Retirement, in the true meaning of that word, was not in Dr. Udom’slexicon. He retired from WHO but was not tired. In 2005, he acceptedan Adjunct Faculty position with Strayer University in Washington,DC, USA. This appointment paved the way for him to satisfy hispassion for teaching, writing, and research. At Strayer University, hetaught undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in law and publicadministration. His passion for teaching earned him recognition amongstudents, faculty, and university leadership. In 2007, he was awardedthe prestigious Donald R. Stoddard Faculty Award of Excellence. In2009, he was promoted Academic Dean of Strayer University campusin Nashville, Tennessee. It was a unique position in the continuumof his career in academics, particularly as the facilitating link amongfaculty members, staff, students, and University leadership.As an Academic Dean, he decided courses to be offered each quarter,coordinated students’ admission processes, recruited faculty and staff ofthe academic department, and carried out regular faculty evaluation. Incollaboration with other senior administrative staff, he was responsiblefor ensuring the security of students and staff while on campus.In 2011, he decided to step down as Academic Dean and returnedto the Washington, DC campus as full-time faculty. In 2013, hefelt enough was enough with Strayer University and resigned. He iscurrently an Adjunct Professor at Washington Adventist University,Takoma Park, Washington DC.Dr. Udom is an author of three books: (i) Adminisprudence: ABehavioural Approach to Managing Ourselves and Others (1998), (ii)Restless Citizens: The Hidden Burdens of Living and Working for theUnited Nations (2010), and (iii) What Makes Students Tick: Unlockingthe Passion for Learning (2014). Dr. Udom has also published peer-reviewedarticles. He continues to sharpen his brain by reading, writing,and blogging on his two online journals: www.africanexchange.netand www.ourroot.net. He is involved in church activities, ethnic andprofessional associations promoting human welfare and dignity. As agrandfather, he often travels to visit his grandchildren scattered acrossthe globe. No wonder he says retirement is a job of many colors.He is a man who “never sleeps.” He is always thinking or doingsomething to improve himself. What next after this autobiography hasbeen published? Stay tuned.vizualizați mai puține