KENYAN SCHOLAR JOINS UA FACULTY

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Fredrick Muyia Nafukho, former head of the department of educational administration, planning and curriculum development of Moi University in Kenya, has been appointed assistant professor in the UA’s department of vocational and adult education.

"Dr. Nafukho’s research involves important issues in adult education," said department head Barbara Hinton. "He has already established a very productive research agenda, and we are pleased that he will be continuing his scholarly contributions as part of our faculty."

Nafukho received his Ph.D. in vocational education from Louisiana State University with a dissertation that focused on university recruitment and enrollment. At the University of Arkansas, he plans to extend his dissertation research to examine factors involved in retention of students. He and Hinton will team up to study how to develop a conducive learning environment on the virtual campus created by distance education programs.

The College of Education and Health Professions expects to benefit in another way from Nafukho’s expertise. College director of minority services and student affairs, Gigi Secuban, used research findings in Nafukho’s dissertation in developing the college’s recruitment plan. His analysis of the effectiveness of university recruitment strategies was of particular interest to Secuban.

Nafukho comes to the University of Arkansas with nearly ten years’ experience on the faculty of Moi University and Egerton University, both in Kenya. He has published extensively in the United States and internationally on human resource development and training, university recruitment, financing education, and the use of computers in education and the workplace. He is the author of several seminal articles pertaining to the economics of education in Kenya.

Nafukho points to two factors that influenced his decision to come to the University of Arkansas. Because conditions in Kenya are difficult for scholars, he particularly appreciates the tools and resources available to researchers in the United States. As a Fulbright scholar and former member of a review panel for Fulbright doctoral scholarships, he said that when he learned of J. William Fulbright’s history with the state and the university, "it inspired me to join the University of Arkansas."