{{short description|Ghanaian engineer and educator; founder and president of Ashesi University}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} {{infobox person | name = Patrick Awuah Jr. | image = Patrick Awuah (Ashesi).jpg | birth_date = 1965 | alma_mater = Achimota School<br>UC Berkeley, <br>Swarthmore College | known_for = Ashesi University | awards = John P. McNulty Prize{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}<br>MacArthur Fellowship | spouse = Rebecca Awuah }}
'''Patrick Awuah Jr.''' (born 1965) is a Ghanaian engineer, educator, and entrepreneur. Awuah established Ashesi University, a private, not-for-profit Ghanaian institution in 2002.<ref name="Ashesi Foundation History"/> He has received awards<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biography - Patrick G. Awuah, Jr. - Ashesi University |url=https://www.ashesi.edu.gh/about/ashesi-s-leadership/34-about/presidency/11-biography.html |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=ashesi.edu.gh |archive-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613152222/https://www.ashesi.edu.gh/about/ashesi-s-leadership/34-about/presidency/11-biography.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> as an individual and as the founder of Ashesi.<ref name="Order of the Volta"/><ref name="McNulty">{{cite web |title=Creating the next generation of ethical leaders in West Africa |url=http://mcnultyfound.org/impact/stories/ashesi |website=McNulty Foundation |access-date=29 August 2020 |language=en |date=29 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="Fortune"/><ref name="MacArthur 2015"/><ref name="Wise"/>
==Life== Awuah grew up in Accra, Ghana. He attended the Achimota School<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://omgvoice.com/lifestyle/successful-ghanaians-achimota-school/|title=22 Successful Ghanaians Who Went To Achimota School|last=Ofori-Mensah|work=OMGVoice|access-date=2017-03-29|language=en|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330084031/http://omgvoice.com/lifestyle/successful-ghanaians-achimota-school/|archive-date=2017-03-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Awuah |first1=Patrick |title=Achimota School @ 80 |url=http://archives.ashesi.edu.gh/V3_2004_2010/NEWS/ARTICLES_SPEECHES/2007_ARTICLES_SPEECHES/Achimota%20at%2080_that%20all%20may%20be%20one.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013011210/https://archives.ashesi.edu.gh/V3_2004_2010/NEWS/ARTICLES_SPEECHES/2007_ARTICLES_SPEECHES/Achimota%20at%2080_that%20all%20may%20be%20one.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 October 2023 |website=Ashesi University Archives |publisher=Ashesi University |access-date=29 August 2020 }}</ref> where he was a house prefect.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}
He moved to the U.S. in 1985 to attend Swarthmore College with a full scholarship. He earned bachelor's degrees in Engineering and Economics, graduating in 1989. Following graduation, Awuah worked as a software engineer and program manager for Microsoft from 1989 to 1997. At Microsoft, he met his future wife, Rebecca, a software testing engineer.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://bulletin.swarthmore.edu/bulletin-issue-archive/index.html%3Fp=384.html|title = A New Model of Leadership for Africa|date = January 2010|website = Swarthmore College Bulletin|publisher = |last = Maguire|first = Ken}}</ref>
In 1997, Awuah left Microsoft with the goal of returning to Ghana to educate the next generation of African leaders.<ref>{{Cite web| last1=Quist-Arcton | first1=Ofeibea |title = Building a University, and Hope, in Ghana| website=NPR.org | date=30 December 2005 |url = https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5074440|access-date = 2015-09-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/10/14/448569082/setting-up-ghanas-first-liberal-arts-college-makes-him-a-genius|title=Setting Up Ghana's First Liberal Arts College Makes Him A 'Genius'|work=NPR.org|access-date=2017-06-22|language=en}}</ref> He enrolled at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, focusing his work on preparing a business plan for Ashesi. Awuah, Nina Marini, and other graduate students from Berkeley went to Ghana to do a feasibility study for opening a private university there. Awuah graduated with his MBA in 1999. That same year, he moved back to Ghana with his family to found Ashesi University.<ref name="Ashesi Foundation History">{{Cite web|title = History :Ashesi University Foundation|url = http://ashesi.org/about/history/|website = ashesi.org|access-date = 2015-09-30|archive-date = 1 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151001160125/http://ashesi.org/about/history/|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref name="AP Mac 2015">{{cite news|title=List: MacArthur Foundation 'genius grant' recipients, 2015|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_28893060/list-macarthur-foundation-genius-grant-recipients-2015|access-date=29 September 2015|agency=Associated Press|publisher=San Diego Mercury News|date=29 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="Trib Mac">{{cite web|last1=Carpenter|first1=John|title=3 Chicagoans among class of MacArthur 'geniuses'|date=28 September 2015 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-macarthur-genius-awards-2015-ent-0929-20150928-story.html|publisher=Chicago Tribune|access-date=29 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="teddy" /> Awuah continues to serve as the president of Ashesi University.<ref>{{cite web |title=Governance & Leadership |url=https://www.ashesi.edu.gh/about/ashesi-s-leadership.html |website=Ashesi University |access-date=29 August 2020 |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603153856/http://www.ashesi.edu.gh/about/ashesi-s-leadership.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Achievements and awards == John Kufuor presented Awuah the Order of the Volta Award to recognise his contribution to tertiary education in Ghana in 2007.<ref name="Order of the Volta">{{cite web|title=Order of the Volta award|url=http://www.ashesi.edu.gh/about/ashesi-at-a-glance/awards-and-recognition-20/708-president-of-ghana-order-of-the-volta-2007.html|access-date=20 January 2018}}{{Dead link|date=October 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 2009, Awuah won the John P. McNulty Prize.<ref>{{cite web |title=2009 John P. McNulty Prize Finalists |url=https://archive.org/details/2009_John_P._McNulty_Prize_Finalists |website=Archive.org |language=English |date=25 June 2009|access-date=29 August 2020}}</ref> In 2010, Awuah was awarded 87th most creative business person by Fast Company.<ref>{{cite web|title=Patrick Awuah named amongst 100 most creative people in business|url=http://www.ashesi.edu.gh/about/ashesi-at-a-glance/awards-and-recognition-20/702-patrick-awuah-named-amongst-the-100-most-creative-people-in-business-2010.html|access-date=20 January 2018|archive-date=21 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121000026/http://www.ashesi.edu.gh/about/ashesi-at-a-glance/awards-and-recognition-20/702-patrick-awuah-named-amongst-the-100-most-creative-people-in-business-2010.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2014, he received The Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award, which honours UC Berkeley alumni with distinguished records of service to their native country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award|url=https://awards.berkeley.edu/elise-walter-haas-international-award/recipients}}</ref> In the same year he was named best social entrepreneur by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ashesi at a glance|url=http://www.ashesi.edu.gh/about/ashesi-at-a-glance/awards-and-recognition-20/1782-he-year-2014-by-the-schwab-foundation-for-social-entrepreneurshipashesi-president-named-social-entrepreneur-of-the-year-2014-by-the-schwab-foundation-for-social-entrepreneurship.html|access-date=20 January 2018|archive-date=29 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529161602/https://www.ashesi.edu.gh/about/ashesi-at-a-glance/awards-and-recognition-20/1782-he-year-2014-by-the-schwab-foundation-for-social-entrepreneurshipashesi-president-named-social-entrepreneur-of-the-year-2014-by-the-schwab-foundation-for-social-entrepreneurship.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2015, Awuah was listed by Fortune as number 40 in world's 50 greatest leaders<ref name="Fortune">{{cite web|title=Worlds 50 greatest leaders|url=http://fortune.com/worlds-greatest-leaders/2015/}}</ref> and was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.<ref name="MacArthur 2015">{{cite web|title=MacArthur Fellowship 2015|url=https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class/2015/}}</ref> In 2017, Awuah was awarded the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) prize, a major global education award.<ref name="Wise">{{cite news|title=Ashesi University founder wins education award|url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ashesi-university-founder-wins-500-000-education-prize.html|location=Accra, Ghana|access-date=20 January 2018|agency=Graphic Online|date=15 Nov 2017|newspaper=Daily Graphic}}</ref>
==See also== *List of Ghanaians- Academia and educators
==References== {{external media | width = 210px | float = right | headerimage= | video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=8&v=EkBD3Dhf1pg Education Entrepreneur Patrick Awuah, 2015 MacArthur Fellow], 3:35, MacArthur Foundation<ref name="macfellow">{{cite web | title =Patrick Awuah | publisher =MacArthur Foundation | date = September 28, 2015 | url =https://www.macfound.org/fellows/929/ | access-date =September 29, 2015 }}</ref> | video2 = [https://www.ted.com/talks/patrick_awuah_how_to_educate_leaders_liberal_arts?language=en Patrick Awuah: How to educate leaders? Liberal arts], 17:26, TED Talks<ref name="teddy">{{cite web | title =Patrick Awuah: How to educate leaders? Liberal arts | publisher =TED Talks | date = 2007 | url =https://www.ted.com/talks/patrick_awuah_how_to_educate_leaders_liberal_arts?language=en | access-date =September 29, 2015 }}</ref> }} {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://agln.aspeninstitute.org/fellows/patrick-awuah Fellow Profile: Patrick Awuah] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001004108/http://agln.aspeninstitute.org/fellows/patrick-awuah |date=1 October 2015 }}, Aspen Global Leadership Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:Awuah, Patrick}} Category:Living people Category:People from Accra Category:Microsoft employees Category:Ghanaian educators Category:MacArthur Fellows Category:University and college founders Category:1965 births Category:Swarthmore College alumni Category:Haas School of Business alumni Category:Fante people Category:Alumni of Achimota School Category:Ashesi University