The College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS) recognized the Dean of the School of Liberal and Performing Arts (SLPA), Dr. Pamela Khanakwa (APN IRG 2015), for outstanding academic leadership at Makerere University, which has seen her supervise six of eighteen doctoral graduates, with three graduating within the official three-year timeframe. Link to full story: https://bit.ly/4uFMvYU
She is a distinguished academic and administrator at Makerere University, currently serving as the Dean of the School of Liberal and Performing Arts (SLPA). She is also a recipient of the APN Individual Research Grant (IRG), 2015.
Congratulations on being honored by the Makerere University College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS) with an award for Best PhD Supervisor and Dean. Please describe how you feel about this special recognition.
I feel good and excited that the leadership of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences recognized and appreciated my contribution to graduate training. It is one thing to be appreciated by one’s students, and another to be recognized by colleagues in the College. I am so humbled.
What are the most important factors that inspired your decision to become an academic, and what motivates you to give your best as an academic supervisor, mentor, and administrator?
First and foremost: I needed a job. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Makerere University. My first small job, which lasted for three months, was a research assistantship with a team of archaeologists led by Professor Peter Robertshaw (then at California State University, San Bernardino). It introduced me to the world of research, but I certainly did not understand much at that time.
I decided to enroll for a Master of Arts degree in History with the hope that it would lead to university employment. While pursuing the Master’s program, I got into part-time teaching in a secondary school. When I was done with the Masters, I got a university teaching job at Uganda Christian University (UCU) in Mukono, Uganda. While there, I realized the necessity of a PhD for someone teaching at a university. I liked the job, but I was not as confident because I did not have a doctorate. The leadership of UCU always stressed the importance and necessity of PhDs for academic staff. At that point, I could not even imagine that I would enroll for a PhD because I had no funding.
My life turned around when one of my friends, Professor Rhiannon Stephens (now at Columbia University), introduced and got me interested in applying for a PhD program at Northwestern University in Evanston, USA, where she was a student herself. I had met Rhiannon early when we both worked on an archaeological project in Uganda directed by Prof. Andrew Reid. So, in September 2005, I enrolled in the PhD program at Northwestern University. My academic advisor was Prof. David Schoenbrun. He did a great job in shaping my academic career. He gave me his best. I tell this long story to show that I was not inspired by a single factor.
There was my mother. She was a primary school teacher, and growing up, I saw how her former students (then big men and women) treated her with respect. I admired that. I desired to impact lives, and being in academia was one way of doing so.
I give my best to my students because I was also given the best by Prof. Schoenbrun. I want my students to do their best. I know that each student has their own strengths and weaknesses. I focus on each one’s strength and push them towards what I consider to be the right direction. I know that their success is my success as well. I also take it that the advisor-advisee relationship is not just academic. It is an enduring relationship. It is about making or unmaking others’ career dreams.
What, in your experience, are the three most important things that motivate doctoral students to embark on and complete their doctoral journey? Do you have any advice for aspiring PhD students?
- Advancing career prospects and development, as you can see from my own story. Some of my students are already in University employment, but they need a PhD because it is a requirement for them to get tenure and promotion. Those who are not yet employed know that holding a PhD will open up opportunities in academia and make them competitive for university employment.
- Some see having a PhD appended to their names as a sign of prestige. They want to fit in and belong to that community.
- Some have a strong passion for research and a desire to contribute to knowledge production within their areas of interest.
- Driven by the desire to gain specialization and be able to speak about different issues from an authoritative position.
My advice to aspiring PhD students:
- Just go for it. But be prepared to sacrifice time and work hard. They should not fear getting started. Fear delays and fails them.
- They should have confidence in themselves and know that nothing is out of reach.
- They should pick a topic that they feel passionate about, drawing from their experiences, or from something that has provoked their curiosity in available research/literature.
- They should be very intentional about the PhD and not do it just because others are doing it.
- Once in the program, they should manage and utilize their time well. They should be ready to sacrifice and commit to hard work. They should think of doing a PhD as full time job. They should commit a certain number of hours a day to the project to keep up the momentum.
You were recently appointed a member of the Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC’s) African Peacebuilding and Developmental Dynamics (APDD) Selection Committee and Advisory Board, the program that awarded you the highly prestigious APN Individual Research Grant over a decade ago in 2015. When you look back at how far you have come, how would you describe the role of the program in your professional development and academic accomplishments?
I am deeply grateful. I feel privileged by the appointment to the Selection Committee and Advisory Board of the APDD (formerly APN and Next Gen). I mean, there are so many alumni of APDD out there, but someone saw something unique in me. Someone saw that I had the potential to serve. Again, at no point in my career had I imagined that I would ever be elevated to such a position of great intellectual importance. I do not take it for granted.
When I was awarded the prestigious APN Individual Grant in 2015, I had neither a publication nor a supervision record to talk about. The APN training workshops introduced me to different ways of thinking about my research and career development. The one-on-one sessions with mentors were very key as they got me thinking more deeply about my work. Dr. Cyril Obi has been particularly keen on my growth since 2015. He has assigned me tasks that have challenged me to work harder and expanded my intellectual horizon. In 2018, I was invited to discuss a set of papers by APN fellows at the African Studies Association (ASA) Annual Conference in Atlanta. It was a diverse set of papers, and I had to read widely. After the conference, the APN team interviewed me. During the interview, I felt that I had not achieved so much to talk about. That motivated me to focus on output in what I do. More importantly, days after the conference, Dr. Obi invited the panelists and me to submit manuscripts for a special issue of African Studies Review (ASR). That is how I got my paper published in the prestigious ASR. My article was an output from my APN-supported project.
The now-APDD team always followed up to find out about my advancement. This was very key to my growth. I felt that the follow-up was meant not only to hold me accountable but also to challenge me to have output to report. I wanted to avoid that awkward feeling when people ask you what you are up to or what is new, and you give the same response: “Nothing is new.” I wanted to have something new to say. Moreover, I also felt that they reached out to me because they believed that I had something to contribute to the program activities and mentorship of the next generation of academics on the continent.
Over the past ten years, the program has invited me to participate in several intellectual activities, and this has challenged me to stay on top of the game. I have learnt that academics must create time to read the works of others and give critical feedback. In doing that, one broadens their knowledge, gets to know the diverse research going on, but also mentors present and future academics. This shaped my supervision style. I believe in walking the journey steadily with the students.
Now that you have accomplished the great feat of being honored as the best PhD Supervisor, Dean, and Makerere University, and your appointment to the highly respected SSRC APDD board, what is your vision going forward? What next?
I want to continue aiming higher. To strike a balance between supervision and research. I want to engage in research that is both academic and focused on addressing issues in communities.
