Patrick Awuah- Founder & President Ashesi University

Overview<Education
Awuah left Ghana in 1985 to attend Swarthmore College on a full scholarship, after which he worked for Microsoft Corporation as an engineer and a program manager for eight years. Experiencing firsthand the dramatic impact that education can have on one's life, Awuah embarked on a mission in 1997 to provide greater educational opportunities in Ghana. He enrolled at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, both to evaluate the feasibility of his goal and to gain a broader range of managerial skills with which to found and manage a university.

Career
He graduated from Swarthmore College with an engineering degree in 1990. Soon after, he joined Microsoft, moved to Seattle and became a millionaire before he was 30.
But becoming a father made Awuah reconsider moving back to Ghana. His goal is to establish an Ivy League-quality university in his home country and train the next generation of African leaders, with a focus on ethical entrepreneurship and integrity.
Patrick made this discovery and came to understand that the challenging yet supportive liberal arts environment of Swarthmore, with its high academic standards and expectations for students, was a key factor in changing the way he thought about himself and the world around him.

Ashesi is a private, hi-tech university in a leafy residential suburb of Ghana's capital city, Accra. Its campus and facilities present a stark contrast to Ghana's five public universities.

Family
Patrick is married to Rebecca and they have two kids:his young son, Nana Yaw and infant daughter, Afia.

Achievements
2004 - Honored as one of the 'Top Forty Under Forty' by Puget Sound Business Journal
2004 - He was presented with a Doctorate from Swarthmore College.
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2007 - He was nominated Young Global Leader.
2007 - Membership of the Order of the Volta by His Excellency, President J. A. Kufuor of Ghana.

He is :
a member of the Tau Beta Pi honor society for excellence in engineering
a member of the Council onForeign Relations
a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy
a fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative, a joint project of
the Aspen Institute, Technoserve and Databank.

References
Wikipedia
Black Herald