Prof Florence Dolphyne on her top 10 principles in life

Professor Florence Abena Dolphyne is a Ghanaian linguist and academic, who rose to become the first female professor and first female pro-vice chancellor of the country’s premier university, the University of Ghana.

Prof. Dolphyne served the University of Ghana for 36 years after obtaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the University in 1958 and a PhD in Phonetics and Linguistics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 1965.

From a lecturer in the department of Linguistics, she rose through the ranks to become the Head of Department and later the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, currently known as the School of Arts. She was later promoted to the status of a Professor in Linguistics and advanced to become the first female Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University.

In 2004, the University awarded her an honorary doctorate degree. She was also a member of the University of Ghana Council. She has served on many boards and societies in Ghana.

Prof. Dolphne attended Wesley Girls’ High School, Cape Coast and is one of the few females who attended Mfantsipim School for sixth form education.

In her active research years, Prof. Dolphyne produced key publications, including a Phonological analysis of Twi vowels; a classification of Akan verb stems; Dialect differences and historical processes in Akan, The Brong (Bono) dialect of Akan and a course in oral English: Teachers’ handbook, that influenced the discipline.

Prof. Dolphyne was the Chairperson of the Ghana Education Service Council from 2002 to 2006. She also served as a Board Member of the Ghana Education Trust Fund and VALCO Trust Fund.

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Extra interest in guiding students

Appearing on the Springboard, Your Virtual University, a radio programme on Joy FM, Prof. Dolphyne shared the top 10 principles, which have shaped her illustrious career over the years.

She said she took extra interest in guiding and nurturing students along their academic path because it was one of the things that made her fulfilled.

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“One of the best things about teaching is that you relate to very young people, much younger than you are and it helps you to also stay young. There is something about young people, which is very interesting. They come up with ideas that you haven’t even thought about and this helps to keep you young,” she stated.

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Interesting experiences

As one of the few women who went to Mfantsipim School and also was at the Commonwealth Hall in University of Ghana, she described these experiences as interesting.

“Mfantsipim was an interesting experience, we were the second set of girls who went there for the sixth form because Wesley Girls then didn’t have the sixth form. Before that, there was a group of girls from Wesley Girls School who did their sixth form at St Augustine’s and then later the headmistress decided that we go to Mfantsipim.

“We had a very interesting experience and the teachers at a time didn’t even know how to handle us and the boys in the class, some of them were a bit uncomfortable and wouldn’t answer a question they were not too sure about,” she narrated.

Sharing her experience at the Common Wealth hall, she said all the girls were in one block, stayed there for a year and the following year, Volta Hall was ready so they moved there.

Prof. Dolphyne pointed out that all these experiences helped in shaping her life.

Read: Professor Dolphyne honoured for dedicated service

Top 10 principles

She shared the top 10 principles, which she had worked with all her life.

1.    Prayer; I always start my day with prayer to thank God for keeping me alive and safe. I also ask him for wisdom and strength to go through the day.

2.    Respect; treat people with respect no matter who they are. Don’t allow your challenges to negatively affect the good relationships you have built.

3.    Faith; have faith that God is in control of your life. Trust him and depend on him for courage to overcome your challenges.

4.    The golden rule; do unto others as you would have them do to you.

5.    Work ethic; cultivate a good work ethic. Avoid excuses and don’t disappoint those who depend on you.

6.    Leadership; your age or gender does not determine whether you have leadership potential. Don’t let them deter you.

7.    Family; treasure the gift of family, not just nuclear but also extended. It’s a highly beneficial network. The family unit must be nurtured and preserved.

8.    Friendship; everyone needs someone they can freely relate to and confide in. No matter how high you rise, preserve the bonds with people who can relate to you with sincerity.

9.    Avoid excuses; avoid blaming others and giving excuses. Face up to situations, even when they are unpleasant, and deal with them.

10.    The value of I’m sorry; take responsibility and say sorry if you must. It can heal many wounds and resolve complex situations.