When in March 2022 the Governing Council of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, Adamawa State, released a statement announcing the appointment of DeWayne Frazier as the sixth vice-chancellor of the university, it elicited mixed reactions, particularly from those who have been familiar with some of the past administrators.
Margee Ensign had just left after the expiration of her tenure in 2022. There were those who may have become used to her style, who expressed skepticism over the capacity of her successor to fit into her shoes or even wear bigger ones, in terms of deliverable.
One point the new President has established and very fast too, is that no two individuals have the same approach to achieving results. Frazier has clearly put it on the table that he came to build and not to plunder.
He seems to have been walking in tandem with the expectation of the Governing Council that gave him the job.
Recall that Ben Obi, chairman of the Council, in a statement signed by Daniel Okereke, then director of communications (who is now Vice President Administration/Registrar), had expressed robust confidence that the coming of Frazier would be a blessing.
“The Board and Council chose Dr. Frazier in recognition of his broad experience in business and management at higher academic institutions combined with his energy and youthfulness,” Obi was quoted to have said.
In a confidence-packed response to the appointment and the high expectation from his employers, Frazier said: “As one who is passionate about making a positive impact and creating meaningful change, I am drawn to the vibrant culture and rich potential of Nigeria. I believe that by working at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), I can collaborate with the incredibly talented campus community to make a real difference in the region, continent, and world. AUN is an ascending university and I look forward to the opportunity to help add to the institution’s trajectory and impressive reputation.”
Frazier indeed, has the passion to work with young adults; he has the character needed to lead a community populated by Gen-Zs. He understands their way of life and plays along with them without compromising his role as the boss.
He is outgoing, brainy and easily gives his students high-five no matter how many times he passes them in the library, on the corridor or walk ways. He can be perfectly described as a servant-leader. But mind you, he is not a politician, just a thoroughbred administrator, a humanist.
While speaking with BusinessDay in his office on Friday, May 16, 2025, he pointed to a framed family picture hung above his seat, saying they meant a lot to him. He spoke glowingly about his children, a proof that he loves the young ones, the grooming of whom he was head-hunted two years ago from the Iowa Wesleyan University in the United States where he was the University Provost.
From day-one at the AUN, he knew that much was expected of him. The University prides itself as a “development university” and a lot of work had been done over the years to live out the name, and Frazier must not drop the ball.
Today, despite the challenge of running a university in Nigeria, nay, other parts of the world, the President knows too well that nobody has ever amounted to something significant by dwelling on challenges rather than taking steps to overcoming the challenges. The President said he was being motivated by the successes the University has recorded even within the short time he joined the institution.
He said that his sleeping and waking thought is how to keep pushing the University and sustaining its ideals.
More courses, more hostels…
Is he sitting comfortably just nursing what he met on ground, without new and relevant additions in terms of courses? The answer is capital No.
He has envisioned new courses in healthcare and the institution has since started offering healthcare-related courses, including a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Public Health. Nursing and other allied programmes are also running.
President Frazier was happy to speak to the development, saying: “Well, as you know, failing to plan is planning to fail, and you would never see me try to do anything without a plan. And you have to be looking a few years into the future, because we knew with this new health programmes that the school was going to also have tremendous growth. The need for healthcare here, in the country, especially in the Northeast, is quite huge.
“So, we’re producing some of the best nurses. Next year is the first time these nurses will actually do clinicals. The curriculum is U.S. and Nigerian; so, they can actually take both tests.
“And it’s not by accident the head of the African Medical Center of Excellence is here (the keynote speaker at the Commencement Ceremony). He wants every graduate he can get from AUN to work in this first-class hospital. The nurses will speak English as well as anyone in the country, because we do no other language in the classrooms.”
Following the influx of new students into the institution, the President said that the development has called for the need for new hostels for undergraduate and graduate students. He told BusinessDay that he was considering going into private partnership with those who can build such hostels and on a symbiotic term.
“We’re working with businesses right now to do what’s called a build, operate, and transfer (BOT) model. So, you don’t take on any debt, but what you do is you pay them from the number of students that live in the resident halls, and they’ll make their money. And at the same time, we’ll get tuition and fees, and we can grow sustainably when you have other people doing that. And we have some really good architects, building companies that have put proposals, and we’re close to signing a deal that would come this summer, and then it would start.”
A very considerate Frazier said that he had plans to build a separate dorm for graduate students, because “They’re more mature; instead of putting an old person over there with 17, 16-year-olds. This way, it’s a little more mature, and it’ll do well. We have thought about every option.”
Tackling the challenge of electricity
In recent times, the media has been awash with reports about the challenges universities face in carrying out their normal activities as a result of either non-existent electricity supply or epileptic supply, worsened by the recent categorisation of consumers in bands.
The AUN is not insulated from the challenges, but Frazier is taking some bold steps to ride the wave.
He said the electricity bills have been prohibitive and unsustainable for an academic institution, hence the decision to embrace solar and other forms of energy.
“Like, I’ve been speaking to friends, vice chancellors in other schools, publics and privates, and it’s a problem that plagues all of us. We can’t pay this price, and many schools have had to cut off from the grid altogether. We haven’t cut off from the grid necessarily, but we’ve tried to be good partners with the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC).
“Part of it is they want to keep us on Band A, and we really want to be on Band B, because one of my greatest legacies that I’ll leave here is to be energy independent. And in one year, we’ve already, out of our operating budget, we didn’t raise tuition on students, we have put solar on our campus, everywhere,” he said.
Gown and Town relationship sustained
The President has continued to sustain the Town-Gown relationship that has existed over the years. He personally visits communities around the campus; take part in their traditional activities and ensures that the students are active in the community development services.
He has also sustained the Feed and Read programme aimed at helping the almajirai and out-of-school children to get a better education. These children and their mothers who bring them to the centre are given well-balanced diet daily.
Frazier was excited to announce that some of the pupils have graduated to join the normal school programmes and are doing well.
He paid a glowing tribute to the Founder of the AUN, Atiku Abubakar, former vice president of Nigeria, who has created the opportunity to touch the lives of the people at the grassroots level.
As a humanist, he thinks so much about the welfare of others. In his office is a framed picture of written words by Aisha Ezekiel, one of the young women that escaped from the Boko Haram onslaught in Chibok, Borno State, in 2010.
He told BusinessDay, with relish, that Aisha was one of the fortunate ones that were rescued and given a new life at the AUN.
Frazier, not a lone ranger
The AUN President is not a lone ranger. He does not wink in the dark. He touches base with like-minds in other parts of the world.
Recently, he participated as a key speaker at the Times Higher Education (THE) Africa Universities Summit, held in Kigali, Rwanda.
The summit brought together over 350 delegates from academia, industry, policy, and civil society to assess the progress made in advancing higher education on the African continent.
Speaking on the importance of such events, he underscored the goodness of collaborative leadership in transforming African education, presenting strategies to enhance educational access, institutional efficiency, and sustainability. He also showcased AUN’s pioneering initiatives, such as Digital Library Resources, eCompanions, and Innovative Course Delivery methods.
His participation at the event was a reaffirmation of AUN’s unwavering commitment to shaping the future of education in Africa and fostering sustainable development across the continent and beyond.
The man Frazier
Before coming to AUN, Frazier had over 25 years of experience in higher education and had worked in senior administration for 15 years. He holds his Ph.D. from the University of Louisville and his undergraduate degree from Campbellsville University, where he graduated with honors.
He is also a graduate of the prestigious Patterson School for Diplomacy and International Commerce program on the campus of the University of Kentucky and completed his study abroad experience at Imperial College of England during his junior year abroad.
Frazier is known as an academic entrepreneur, and his career is marked by enrollment growth through creative educational programming. His portfolio currently includes the Adult and Graduate Programmes, library services, academic support, international education, Registrar Office, career services, community service and service-learning office, and the university academic divisions (Business, Education, Humanities, Nursing, and Sciences).
He also serves on the President’s Cabinet and was a full professor in the Division of Business. He was the Chief Academic for the university. Under Frazier’s leadership, Iowa Wesleyan increased international student enrollment by over 500percent and has grown the online programmes exponentially.
He joined the AUN at a period of expansion and consolidation in student enrollment and academic infrastructures. It also coincides with a long period of sustained peace and security in Adamawa and surrounding states, which has boosted Yola’s profile in business, commercial, and educational activities.
