Provost’s Office
“The International University of Grand-Bassam (IUGB) is uniquely positioned to transform education in West Africa through its commitment to engagement, collaboration, and innovation. It is what drew me to IUGB.”
DeBrenna LaFa Agbényiga, Ph.D., MBA, MSW
Grand Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire (July 11,2023)—International University of Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire, has announced the appointment of DeBrenna LaFa Agbényiga, Ph.D., MBA, MSW, as its new Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs following an international search. She will assume her position effective August 15, 2023. In this position, she will oversee all college operations directly pertaining to academic programming, academic administration, faculty, academic staff, recruitment, retention, enrollment, and student life.
Dr. Agbényiga is an Africanist scholar who has worked extensively in West Africa. A proven researcher in the fields of social science and business administration, she has more than 20 years of leadership, achievement, and service as a professor and administrator. Most recently, she worked as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs and full professor with tenure in the Department of Sociology at Stonehill College, Easton, Massachusetts and as a higher education consultant at Agbényiga Global Education. Prior to her consulting engagement, she served as Provost and Vice
President for Academic Affairs at Bowie State University in Maryland, where she was also a full professor with tenure in
the Department of Social Work.
She also served as Vice Provost and Dean of The Graduate School at the University of Texas at San Antonio, an emerging
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), while maintaining tenure as a full professor in their Department of Social Work. At Michigan State University, Dr. Agbényiga held the position of Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Inclusion in the
College of Social Science, as well as Associate Professor with tenure in the School of Social Work and the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.
“After meeting with Dr. DeBrenna Agbényiga, we are convinced that she is the right person to head IUGB’s academic
affairs. Her skills and leadership will be beneficial to IUGB due to her extensive experience in various academic
institutions in the U.S. We are confident that Dr. Agbényiga will help achieve our objectives and contribute to the advancement of our institution,” declared Prof. Saliou Touré, President of the International University of Grand Bassam.
“I was drawn to IUGB’s liberal arts and STEM academic environment and its focus on providing an American-style education in Côte d’Ivoire while serving as a model for transformational education in sub-Saharan Africa. I am eager to build on IUGB’s current successes with strategic planning, academic excellence, accountability, and opportunity. I look
forward to working alongside President Touré, the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students, and other stakeholders to take IUGB to the next level with its new strategic plan and vision,” said Dr. Agbényiga.
Dr. Agbényiga holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Social Work as well as a master’s degree in Business Administration from Michigan State University, Michigan, USA. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the
University of South Carolina at Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
The International University of Grand Bassam is an American-style University, formally established as an accredited
institution of higher education in Cote d’Ivoire by government Decree 2007-477 of May 16, 2007. Its core values are
excellence, accountability, and opportunity.