The President’s Message

 Oromia State University (OSU) is the first regional university in the history of the country, Ethiopia. Oromia State University was established in 2009 E.C through Proclamation No 190/2009 E.C of the Oromia Regional State Administrative Council. The genes of the University go back to1988 E.C when a small training center was informally constituted in Weliso town with the aim of providing short-term trainings to political cadets and newly recruited public servants of the region. It was formally established as ‘Oromia Management Institute’ in 1992 E.C through Proclamation No. 33/1992 in order to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public servants through comprehensive training, consultancy and research. Pursuant to the changing circumstances and the increasing demands of the region, the institute was upgraded to college level in 1997. Subsequently, it was restructured and renamed as ‘Public Service College of Oromia’ through Regulation No. 47/1997.In recent years, the further increasing demands of the public for efficient services, good governance, equitable development and the intensified pressure on the regional government necessitated scaling up of the College to University level so as to meet the desperate needs for competent public servants, capable leaders and transformed institutions that can serve interest of the public. The current ‘Oromia State University’ has been established as a state-owned higher education institution with the mission of improving the implementation capacity of the regional government and to ensure institutional transformation through education, reform, training and consultancy, research and community services.

In this regard, OSU has made its efforts in fostering innovative learning in the entire public service and playing a significant role towards the regional government’s endeavors to ensure improved service delivery. OSU has been a forerunner in research, training, coaching, Consulting and evaluating of the design and implementation of institutional reform programs. 

In developing countries like Ethiopia, education is an indispensable tool for promoting the staggering socioeconomic development, combating poverty and enhancing the renaissance of the country.

Education is not about the facts and principles that one has learned during the course of study; it is rather about behavioral change at individual level, social awareness and enlightenment at community level, socio-economic improvement at national level and healthy modernization at global level.

In doing the overall objectives of Education, the university prepared a new structure. The current structure of the University broadly consists of a President and four Vice Presidents; Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Reform, Research and Community Service,

Vice President for Administration and Student Affairs and Vice President for Partnership and Business Development. Under these four divisions, different Colleges, Institutes and Directorates are found.

It is therefore, imperative that OSU’s training and development programs not only transfer knowledge and skills, but also foster new thinking in governance and leadership in order to

sustain the reform program of the region. Indeed, the university is wholeheartedly willing to establish strong ties and relationships with various institutions of higher learning, and government and non-government organizations so as to achieve its intended goals, by organizing people, ideas, experiences and researches together in a learning atmosphere.