Q & A

with Rev. Dr. Joseph Nsiah

How does a Roman Catholic priest from Ghana end up in Saskatoon to earn his masters and PhD degrees in education? No, this is not a bad joke. This is the story of Reverend Dr. Joseph Nsiah (MEd’06, PhD’09), Fr. Joseph as he is known to his parishioners. Michael Kpessa, post-doctoral fellow at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and former student of Rev. Dr. Nsiah at St. Mary’s  Seminary Secondary School, Lolobi, Volta Region in Ghana, spoke with the reverend to find the answer.

G&W: So Father, I’m extremely happy to see you again and talk to you. Can you share a little bit about what you did in Ghana?

JN: I was a high school teacher, chaplain at one point, and became senior house master at St. Mary’s. I was in charge of students and boarding facilities and, in the head master’s absence, acting head master.

G&W: What led you to Saskatchewan, specifically the University of Saskatchewan?

JN: The Bishop of the Diocese of Prince Albert made a request to the Bishop of my diocese in Ghana (Jasikan Diocese) to send some priests to help address challenges relating to a shortage of clergy. So, I came here as a missionary to do parish work. After my two-year mandate, my Bishop suggested I upgrade my education. Since I knew Saskatchewan, I applied to the U of S. PA is too far from the university, so I spoke to Bishop Albert [LeGatt, then Bishop of the Diocese of Saskatoon], and he appointed me to a parish in Saskatoon to serve while going to university.

G&W: You are already in the ministry, a beautiful vocation, what moved you to a masters and PhD in education?

JN: In Ghana, and in our diocese, one of our major objectives is to help people with their education; we have church schools. The laity is saying the priest must help with education. In Ghana, to become a principal you must have a master’s degree now, and that is the key reason I came here, to be able to have that qualification and serve others. But the PhD is a result of encouragement from Dr. Patrick Renihan and Dr. Sheila Carr-Stewart in the Department of Educational Administration. When I go back to Ghana, I am going to use the PhD as a tool to serve; it gives me academic credibility. So I’m going to remain ever grateful to my professors for encouraging me.

G&W: How helpful was your faith community during your educational pursuits?

JN: They were wonderful. They were my “family” here. There were parishioners that read through my thesis, gave me direction, proof-read my work and always kept asking how it was going. Their words were so encouraging.

G&W: Now your dissertation, do you mind saying a little about the topic, the goal, and how you will apply it?

JN: It’s on servant leadership, which simply is about inspirational leadership that provides hope for followers.  Servant leaders make the extra effort to understand followers, to empower them, to collaborate with them, and to use power to help constituents build community and help others reach their potentials. I want to explore it in the Ghanaian context and then compare that to the Canadian context. So I intend to do a lot of writing. I have already been in contact with some friends who can help me organize conferences and seminars to spread this idea far and wide. This does not mean that servant leadership is non-existent in Ghana. It exists, but we don’t discuss what it entails.

G&W: Did you get involved in any extra-curricular activities at university?

JN: Because I was involved with parish work, I did little extra-curricular activities at the university. I did become a big fan of the Roughriders though. I began appreciating football when a parishioner explained the rules to me. So I have become a fanatic of the Roughriders, and my parishioners know that.

G&W: When you go back to Ghana and someone asks about Saskatchewan and the U of S, what will you say?

JN: Too cold (laughs), but the people have warm hearts. I’ll miss the goodness of the people. Saskatchewan and the university are now integral part of my life’s story. By all means, if you have the opportunity, please come! That widens your perception of things. But before you come, shed some of your preconceptions. Come with an open mind. If you come with negativity and preconceptions you cannot grow; you need to be positive to grow.