Office of the President

Professor Blankson graduated from the University of Ghana with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Geography and Resource Development in 1987. After serving as a Research Assistant in the department for a year, he gained a Norwegian government scholarship to the University of Oslo, Norway where he earned a Certificate in Environmental Studies in 1989 and an MPhil degree in Development Geography in 1993.  After completing his program in Norway, Professor Blankson gained another scholarship to Ohio University, USA where he obtained an M.A degree in International Affairs/Relations in 1995 and, subsequently, his PhD in Communication from the School of Telecommunications in 2000.  He was the recipient of the Outstanding Doctoral Student Award in the School of Telecommunications.

After spending over 30 years in Norway and the United States, Professor Blankson and his family returned to Ghana in 2016 to contribute to the development of his country, particularly in higher education. While in the United States, Professor Blankson taught a variety of communication courses and served as Special Advisor to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Chair/Head and Director of Technology at the Department of Applied Communication Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), and Resident Director at Ohio University, USA.  In Ghana, he first served as AUCC’s Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of the School of Communication Studies.  This was followed by his appointment as the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU). In September 2021, Professor Blankson rejoined AUCC as its President.

Professor Blankson is a co- Founder and President of Data Insight Africa, a non-profit/non-governmental research organization established to undertake social and business research for organisations in Ghana and beyond. He is also a Consultant and Resource person for organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency, serves as the Chairman of the Board of Ghana Innovation Hub (the E-Transform Project by the Ministry of Communications and the World Bank) and the Centre for Democratic Studies (CDS) in Accra. He currently serves as chairman or member of many committees and councils both here in Ghana and overseas.

Professor Blankson’s primary teaching and research engagements are in communication technologies, social media and electronic communication applications, crisis communication, media studies, environmental communication, and public relations. He has authored several publications and conference papers, and is co-editor of the book Negotiating Democracy: Media Transformations in Emerging Democracies published by SUNY press.

Additionally, Professor Blankson consults, organizes and facilitates training and capacity building workshops for organizations in areas such as social and business research, social media/communication technology applications, electronic communication applications, business and technical communication, crisis management, media/broadcasting, public relations, environmental communication, climate change and adaptation, and public speaking and presentation. He also consults on educational management, curricular and program development, quality assessment, and others.

Professor Blankson is married to Dr. Mrs. Faustina Hayford Blankson, a lecturer at the University of Ghana and Founder and President of The Ayensua Health Enrichment Foundation. They have two sons and three grandchildren, all residing in the United States. At his spare time, he enjoys being with family, sports and coaching football.