I am delighted to be in your midst today on the invitation of the Proprietor of this young but potentially great university, Bishop T.V. Adelakun, to deliver this lecture.I have been asked to speak on the Topic ’Raising a World-Class University in a Competitive Environment’. First of all, I wish to congratulate the Board of Trustees, Council, Management, Staff and Students of the university on this auspicious occasion of its second anniversary.

I pray that the growth and development of the university will be unprecedented, rapid and phenomenal. Given the age of the university and the title of the lecture I was asked to deliver, it was easy for me to assume that my job would be to sensitise the Board of Trustees, Council, Management, Staff and Students on their roles in lifting Dominion University (DU)to world-class standards even as they adopt global best practices in the discharge of their responsibilities.

In doing this I will like to, first of all, trace the history of university education, briefly discuss the concepts ofa „world-class‟university, and „competitive environment‟, and then narrow down to how a young university like DU can attain world-class status in a very competitive environment.Origins of Universities in Europe.