Samuel Adekunle Okunade, PhD
Dr. Samuel Adekunle Okunade is a retired Professor of Earth science at Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio (May 2008). He retired after twenty-nine years of a meritorious teaching career. He was later rehired for two more years after his retirement. He was granted Professor Emeritus status at Central State University (May 2012). Emeritus status is the highest honor a professor could receive after retirement. Dr. Okunade attended Ondo/Oyo Joint Provincial Teachers Training College where he obtained a teaching certificate. He was headmaster at Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) school at Ikere, Ekiti and a teacher at CAC Modern School, Abeokuta. He later attended Ransome-Kuti College of Education, Ibadan where he received the Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE). After teaching for about two years at Oke-Ona Grammar School, Abeokuta he came to the U.S.A. to continue his education. He earned his B.A. degree at Central State University, Wilberforce with Cum Laude. Dr. Okunade received an MS degree from the University of Omaha and another MA degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (an Ivy League university). He later got his Ph.D. from Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. He taught for two years at Junior High Schools at Buffalo and Niagara Falls, New York State. He also got New York State Teachers Permanent Certificates in both Social Studies and in Earth Sciences and General Sciences.
During Dr. Okunade’s tenure as a Professor he traveled to Egypt with a colleague on a project funded by USAID with the expressed purpose of research feasibility study of developing groundwater resources for Agricultural development at Wadi-El Assiuti, He wrote Basic and Intermediate Yoruba courses to be used by non-Yoruba speakers in the US Government. He led a faculty-student team of researchers to the University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia (2006). This trip was meant to explore research collaborative work between these two universities. Dr. Okunade performed research work for the Department of Army, Huntington District, Corps of Engineers, Huntington, WV. This research covered four different times to test River Bed-sediment samples so as to mitigate the possible disaster from particle sizes erosion. Dr. Okunade has written many articles in peer-review journals in addition to attending many conferences and has had many presentations. He wrote in a book “SUSTAIN”, a phase 3 Grant as faculty investigator.
Dr. Okunade received many awards and recognitions such as being Cited by National Council for Geographic Education for Excellence of Scholarship (1969), Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, Gold cord honors from Central State University, award by Xenia Nazarene Christian School, Who’s Who in the Midwest, 25th edition. He received the award for Excellence in Teaching from Central State University (1995, 2002 and 2006). He was a consultant to Xenia Schools Elementary Teachers of Earth Science. Dr. Okunade is a member of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), The Association of American Geographers (AAG), and National Council of Geographic Education. Dr. Okunade is married to Christianah who is a retired Registered Nurse (RN) both in Nigeria and the USA. They are blessed with five children and two grandchildren.
