The Vision of the Institute of Oromo Studies (IOS)
Leveraging the strong research programmes already in place at the university and across universities in Oromia, the Institute of Oromo Studies would focus primarily on research and outreach, creating a coordinated programme of activities to provide a focal point for scholarship on Oromo and advance understanding about Oromo society, inform public policy, and raise the profile of the Oromo studies endeavors at Jimma University.
Mission of the Institute of Oromo Studies (IOS)
The mission of the Institute of Oromo Studies (IOS) is to facilitate and support the collaborative efforts in the development of Oromia-wide Oromo studies initiatives. In order to fulfill the stated mission, the Institute will bring together all of the Oromo studies both in the country and abroad into a collaborative and cooperative context. The intent is for each unit to grow and develop independently with the advantage of working cooperatively in the planning and implementation process and sharing resources where appropriate. The Institute would have no jurisdiction over the academic and curriculum matters of any departments. The Institute would be seen as value addition to the already existing academic practices in fragmented fashion. By bringing together the individual research programmes the institute will allow the university to have a stronger and central voice for the issues of Oromo studies. It provides an opportunity for the university to conduct research and collect, document and preserve researches and studies done on and organize annual conferences on Oromo studies, lecture series and debate on Oromo studies and issues. Give consultancy services and tailor made customized short term training to fill the skills gaps to the experts of the Oromia Regional State to support development endeavor. The major function of the institute is to do research, document, preserve and catalogue publications of Oromo studies both in the country and abroad collecting and preserving at one library and make it easily accessible to any researcher interested in Oromo studies. Another function of the institute will be to provide an administrative infrastructure designed to facilitate and support Oromo studies in Oromia from multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives.