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The College of The Bahamas will officially transition into the University of The Bahamas on November 10th, 2016, in fulfilment of a vision for higher education and national development expressed more than four decades ago.
Minister of Education, Science and Technology Jerome Fitzgerald made the announcement during a press conference held on Thursday, August 25th at the Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre, located at the college's Oakes Field campus.
"Today, it is my distinct pleasure to announce, on behalf of the government, that November 10th will be our Charter Day and the day that we will officially become the University of The Bahamas," Fitzgerald said.
"I want you to know that the road to university does not just mean passing a bill or changing a name, it is a paradigm shift in the culture and fabric of our country as it relates to tertiary education and national development as a whole.
"It is a shift in how we experience higher education in The Bahamas, as we will be amongst many other nations who boast of having a national university. We are here today to witness the building of a more modern nation."
A slate of national events in the month of November will commemorate the official establishment of the University of The Bahamas. Among them are a church service, plaque unveiling, Charter Day ceremony, panel featuring university presidents and installation of the President of the University, Dr. Rodney D. Smith, who is currently serving as the president of The College of The Bahamas.
As a national event of historic significance, the Charter Day ceremony, scheduled to be held on November 10th, 2016 at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, is open to the public. Charter celebrations will also be held in Grand Bahama.
The act of Parliament under which the university is being established was passed this summer. Under the University of The Bahamas Act, an enabling environment will be created for the institution to become internationally accredited and a nucleus for intellectual discourse and research that undergirds national development goals.
There will also be crucial changes in operational efficiencies; financial management and sustainability; further academic program development; and constituent engagement in the governance of the institution.
"When Sir Lynden Pindling opened The College of The Bahamas in 1977, he said then that the institution would become a university. That moment became the genesis for the university. Since 2002, we have worked diligently on creating an institution that could be called a university," College Council Chair Dr. Earl Cash said.
The university transition process, initiated in 2002, culminated in August 2006 with the Council of The College of The Bahamas establishing an Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Governance, Dr. Cash explained. The mandate given to that committee was to propose the legislative framework for the University of The Bahamas. The chair of the Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Governance, Dr. Keva Bethel, president emerita, submitted the final report on the 10th of June, 2007.
In 2012, under the leadership of former Chairman Alfred Sears, the University Transition Secretariat was established to assure that the voices of administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni and external stakeholders of the college received full consideration in the conceptualization of the character of the University of The Bahamas and in the identification of steps to be taken towards its realization. This secretariat, under the leadership of Dr. Olivia Saunders, submitted the final draft report of the University Transition Secretariat to the College Council in the fall of 2013.
"In the last two years, the College Council, President Smith, faculty, staff, students and alumni all came together to position the college to become the university that we envisioned. With the passing of the University of The Bahamas Bill in the House of Assembly and in the Senate, we saw years of hard work rewarded and we saw the heralding of a new era in tertiary education for The Bahamas," Dr. Cash added.
According to President of the College of The Bahamas Dr. Rodney Smith, the events commemorating the establishment of the university will attract participation from the international community, inclusive of the global academic community. He called the announcement regarding university's charter date and commemorative activities momentous.
One of the priorities for the institution will be to increase its research capacity and as such, Dr. Smith shared that the emphasis will remain on recruiting faculty with terminal degrees.
This semester, for instance, 12 new academics have joined the college. Five of them are Bahamian full-time faculty; three of whom hold terminal degrees in the chemistry, environmental and life sciences concentration. Overall, 75 percent of the new part-time and full-time faculty hires have terminal PhDs.
Dr. Smith also reiterated that the Charter Day ceremony is a national event and the general public is invited to participate in the historic occasion by attending and wearing royal blue, the new brand color of the coming University of The Bahamas.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
