With the focus on “Innovation, Invention and Transformation,” USC convened its faculty and staff Colloquium 2008 on Wednesday, August 20, 2008.  Sessions were held from August 20 – 24 in the conference hall of the New Classroom Complex and culminated with a Family Fun Day on Sunday, August 24th on USC campus grounds. 

The Pastor-in- Residence, Pastor Roderick Thomas, in his devotional presentation on Wednesday, August 20, encouraged the group to place the challenges of the new school year in the hands of God.  He gave the assurance that success will only be guaranteed if God is allowed to direct and guide in all areas of the University, and also in the personal lives of the employees and the students.

Dr. Eugene Daniel, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the University, in his address, discussed the “Paradox in Education.”   He referred to a newspaper report captioned, “More Schools Less Quality,” which described the explosion of education opportunities in Trinidad and Tobago. Then he noted that the writer of the article pointed out the growing despair and frustration with the prevailing standard of education, despite the numerous programmes in Trinidad and Tobago to educate youth, the free and expanding education, and the arrangements for continuous training.

He quoted Mrs. Ellen White, who said that SDA schools should provide a barrier against corruption, and explained that SDA education is all about “lifting” people to a higher level. He used the acronym LIFT (explained below), to describe the crux of SDA education. Dr. Daniel also stressed that all students coming into the institution should understand that this is what USC is all about:

• Leadership—it must focus on the creation of future leaders to uplift society.
• Integrity—education must develop in students, consistency of beliefs and action; uncorrupted virtue and commitment to principle
• Faith—it must develop Faith in its students
• Training—students should be trained to be critical thinkers and not merely reflectors of other men’s thoughts
• S to prepare students to serve

Dr. Trevor G. Gardner was visibly pleased to report the outstanding successes of the various conferences that were held by the various schools and departments on campus.  The accomplishments included the “Rights of the Child Conference” hosted by the School of Education; the “First Annual Business Expo” hosted by the School of Business; the establishment of a brokered, promising partnership between the University of Trinidad and Tobago and the School of Science and Technology, for the study of medicinal plants; the addition of the Schools of Social Sciences and Allied Health; Mind Of Christ Conference; Giftedness; and Brief Therapy Counselling. Administration also hosted the Summer Fine Arts Institute.
 
Other accomplishments include the completion of the long awaited 24,000 sq. complex; the completion of the expansion of the top floor of the Administration Building, including the Department of Student Development and Services, and the refurbishing of the Cafeteria, the married students’ housing, and on-campus faculty housing.  Concerning the residence halls, he said USC is now only awaiting the award of the government funds to begin the construction.

Dr. Gardner focused his presentation on issues related to change and more specifically, transformative, innovative and inventive change with purposeful goals. He added that the change should bring a new, glimmering and delightful landscape. He said, “the transformation of which I speak is deeply embedded in the strategic focus of the University for the next seven years. The professorate must demonstrate specific ways in which we are transforming instruction, curricular content, and in demonstrating care for student life on this campus. The scientific improvement of instruction predisposes faculty to new modalities of instruction and the results should be improved performance of students. More students should be successful in their studies because teachers are using new and scientific methods of delivery.”   He added that new degree programmes and course offerings must come out of the departments and colleges to demonstrate innovative interpretations of the national and regional needs, the advancement of academic culture, and the cognizance of the opportunity that we have to lay a new foundation for the future of the University.

Professor Ramesh Deosaran, Independent Government Senator and Professor of Criminology at UWI, St. Augustine, discussed “The Role of the Private Tertiary Institutions in our Crime-Ridden Society.”  He noted that law enforcement is the direct responsibility of the executive arm of society: the Police and the Government.  Despite this limitation, he noted that tertiary institutions should form partnerships with the law enforcement agencies, the home, the schools and society in general, to develop policies and crime prevention activities that are based on sound research.   The resultant information will ensure that the leaders are equipped with the necessary tools to maintain a civil social society, and ensure that citizens behave in decorum.

He cited research, which shows that both rich and poor kids commit theft at the same rate, and that one’s economic status is not the only determinant in an individual’s propensity to commit crime.  Dr. Deosaran concluded that the major factor that influences crime is a dearth of Christian values in society.  He explained that the basis of Christianity is the formation of partnerships and the fostering of values toward a common good. Then he commended USC for continuing to provide values-based education to its students in an effort to build character whilst imparting knowledge.   He emphasized that Christianity and Christian education can serve as a restraining factor in stemming the greed and vanity in a society that is obsessed with materialism and consumerism.

During the sessions, Ms. Margaret Richardson, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education, spoke on the “Role of the Private Tertiary Education: Toward the National Good.”  She commended USC for being recognized as the third University in Trinidad and Tobago, and added that the University is in a good position to create its own parameters to build excellence in the region.  She noted that tertiary institutions must create partnerships with other existing credible institutions, in order to achieve and maintain the standards and quality in education as stated in the Trinidad Government’s Vision 2020.

She explained that tertiary institutions should enhance people’s capacity to think, analyze and solve problems, value research, create and innovate, and build a cadre of people that are willing and able to take responsibility for their own actions and choices, in recognition of the need for growth, and the value of a knowledge based society

Ms. Richardson posited that tertiary education can contribute to the national good by developing a citizenry with a capacity to manage and analyze information, and apply logic and mature thinking to a broad range of ideas and subjects.  She said the key to this is to build a tertiary level system that will achieve the desired end result.  It should begin with tertiary institutions finding innovate ways to teach values to society from an early age. Therefore the tertiary institutions should have a critical role in developing the primary and secondary sector, so that by the time the students enter university, they would have already possessed the qualities and the abilities to function in that learning environment.
Universities should educate people not just for the world of work, but for life. They should focus on building the society for future generations.

On Thursday, August 21, 2008 the colloquium sessions continued with presentations, which focused on personal and professional empowerment and development strategies.  Mr. Duane Perryman’s presentation focused on the creation of a “Culture of Excellent Service at USC.”  The early afternoon featured Dr. Marlene Sukhdeo Spann and Dr. Clarence Griffith, both medical doctors, in simultaneous sessions with the men and the women as they explained critical personal health issues related to the each group.

Later on Thursday, Dr. Gardner explained the Strategic Vision Planning for the University as mandated by the Board of Directors.  All members of the University family were given an opportunity to contribute in the formulation of the vision, via the formation of small groups that engaged in discussions on the seven foci of the University’s Strategic Plan. This was in preparation for the assessment visit of the Adventist Accreditation Association in September, 2008.

The sessions culminated on Friday with a presentation by Dr. Rolford Jones, entitled, “The Transforming Power of Intelligence.”  He noted that the faculty may enter the academic year with fragilities, but could emerge wiser, stronger, and successful when intelligent living is applied.  Intelligent living, he explained, will transform the society into a more beautiful and inviting place to live.  It will transform people into more loving individuals; it can produce more geniuses and prodigies in the Caribbean; it is the most potent power with which human beings are endowed; it helps us to understand our relationship with others and with God, and makes us more compassionate. He said this transforming power of intelligence is really the ability to transform one’s thinking, and that USC as an educational institution can contribute to this transformation of the minds of its students, through its value-based educational package.