By Dr. Genevieve Boucaud, Dean, School of Distance Education
The yearly ExCam Graduation Cocktails is a celebration of the achievements of our Extension Campus (ExCam) students designed in the spirit of One USC. It was first executed in 2022 hosted by the staff of the School of Distance Education (SDE) on the Thursday prior to the graduation weekend, and that time continues to be the allotted slot for the event.
These celebrations are especially significant since it is often the first time that ExCam students visit the Main Campus and that they meet and interact with each other in a face-to-face modality.
Since that first execution, the SDE team has sought to make the experience increasingly memorable. ExCam Cocktails 2023 saw the inclusion of personalised ExCam wine, and 2024 introduced photoshoot and 360º video opportunities.
Our students walk through this cocktail experience as part of their journey on the pathway from students to joyful alumni. The ExCam Graduation Cocktails provide an opportunity to close one chapter of the students’ experience with an evening of delight. It is a combination of fine food, music, thrilling games, and social interactions all in an atmosphere designed to delight the soul. Students are welcomed with a burst of colourful decorations designed around their selected class colours, a personalised programme card that can be signed by their friends and loved ones, and other mementoes of the occasion.
Senior school administrators—the USC President, Provost, Vice Presidents, Registrar, Deans and Chairs—take this opportunity to interact and socialise with graduands from the Antigua, Barbados, Guyana and St. Lucia Sites, and the San Fernando and Tobago Extension Campuses. Students also meet the Directors and Coordinators of the various ExCam locales.
The cocktails are scheduled to run from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; however, it has, thus far, not finished before 10:00 p.m. One particular highlight that continually fosters total engagement and, at times, passionate competition even among senior USC administrators, is the yearly game of Jeopardy! This digital game, complete with buzzers and other accoutrements include questions related to USC, its environs, and personnel. Students win prizes for this and other games.
The Dean of the SDE specially recognises the Administration of the USC Main Campus and Extension Campuses who continue to make these events memorable with their presence, and the staff of the SDE, who work tirelessly to make the event a success. In this area, special recognition goes to Ms. Candice Alvarez and Miss Jean-Rylle Pierre, who are active in the trenches during planning and execution.
The SDE team also thanks the Administration for the financial support for this event and commits to ensuring that the experience becomes even more memorable each year. In the words of one team member, “Soon we will have to give them a hologram.”
