Drs. Kissoon-Singh: A Couple of Inspired Donors
Author: Ms. Shelley Lyons, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Language & Communication
From your first encounter, you are bound to be enamored by her quiet and genteel goodwill, and his wit, passion and humour.
Drs. Sandy and Jean Kissoon-Singh are a son and daughter of the Trinbago soil, who have decided to give back to their birth country, as they believe their birth place has given much to them. Dr. Jean, as she may be affectionately called, to distinguish her from her similarly doctored spouse, resides in Ontario, Canada. Dr. Sandy, lives with his wife, in their residence. The couple has decided to give generously to the University of the Southern Caribbean, but only after earnest prayer.
Noteworthy, is the fact that the winsome couple, have no direct links to USC, and no apparent S.D.A. ties. Yet, they have been inspired to munificently donate, firstly one sum and then a second, to the School of Education and Humanities. Education for them requires excellence, and they would like all prospective teachers to be well trained and come to believe that all children can learn.
To them, USC owes gratitude for their freewill gifts and furthermore their willingness to assist in sharing their wealth of experience and training to advance the university’s vision.
- Published in News
Ms. Bernice James and Dr. Ernest Wright pass
Authored By: Hayden McKenna, University Writer
It is with apposite sadness that the administration, faculty and staff, students and alumni of the University of the Southern Caribbean join in the community of the bereaved occasioned by the recent passing of two truly outstanding former members of faculty in the persons of Ms. Bernice Eileen James and Dr. Ernest Wright. Their immaculate service records as faculty are but impressive understatements of the enriching value they added to the lives of their colleagues, students and neighbours as friends, mentors, motivators, disciplinarians and models of professional and Christian excellence. We extend our deepest condolences to the surviving siblings of Ms. James: Roland, Kathleen and Dr. Hollis James and to her many other relatives and close friends. Our sympathies are also with Mrs. Nora Margery Wright, Dr. Wright’s spouse of 47 years their daughters Manda and Michelle, and their circle of relatives and friends.
Born in south Trinidad on April 06, 1941, young Bernice James entered denominational service as a teacher with the South Caribbean Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in 1960. This was the beginning of s long, fruitful and influential tour of duty as an educator that clutched years from five decades. Ms. James taught at the Southern Academy of Seventh-day Adventists and at both the secondary and tertiary divisions of Caribbean Union College (CUC) now the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC). She also briefly served as Dean of Women at CUC in the final four months of 1980. Perhaps most prominently, Ms. James is remembered as an inspiring teacher of English Language, Literatures in English and Sociology.
Ms. James was a graduate of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus who also pursued post-graduate studies at Andrews University in what she found to be the unbearable weather of Berrien Springs, Michigan in the USA.
According to retired teacher, Mrs. Dawn Smith, who Ms. James taught and mentored both at secondary school and at CUC/USC “Miss James (nicknamed BJ) was my big Sister. She was what she wanted her students to be. She had command over any topic… She engaged her students in conversations about life… She was a teacher inside and outside of the classroom.” In reflecting on the life led by Ms. James, Mr. Ian Green, her former colleague at CUC/USC remembers her as a person of “impeccable integrity with good Christian values…a role model”.
Also among the many CUC/USC alumni, gratified to have received by the positive influence of Ms. Bernice James is Pastor Easton Marks, the current Director of Sabbath School Ministries in the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in the USA. According to Pastor Marks, Bernice James was:
a great model of what I call middle of the road spirituality. I remember her one of the smartest, friendliest, and at the same time, predictably candid persons I interacted with at Caribbean Union College. If you over-pitched a ball to Ms. James, to use a cricketing analogy, it was going to the boundary. Complementing that was her unchanged countenance. You never sensed that she was celebrating her shot. She would be quite professional and wait for the next bad delivery. I really admired that about her. As a teacher, she was always prepared for her class. She encouraged students who were struggling academically, financially, and otherwise. She was that older sister you had on campus… I will be forever grateful she was a part of the village that raised me.
Ms. Bernice James was called to rest April 24, 2022.
Dr. Ernest Wright was born in the village of Moriah on the island of Tobago on December 17, 1936. In 1955, as a student of the Harmon School of Seventh-day Adventist, he attained the enviable academic distinction of Grade I at the external Senior Cambridge Examinations. He then studied at Caribbean Union College to qualify for entry into pastoral ministry and there attained 14th Grade certification in Theology in 1963. He later completed a Bachelor of Theology Degree at Columbia Union College (now Washington Adventist University) in 1968. Ernest Wright served the Adventist Church as a ministerial intern and licensed minister and in his pastoral career, was privileged to be one of the 63 ministerial workers who labored for the baptism of a record 812 souls in the 11-week evangelistic campaign – the so called “Trinidad Triumph” -conducted by African American evangelist E.E. Cleveland in Port of Spain, Trinidad in 1966.
Ernest Wright would again yield to his academic passions earning a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in History from Howard University in Washington D.C. USA in 1972 and 1976 respectively. Following a stint as Teacher and Head of the History Department at Antillian College (now Antillian Adventist University) in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, Dr. Wright returned to his alma mater, Caribbean Union College in July of 1980 as a teacher. Here he played an invaluable role in the development of the Bachelor of History programme and became Head of the History Department in 1983.
As a member of faculty at Caribbean Union College and Head of the History Department, Dr. Wright consistently carried a no-nonsense professional bearing. It is perhaps this idiosyncrasy combined with his association with history that earned him the austere nickname ‘El Draco’. This seriousness was also inspiring. CUC/USC alumnus and former principal and retired supervisor of schools, Mr. Aaron Smith, in reflecting on Dr. Wright says that “his objective for excellence inspired me. He stimulated his students to excellence and to become something… He was well acquainted with his content… He was generally very outstanding in his presentations.”
Another alumnus Mrs. Dawn Smith remembers Dr. Wright particularly for the rich way in which he included on-spot investigation in his instructional method. He organized local and foreign field trips for his students. Mrs. Smith particularly recalls two foreign trips, one to North America and another to at least seven countries of Europe. For these ambitious outings History Department became the “envy of the school” according to Mrs. Smith.
In 1988 Dr. Wright accepted a call to serve in the North Caribbean Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, which brought to an end his impactful sojourn at CUC/USC.
Dr. Wright was called to rest on April 30, 2022.
The Forde Library Benefits Again!
Author: Anastasia Mulraine-Campbell, Associate Librarian
The Forde Library has enjoyed a rich tradition of receiving donated books and resources from benefactors and scholars, to build our collection at the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC). This year was no different, where in February 2022, the Library Director received two sets of donations, from Professor Emeritus Ramesh Deosaran, ORTT, and Pastor Dough Venn, Director of the Global Mission Urban Center at General Conference of SDA.
Professor Deosaran is a key figure in the Caribbean literacy landscape, having authored numerous titles and contributed to the intellectual halls of knowledge in fields, such as but not limited to crime, politics, justice, racism, social psychology, law, colonialism, and Caribbean history. The Forde Library graciously extends gratitude to Professor Deosaran for his contribution and we assure him, that the books will be integrated into our West Indian Collection, where the USC community can benefit and glean much from these titles, empowering this and the next generation of thinkers and leaders.
In relation to Mr. Dough Venn, who donated 9 titles out of the Global Mission Urban Center, we pray for the Center’s continued success and reach, whilst simultaneously, relaying our gratitude for their continued support and advancement of the mission of the USC. These titles focus on urban mission and ministry, at a time where we are all called to be missionaries and champions of God in our spheres of influence. In addition, they will be incorporated into our Open Stacks Collection, where patrons can borrow them and gain a deeper understanding of their calling, regardless of their majors.
All the best to our benefactors and noble supporters of the Forde Library, USC! Together, through literacy and education, can agree with Jim Rohn, when he says, “Reading is essential for those who want to rise above the ordinary!”
- Published in News
USC Delegation Secures Top Votes at CMOAS
By Simone Augustus, Corporate Communications Officer
From April 4-6, 2022, six students represented the University of the Southern Caribbean at the 40th Model OAS for the English-Speaking Caribbean and Historically Black Universities (CMOAS). This year’s CMOAS hosted virtually, and was co-sponsored by Howard University Graduate School.
Gershom Byng, Candace McCaskie, Jeannie Wu, Akeem Williams, Davidson Smith, and Nyla Nyack represented USC at its inaugural participation at the CMOAS. Together, the delegation represented the policies and interests of OAS member state, Canada.
The USC delegation presented on the following topics:
- Gershon Byng and Candace Mc Caskie: Best practices in increasing the capacity of healthcare systems in prevention and management in the face of a health crisis.
- Jeannie Wu and Akeem Williams: Measures to respect fundamental freedoms and the full observance of human rights during the emergency caused by COVID 19.
- Davidson Smith and Nyla Nyack: Strengthening regional integration and cooperation for effective regional governance for disaster risk reduction and socio-economic recovery.
Our students were coached by Dr. Raghunath Mahabir and Mr. Roland Sealy, and were also assisted by a team of other personnel including Mrs. Narsha James-Modeste, Ms. Shelly Lyons, and Mr. Hayden McKenna. The delegation was trained on how to prepare their Position Papers, and how to draft a resolution.
Prior to the event, our students met with other delegates from their working group to draft a resolution. The training committee and delegation also met several times during the months of February and March to discuss the Rules of Procedure and the Modus operandi of the meeting. With the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, our delegation had the privilege of holding a webinar with Trinidad & Tobago’s diplomatic mission to Washington and the OAS, including Ambassador H.E.Brigadier General (Ret’d) Anthony W. J.Phillips-Spencer who facilitated a question and answer session.
DELEGATION OF CANADA
Gershom Byng – School of Business and Entrepreneurship
Delegation Chief
General Committee (GC)
Head Delegate
Candace McCaskie – School of Business and Entrepreneurship
General Committee (GC)
Alternate Delegate
Jeannie Wu – School of Science, Technology & Allied Health
Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs (CJPA)
Head Delegate
Akeem Williams – School of Social Sciences
Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs (CJPA)
Alternate Delegate
Davidson Smith – School of Science, Technology & Allied Health
Working Group Leader
Committee for the Inter-American Council of Integral Development (CIDI)
Head Delegate
Nyla Nyack – School of Business and Entrepreneurship
Committee for the Inter-American Council of Integral Development (CIDI)
Alternate Delegate
After the debates by the various committees, nominations were made for persons to serve on next year’s Assembly. In a stunning display of excellence at USC’s inaugural participation, the following students were elected to serve in the MOAS 2023:
- Gershom Byng – Elected as the Vice Chair of the General Committee for the 41st CMOAS Assembly
- Jeannie Wu – Elected as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs for the 41st CMOAS Assembly
- Davidson Smith – Elected as the Chair of the Committee for the Inter-American Council of Integral Development for the 41st CMOAS Assembly
- Published in News
I-Provide Ministry Update
By Simone Augustus, Corporate Communications Officer
The I-Provide Ministry is one of the six student-led ministries under the umbrella of the I-Connect Campus Program which was designed to empower our students to get organized for service to God and man in their area of giftedness.
During the very active stage of the global pandemic when our students were off campus and restricted in participating in the hands-on nature of the I-provide ministry, projects and activities were stalled. However, some good things are happening once again in the I-Provide ministry.
On March 19th, the I-Provide Team of the Barbados Campus led by Kahlan Roach participated in the annual Global Youth Day initiative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They collaborated with AY (Adventist Youth) societies and presented gift baskets to individuals in their communities.
On March 27th, the I-Provide Team of the Tobago Campus in light of I-Provide Day, assisted an elderly lady residing in the village Mason Hall with some yard cleaning. Team members came out in their numbers to be engaged in this noble act of service.
The I-Provide Main Campus team, currently spearheaded by Pastor Shalon Kerr, has a weekly bread ministry program that serves the needs of the community in the Upper Maracas vicinity spanning from the village of El Luengo to the Mountain View area. Over 100 families each month benefit from this ministry and there is much room for greater sponsorships and reach.
For those willing to support this particular ministry, they can contact Pastor Kerr at 347-4959 or Drason Browne at 398-5139 for further information.
May God continue to bless the work of the I-Provide Ministries across the Caribbean.
- Published in News
Vision: One USC – Guyana Satellite Site Visit
Author: Trea Johnson
Bright smiles and cheerful singing filled the atmosphere at the Guyana Satellite Site as University President, Dr. Colwick Wilson, made his first visit to the site. Dr. Wilson was accompanied by the Vice President, Student Services and Enrollment Management, Ps. Onesi Lafleur, and Interim Dean of the School of Business and Entrepreneurship, Ms. Sherri-Lyn Legall. This inaugural visit is a big deal as the president and his able team placed much emphasis on the university’s ‘Strategic Plan – SP 100’ and his ‘One USC’ vision.
The university’s strategic plan will be executed over the next five years as USC works towards its centennial year. Dr. Wilson’s ‘One USC’ vision encourages oneness and unity across the sites and campuses. It encourages a greater sense and feeling of belonging especially at the satellite sites and extension campuses, so whether one is in Guyana or St. Lucia, or even South Trinidad, we are ‘One USC’. The President, in his address to students, emphasised the importance of being of exemplary quality and character as they transition through life. His intention is that the seeds planted in each student prepare them not just for four years, but it exceeds that by even forty.
USC Guyana has more than three hundred (300) students enrolled at the site and along with the staff, they are excited to propel Dr. WIlson’s ‘One USC’ vision and ‘Strategic Plan’. The week-long visit includes meetings with the students, Ministers of Government, and other key stakeholders of the institution. The week commenced with a focus group chaired by Ms. Sherri-Lyn Legall which engaged students, alumni, friends, and other stakeholders; its purpose, to enhance the University’s strategic plan. The vision ‘One USC’ and strategic plan ‘SP 100’ seeks to encourage partnering with each other to solve issues in society. It places much emphasis on collaboration and ultimately taking the University ‘Beyond Excellence’.
The team has since made notable strides as they formed many necessary partnerships. After three days and several successful meetings and collaborations, the team is charged with information necessary for ensuring a successful USC. The team has since met with the President of Guyana, His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Irfraan Ali, Hon. Minister Savitri Sonya Parag, Guyana’s Minister of Public Service, Professor Jacob Opadeyi, Director, Guyana Online Academy of Learning, Dr. Deborah Jack, Director, National Accreditation Council, The Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists administrators, Hon. Priya Manickchand, Minister of Education, Hon. Kwame McCoy, Minister within the Office of Prime Minister and Hon. Nigel Dharamlall, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development. With many more meetings and collaborations ahead, God’s wisdom and guidance are continually sought.
- Published in News, Office of the President
USC Virtual Science Day 2022: You, Science & the Pandemic
Author: Dr. Dave Cassie, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
The School of Sciences, Technology & Allied Health (STAH) recently hosted the University’s first ever virtual Science day. In the past, it has usually been the custom to showcase the work of students, faculty and staff of the various departments of STAH around a particular theme during the annual event. However, due to the prevailing pandemic conditions last year the event was cancelled. This year each department thoroughly immersed students of Forms 3 to 6 from a wide cross-section of secondary schools as well as the general public from Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean into a fascinating digital showcase on the evening of March 6 2022.
The theme, “ you, Science & the pandemic” was very aptly chosen and the organizers were congratulated for this by each of the administrators who brought greetings and remarks including Dean Antwi, Provost Chesney and President Wilson during the formal segment of the program. The theme capitalized on the pervasive power of Science to connect the individual and the pandemic and the society as a whole. There were lively and engaging presentations from the Departments of Nursing Education, Biological Sciences, Computing, Mathematics & Technology and Family & Consumer Science. The event lasted over three hours and included dramatizations on COVID-19 respiratory care, virtual lab simulations, cooking competition, mask wearing and making demonstrations, and how technology has changed the workplace. Each department was well represented by faculty, staff and students as well as alumni as there was a ‘STAH VOICE’ feature that highlighted the personal experiences of alumni who were Science and Allied Health program graduates from each department. Certainly there was a mix of excitement, information and entertainment for the audience that joined via Zoom, we look forward to the next instalment of Science Day in 2023!
- Published in News, School of Science, Technology & Allied Health
USC Officially Launches its Celebration of the IAD Centennial
Authored by: Mr. Hayden McKenna, University Writer/Editor
On March 05, 2022 the University of the Southern Caribbean officially launched its participation in the celebration of the centennial year of the Inter-American Division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (IAD). The launch took the form of a Sabbath Service at the Caring University Church. Titled “Celebrating Our Heritage” the narrative of the worship service succeeded in connecting the celebration of the IAD’s centennial with USC’s almost ninety-five-year-old institutional existence as a beneficiary of and a benefactor to the organized work of the church in the circum-Caribbean and beyond.
In the pulpit, Dr. Kern Tobias, President of the Caribbean Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventist (CARU) and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the USC, drew upon the Aristotelian heuristic of the rhetorical triangle – logos, ethos and pathos – to affirm the positive, albeit sometimes imperfect achievements of USC and by extension the IAD. Dr. Tobias enjoined, that our celebrations must never become blind to the centrality of Christ – the Living Word and the Bible His written word as the veritable core of our heritage.
The Inter American Division is one of the thirteen divisions of the world Adventist Church and one of three in the Western Hemisphere. Headquartered in Miami Florida, USA, the IAD’s geographical territory comprises of Mexico in North America, all of the countries of Central America, the islands of the Caribbean and the five northern-most countries of South America.The IAD is subdivided into twenty-four unions which in turn are comprised of conferences, missions, regions and churches in an elegant system of devolution.
The need to organize the work of the church in the circum-Caribbean during the late 19th century into the first two decades of the 20th, saw many structural experiments being tried in this vast, culturally diverse, in some places geographically dis-contiguous part of the Americas. A pattern of adventures, misadventures and re-adventures especially after 1906, saw territorial integrations and disintegrations on the redoubtably complicated grounds of cultural and linguistic diversity, the personal preferences of leaders, national and colonial borders, underdeveloped systems of communication and transportation and the wartime challenges between 1914 and 1918. In spite of it all, God’s work grew and the thoughtful creation of solid, lasting organizational arrangements was obliged by this growth. In May of 1922, the Inter American Division was established in response to the need for better organization of the work.
This year, the IAD celebrates its centennial year under the theme Celebrating His Providence and Affirming our Values. Churches like the Caring University Church, conferences and missions like the six conferences and four missions of the Caribbean Union Conference (CARU), unions like the CARU and institutions such as the University of the Southern Caribbean join in the year-long celebration of this important milestone of our church in this part of the world.
Our university – one of the fourteen universities in the IAD – has had a rich exchange of mutual benefit with our division. Over the ninety-four year of our existence, we have and continue to receive resource endowments and institutional support from the IAD. In return, among the finest human talent that has propelled the success of the church in this division, are proud alumni of our university. USC and the IAD have even at separate times shared two presidents, in the distinguished persons of Bender L. Archbold and George W. Brown. Our missions, successes and destinies are unimpeachably co-mingled.
The fundamental business of our university is education. As such, our contribution to the observance of the IAD centennial year will focus on the production and sharing of educational content that will examine our church, its mission and its work in the circum-Caribbean and the impact of our division and its people on the world church and the world beyond the church. A calendar of our major IAD centennial events will be shared in the coming weeks. Prepare yourself to participate and be edified. May God continue to bless His church in the Inter-American Division and in the world.
- Published in News, Office of the President
Executive Retreat and Re-tooling for USC Administrators
Authored by: Mr. Hayden McKenna, University Writer/Editor
With the public health measures to mitigate the spread of COVID 19 being relaxed by many national governments and with the nascent signs that the pandemic might be headed to epidemiological remission, the leadership of the USC has begun to prepare for what undoubtedly will be a thoughtful, well-sequenced reboot of the in-person university. Cognizant that a successful reboot requires more, much more than an artless regression to pre-pandemic transactions, the President’s Cabinet participated in a special two-day leadership retreat on March 02 and 03, 2022. The retreat was held at La Soledad Estate, deep in the Maracas Valley. The theme of the retreat was “Policies, Processes and OUTCOMES: An Executive Mind-set”. USC President Dr. Colwick Wilson explained, that the major idea behind the retreat, was for university leadership to get a clear sense of the university’s existing policy framework, to try to map out processes with measurable outcomes that would be pursued with a mind-set oriented to execution and results.
The impressive battery of presenters, included professionals, carefully drawn from the global Adventist higher education and health sectors, the Caribbean regional tertiary education sector and corporate Trinidad and Tobago. The six featured presenters and their presentations in the order they appeared were as follows:
Dr. John McVay, President
Walla Walla University, USA
Presentation title: “The Executive Mind-set in Times of Stress.”
Dr. Prudence Pollard, Vice-President
Quality Assurance, Research, and Faculty Development, Oakwood University, USA
Presentation title: “Executive Mind-set: View of Self & Others.”
Dr. Haldane Davies
Vice President for Business Development and Innovation
University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas Campus
Presentation title: “Executive Mind-set: Framing the Effective President’s Cabinet.”
Mrs. Shirley Lake-King
Vice President of Administration and Finance
University of the Virgin Islands
Presentation title: “Collaborating as Essential Partners.”
Mr. Conrad Enill
Chairman
The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago
Presentation title: “Disruption –The New Normal.”
Mr. Carlyle Walton
President
Adventist Health Policy Association
Presentation title: “So you want to be a Leader!”
The devotional speaker for both days was Dr. Roy Adams, the Grenadian born alumnus of Caribbean Union College (now the USC), who has given decades of distinguished service to the global Adventist Church in the roles of pastor, theologian, scholar, columnist, associate editor, author and administrator.
These dynamic presentations were punctuated by opportunities for sharing, reflection, team building, case study analysis and strategy refinement. The university’s executive leadership also benefitted from affirmations from the President of the Caribbean Union Conference and Chairman of the USC Board of Trustees, Dr. Kern Tobias and from the President of the South Caribbean Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Pastor Leslie Moses, who both made cameos as special guests.
Commenting on what was accomplished at the retreat, President Wilson said that it was “an inspirational and informative time for the executive team. We were challenged and encouraged to consider the merits of adopting a high level of functioning via the executive mind-set. It was a time of refreshing, a time of renewal, a time that allowed us to cast a vision that will lead us into our centennial celebration.”
- Published in News, Office of the President
Business & Career Week 2022
BCW2022 took place during March 14 – 17 and positioned itself as a university-wide annual event. BCW stands for Business and Career Week and is a period of four days where key individuals in various professions are invited to sensitise and engage students on contemporary issues in the workplace and expected future trends in the world of work. This year the School of Business and Entrepreneurship was pleased to partner with its sister schools within the university to provide an interdisciplinary, value-packed, phenomenal week for students and all attendees.
The Impact of Digitalisation on Career Choices was the theme of BCW2022. We were pleased to be addressed by Senator, Dr. the Honourable Nyan Gadsby-Dolly during our opening ceremony and were happy to be engaged by over 30 presenters, both local and international across the week. All presenters were professionals in their discipline and provided students with information to increase their anticipation and preparation for a bright future.
Over 1000 attendees benefited from the virtual sessions and feedback gathered indicates that the week was well received and dubbed a success! A link to recorded presentations can be accessed here: https://usc.edu.tt/bcw2022/
The School of Business and Entrepreneurship thanks its sister schools, presenters, and all attendees for participating in BCW2022!
- Published in News, School of Business