After diligent preparation of the self-study document, the University of the Southern Caribbean warmly welcomed a nine-member team of seasoned and experienced educators from the Adventist Accreditation Association (AAA) to the scenic campus of our ninety-year old institution to conduct a full accreditation evaluation to determine how well USC has been meeting the required accrediting standards. 

In evidence was the high quality of evaluators, whose varied educational backgrounds were commensurate with their positions of responsibilities in their various educational institutions and organizations. Present were University Administrators, along with longstanding General Conference Associate Director, Dr John Wesley Taylor who led and chaired the AAA team. Of significant note was the team’s visit to two of our Satellite campuses located respectively in the beautiful island of Barbados and the other in Trinidad and Tobago’s second largest city located in the Southern city of San Fernando. 

The main responsibilities of the site team on the main and satellite campuses were to verify elements of the evidently well prepared University Self-Study which focused on 12 core areas.

The Self-Study document was expertly prepared under the leadership and guidance of Ms Gersha Pierre, our Director of Quality Assurance who worked to ensure the visit was a successful one.

Congratulations must be accorded to President Hilary Bowman and his supporting cadre of administrators for their exemplary and dedicated leadership not only preparing the University for this epochal site visit but more so for the evident upgrade of the campus facilities and the maintenance of the high standard its academic programs. 

The exit meeting with the University community provided commendations in several areas, juxtaposed against the few areas that require protracted improvements. As we await the detailed report on this recent major visit, USC is committed to holding the banners of faith-based Christian service in the heights that are deserving of our calling.

His Excellency, Jesus Alberto Lopez Gonzalez, Mexican Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago visited the USC campus to discuss the availability of scholarships for students interested in pursuing Masters and PhD programmes at Universities in Mexico. The ambassador’s visit comes at a time when hundreds of students are preparing for USC’s graduation exercises on July 1. 

His Excellency met with administrators prior to meeting with students to talk about available options for advancement. 

Students at the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC) desirous of learning Spanish as a Foreign Language or forming mutually beneficial connections with individuals from Spanish speaking countries have the opportunity to do so thanks to a Virtual Room created by Nancy Esther Ruiz Gallego a lecturer in the School of Education and the Language Center at the Colombia Adventist University (UNAC). 

Ms. Gallego, who developed the Virtual Room as a thesis project for the completion of her master’s degree program is intent on growing the number of connections made through the Virtual Room and has invited students of USC who want to meet a penpal or Spanish friend who can help him/her learn the language to join this Virtual Room. 

She made mention of her success stories, one of them a Colombian student who is currently spending time on the island of Dominica with a friend who she made through the virtual room. The time in Dominica is allowing her the opportunity to experience the culture and hear people speak English on a daily basis.  

Speaking to Ms Gallego at USC where she spent one month participating in an Immersion program coordinated by USC’s International Center for Corporate Training and Languages, she stated that her visit to this English Speaking Caribbean University was the missing link to her English education and experience. “You have to understand and experience the culture,” she said. 

Gallego’s visit was made as part of an agreement between the Caribbean Union Conference of SDA and UNAC and a portion of the time spent at USC included beginning talks with the administration to form a new agreement between UNAC and USC, the two tertiary institutions. 

This new agreement will yield tremendous benefit to the two Universities and their students as is now evidenced by the Virtual Room that has been opened up to students of USC. 

The benefits of learning a second language are numerous, one of them being the creation of more opportunities for career advancement and the fact that it improves one’s marketability in the job arena. 

Olandy Naranjo, Dean of Faculty Administration and Coordinator of Research in Business Communication and Social Entrepreneurship at UNAC was also part of the immersion program at USC. Naranjo describes her overall experience as impactful citing the biblical passages found along the walls of the School of Business as relevant and important as it gave persons an opportunity to link scripture with business. This to her signified the immersion of faith and learning. 

Dr Stephen Pilgrim, Consultant Director of the International Center for Corporate Training and Languages (left) and Dr Hilary Bowman, University President. 

USC will continue to widen its reach to Latin America and the French territories within its reach by formulating programmes to meet the language needs of students and professionals alike. The International Center for Corporate Training and Languages, formally the Language Center is headed by Dr Stephen Pilgrim who serves as Consultant Director of the Center.  

Individuals desirous of joining the Virtual Room and meeting individuals who can help them learn Spanish can contact Ms Nancy Gallego via email – nruiz@unac.edu.co or through WhatsApp – 1(868) 392-5209. 

The fifth annual Harold Baptiste lecturership is scheduled to begin on February 1, 2018, at the University of the Southern Caribbean’s Social Sciences Auditorium. This year’s speaker, Dr. Nicholas P. Miller is a lawyer and professor of church history at Andrews University, Michigan, USA. 

Since its inception in 2014, the Harold Baptiste lecture series has assisted in creating much-needed discussions and dialogue on topics pertaining to ministry and leadership. 

Attendees can anticipate deep discussions, powerful insight and an overall rewarding experience at this year’s lecture. The event is sponsored annually by the North American Alumni Association in honor of the life and ministry of Harold Baptiste and his wife Shirley Baptiste whose longstanding work in the field of ministry continues to inspire.

A schedule of the weekend’s events and topics to be covered can be found below. 

There has been a resurgence of quality events at the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC), due to the dedicated efforts of the staff in the Department of Student Life and Enrolment Management.  

This semester, a series of activities are on the horizon for students and staff alike. Among these activities is the revival of the highly acclaimed “USC’s Got Talent” carded for March 22, 2018. The event will showcase the artistic abilities of USC students while providing them with a safe platform to express themselves and develop holistically.

According to Ms. Tricia Campbell, Associate Director of Student Life and Enrolment Management, “USC is continually working toward building multi-dimensional activities and lyceum events to engage students throughout their University life.”

A few of the listed activities for the semester include Ice-cream Social; Club Fair; Art Appreciation Day and Smoothie Challenge and COMMUSC, a community activity day.

For more information on non-sporting co-curricular student activities, please call 662-2241 ext. 2212 or email tricia@usc.edu.tt 

Written by: Curtis Henry

The holistic development of the USC student is certainly what the USC School of Business had in mind when they announced a Career and Professional Development Week carded to take place from Monday, January 29 to February 1, 2018.

As the first event from the vibrant School of Business for the calendar year 2018, the week aims to set students on a guaranteed path to success in areas of Resume Writing, Interview Skills, Entrepreneurial Success, Negotiation and more. Skilled experts in the respective fields will facilitate the activities, which will replace a few of the daily class sessions.

Expectations are high for the week and students stand to gain a tremendous amount of insight, knowledge and skill.

Curtis Henry is an IMC Officer in the Integrated Marketing Communication Department, USC

Written by: Trea Johnson

The University of the Southern Caribbean’s (USC) annual Research Day is slated for March 14, 2018. This year’s theme, Health and Violence at Crossroads, is premised on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is a continuation of last year’s presentation.

In 2015, more than 190 world leaders pledged their commitment to 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030. In keeping with this development agenda, USC has chosen to address goals #3 (Good Health) and #16 (Peace and Justice) of the SDG’s. According to Dr. Susan Chand, Director of Research and Innovation at USC, society often addresses both these issues independently but there is an intersection where they can be addressed and possibly resolved simultaneously. 

A Call for Papers has been made. Interested individuals can submit posters and abstracts to be presended on March 14. For more information on the USC Research Day activities, call 662-2241 ext. 1655 or email research@usc.edu.tt. 

Trea Johnson is a Graduate Records Assistant at the University of the Southern Caribbean 

Written by: Samantha Robinson

Lecturers and Music Education students from USC’s Department of Music and Fine Arts as well as teachers from the Maracas SDA Primary school and representatives from other Early Childhood and elementary education institutions across Trinidad were on January 23 engaged in a day of training sessions to actualize a programme called the Integrated Arts and Technology Project, a collaborative initiative between the Ministry of Education and the United States Embassy. The day’s sessions involved teaching demonstrations on Infant I, Standard I and Standard IV classes from the Maracas SDA Primary School as well as a training workshop in the afternoon period.

The initiative, which was launched nearly one year ago, is aimed at developing a symbiotic relationship between the arts, technology and the core curricular subjects, with an aim to improve student engagement and achievement.

The implementation of this project is currently underway in both secondary and primary schools across Trinidad and Tobago. Fulbright scholar, Mrs. Deborah Sunya Moore, a percussionist and arts educator with a long history as an advocate of performing arts programs for children and youth facilitated the training. As a result of this training, teachers will be better equipped to utilize arts integration techniques in the delivery of their curriculum.  

Participants of the training workshop facilitated by Mrs. Deborah Sunya Moore

According to Mrs. Moore, the program has been successful thus far. Speaking on the benefits of integrating music/art with English language to help in teaching and learning, Moore noted that the integration will help students make connections; add to the student’s enjoyment of class; activate kids emotionally and kinaesthetically; and allow students to open up their creativity and imagination, allowing them to feel, experience and understand the reading material. “It’s not just about writing,” she says. “The child can now sing, draw or act out what is taking place.”

Faculty in the Department of Music and Fine Arts will be heavily involved in facilitating the training of primary and secondary school teachers over the coming months to ensure that educators are well equipped to begin integrating the arts into the curriculum.

Samantha Robinson is a 2^nd Year Primary Education Major at the University of the Southern Caribbean    

Written By: Trea Johnson

After decades of occupying less than commodious daily living quarters, what has been thought, spoken and dreamt of by the ladies of Linda Austin residence hall past and present would finally be realized. The current administration of the University of the Southern Caribbean under the leadership of Dr. Hilary Bowman will proudly unveil and open the doors to the new ladies residence hall January 30, 2018.

The state of the art dormitory which holds ninety-six (96) fully furnished rooms with the capacity to house one hundred and ninety-two (192) females promises all the necessary conveniences that a female student would rightly require and naturally deserves. 

The Linda Austin residence hall named after the first West Indian female lecturer who taught at the college was the second building constructed on the campus in 1929, this original building was called Cedar Hall. The dormitory was first occupied by women and actually named Linda Austin Hall in 1956. The building was continuously extended and modified to accommodate the institutions growing population. The dormitory over its sixty (60) plus years of use has severely diminished from its initial fame and glory.

This residential rite-of-passage has been long overdue, the campus buzzed with excitement as nine fully stocked containers with furnishings were delivered. This is the final nail, as the ladies anxiously await entrance into their new, commodious and palatial home away from home. The New Year certainly brings new things. The University family awaits the grand celebration and unveiling of the dormitory as the ladies are almost home!

The orientation exercise, held twice annually for individuals accepted to begin a programme of study at the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC), provides information on making a successful transition into University life and also grants key information and resources to prospective students. The exercise transpired on January 2, 2018, in the Social Science auditorium, setting the platform for a new beginning for many. 

University President, Dr Hilary Bowman, gave an address which underscored the difference of a USC education. “The knowledge and values that you will receive here will make you well-fitted for the workplace. That is something you can’t find anywhere else” he said, to the students and parents in attendance. 

Dr Wanda Chesney, Vice President of Academic Administration encouraged the incoming students to seek guidance from our service oriented staff and faculty. “USC is concerned about progression and completion. Your journey to success; that’s what we’re concerned about.”

The orientation exercise will be followed by registration which takes place on January 3, 2018, and classes are set to begin on January 8, 2018.