The University of the Southern Caribbean (USC), backed by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is currently undertaking a Renewable Energy and Environmental Development Project which will place USC as a National Champion for environmentally friendly and sustainable development, particularly within the context of growing global concerns such as global warming and climate change.

The institution’s move to go “green” will serve as a pilot project as the government seeks to place several institutions in the country as leaders in sustainability. To make this project a reality, USC will be the first beneficiary of the “Green Fund” which will finance the two-year-long project that entails the moving away from the use of carbon and utilizing only solar energy to power the campus.

Energy Dynamics Limited, the company responsible for transitioning USC into the Sustainability Initiative, in their presentation to the faculty and staff on Friday, February 16th praised the institution for agreeing to such a cause. The team headed by former Administrator, Mr Glenford Joseph, intends to train, bring awareness and effectively implement a strategy and policies surrounding the initiative. 

What is Energy Efficiency? It is the reduction in the energy used for a given service (heating, lighting, etc.) or level of activity. The reality is that every kWh of energy produces 1.07kg of greenhouse gas emission. Energy efficiency basically is the key to ensuring a safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable energy system for the future. This project offers major benefits to the institution, such as a reduction in monthly expenses, maintenance costs, and capital expenditure just to name a few.

The University President and Administrators have shown much social responsibility by agreeing to this change and their efforts to care for our environment is definitely lauded.  The institution embraces the idea of energy management and eagerly look forward to the processes involved in conserving energy. 

“Remember that buildings don’t use energy people do! Energy Management Starts with you!!” (Energy Dynamics Limited)

Left to Right Dr LeRoy Hill, Dean, Distance Education, Dr Hilton Garnet Counsellor, Mrs Mignon Sancho, Coordinator, USC Guyana and Dr Robert Liverpool Vice President, Administration

(Guyana): The University of the Southern Caribbean (USC) – Guyana Campus has been granted three years registration with the National Accreditation Council of Guyana (NAC) for the period January 26 – January 23, 2021. 

The registration status certifies that USC has met or exceeded the standards required for the provision of quality education and training in Guyana and the accrediting body has recognized USC as a bona fide tertiary institution, qualified to offer degrees, diplomas and certificates.  

The Vice President for Academic Administration, Dr Wanda Chesney commends the Guyana Campus for its accomplishment and encourages students and prospective students to take advantage of the programmes offered in Guyana. 

USC Guyana offers full degrees in Psychology, Behavioural Sciences, Business Management and Primary Education and from September 2018, Bachelor’s degrees in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Paralegal Studies and Special Education will be offered.

Opened in 2006, USC Guyana is the last of the USC’s Extension campuses to receive registration.  The other campuses are located Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, Tobago and San Fernando, Trinidad with the Main Campus located in Maracas Valley, St. Joseph, Trinidad.

Administrators, student representatives and workmen assembled at the site of the USC Auditorium to pray for blessings on the continuation of the Auditorium Rebuilding Project which began on February 7, 2018. 

The project which originally commenced in 2014 was brought to a halt, leaving a great need for space to host University activities and events, including the annual graduation exercises. 

Recognizing the evident deficit in space on campus, this administration has committed to the auditorium’s completion. The goal is to have it completed in time for the 2018 graduation exercises, scheduled to be held from June 29 – July 1.

University President, Dr Hilary Bowman stressed on the trust and faith that should be had in Christ to make the completion of this project a reality. He also prayed for the safety and well keeping of the employees who will be labouring on the site over the next few months. 

This auditorium will replace the University’s previous auditorium which was tragically destroyed by fire on April 26, 2012. This new building features a state of the art hall with a seating capacity of 1700 and other amenities including classrooms and a student lounge. 

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