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. 

Pictured above: Dr Raghavalu Ramella, Dean, School of Business, USC and Senator the Honourable Minister Paula Gopee Scoon, 

Minister of Trade and Industry

The School of Business Entrepreneurship & Continuing/Professional Studies (SoB) at the University of the Southern Caribbean has begun talks with the Ministry of Trade and Industry to establish a Center for Entrepreneurship & Trade. The main objective of the centre will be, to teach, coach and inspire individuals to be entrepreneurial. The centre proposes to provide tools and experience needed to creatively pursue new opportunities and innovations in the start-up, social, and corporate venture arenas in Trinidad and Tobago and around the globe.

Through courses, degree programs and complementary events such as workshops and seminars, the centre will seek to serve approximately 500 students per year. Partnering with various Government ministries, entrepreneurs, investors and traders, the centre will deliver introductory and specialized courses at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Graduate students within the SoB will have an opportunity to earn certification in entrepreneurship through the centre.

It is also proposed that through the centre, students with be given an opportunity to experience real life entrepreneurship while still in school. Co-curricular programs that include consulting to disadvantaged entrepreneurs in Trinidad and Tobago, will provide additional opportunities to “learn and do” allowing students to become more creative, innovative and entrepreneurial.

The Department of Occupational Therapy (OT) at the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC) has welcomed an additional faculty member to its renowned and highly qualified team. Mr Bill Roberts, a native of Texas, USA joined the OT Team in November as the recipient of a Fulbright Student Grant to research the USC occupational therapy program and as a short-term faculty member. He is a registered Occupational Therapist in the USA with over 16 years of experience. 

His many accomplishments include: Helping Child Vision Sri Lanka implement a Community-based rehabilitation programme in Puttalam, Sri Lanka in 2011/12, training volunteers to work with people with disabilities in underserved areas. He has also taught pediatric occupational therapy and occupational therapy process courses in the USA and Sri Lanka. 

While at USC, his research will uncover how culture and context influence occupational therapy curricula. The research will look into how the USC Masters of Occupational Therapy program implements a curriculum that is intentionally designed to reflect and suit the needs of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean. 

The Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy offered at USC is accredited by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) and is the only program of its kind offered in the region.

The application deadline for 2018 intake is February 28, 2018. 

The Trinidad Express Newspaper on Tuesday confirmed that Ms. Makeda Antoine, a graduate of the University of the Southern Caribbean will assume duties as Ambassador of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the Permanent Mission of the United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.

“Minister Moses congratulated Ambassador Antoine on her appointment and thanked her for her willingness to serve Trinidad and Tobago.” (Trinidad Express)

In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs said that on Monday, Minister Dennis Moses presented the instrument of appointment on behalf of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.” 

The University of the Southern Caribbean extends sincere congratulations to “Her Excellency” Makeda Antoine on this notable appointment. 

USC continues to impact its students holistically and prepares them to be agents of change and citizens of good repute around the globe through the values which it espouses. As one of three Universities in the Twin Island Republic, USC boasts a morally, spiritually and culturally diverse environment that is ideal for learning. USC’s mission is to “transform ordinary people into extraordinary servants of God to humanity through a holistic tertiary educational experience”, and for 90 years we have stood by, and will continue to stand by this mandate.

The George and Esther Book Collection at the University of the Southern Caribbean is delighted to present its fifteenth Annual Public Lecture to the academic and corporate communities of Trinidad and Tobago. This sustained effort has afforded many persons the privilege of exposure to brilliant scholars who have made significant contributions to knowledge fields like philosophy, morality, multiculturalism and linguistics.

Drs. George and Esther Simmons, residents of Maryland, USA and alumni of USC have generously sponsored the lecturers and utilized their vast network of highly distinguished scholars to facilitate the series. Presenters attracted have come from Harvard, Oxford, Yale, St. Andrews and other outstanding institutions and each has succeeded in bringing “fresh breaths of academic excellence” to his/her audience.

            Peter H. Russell is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Toronto where he has taught since 1958. He was the Principal of Innis College and the founding Principal of Senior College, the University of Toronto’s youngest college for its oldest scholars. His writings and public activities cover the fields of judicial, constitutional, Aboriginal and parliamentary politics. His most recent books are Two Cheers for Minority Government, Parliamentary Democracy in Crisis, Recognizing Native Title: Indigenous Resistance to English-Settler Colonialism and, in 2017, Canada’s Odyssey: A Country Based on Incomplete Conquests. He has served as the President of the Canadian Political Science Association and Chair of the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy. He is the recipient of honorary degrees from a number of universities, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and an Officer of the Order of Canada.

            The University of the Southern Caribbean looks forward to welcoming these distinguished scholars: Mr. Peter H. Russell, lecture presenter; and Dr. George Simmons, Professor Emeritus, State University of New York, College at Brockport, New York and sponsor of The George & Esther Simmons Book Collection Annual Public Lecture.

The date for the completion of the first wing of the new female residence hall has been earmarked as November 30, 2017. This date was announced by University President, Hilary Bowman, who has been diligently working to realize the dream of relocating the female students to a new dormitory this semester.

Dr. Bowman thanks all those who rallied together with him in this mammoth assignment. 

Left – Daniel Roberts, Right – Craig Ferguson, 2^nd from right – Anna Permell

The Conference of the Economy (COTE) University debate took place on September 28, 2017, between School of Business Students of USC and Economics students of The UWI, at the University of the West Indies. The topic for the debate was “Be it resolved that an Export-Led Growth Strategy and not an Import substituting one, is an imperative for achieving Economic Growth and Development”. The School of Business Students of USC – Daniel Roberts, Anna Permell and Craig Ferguson participated in the debate. The USC-School of Business team won the debate and was awarded a cash prize of $3,000 and in addition, reclaimed the trophy.

The School of Education and Humanities made history at the University of the Southern Caribbean with the launch of the book Caribbean Musings: Narratives of Identity on October 1, 2017. This multidisciplinary, multi-genre text, which is the first of its kind at the university, was constructed as a textbook for many courses offered in the School of Education and Humanities.

This momentous occasion was commemorated in New Building Auditorium from 4-6pm. The program began with congratulatory remarks offered by Dr. Kern Tobias, the President of Caribbean Union Conference, Dr. Hilary Bowman, the President of USC, Dr. Wanda Chesney, the Vice President for Academic Administration, Dr. Loverne Jacobs-Browne, the Dean of Education and Humanities and Dr. Susan Chand, the Director of Research and Innovation. Also in attendance was Pastor Leslie Moses, the President of South Caribbean Conference.

The keynote speaker Professor Bridget Brereton, Professor Emerita of History at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, focused her important and intriguing presentation on the significance of reading, writing and Caribbean scholarship. Another notable aspect of the program was the appearance of Ms Jean, a character in Janese Larocque’s play, which was humorously dramatized by the author herself.

Caribbean Musings: Narratives of Identity was initially imagined by instructors in the Department of Language and Communication who thought it was necessary to create teaching material which would be both contemporary, and pertinent to students enrolled in creative, literary and linguistic courses. The project ultimately evolved into a multidisciplinary manuscript which examines a wide range of historical, cultural, academic subjects and concerns. The first section of the text includes interesting and intricate issues which challenge Caribbean society and complicate Caribbean culture and identities. The second division is comprised of academic essays which navigate a variety of theoretical complexities within Caribbean narratives and scholarship. This book liberates the subjectivities and sensibilities of Caribbean citizens and affirms the significance and relevance of Caribbean scholarship

This unique collaborative project includes multiple Caribbean voices in creative writing, literature, history, technology and education. The editors of collection are Nicole Bengochea, Shelley Lyons, Meredith Montrichard and Fay White and the contributors include Petra Pierre-Robertson, Harold Ramoutar, Meredith Montrichard, Jay-Bonny King, Makyba Breezie, Janese Larocque, Leiba-Ann Ferreira, Renis Williams-Gabriel, Allison Campbell-Sanderson, Shelley Lyons, Fiona Rajkumar, Terencia Joseph, Nicole Bengochea, Rodney Rajkumar and Fay White.

Copies of this textbook can be purchased at the School of Education and Humanities.