USA-Caribbean International Education Consortium (UCIEC)
USM, Pond Island:--- On May 10th an important step was taken in the regional cooperation between tertiary institutions in the Caribbean and the USA, and our University of St. Martin was part of this event. New York’s Medgar Evers College, a senior college of the prestigious City University of New York (CUNY), the University of Trinidad & Tobago, the University of the West Indies, and 6 other institutions, including our University of St. Martin, established the USA-Caribbean International Education Consortium (UCIEC).
The signing took place at the USA embassy in the presence of several dignitaries, including Dr. Keith Rowley, the Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, and the USA public affairs officer, Stephen Weeks, who both stressed the importance of the UCIEC. The objective of the UCIEC consortium is to enhance and deepen academic cooperation enabling sustainable economic & social development. Dr. Rudolph Carew has been appointed the first chairman of the UCIEC. The choice is symbolic of the force and pretention of the consortium, as Dr. Carew rose to prominence as the Chancellor of the New York City Board of Education.
Mrs. Geneve Phillip-Durham, the Dean of Academics, played a pivotal role in the USM’s inclusion in the UCIEC: “For me, it is important that regional cooperation goes beyond the CARICOM Caribbean. As such, I welcomed this initiative once it came to my attention, with a view toward having USM included. I am delighted that along with the likes of MEC and UWI, we are a part of this monumental step as far as cooperation in the higher education arena is concerned”. The first steps in concretizing the UCIEC as it relates to the USM is already underway. Talks have begun on establishing a detailed articulation agreement with Medgar Evers College, allowing USM students to transition to that New York college.
Also, the USM President, Dr. Francio Guadeloupe, and one of the master minds behind the consortium, Mr. Milton Lawrence, the Regional Education Coordinator of Medgar Evers, have begun exploring the possibilities of creating a joint academic course that could be taught in New York as well as on St. Martin. With the signing of the UCIEC coming on the heels of its relationship with the University of the Virgin Islands, whereby via the latter school North American accredited BA and MA degrees are awarded, and the recent possibilities for USM students to transition to Hotel School, the University of St. Martin (USM) located on Pond Island is bent on broadening its regional and wider international appeal.
USM part of regional cooperation between tertiary institutions in the Caribbean and the USA.
