POND ISLAND–An important step was taken on May 10 in the regional cooperation between tertiary institutions in the Caribbean and the United States (US), and University of St. Martin (USM) was part of this event.
New York’s Medgar Evers College (MEC), a senior college of City University of New York (CUNY), University of Trinidad and Tobago, University of the West Indies (UWI) and six other institutions, including University of St. Martin, established the USA-Caribbean International Education Consortium (UCIEC).
The signing took place at the US embassy in the presence of several dignitaries, including Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr. Keith Rowley and US public affairs officer Stephen Weeks, who both stressed the importance of the UCIEC. The UCIEC’s objective is to enhance and deepen academic cooperation, enabling sustainable economic and social development.
Dr. Rudolph Carew has been appointed the UCIEC’s first chairman. 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.
USM Dean of Academics Geneve Phillip-Durham played a pivotal role in 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,” she said.
The first steps in concretizing the UCIEC as it relates to USM are already underway. Talks have begun on establishing a detailed articulation agreement with MEC, allowing USM students to transition to that New York college.
USM President Dr. Francio Guadeloupe and MEC Regional Education Coordinator Milton Lawrence, one of the masterminds behind the consortium, have begun exploring the possibilities of creating a joint academic course that could be taught in New York as well as in St. Maarten.
With the signing of the UCIEC coming on the heels of its relationship with University of the Virgin Islands whereby North American-accredited Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees are awarded via the latter school and the recent possibilities for USM students to transition to Hotel School, USM continues to be bent on broadening its regional and wider international appeal.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/65980-usm-continues-its-role-in-international-cooperation
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