Citation
The Snapper

Material Information

Title:
The Snapper
Series Title:
The Snapper
Creator:
The College of The Bahamas
The College of The Bahamas
Publisher:
The College of The Bahamas
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Universities and colleges -- Public relations -- Bahamas
Genre:
serial ( sobekcm )
Spatial Coverage:
North America -- Bahamas -- Nassau
Caribbean
Coordinates:
25.0661 x -77.339

Record Information

Source Institution:
The College of The Bahamas, Nassau
Holding Location:
The College of The Bahamas, Nassau
Rights Management:
Copyright 2007, The College of the Bahamas. All rights reserved.

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The Magazine of The College of The Bahamas

A production of the Office of Communication
Collection copyright: The College/University of The Bahamas 2007

Patricia Glinton-Meicholas Editor-in-Chief/Senior Writer/Layout
Gordon Mills Editor/Senior Writer

Staff
Maelynn Seymour Major Writer
Natasha Gibson Administrative Assistant
Paulette McPhee Trainee Writer/Private Secretary

Design Services donated by Neko Meicholas (d Guanima Press Ltd
Printing :: NAPCO Printing Service

Contact:
Office of Communication
The CoLLege of The Bahamas
P O Box N4912
Nassau, The Bahamas
E-mail: thesnapperficob.edu.bs
Telephone: (242) 302-4354/ 302-4304/302-4366







The College Welcomes

New Minister


CARL W. BETHEL was appointed Minister of
Education, Youth, Sports & Culture on May 7, 2007
following the General Elections on May 2.
Mr Bethel was educated at Queen's College and
St. Andrew's School in Nassau, Wilton House and Yately
Manor in the UK, Lester B. Pearson College, Canada,
(International Baccalaureate), the London School of
Economics [LL.B. Hons.) and Holborn Law Tutors,
London, England. He is a member of Lincoln's Inn,
London, U.K.
Mr Bethel is a Barrister and Counsel and
Attorney-at-Law. He was called to the Bar of England
and Wales and The Bahamas Bar in 1985. He worked in
several law firms and is now the Senior Partner in the
Law firm of Bethel, Moss & Co.


It was a very good year...

Propelled by the desire to see
The College of The Bahamas
transform into the University
of The Bahamas and a strong
tradition of moving ahead,
administrators, schools,
institutes and departments
broke new ground in many
areas and built on previous
achievements in others. As
the Academic Year 2006/2007
draws to a close and the
accomplishments are being
tallied and reports written, The
College can declare, without
fear of justifiable contradiction,


that it was a very good year,
indeed. Highlights:

Fall 2006

August
Faculty & Staff Seminars

School of Sciences and
Technology

November 6-9
Science and Technology Week

Specialist Mathematics Summer
Workshop for High School
Students


December 1
Council Luncheon. Inductions
of new Quarter Century Club
members: Camille Barnett;
Garnet Bastian; Anthony Butler;
Stuart Howell and Freeman
Kelly. Recognition of Alfred
Stewart, former Chairman;
Dr Earle Johnson, former
UTEB President and Faculty
Representative on Council;
Patricia Glinton-Meicholas,
Council Secretary
March 2002 June 2006 and
Wendyi Poitier Albury, former
Secretary.










Office of Student Affairs
Mr Colyn Major, VP

Athletics Department

October
The College's Men's and
Women's Basketball Teams,
the Caribs and Lady Caribs
competed in intercollegiate
games for the first time, a coup
pulled off by Athletic Director
Greg Harshaw. Teams played
against teams from Florida
International University (FIU)
and Florida Metropolitan
University (FMU).

School of Communication &
Creative Arts

November 30
Writers of Light: A Photo Exhibit
was put on by students of JRN
201 Photojournalism, led by
lecturer Hugo Zarate.

December 9
A Programme of Christmas
Music was held at Government
House, organized by the Music
Dept.

International Languages &
Cultures Institute

December 12
Merry, Multicultural Christmas,
a feast of songs in French,
Haitian Creole, Spanish and
an African Language from
Zimbabwe.

School of English Studies

November 2
Launch of the Anatol Rodgers
Memorial Lecture in memory
of the Bahamian educator who
was the first woman to head
the Government High School.
Presentation by Fred D'Aguiar,
author.


March 8-10/2007
Hosting of 26th West Indian
Literature Conference.

School of Social Sciences

September 14
The Eneas Family: Boat Building
and Social History/ Presentation
by Robert Pitt and remarks by
Kendal Butler, Researcher,
Boatbuilding.

October 20-21
Milo Butler Centennial
Symposium, honouring the work
of the first Bahamian Governor
General.

Spring & Summer 2007

Office of Academic Affairs
Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, VP

School of Business

March 12-15
Business Week Under the
theme "Resolving Business
Challenges.

School of Communication &
Creative Arts

March 22
Foreign Languages Day

April 19
Annual Colour of Harmony

Culinary & Hospitality
Management Institute (CHMI)

March 30
Fine Dining Programme opened

International Languages and
Cultures Institute

March 23
Evening of French Folk Songs

French, Spanish and German
Cinema Evenings


School of Education

February 19-21
Education Week

March 30-31
Writers/Readers Workshop in
Exuma, led by Mrs Linda Russell

Libraries & Instructional Media
Services

January 31
Lunch & Litigation Series.
Speaker: Hon. Z C Allyson
Gibson, MP; Attorney General &
Minister of Legal Affairs. Topic:
"Consumer Protection Act,
2006".

School of Nursing and Allied
Health Professions
BSc in Nursing programme
approved by council.

School of Social Sciences
Lecture Series: "Issues in
Human Sexuality.

Panel Discussion "Perspective
on the Impact of Haitian
Migration to The Bahamas.

Office of Research, Graduate
Programmes & International
Relations Dr Linda Davis, VP

December
Signing of exchange agreement
with the University of
Johannesburg, South Africa.

February 7
Signing of Exchange Agreement
between The College of The
Bahamas (COB) and the
University of Rhode Island (URI)
with the attendance of United
States Ambassador to The
Bahamas John D Rood.









May
RGPIR led onshore management
of Canada/Caribbean conclave,
which was headed by Right Hon.
Mr Joe Clark, former Prime
Minister of Canada.

Ten graduated with a master's
degree in Teaching and
Learning with Technology from
the programme operated by
The College of the Bahamas
in collaboration with Ashford
University. The graduates
include two College staff
members: Veronica Collie,
Director, Admissions and
Wendy Riley, Lecturer, School of
Education.

Secretary General
Mrs Rubie Nottage

Created a first draft of paper
to inform the Bill to create
the legislation to found the
University of The Bahamas

As Chief Returning Officer for
internal elections, Secretary
organized the poll for Staff
Observer on Council.

Created and organized training
for Protocol Team.

Prepared and oversaw signing of
numerous MOUs.

Office of Outreach
Dr Pandora Johnson, VP

February 20
Launch of the Institute of
Educational Leadership The
Ministry of Education, Science &
Technology in conjunction with
The College of The Bahamas.

Leading draft of Cabinet Paper
for Minister of Education,


justifying the formation of the
University.

Continuing work on Strategic
Plan.

Ad Hoc Advisory Committee

June 13
Dr Keva Bethel, President
Emerita presented the Final
Report of the Ad Hoc Advisory
Committee on Governance to
College of The Bahamas Council
Chairman, Franklyn R Wilson,
CMG

Office of Student Affairs
Mr Colyn Major, VP

Athletics Department

Director secures COB entry into
NCAA.

Launched Sports Academy.

Campus Life Department

January 31
"Youth Want to Know Forum",
giving students the opportunity
to hear from the nation's
political leaders first hand.
Organized in cooperation with
COBUS.

February 26
The College of The Bahamas
Campus Life Council opened
Culture Week 2007, paying
tribute to national treasure and
cultural icon, Kayla Lockhart-
Edwards and three others.
The week featured a variety
of Bahamian arts and cuisine,
meet-the-author events and
a panel discussion featuring
well-known and respected
personalities.


March 15-17
24th Annual Conference of Youth
Leaders (COYL). Sponsored by
Bahamas Telecommunication
Company (BTC]; Ministry of
Youth and Sports & Ministry
of Education, Science &
Technology.

March 31
Health Fair, Georgetown, Exuma

Office of Communication
Mrs Patricia Glinton-Meicholas,
VP

Communication has been an
active contributor to every major
event that has taken place over
the course of the year, providing
the range of public relations
services. The Office put a new
face on College print collateral
and has produced a number
of new publications, including
"Snapper", a general magazine
and "Sprat", a newsletter.

VP Communication, with the aid
of Carla Glinton of .BS Domain
and the ITC Help Desk, with the
donated design services of Neko
Meicholas of Guanima Press,
produced the new College of
The Bahamas website in record
time in December.

The VP, with the collaboration
of Dr Earla Carey Baines, Dean,
Faculty of Liberal and Fine
Arts and Mrs Camille Smith,
Academic Affairs Assistant and
Mr Meicholas, also produced,
in a tense month, a modern
catalogue, the first in several
years.










The College Welcomes a New Council

T. Baswell Donaldson, Ambassador to the United States for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas from
1992 to 1995, is the new Chairman of The College of The Bahamas Council.

A Phi Beta Kappa from Fisk University, Mr Donaldson did graduate study at the University of Minnesota
and Columbia University. He received a doctorate from Pacific Northwestern University. A noted figure in
the financial services sector, Mr Donaldson was the first Governor of the Central Bank of The Bahamas, a
Governor of The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Caribbean Development Bank.
When he retired from the public sector, he became Chairman of The Bank of Montreal (Bahamas &
Caribbean) Ltd. He serves as Chairman of Commonwealth Bank.

Mr Donaldson is supported by an equally distinguished team. The Deputy Chairman is Judith Whitehead,
an attorney and Managing Partner at Graham Thompson & Co. Other members include Janyne Hodder,
President of The College (ex officio); Mark Holowesko, CEO, Templeton Capital Advisors Ltd; Roger Kelty,
former COB Lecturer and recently retired Director of Education, Lyford Cay Foundation; G. Diane Stewart,
Partner, McKinney, Bancroft and Hughes; Dr Earl Cash, Partner, Higgs and Johnson, who has served
with distinction on the COB Council since 2002 Other members include the Student, Faculty and Alumni
Representatives. The latter two posts are currently occupied by Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson and Donald
Saunders, respectively.



...and bids a fond adieu

to the outgoing members

The College is deeply grateful to the outgoing Council and its Chairman, Franklyn
Wilson, CMG, who led the governing body of the institution from 2002 to June 2007.
Deputy Chair Jerome Fitzgerald, Dr Earl Cash, Mrs Audrey Ingram Roberts and Mr Simon
Wilson, served for the same period. At the expiry of the Council, members also included
Dr Cheryl Rolle, Mrs Patricia Collins, the Faculty Representative, Mrs Jennifer Isaacs-
Dotson; Alumni Representative, Mr Donald Saunders and Student Representative A'Leithia
Sweeting. Mrs Iris Pinder, then Director of Education and Mrs Angela Palacious, Anglican
priest, were members of the original team.

The 2002-2007 Council Led The College of The Bahamas through some of its most
challenging years, including the appointment of two presidents. Under their tenure,
The College's drive to university status was given fresh impetus, as was the capital
development programme. Two new classroom blocks were completed, the former
Boulevard Building was acquired and converted into the Michael H ELdon Complex, named
in honour of the first Council Chairman. The Wellness Centre was erected, the creation
of the Performing Arts Centre initiated and a general upgrading of facilities undertaken.
The communication system was also upgraded with the installation of a new telephone
network. A campus management programme was launched. Of particular significance,
the first audit of College accounts since 1998 was initiated, as were the infrastructural
works for the new Northern Bahamas Campus, sited on 50 acres of land donated by Grand
Bahama Port Authority. Mr Wilson has pledged continuing support.









Countdown
The College to Begin a Formal Countdown
to University Status with the Blessing of the National Cabinet

On November 22, 2006, when The College of The Bahamas presented its vision for the University of The
Bahamas to Prime Minister the Right Honourable Perry Christie and the National Cabinet. The College
was represented by the Chairman and other members of Council and the Senior Team, comprising
the President and vice presidents. President Janyne M Hodder presented the formal vision document
that was prepared following wide consultation. The meeting ended with the Government pledging
and confirming in Cabinet records its wholehearted support and the necessary concomitants for the
establishment of the University.

On February 28, 2007, in his report on education to Parliament, the then Minister of Education, Hon. Alfred
M Sears, MP, reaffirmed government support for the establishment of the University and the creation of a
national endowment for the institution.

The University Vision statement gives the following as the mission of the
new institution:











S Public support. The University of The Bahamas will be the national university, the basis of
which must be strong public support and a reciprocal and equal accountability on the part of the
university.

a Excellence and accessibility (offering excellent education and high quality programmes to our
0 Excellence and accessibility (offering excellent education and high quality programmes to our






students, high quality opportunities to our faculty to carry out meaningful research, advance
knowledge and achieve professional satisfaction. And ensuring, with public/private sector
partnership, that no student capable and desirous of engaging in university studies will be
prevented from doing so for financial reasons.)
National identity and international presence.
Broad range of undergraduate and professional degree programmes (the university would
continue to offer associate degrees where these are needed to serve the aspirations of students
and needs of employers.)
A select few graduate research programmes
Academic freedom and high standards of research and teaching
The education of the 'whole' person.












The U ver s "y

of The Ba h a







Former College Chairman
n ll


Frar


" ". i i. ,


iklyn Wilson



To Support University Transition
To Support University Transition


The College of The Bahamas is proud to announce that Mr Franklyn
Wilson, CMG, Chairman of The College Council from September 2002
to June 2007, and Mrs Sharon Wilson have made an unprecedented
donation of $1 million to The College of The Bahamas. This is the
result of several months of discussions regarding Mr Wilson and his
family's potential support.

President Janyne Hodder applauded The Wilson Family for this
outstanding signal of support This is a monumental endorsement
to a cause which is so critical to this country's future-that of higher
education. The College of The Bahamas is honoured to be the
recipient of the Wilsons' generosity." said President Hodder.

One of the country's leading entrepreneurs, Mr Franklyn Wilson,
is a chartered accountant by profession and he currently heads
a number of very successful Bahamian companies, including
F.R. Wilson & Co. Ltd Arawak Homes, Sunshine Insurance, and
Eleuthera Properties Limited. Mr Wilson's wife, Mrs Sharon Wilson,
a former educator and former President of the Senate, has led an
exemplary career as an accomplished lawyer and magistrate. The
Wilsons have made enormous contributions to this country within the
spheres of business, education, the church, community outreach and


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philanthropy. At the forefront of community building within The Bahamas, Franklyn and Sharon

Wilson have served in various capacities to organizations such as Junior Achievement, The

Links Incorporated, The College of The Bahamas, and The Anglican Church. Mr and Mrs Wilson

share a deep commitment to family and to the development of The Bahamas.


This $1 million landmark gift to The College of The Bahamas has great personal significance

to The Wilson Family. It is a testament to their passionate belief in the creation of a national

university in this country. Through their service on boards of international universities, Mr and

Mrs Wilson recognize the importance of leadership in and the value of securing private support

for such institutions. Mr Wilson appreciates the fact that The College of The Bahamas will need

to seek increased levels of participation and financial support from many sectors of society if we

are to create a university that will have the stature and commitment to excellence that will serve

the country well into the future.













The Wilson Family gift will be used to support capital expansion needs as The College of The

Bahamas' transitions to the University of The Bahamas. As stated by Mr Wilson, "Sharon and I

firmly believe in the importance of and power of giving. We are committed to making a positive

difference in the development of higher education in The Bahamas."









The College of The Bahamas
will host the Conference to
Commemorate the 200th
Anniversary of the Abolition of
the Transatlantic Slave Trade,
February 21-23, 2008 at the
Oakes Field Campus, Nassau.

Abstracts of approximately
200 words are invited on the
following topics:

* Language and
Oppression
* Religion and
Enslavement
* Slavery and Human
Sensibilities
* Power and
Enslavement
* Kinship across the
Diaspora
* Identity, Culture, Race
and Liberation
* Enslavement and
Liberation
* Slavery and Liberation:
The Pedagogy
* Liberation: Ideologies,
Contexts and Dynamics
* Liberation: Simple
Past or Present
Continuous

Please send abstracts as
an attached Word file to
Jessica Minnis, Chair of the
Conference Committee at
abolitionconferenceacob.edu.bs
no later than Friday, September
28, 2007.

Conference Structure
The conference will feature
20-minute papers from all
disciplines, followed by 10-
minute discussions, presented


rs


in concurrent and plenary sessions. Panel and poster proposals
will also be considered. Such proposals should be as complete as
possible.


Submissions
(Four (4) paper copies and an electronic copy] should
Jessica Minnis
Associate Professor
School of Social Sciences
The College of The Bahamas
Oakes Field Campus
P Box N4912
Nassau, Bahamas
E-mail:
abolitionconference(acob.edu.bs


be directed to:


Deadline for Submission:
Friday, October 26, 2007.

Accommodation for Non-Resident Delegates
Only private sector accommodation is available. As the island of New
Providence is a major tourist destination and business centre, it
offers a variety of accommodations, ranging from well-kept bed and
breakfasts to large luxury properties. Several of the smaller hotels
are located downtown, a 15-20 minutes walk from the conference
venue. A taxi ride takes about five-seven minutes and cost about
$8.00 each way. We recommend early booking to get the best rates.
Registration
Two days: $450:00
Day rate $150:00
Late Registration: $200.00
Student rate: $75.00
































of the Institute for Educational Leadership

Tuesday, February 20, 2007 proved a red letter day for education in The Bahamas. The College of The
Bahamas, with the partnership of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) launched
the Institute for Educational Leadership. The development comes at a time when the nation's public
schools have been under attack for lackluster performance in national examinations.

To be administered by The College's Office of Outreach, headed by Dr Pandora Johnson, the Institute
was born out of the understanding that innovation in education is fuelled by leadership that is
transformational, inspiring and addresses the Bahamian reality.
The Institute has as its goal to prepare serving and aspiring administrators to
manage school-Level functions, including human resource planning, professional
development, formative and summative appraisal of personnel, conflict resolution,
planning for safe and healthy environments, community relations, school
governance, curriculum development, delivery and assessment, issues of finance,
using research data to inform educational decision-making and articulating school
improvement strategies.
Speakers for the launch included Dr Johnson, who gave the welcome and set the context. She was
followed by Janyne Hodder, President of The College of The Bahamas; Veronica Owens, Parliamentary
Secretary, MOEST; Dressler Sherman, Principal, C R Walker Secondary School and Cresswell Sturrup,
Permanent Secretary, MOEST.







a COBI -


As fearless and determined as the Amerindians whose name they bear, the COB Lady Caribs basketball
team finally prevailed, in February, against the ever-resilient Truckers in overtime by 88 points to 86 to
claim the much-coveted Pennant for the first time in College history. In a game that had COB supporters
running the gamut of emotions, the Lady Caribs found themselves locked in a tense tussle in extra time
during which they trailed for a while. Accurate clutch shooting and determined defence carried the women
to the well-deserved laurel wreath. The victory meant that The College Ladies finished the regular season
with the best record and would go into the play-offs as the number one seeds.
The Lady Caribs Coach is Dr Linda Davis who, in her professional life is Vice President, Research,
Graduate Programmes and International Relations at COB. Dr Davis was understandably elated over the
win and praised the Ladies highly, "I am very pleased with the way the team played. They played hard and
well all season. We had success early and I must say the opportunity to travel to Florida and New York and
play games there really gave us a boost." In 2006 the team played two games in New York and won both,
demonstrating that they have the mettle to become standouts internationally.

2007 commemorates the 200th anniversary
of the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade
Act. 25 March marks the anniversary of
the actual signing. This Act outlawed the
slave trade throughout the British Empire
and made it illegal for British citizens,
territories and ships to be involved in the
trade, marking the beginning of the end
for the transatlantic traffic in enslaved
human beings between Africa, the
Caribbean and the continental Americas.

























BIG THIN
College of The Bahamas Hosts
International Forum on the
Future of Canada's Relations
with the English Speaking
Caribbean

On May 25-26, The
College of The Bahamas hosted
a prestigious international
discussion entitled "Preparing
for the Future: Identifying Issue!
and Mechanisms for Renewing
of Canada's Ties with the
English-Speaking Caribbean",
with leadership from the Right
Honourable Mr. Joe Clark,
former Prime Minister of
Canada.
For more than a
century, Canada and the
English-speaking Caribbean
benefited from a close,
cooperative relationship. This
relationship grew less intense
as other priorities have come
to the fore. Two internationally
recognized entities, FOCAL
and McGill University, decided
to make a contribution to
reinvigorating this significant
relationship. They, along with
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
sponsored the high-level
gathering.
Participants included
Hon. Mr Clark, representatives
from McGill University,


K TANK
FOCAL, the University of
Toronto, Caricom, the Inter-
American Development
Bank, the WTO, the Canadian
International Development
Agency, and representatives
of industry and government
from Jamaica, Turks and
Caicos and The Bahamas
joined by representatives
s from The College on campus
for this important think-
tank meeting. Topics for the
discussion included: economic
development; a future with or
without free trade; security
issues; strengthening the
regional labour market; human
capital; educating children;
teacher training and retention.
In addition to the think-
tank meeting, The College
of The Bahamas led four
simultaneous roundtables on
Saturday, May 26th on topics of
critical importance to countries
in the region. Taking part were
College personnel, including
Dr Silvius Wilson and Michael
Stevenson of the School of
Social Sciences, representatives
from industry, government,
churches and the participants
from the Canada-Caribbean
think tank meetings.
The first roundtable focused on
building self-sufficiency and


problem-solving capacity within
communities of the Caribbean.
The second roundtable
targeted Linkages between
tourism and other sectors of
the economy, which are often
characterized as insufficient
resulting in a tendency of
traditional industries to remain
underdeveloped and economies
to be heavily skewed.
The third session
explored the evolving role of
higher education institutions
for countries in the region.
Finally, the fourth roundtable
focused on the important role
and history of the church in the
region has played at the centre
of people's development.
The College of The
Bahamas anticipates that the
think-tank meeting and the
roundtable discussions will lay
the groundwork for academic
scholarship and research in the
region and at The College and
for the development of a future
Public Policy Institute.
The Nassau conclave arose
out of a May 2006 meeting of
a small group of current and
former Canadian and Caribbean
officials Led by Mr. Clark and
senior politicians and analysts
at the Canadian Embassy in
Washington.









iS :



The Northern Bahamas Campus

(NBC) of The College of The

Bahamas is marking its

31 st anniversary of service to

Grand Bahama this year.


An apt description of this
three-decade journey could be
"evolution/revolution. It tells
a story of remarkable growth
and achievements engineered
by men and women of great
determination, who were called
upon to weave the gold of
much-needed tertiary education
opportunities for Grand Bahama
from the straw of limited
facilities and materials.
In a relatively short
time, the Campus has evolved
from a continuing education
centre, offering a 30-credit
Bankers Certificate to seven
bank employees, to become a
full campus offering certificate,
diploma, associate and
bachelor degree programmes.
Additionally, the Campus now
offers a number of professional
and personal development
courses under the Centre for
Continuing Education and
Extension Services [CEES].
Back in 1974, the
Grand Bahama community was
growing and developing rapidly,
creating a demand for skilled
personnel and, naturally, readily
accessible higher education and
training. Consequently, in that
year, a team from The College
of The Bahamas, including
members of the Academic
Board, visited Freeport to


assess the needs and devise
programmes to meet the needs
at that time. The concept of a
northern branch of COB was
born.
In 1976, the Freeport
Centre began offering the ABIB
Certificate Course in response
to a request from the Bahamas
Bankers' Institute. The first
seven students graduated with a
diploma in Banking [30 credits).
This initial offering was soon
followed by an associate degree
programme in Business and
Administrative Studies with a
major in Management, followed
the addition of an Accounting
major. In these early years, all
courses were offered on a part-
time basis. A name that must be
lauded for contributions to the
banking programme in this early
phase is that of Eve Poitier, now
Associate Professor and long-
time head of that department in
the School of Business.
In 1978 the
programming for Grand Bahama
began in earnest. Classes
were held first at the Sylvia Gill
Building, then at Hawksbill High
School and later at the Freeport
High School. The coordinator in
the early stages was Dr. Arthur
Roach who travelled regularly
between Nassau and Freeport
to establish the programmes.


In his absence, supervisory
responsibilities were carried out
by Mrs Maquella Smith from the
Ministry of Education's office in
Freeport.
In response to a request
from Bahamas Oil Refining
Company Limited [BORCO]
and Syntex Pharmaceutical,
the Centre began offering the
Chemical Technician Diploma
Programme to supply the
needed manpower for those two
growing organizations.
Over the years the
growth of the Centre continued,
contributing to the creation
of a workforce to match the
economic development of Grand
Bahama and providing quality
education for those who, for
one reason or another, were
unable to attend The College of
The Bahamas in Nassau, or a
college abroad.
In 1986 the student
enrollment was approximately
100, and it became obvious that
a full-time person was needed
to coordinate the programmes
and to ensure parity with
offerings at the Nassau
Campus. In 1987 the Freeport
Centre relocated to the Fletco
Building [the Grand Bahama
Trade School Building) which
also houses Bahamas Technical
& Vocational Centre [BTVI].
This building remains the hub
of the Campus today, with its
main administrative offices and
Library on the ground floor, and
six classrooms on the second
floor.








NORTHERN
Dr. Arthur Roach
became the first full time
Coordinator of the Freeport
Centre, which operated under
the umbrella of CEES. The focus
continued to be on promoting
the College in the community,
consolidating the programmes
already established and offering
College Preparatory and Office
Assistance Programmes in
Grand Bahama. September 1988
saw the appointment of a full-
time lecturer, Liz Cromwell, who
taught English. By January 1989
a full-time College Prep class
had begun, offering classes
to young school weavers and
employees who were allowed
day-release for upgrading
purposes.
As the 20th century
drew to a close, the NBC focus
was directed toward increasing
the student population, building
a cadre of full-time faculty, as
well as increasing the bank of
part-time faculty and finding
ways to maximize the use of
the classroom space, especially
during the day.
In addition to the
College programmes, the
Centre offered a wide range
of personal development
courses and skills training in
Freehand Cutting and Fashion
Design, Single and Three
Phase Electrical License,
Conversational Spanish,
French and Creole, Pre-School
Providers and Owner Vehicle
Maintenance.
The Centre participated
in numerous activities with a
view to sensitizing the Grand
Bahama community to The
College of The Bahamas.
Recruitment activities
ranged from attendance and
participation in the Annual


BAHAMAS CAMPUS
Northern Bahamas Campus
Contacts
Telephones: (242) 352-9761
(242)351-3970
(242)352-2896

23 August 2007 is the United Nations

Educational Scientific and Cultural

Organisation (UNESCO) International

Day for the Remembrance of the Slave

Trade and its Abolition.


College Fair sponsored by
the Principals/Vice Principals
Association, speaking at
PTA Meetings and vigorous
recruitment visits to the schools
(twice annually]. Adult Education
Awareness Week afforded
extensive media coverage of
the College's activities which
culminated in a Distinguished
Lecture Luncheon. Visits and
speaking engagements at
Service Clubs also played an
important role in community
awareness in Grand Bahama.
The Tenants
Association, comprising
Bahamas Technical and
Vocational Institute, The
College of The Bahamas
and Bahamas Hotel Training
College, was established
by the Provost to facilitate
professional camaraderie,
supportive interaction and
advance education and training
on Grand Bahama. (The latter
institution amalgamated with
COB in 2000). An annual three-
day College Fair was initiated
by the partners, an event which
has attracted thousands of
high school students, guidance


counselors, teachers, tourists,
parents and a cross section
of the business community.
Under the theme "Education
and Training at Home", the
Fair continues to play a pivotal
role in attracting students to
The College of The Bahamas in
Nassau and Freeport.
At the beginning of
the 1990s, a second full-time
lecturer was appointed to NBC
and, with the resignation of
Dr. Roach, Mrs Sylvia Darling
was appointed Coordinator.
That position has also
undergone evolution as well-
from Coordinator, to Assistant
Director, to Provost, to Assistant
Vice President and, in 2006,
The College, in recognition of
the importance of the Northern
Campus to its mandate to serve
the archipelago, elevated the
post of the campus leader to
Associate Vice President. The
current office holder is Dr
Coralee Kelly.








Northern

Bahamas

Campus


The evolution is
continuing at NBC,
evident in the wide range
of programmes and course
offerings, and the growth in
full-time faculty resulting in
a reduced need for part-time
faculty. Administrative and Staff
personnel have increased in
tandem with the ever-increasing
demand.

Student Population Growth
The Northern Bahamas
Campus can now boast of a
combined (full-time and part-
time) average population of 380
- 400 students. Representatives
from the Northern Campus
have begun visiting Bimini, the
Berry Islands and Abaco for
the purpose of recruitment.
As some students from these
Islands experience a level of
difficulty with accommodation,
an assessment tool will be
developed to determine housing
needs so that some solution
may be sought to alleviate this
critical problem.

Academic Programmes
Predominantly in
the realm of business and
administration, programme
offerings at Northern Bahamas
Campus include.
* Bachelor of Business


Administration Management
and Accounting
* Bachelor of Education
(Primary Education]
* Diploma in Education
* Associate in Computer Data
Processing
* College Prep Courses
* Upgrading in Mathematics
and English for Mature
Students
In the last couple of
years the Northern Campus
shared in the sufferings of
the island of Grand Bahama
occasioned by the damage
wreaked by devastating storms.
Nevertheless, Dr Coralee
Kelly, Associate Vice-President
of the Northern Bahamas
Campus, was encouraged by the
resilience shown by staff, faculty
and students in their aftermath.
Improvements are ongoing
and Dr Kelly was pleased to
have been able to reopen the
refurbished Resources Centre at
the end of 2006. The space has
been recarpeted, reequipped
with tables and chairs and
has been enhanced by the
addition of 10 new computers
donated by the Grand Bahama
Port Authority. The Centre can
now offer laminating, binding
services and Internet access.


Despite the challenges,
Northern Bahamas Campus
has a steady growth in numbers
over the past few years and
approximately 700 students
were enrolled in classes by Fall
of 2006, more than 200 of them
through Continuing Education,
and 200 in education courses.
The vast majority of NBC
students attend classes after 4
o'clock in the afternoon. Efforts
have been made to reverse the
trend, but NBC students persist
in their preference of evening
classes, which allow them to
hold full-time day jobs.
Dr Kelly lauds the Grand
Bahama students' ability to
work during the day and then
carry a full Load of courses in
the evenings.
The College of The
Bahamas occupies a very
important place in the lives of
the people of Grand Bahama
and, in return, as Dr Kelly
reports, the community is very
supportive of COB. She cites
a number of donors, among
them Mr William Jones; he has
been very generous in providing
funds specifically for COB
students in Grand Bahama. "I
was particularly pleased to be
able to use some of these funds
to assist those students from
Pinder's Point and Eight Mile
Rock who lost nearly everything
in Hurricane Wilma in 2005,"
she explains.
While there are many
positive initiatives progressing
in Freeport, Dr Kelly still
faces storm-related and other
challenges. Less obvious,
but no less demanding, she
says, is what she calls COB's
"Nassaucentricity". She is
hoping that trends such as
staging their own graduation






As we commemorate the Abolition of the
Slave Trade, we should especially honour
the women, both black and white who
contributed to bringing an end to slavery
itself by helping to convince their societies
that African slavery was a great wrong
that had to be put right. Among them
were the Bahamian slave known as "Poor
Black Kate" of one of the Moss plantations
on Crooked Island, who, in dying from
a horrendous punishment, gave fresh
impetus to the anti-slavery movement
in Britain. Having the same effect was
the narrative of Mary Prince who was
brutalized from the age of twelve and came
to know worse as a salt raker in Turks and
Caicos. There were the African Americans
Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman and
such British women as Elizabeth Heyrick,
who lobbied for full emancipation.


will multiply and the Northern
Bahamas Campus will achieve
the level of autonomy befitting
the University of The Bahamas,
Northern Campus.

Continuing Education and
Extension Services at NBC
The Continuing
Education and Extension
Services Division of The
College of The Bahamas at the
Northern Bahamas Campus is
a vibrant entity responding with
enthusiasm to Grand Bahama's
need for academic upgrading
and personal and professional


development programmes.
CEES' NBC coordinator Marlene
Henry says that the Centre is
always seeking to keep abreast
of or anticipate the demands
of the local community, CEES
at the Northern Campus was
particularly pleased last year
to offer, in conjunction with
the United Kingdom-based the
Institute of Legal Executives
ilexX), the Certificate in Law,
a first for Grand Bahama.
The first cohort comprised 13
participants and well-known
attorneys-at-law Constance
Mc Donald and Ancella Evans-


Williams were the primary
instructors. Participants also
heard from such guest lecturers
as noted attorney Maurice
Glinton and Deputy Chief
Magistrate Franklyn Williams
John P Westward,
Executive Director, Paralegal
Training, ILEX, had this to say
about the COLLABORATION with
COB: "The College has shown
that with its resources and its
enthusiasm, it is meeting the
need for excellence in paralegal
training as well as the quality
assurances so demanded. The
Centre for Continuing Education
has shown itself to be a Centre
of Excellence for those whose
careers will be in the law and
one that the Bahamas should be
proud of."
In partnership with
two US institutions, CEES has
begun to offer two high-demand
professional development
certifications: the Certified
Professional Managers [CM) in
conjunction with the Institute of
Certified Professional Managers
(ICPM) at James Madison
University of Virginia and the
Certification in Human Resource
Management Programme.
Those who have taught the
course are Geneva Rutherford,
Training Director, GB Port
Authority (part time) and full-
time lecturers Jean Bowes and
Esmond Weekes.
The Personal
Development Department has
also designed and implemented
such courses as Microsoft 2003
Tracking and Outlook at the
request of the GB Port Authority.
CEES-NBC has also launched
the Becker CPA and the
Certified Professional Secretary
programme. Other courses
are offered based on popular










demand; these have included
Shorthand Skills Level and
Massage Therapy.

Promoting Healthy Lifestyles
Enhancement of the
student experience beyond the
classroom is a primary goal for
The College of The Bahamas
and the Student Activities
Department, in collaboration
with the Athletics Department,
is constantly adding to the
opportunities available to
students on COB's two major
campuses.

In Grand Bahama
In January 2007, the
Northern Bahamas Campus
staged its first Health Fair and
welcomed representatives
from various agencies involved
in the promotion of healthy
Lifestyles. Bradley Cooper, then
Acting Director of Campus Life,
who organized the event, was
well pleased and estimated
that approximately 400 people
attended during the day. The
response from both vendors
and the general public so
encouraged Dr Coralee Kelly
that she told attendees that
the Health Fair would become
an annual event, one that she
hoped would grow significantly
in the future. The following
day came the Second Annual
Fun Run/Walk when more than
60 walkers and runners left
the bowling alley and traveled
to the Port Lucaya roundabout
and back as part of COB's two
days promoting healthy Living
in Grand Bahama. Lastly, the
Northern Campus Bowling
League began in 2006 and
became an instant success. An
excellent way to socialize and
enjoy friendly competition, the


bowling League started again
in February of this year and the
Student Affairs Department
is confident that the interest
shown during its inaugural
season will produce increased
participation in 2007.

In Nassau
With obesity and a
number of chronic diseases
afflicting large numbers of
the Bahamian population,
Bradley Cooper organized a
very successful Health Fair on
the field in front of the Band
Shell. Opened by the then
Minister of Health, Senator
Hon. Dr Bernard Nottage, the
fair attracted forty vendors
and health related companies
purveying items from vitamins
to fresh vegetables and
presenting information from the
Diabetic Association to the AIDS
Secretariat.
The Cynthia "Mother"
Pratt Fun Run/Walk took place
in Nassau on January 13,
2007 with a record number of
participants. The organizers
were very pleased with the
turnout, which included the
Deputy Prime Minister in whose
honour the race is named.

Athletics Department
The year 2006
marked The College of The
Bahamas' entry into varsity
sports. To engage in games
at this level, COB's men's and
women's basketball teams
made two excursions into
hitherto uncharted territory by
traveling to New York and West
Palm Beach to play against
university teams in those areas.
The women demonstrated
convincingly that The College is
a hoops force to be respected.


They won twice against
university teams in New York
The men made a brave showing
but were unable to produce
a victory in any of their four
games.

Faculty Development at
Northern Bahamas Campus
The full-time faculty
complement at Northern
Bahamas Campus has
increased to 10, including a
post for a full-time Counselor,
thus making full-time day
programmes a reality. The
Campus has had the services
of an Academic Affairs Officer
since 2000, with the present
Associate Vice President, Dr
Coralee Kelly, being the pioneer
officer. She was succeeded in
the Academic Affairs Officer
post by Mrs Maggie Turner, an
assistant professor and former
chairperson in the School of
Nursing and Allied Health
Professions, who held it until
recently.
Office staff at NBC
has increased to include an
Accounts Coordinator, an
Accounts Clerk, an assistant
Director for Student Services,
a Library Clerk, a Computer
Lab Clerk and a long-awaited
Private Secretary. Work-study
students continue to assist with
clerical responsibilities.
Faculty and staff
continue to upgrade themselves
professionally. Eight of the ten
full-time faculty have completed
degrees at the master's Level or
beyond. In recent times the NBC
secretary completed a B.Sc. in
Education and two additional
staff members pursued the BBA
in Management & Marketing
respectively.










Grand Bahama
Advisory Committee -
A Valuable Resource
Mention must be made
of the hardworking team of
Advisory Committee members,
who continue to support
the efforts of The College's
Northern Bahamas Campus in
the achievement of its stated
goals and objectives. Further
expansion of the Northern
Campus and an increase
in offerings will depend
significantly on the knowledge
and expertise the newly
appointed committee members
will bring. We look forward to
a progressive and satisfying
millennium.

Capital Projects of The College
of The Bahamas

A New Northern Bahamas
Campus A National
Imperative
The Island of Grand
Bahama and its city, Freeport,
have long been recognized
as having great potential for
supporting the expansion and
diversification of the Bahamian
economy and have contributed
much to that end over the last
half century. It is expected that
much of this potential will be
realized over the next decade.
Concomitantly, the population
of these areas will expand
and bring about increased
demands for education and
training opportunities to support
development. The already
vibrant industrial complex of
Freeport and its cosmopolitan
community provide a natural
matrix for a full campus of the
University of The Bahamas,
catering to scholars from
throughout the archipelago, the


V ---
-i'V


Americas and the world.
In the first years of the new
century, it became abundantly
clear that physical space
continued to be a major problem
at the Northern Campus.
Classrooms at the main building
had been reduced to six due to
the demand for office space.
Faculty offices were housed in
Shop # 1, Island Plaza II, Yellow
Pine Street, where a number of
Education courses were being
held at the main building and at
Genesis Academy.

Strong Council Backing
When a new slate of
Council members, under the
leadership of businessman
and accountant Franklyn
Wilson, CMG, came on board
in September 2002, with full
understanding of the need for a
general upgrade and expansion
of College facilities. Council
and Administration made this
a focus of the considerable
aggregate of talents and
experience they represented.


It took no time for the
Council to accept the general
view that it would be difficult for
the Grand Bahama community
to buy into the value of an
institution that operated in
splinter groups faculty at
various facilities, students
at others and administration
working in between. They saw
immediately that it would be
difficult to develop the synergy
necessary to drive the 21st
century Northern Campus if
camaraderie and cohesion
suffered for want of contiguous
space. There was obviously a
need for a structure or complex,
which the public would perceive
readily as The College of The
Bahamas Northern Campus.
The Council endorsed the long-
held vision of a purpose-built
campus for Grand Bahama and,
with the Senior Administration,
began to lay plans to achieve
this worthy goal.


I Z----









Friendship of Grand Bahama
Port Authority
Anticipating many
positive economic and social
impacts, The College/University
of The Bahamas has undertaken
to construct a purpose-built
campus for the rapidly growing
Northern Bahamas on two
hundred and seventy acres of
land generously committed to
COB by Grand Bahama Port
Authority [GBPA), the first
fifty acres of which have been
conveyed to The College.
GBPA called for a
master plan for the promised
acreage. The College engaged
noted Bahamian architects and
planners, Jackson Burnside
Limited, to produce the plan and
to design the first structure. It
is envisioned that the campus
will mix academic, social and
economic activities to underpin
a multi-purpose character,
comprising education,
commerce, entertainment,
recreation, culture and
residence.

The New Northern Campus
Envisioned as a Node for
Community Development
It is planned that
NBC will be the centre for
The College's industrial and
technological programmes
and it is envisioned that it will
provide an anchor point for
development east of Freeport.
It is expected that the new
campus will have a great
economic and social impact on
Grand Bahama, Abaco and other
islands in the northern quadrant
of the country. Indeed, this has
become a national imperative.


Update


Update on the New Northern Bahamas Campus

1. 50 areas conveyed to The College of The Bahamas
by the Port Authority as part of a 270-acre
commitment.

2. Buildings (2) are air conditioned two-story
structures consisting of administration offices for
faculty and staff, a library, bookstore, conference
room, science lab, computer lab, classrooms,
maintenance and storage areas, with a central
court yard between the structures.

3. February 2007 saw the completion of the work to
bring the site to grade and outlining of roadways
and parking began. Contractor: Freeport
Construction.

4. Construction should be finished in mid 2008.




Total investment


will be about 9 Million.


The first phase of
construction includes the first
building, which will house
classrooms, an administration
area, a library, a cafe and
the necessary infrastructure,
including increasing the grade
and creating access roads
and parking. As the campus
expands, residential facilities
will be added, making the
recruitment of international
students an enriching and
rewarding possibility. As the
University will eventually
become a second centre of


Freeport/Lucaya development,
its planning will harmonize
with the Port Authority's
master plan, addressing issues
that include infrastructure,
functions, circulation, character
and landscape. Fortunately,
owing to the farsightedness of
GBPA, there is plenty of room
for expansion.

Groundbreaking for the new
Northern Bahamas Campus
took place on August 4, 2005.


r
t







Performing Arts Centre


NEW PROVIDENCE


The new Performing Arts
Centre is fast nearing
completion and is set to take on
its role as the finest facility of its
kind in the region.

Designed to seat 408 persons,
with six specially designed
handicap seats, the Centre is a
technological wonder that has
been planned to rival first-class
theatres by an international
yardstick. The facility provides
not only a stage for dramatic
performances, but also a drop-
down movie screen, perfect
for showcasing the work of


Bahamian filmmakers or
viewing independent and art-
house films that do not come to
Nassau's cinemas. Additionally,
the centre features two gallery
spaces, ideal for showcasing
faculty, student and alumni
artwork, alumni, for hosting art
shows and receptions. These
spaces will also honour the
names of the icons who have
helped to define the arts of The
Bahamas through dance, visual
arts, music and telling the
Bahamian story through drama,
prose and poetry
Reflecting a space of sumptuous
of elegance, COB's Performing
Arts Centre will look the part of
a modern theatre. Chandeliers
will hang in the foyer, adding
not only light, but glamour to


Capital Project.

to be completed in 2007

traditional cinema favourites,
such as popcorn, hotdogs,
soft drinks and candy. The
entrances are well appointed,
allowing for easy traffic flow
and reducing congestion so that
patrons may mingle in the foyer
in comfort.
The new facility will be a
welcome addition to The College
and the entire Bahamian ...-..
community. It is intended that ...
the Centre will do justice to
the honoured memory of the
old Auditorium, which used
to draw lovers of the arts to
performances by students and m'


the area. The theatre's chairs
are a comfortable 22 inches, a
dimension which exceeds the
standard format by several
inches. The architecture has
retained the integrity of the
1950s colonial dignity of the
Administration Block of which
it is a build-out. The columns
at the front of the A Block are
echoed on the sides of the new
centre along the galleries.
The Performing Arts Centre
aims, above all, to be user
friendly to its patrons with all
the mod cons. In addition to
the box office, there will also
be a ticketing kiosk, which will
allow persons to purchase
tickets even when the box office
is closed. There will also be a
concession stand offering the







Wellness Centre, Oakes Field Campus
1. 5000 square foot new facility consisting of an aerobic dance studio, exercise room with various
mechanical exercise equipment and free weights, shower and locker rooms for men and women,
and offices for coaches and site manager.

2. Status: Construction (Contractor Erke Construction) began mid January 2007 and was nearing
completion in June.



Student Dorm C, Oakes Field Campus, New Providenc(
1. Renovation of an abandoned building with two three-bedroom apartments. Building is to
be totally gutted and re built with new floors, ceilings, doors and windows and new kitchen,
bathrooms, and fully air conditioned. New porches are being added for outdoor living space. Each
apartment will have its own washer and dryer, high speed internet, and cable TV.

2. Project will support 10 new students ( five per apartment]

3. Status: Bids (six) were opened on March 14 and the packages reviewed by the project architect,
who made a recommendation for award on March 20. Work has begun and it is expected that the
facility will be ready for the fall semester.


Andros Projection
Bahamas Environmental Research Centre (BERC), Staniard Creek, Andros

1. New project to develop a learning and research facility in Andros aimed at environmental and
agriculture.

2. Plans call for the support of 25 students and 10 faculty members with research Lab space,
classrooms, a kitchen, and support offices.

3. Faculty and student housing will be contracted within the local community in the early phase.



Towards Abolition
1772 William Murray, Lord Mansfield, Lord Chief Justice makes the famed Somersett Ruling. James Somersett, a
slave, had run away from his owner but was recaptured in 1771 and forced aboard a ship to be returned to Jamaica.
Abolitionist Granville Sharp filed a writ of habeus corpus on his behalf. After many adjournments of the case, Lord
Mansfield freed Somersett.
Lord Mansfield is remembered to present day for the statement with which he announced his ruling: "On the part of
Somersett, the case which we gave notice should be decided, this day, the Court now proceeds to give its opinion....
The state of slavery is of such a nature, that it is incapable of being introduced on any reasons, moral or political;
but only positive law, which preserves its force long after the reasons, occasion, and time itself from whence it was
created, is erased from memory: it's so odious, that nothing can be suffered to support it but positive law. Whatever
inconveniences, therefore, may follow from a decision, I cannot say this case is allowed or approved by the Law of
England; and therefore the black must be discharged."
1778 Prime Minister William Pitt introduces the first bill to regulate the slave trade and sees it denied in
Parliament. He would introduce various bills toward abolition over the next decade and a half with varying degrees of
acceptance in the Commons and the House of Lords, only to have them defeated in the end.









Born in Eleuthera and educated
in The Bahamas, Canada and
the United States, Dr Coralee
Kelly, Associate Vice-President
for the Northern Bahamas
Campus in Grand Bahama,
is a Long-serving member of
the COB community whose
experience covers a number
of disciplines. She began her
career in education at Hawksbill
High School in Freeport, where
she taught English for six years,
before joining The College in
1983 as an English Lecturer
in the Humanities Division,
teaching English 119 and 120
at the Soldier Road campus. In
1985 she became Head of the
English Department within the
Humanities Division and set
up the Writing Laboratory as a
pilot project to complement the
already established Reading
Lab.
In 1986 she was
granted study leave to work
on a doctorate and went to the
University of Florida for three
years, returning with her Ph. D.
in English Education. Once more
ensconced in the Humanities
Division, Dr Kelly taught a
variety of English courses and
also taught Use of English and
English Education courses
in the University of the West
Indies Bachelor of Education
programme.
In 1992 she transferred
to the Education Division as
Coordinator of the College's
own B. Ed. Programme
and continued to teach and
devise courses in the UWI
B.Ed. Programme. At this
time, Dr Kelly became fully
involved in the development
of all The College's bachelor
programmes, as a member of
the development committee.


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In 1995 Dr Kelly
resigned from full-time
Lecturing at COB to follow a
different path. She worked
as a home-based consultant,
devising and presenting
seminars on professional
writing primarily for the banking
community and continuing to
work for The College as a part-
time Lecturer.
"After three years I felt
the pull of Grand Bahama once
more," she remembers, "and
I decided to return to Freeport
and to become a full-time
English lecturer again, but this
time at the Northern Bahamas
Campus." From her base in
Grand Bahama, Coralee Kelly
became one of the pioneers of
Distance Education and actually
taught COB's first online course
- ENG 301 in 2000. In fact, she
twice taught that writing course
online, serving students in
Exuma, Abaco, Grand Bahama
and New Providence in the
process.
Such was her impact on the
Grand Bahama Campus that
she became Academic Affairs
Officer there in 2000, covering
all the schools, and in 2002
she became Acting Provost


for the campus. A year later,
she assumed the mantle of
Assistant Vice-President and
in July 2006 became Associate
Vice-President for the Northern
Bahamas Campus.
Dr Kelly states, "I love my job
and I'm excited by the potential
that is waiting to be tapped in
Grand Bahama. It is expected
that the construction of the new
campus will begin early in 2007
and should be finished in time
for fall classes in 2008. The new
facilities will eradicate some of
the biggest challenges we now
face, particularly managing and
running a campus in quarters
shared with another institution."
The College community
has applauded Dr Kelly for her
ongoing efforts, with special
kudos for the great work she
and her team carried out in
securing the campus during the
most recent devastating storms,
saving COB and the students
who depend on the institution's
presence in Grand Bahama from
unimaginable loss.






COB Commemorates
The Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade


In January of 2007 The College of The
Bahamas committed to joining UNESCO efforts
to mark the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the
Transatlantic Slave Trade. COB President Janyne
Hodder named Dr Linda Davis, Vice President
Research, Graduate Programmes and International
Relations to chair the Steering Committee. It was
proposed that The College's main contributions
would be publication of educational materials, the
hosting of a major conference with abolition of
the trade as its theme and collaboration with the
National Commission for Cultural Development, the
Ministry of Tourism and the Antiquities, Monuments
and Museums Corporation in their programmes.
Jessica Minnis, Associate Professor, School of
Social Sciences was selected to lead the conference
subcommittee.


Read3about the transatlantic stave trade


Committee Members
Stephan Aranha
Joanne Behagg
Etienne Bowleg
Dr Earla Carey-Baines
Calvin Eversley
Patricia Glinton-Meicholas
Gloria Gomez
Henry Hepburn
Dr Pandora Johnson
Christian Justilien
Evelyn McCollin
Dr Thaddeus McDonald
Susan Plumridge
Dr Kirkley Sands
Dr lan Strachan
Dr Ava Thompson
Tracey Tremaine
SSilvius Wilson


tae gost the

the coastWf Grand


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Like many of COB's faculty
and staff, English-born Steve
Davies, assistant professor in
the School of Business at the
Northern Bahamas Campus,
is a multi-talented individual.
He is noted for a great love of
and involvement with music.
He made his first appearance
on stage at the age of five
and continues to perform at
parties and fundraisers in
Grand Bahama and in a four-
piece oldies band called The
Studebakers in Baltimore,
Maryland. The Soul Era -
singers such as Wilson Pickett,
Otis Redding and Jackie Wilson
- had the greatest influence on
him.
In his native England,
Davies was once an indentured
apprentice welder, attending
technical college one day and
two evenings a week, Steve still
found the time to perform with a
number of bands and to supply
backing vocals for recordings for
groups such as "White Plains"
and "Edison Lighthouse" that
had top-twenty hits in Britain at
the time.
"I wanted to really learn
my trade," says Steve, "so I set
off for Europe with an electric
organ and played in US military
clubs in Germany, Italy and
Belgium. I also formed a band
called "Octopus" that was very
successful for a while."
It was at one of the
clubs that he met his wife who
was working in the US military.
The family eventually moved to
England with their first daughter
and another on the way. There,
Steve performed as a solo artist
and, conscious that he needed
more qualifications to fall back
on, went back to school to study
for his Certificate and Diploma
in Industrial Management with
the Chartered Management
Institute, which he completed
in June 1981. But the British
job market was not fruitful, so


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Steve's wife, a US citizen, left
with the family for the United
States, where Steve began
studying for his Master's degree.
"This Led to what has been
my greatest challenge," Steve
recounts. "My wife was in the US
military and the Gulf War was
on. I went with her to Germany
where I did research for my
thesis that was on an area of the
German automobile industry.
There was no Internet then, so
I had to scour the libraries and
do a lot of translating. With my
wife very involved in the war, I
had to be father and mother to
my three girls who were 15, 13
and 12 at that time. I also taught
part-time for City Colleges of
Chicago for the US Soldiers
who wanted to continue their
own education. I guess I drew
on what I had seen my mother
achieve on her own, working two
jobs round the clock to keep me
clothed and fed. I still regard
getting my Master's as my
proudest achievement."
Steve came to The
Bahamas for the fourth time in
1998 while working for VISA, the
credit card company. Quite by
chance he bumped into Dr Leon
Higgs, then president of The
College, at the airport. Having


heard Dr Higgs talking on the radio
in Grand Bahama, Steve asked him
about the possibilities of working in
the School of Business at COB. Steve
received an application form the next
week, was offered a job, gave VISA
notice and was in Grand Bahama a
year later.
Steve is optimistic and positive about
COB's plans to become a university
and believes it offers a quality
education. "I resent the negative talk
from the local populace that COB is
the place of Last resort when it comes
to choosing a school," he says. "It's
not some 'diploma mill' like some
US colleges. The recent turmoil has
clouded the views of some Bahamians
but I feel we are now on the right track
and we can uncloud their vision."
Perfectly at home in The Bahamas,
Steve loves boating and the water
and regards as his most memorable
experience in education in this country
the gift of a glass ship in a bottle he
received from a class of students for
making statistics fun.




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Northern Bahamas Campus
has had the good fortune to
engage Dr Daphne Grace,
a published author, for the
teaching of English Literature,
which permits an expansion
of offerings at that campus.
Dr Grace has studied in both
the United Kingdom and the
United States and received
her D.Phil in English Literature
from the University of Sussex,
England. She has taught
twentieth century literature
and postcolonial literature
at Eastern Mediterranean
University [North Cyprus), the
University of Sussex, and is
currently teaching in the School
of English Studies at the College
of The Bahamas.
A noted scholar,
Dr Grace has presented in
numerous fora. In March, at
the 26th West Indian Literature
Conference, she presented a
paper titled ""Mapping Patriotic
Pain: Edwidge Danticat's The
Dew Breaker and Breath,
Eyes, Memory". Dr Grace also
participated in the Second
International Conference
on Consciousness, Theatre,


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Literature and the Arts, May
5-7, 2007 in Aberystwyth,
Wales, UK, her paper entitled
"Self, Memory, Trauma: The
Literature of Human Survival".
It is a measure of her academic
standing that she has been
invited to deliver one of the
keynote lectures in the company
of such as Michael Mangan,
who has held chairs at three UK
universities.
Dr Grace's book,
The Woman in the Muslin
Mask: Veiling and Identity in
Postcolonial Literature was
published by Pluto Press in
2004. She has also published in
the fields of women's studies,
globalization and ethics. Her
recent research interests
have focused on third-world
feminisms, global citizenship,
and consciousness studies in
the context of interdisciplinary
approaches to Literature.
She has published widely in
the fields of literature and
women's studies, and presented
at many international and
national conferences. Her book
Relocating Consciousness:
Diasporic Writing and
the Dynamics of Literary
Experience was published
by Rodopi Press in the series
'Literature, the Arts, and
Consciousness' this Spring.























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(c) Patricia Glinton-Meicholas 2007

Grand Bahama, at 530
square miles, is the fourth
largest of the islands of The
Bahamas, exceeded in size only
O by Andros, Abaco and Great
Inagua.

Early History
In the post-Lucayan
period, the island was among
the last to establish a settled
k population, which may account
for the fact that little is known
of the early history of Grand
Bahama. It is generally known
that Spanish explorer Ponce de
OLeon explored its environs in
search of the fabled fountain of
youth and probably took on fresh
water at one of Grand Bahama's
cays. As this northern subgroup
lay off the Northwest Providence
Passage, which channel Spanish
treasure galleons frequently
< traversed in the journey from
the American colonies back to
Spain, it became a haunt for
some of the greatest pirates and
privateers of the 18th century.
The treacherous reefs and
shoals of the area extended
Sthe dangerous web that often
swallowed up treasure vessels,
Including the ill-fated armada
of which the famed Nuestra
Senora de las Maravillas was a
part.

Peter Barratt, author of the best
known history of the island,
notes the following points:

Governor Phenney's
report of 1721 did not list
a population for Grand
Bahama.
Spaniard Antonio de
Arredondo is credited with


nd B
the modern name of the
island, having noted it on a
chart he published in 1742
as "Gran Bahama".
* Governor Lord Dunmore
reported in 1790 that
Grand Bahama was not yet
inhabited.
* In 1836 the population of the
island was 370.
* A population of 858,
recorded in an 1861 census,
had fallen by forty percent
ten years later.
* In the period of resettlement
of Loyalists from the
colonies of the American
mainland, no grant of crown
land appears in the registry
until 1806-twelve years after
the first group of Americans
came to The Bahamas.
(It is interesting to note
that several of the first
recipients of Crown grants
in Grand Bahama gave
their names to a number of
settlements, Joseph Smith,
Joseph Hunter, Nathanial
Sweeting and Bootle.)

From the 1800s
onward-Grand Bahama's
economy began to exhibit a
blend of opportunism on the
part of the native population,
exploitative ventures on the
part of foreigners who saw
opportunity for quick profit
[usually at the expense of true
development) and a falling back
to more traditional pursuits of
agriculture, fishing, sponging
and wrecking when boom times
ended. The island, particularly
the West End, gained a
reputation for blockade running
during the American Civil
War and rum running during
Prohibition.


ahama
Prominent in the
20th century history of Grand
Bahama are the timbering
operations initiated by the Abaco
Lumber Company at Pine Ridge
in 1944 and the establishment
of a U.S. missile tracking station
at Gold Rock Creek in 1951.
This facility had the distinction
of being next in Line from Cape
Canaveral in Florida to monitor
the US space flights launched
from the Cape.
A defining moment for
the island came in 1955 with
the signing of the Hawksbill
Creek Agreement. The latter
was followed by a number
of developments that made
Freeport the heavy industry
leader of The Bahamas:
the establishment of a ship
bunkering terminal, a fuel
production facility and a cement
plant, among others.

The Hawksbitt
Creek Agreement-
Foundation Stone of
Freeport
The event that defines
the modern history of Grand
Bahama and provided for
the foundation of the City of
Freeport was the signing, on
August 4, 1955, of the Hawksbill
Creek Agreement between the
Government of The Bahamas
and the Grand Bahama Port
Authority, which created the
230 square mile "Port Area"
and City of Freeport. This
covenant gave GBPA and its
principals, American investor
Wallace Groves, an exploiter
of Abaco and Grand Bahama
timber and British financier Sir
Charles Hayward, the mandate
to regulate all commercial and









residential development in the
designated area.
In return for an
obligation to create a deep-
water harbour at Hawksbill
Creek, GBPA was granted the
mandate to provide, manage,
and administer all infrastructure
and municipal and community
services. As a part of the
package, the Port Authority
received a grant of 50,000 acres
of Crown land, later increased
to 138,000 acres. The deal
also extended generous tax
concessions, which are, at
present, guaranteed through
2054. The path connecting
Hawksbill Creek to Bahamian
realities has not been smooth,
with several amendments
representing mileposts. One of
the bumpiest stretches came
with the Bahamas' historic
transition to majority rule. In
1970 the country's first Prime
Minister, Lynden Pindling
enjoyed prima facie success in
a showdown with the principals
of Freeport over the question
of local access to Freeport and
what appeared to be a challenge
to the country's sovereignty
through the Port's unlimited
control of immigration.
The economy of
Freeport and Grand Bahama as
a whole revolves mainly around
real estate, tourism, business
services, light industry and
marine services, most of which
falls within the purview of one
or other of the following GBPA
companies:
The Grand Bahama
Port Authority Ltd, The Grand
Bahama Development Company
Ltd. (DEVCO], Lucaya Service
Company Ltd., Freeport
Commercial and Industrial
Ltd., The Grand Bahama Utility


Company Ltd., The Grand
Bahamas Service Company Ltd.,
Bourbon Street Ltd., The Port
Group Ltd., Freeport Harbour
Company Ltd., Port Lucaya
Marina Company Ltd., Freeport
Harbour Company Ltd., Grand
Bahama Shipyard Ltd., The
Grand Bahama Airport Company
Ltd. and Port Lucaya Resort
Company Ltd.
The latter sector
received an unprecedented
boost when Hutchison
Whampoa of Hong Kong, the
world's largest port operator,
partnered with GBPA to create
a world class container port. A
$75 million expansion project
gave the port a containerised
cargo capacity of 1.8 million
twenty-foot equivalent units,
a 52-foot channel and turning
basin, 3,400 feet of berths, 120-
acre stacking area. Freeport's
Maritime Centre has world
recognition as a container port
and a supplier of a variety of
shipping and support services
through Bradford Marine
Limited, Hemisphere Container
Repair and the Grand Bahama
Shipyard, which can claim the
largest floating dry docks in the
region.

Grand Bahama
Tourism
Grand Bahama tourism
would make a fascinating if, in
some chapters, lurid book. In
1917 when an Englishwoman,
Amanda Defries, developed
the then incomprehensible
desire to visit Grand Bahama,
she became the first recorded,
genuine tourist. So invidious a
position the island held in the
scheme of Bahamian affairs,
she had trouble, when she


set out, to find anyone on the
Nassau seafront who could tell
her where the Grand Bahama
mailboat tied up. On an island
possessing no public lodgings,
she stayed in a private home.
The tourist resort
speculators began to take
an interest in the "forgotten"
island, once West End had
gained notoriety in slaking the
American Prohibition-induced
thirst. It was not surprising,
then that West End took the
lead as a travel destination.
Billy Butlin (Later knighted) was
the first of the speculators,
beginning the development of
his short-lived Vacation Village
at West End opened on February
15, 1950 and closed by the
autumn of that year.
The property evolved
into the Jack Tar Resort, one
of the most lavish resorts in
Grand Bahama, also the first
Caribbean all-inclusive property.
The project included an airfield,
a marina, a complex of canals,
a commercial dock, a 424-room
hotel, a 27-hole golf course and
what has been claimed to be the
largest freshwater swimming
pool in the western hemisphere.
The next incarnation was the
Grand Bahama Hotel. The
resort prospered in the 60s, but
then eventually began a slow
decline until the resort finally
closed in the late 1980s. A
further evolution and the grande
dame became the present day
luxurious Old Bahama Bay.
Another important
development in Grand Bahama
Tourism came with the signing,
in 1960, of a supplemental
agreement between the
Bahamas Government and
Grand Bahama Port Authority,
which obligated GBPA to build









a 200-room Luxury hotel. The
Lucayan Beach Hotel opened
on New Year's Eve, 1963. That
same year the advent of a
regularly scheduled Mackey
Airlines flights between Florida
and Grand Bahama did much to
solve the perennial problem of
visitor access.
In the unconventional
style and rapid metamorphosis
that characterized the
foundation of modern Grand
Bahama, a former cruise
ship, SS Italia, was berthed in
Freeport Harbour, rechristened
The Imperial Bahama, creating
accommodations for 1400,
thereby relieving the room
shortage of a bullish tourism
industry. Next came the 500-
room Holiday Inn, the 800-
room King's Inn, which later
reinvented itself as Bahamas
Princess and in 1970 the
Princess Tower Hotel. Cruise
tourism became a major factor
in the late 1970s and '80s.
Grand Bahama has
endured many vicissitudes
since the 1970s, beginning
with the departure of skittish
investors around the time of
Independence, a recession in
the United States economy,
diminished airlift in 1980s,
Labour challenges and the
devastation of a succession
of dangerous hurricanes
between 2004 and 2006. The
latter resulted in loss of homes
and jobs. In 2004, hurricanes
Frances and Jeanne forced the
closure of hotels and resorts
in Lucaya and Freeport. While
properties such as the Sheraton
and the Westin reopened soon
after, the Royal Oasis remained
closed putting 1200 employees
out of work. These job Losses
touched every facet of Grand


The buzz in Grand Bahama in 2007

is the Ginn Sur Mer project. Bahamas

Guide online offers this description:

"Upon its completion, the project will

represent a $3.7 billion investment in

the Bahamas, creating more than 4,000

new jobs and extending state-of-the-

art infrastructure systems including

water, sewer and communications

networks to this largely undeveloped


part of the island.

Bahama economy and society
and the Government's attempts
to broker a sale for the property
and reopening had not met
with success by February of
2007. A direct hit from monster
storm Wilma in 2005 and the
passage of Michelle in 2006
compounded the woes in many
a sector. Last year, Chamber of
Commerce President, Daniel
Lowe spoke of Grand Bahama
being in the "eye of an economic
storm". Adding to widespread
pessimism, Isle of Capri Casino
at the Westin and Sheraton Our
Lucaya, a fairly new entry into
Grand Bahama tourism and
employer of hundreds of Grand
Bahamians, announced that it
would be shutting its doors in
June of 2007.

New Investor interest
in Grand Bahama
It appears that there
is no dearth of investors
promising multimillion and
even billion-dollar projects that
will reverse Grand Bahama's
fortunes, although most such
announcements have been


highly politicized and tainted
by controversy. Skepticism is
rife and understandable in light
of disappointments through
years of promises and the
unbinding of well-publicised
"commitments". As residents of
former colonies and developing
states have become blase
about investment promises and
groundbreaking, the proof of
the pudding is in the eating,
the salary statements, spin off
businesses and staying power.
Lying 65 or so miles
away from the US mainland,
Grand Bahama has been
the cynosure of giant energy
companies who see the island
as a highly desirable terminus
from which to pump liquefied
natural gas into Florida,
avoiding the many restrictions
that attend such installations
in the United States. One such
company has been Tractebel of
Houston, Texas, who proposed
to Government to run a $700
million pipeline from Freeport
Harbour. Another Houston-
based company, El Paso, has
targeted South Riding Point.
As might be expected with









the advent of a controversial
proposal, the LNG proposal has
also been the centre of attention
of environmental advocacy
groups.
Grand Bahama is
enjoying interest from the
international film industry.
The Pirates of the Caribbean
series filmed there and Gold
Rock Creek Enterprises put a
proposal before Government to
create a state-of-the-art film
studio and theme park on the
site of the old US government
missile tracking station.
Bahamas Film Studios Local
representative, Owen Bethel of
Montaque Securities said that
build out would stretch over ten
years and cost between $70-90
million. However, the proposal
has not met with success to
date.
The buzz in Grand
Bahama in 2007 is the Ginn Sur
Mer project. Bahamas Guide


online offers this description:
"Upon its completion, the
project will represent a $3.7
billion investment in the
Bahamas, creating more than
4,000 new jobs and extending
state-of-the-art infrastructure
systems including water, sewer
and communications networks
to this largely undeveloped part
of the island."
In February,
controversy arose over the
Beka Development proposal
to develop the East End of
Grand Bahama. According to
local dailies, Beka, operating
through its Bahamas subsidiary
Golden Beach Ltd, was claiming
that it would be the "master
developer" of the island and
that the Government would
allow them to acquire 100
square miles of the East
End. The development would
include a 400-room hotel,
convention centre, casino


and a $28 million marina.
Bahamian environmental and
social advocates expressed
concerns the giveaway of such
a large chunk of land would
severely curtail land-owning
opportunities for Bahamians.
Also raising
considerable debate was
Pegasus, a wireless company
out of the United States. Its
unceremonious closure in July
left 100 Grand Bahamians out of
work.
The first decade of
the new century has proven
challenging for the island
of Grand Bahama, but new
opportunities are arising,
although some have given rise
to pessimistic speculation in
some quarters. Nevertheless, If
the pattern of history holds true,
we can be certain of one thing:
Grand Bahamians, a resilient
community, will prevail.


Gra:nd-Baha -is enjoying interest from

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US goenmn misl trckn station.








Exuma Centre
M Meeting the Challenges of
M Delivering College Education in an Archipelago


The archipelagic
nature of The Bahamas poses
a multiplicity of developmental
challenges, not the least of
which is bringing opportunities
to the residents of the far-
flung islands who wish to
study, acquire or improve their
occupational/professional skills
and educational qualifications.
Consistent with its
mandate as the national
institution of higher learning,
COB has set up campuses
and centres on a number of
the Family Islands and offers
a wide range of courses at
college level and certification
programmes through its Centre
for Continuing Education
and Extension Services. A
coordinator works in each place
to ensure a smooth operation
and, as far as practicable,
instructors are recruited on the
various islands to deliver the
courses. There is often a need
to send a professor from the
main campus in New Providence


to teach a particular course.
The experience for
educators so involved is
unusual, sometimes trying and
yet gratifying. On this subject
Snapper heard from Associate
Professor in the School of
English Studies, Janet Donnelly
who, over the years, has taught
two courses, ENG 119 and ENG
301, at the Exuma Centre.
"The Exuma Centre has
a well-equipped infrastructure,"
says Ms Donnelly," and there is
solid support for the students.
Jenny Kettel, the Exuma
coordinator, is very organized
and there are computers and
Internet connection for students
and faculty there.
"A typical weekend
begins on a Friday afternoon
with the short flight from
Nassau, a 20-minute drive from
the airport into Georgetown to
the Centre and then straight into
the classroom. There is rarely
time to check into the hotel
before Friday's class, especially
if Bahamasair is late! Friday's
class will probably last for about
three hours.
"You see, I would travel
down every other weekend so
the students and I had to cover
two weeks' material in one
weekend. That meant spending
about eight hours in class
on the Friday evening and on


Saturday. I would try to prepare
enough material to make the
sessions as varied as possible
but the students had to do an
awful lot between classes. I
found them to be very highly
motivated though, so they had
no difficulty in keeping up with
the assignments and meeting
deadlines."
Spending every other
weekend in Exuma, in one of
the most beautiful spots in The
Bahamas sounds glamourous
but Ms Donnelly puts it in
perspective: "Unless you decide
to stay an extra day, there is
no time to explore and enjoy
the beauty of the place," she
explains... But it does make a
refreshing change and presents
its own challenges.
"The students tend to
be mature men and women who
may be rusty at writing and, as
a result, Lack confidence. Some
have never used a computer
before and have to be introduced
to the simplest word processing
skills."
Nevertheless, Ms
Donnelly is happy to have taught
the courses, to have contributed
to COB's outreach programme
and given some Family Island
students the opportunity to
gain credits towards further
qualifications. She would
recommend the experience to
all College of The Bahamas


Exuma Student Success Story opportune ave
Millicent McKenzie Anderson is a success story of which she and The College of The Bahamas can be justly proud. She will
be Exuma's next graduate and has combined obtaining an associate degree in Office Administration as a part time adult
student with a very busy family life and a rise up the ranks in that island's booming tourism industry.
Mrs Anderson began upgrading her English and math skills in 2000 when she was working as a waitress in one of the
island's small hotels. One of the guests there was so impressed by her personality and work ethic that he undertook to
pay Millicent's college fees. Inspired by this act of generosity, Millicent strove to do even better. Two years later she was
promoted to the position of office manager at the hotel. When the luxurious Four Seasons Resort opened in Exuma, Millicent
gained employment as an order taker and has since risen to room service manager.
Married to police officer Jason Anderson, Millicent has two children and is now completing her final two courses, having
passed most of the others with a B or better. She is to be congratulated on her multitasking skills and her determination
to succeed. The COB community in Exuma see her as an example for all those who have thought about pursuing further
education but lack the confidence to do it.











Portia M Smith Scholarship

t s s The Late Portia M Smith has inspired many in
Sone fashion or another. Once a leader of the Education
aGH" Division of The College of The Bahamas, Mrs Smith
became Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs, a
department whose operations she revolutionized. She
was also a proud member of The Government High
School Class of 1967. In both roles, Ms Smith made
a memorable impact. So much so, that The College
named its Student Services building in her memory and
Snow the GHS Class of '67 has donated a scholarship in
Sheer honour, so a deserving student in the science field
a can attend The College.
"Our class held a very successful reunion and
fundraising event two years ago," recalled Jennifer
Sdl Petty of Commonwealth Bank, a Reunion Committee
member, "and everyone who came had to wear their
old GHS uniform. It was actually one of the last events
Photo shows: Colyn Major, Vice President held in the College auditorium before they prepared it for the
Student Affairs; Cheryl Carey, Director renovations."
Financial Aid & Housing; Jennifer Petty, Another member of the Class of '67 Reunion Committee,
GHS Class of '67 Reunion Committee; Sandra J Knowles, said, "We told the attendees that we were raising
Rashad Mc Coy, Scholarship Recipient; money for a scholarship in Portia's name and that really swelled the
Sandra J Knowles, GHS Class of '67 numbers. Portia was a special member of our class and we decided
Reunion Committee; Nicola Smith, to raise money for a student whose dream is to study in the field of
daughter of Portia Smith; Kimani Smith, science which was Portia's great love."
son of Portia Smith. Cheryl Carey, Director of Financial Aid and Housing at The
College, spoke eloquently of the contribution Portia Smith made to
COB, saying, "She was a woman of excellence who never lowered
New Chair for the her very high standards. It is fitting that we should have received a
scholarship in her name and I have nothing but admiration for the
School of Business members of GHS Class of '67 who managed to raise the funds. We, at
Since the departure of Long-time the College, are extremely grateful."
r The scholarship recipient is Rashad McCoy from the island of
school leader Joan Pinder to enjoy a
Exuma, an outstanding science student who is studying biochemistry
well-deserved retirement, the School. and wants to become a marine biologist. He is both elated and
of Business has lacked a chairperson. relieved to have received the scholarship and has pledged to do his
This situation has now been remedied. best at all times.
Mrs Remelda Moxey has accepted the Eager to support as many students as they can and build
challenging mandate of leading one of bridges between Government High School and COB at the same time,
the largest of COB's schools. Mrs Moxey the class used the balance of the money raised to assist two other
GHS students to attend The College this semester.
is a chartered public accountant and
has many years under her belt as public
officer in the financial area and as a
professor in the School she now heads.
She also served The College for two
years as Vice President Financial Affairs
before returning to the classroom.









"My Bahamas Marketplace:
Fuelled by Education,
Propelled by Collaboration"

Keynote address
Janyne M. Hodder
President
The College of The Bahamas

National Tourism Conference
Opening Ceremony
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Wyndham Nassau Resort
Ballroom I & II


I am happy to be here
this morning and I thank The
Ministry for inviting me.
I want to share some
thoughts about the importance
of the tourism sector and about
how The College soon to be
the University of The Bahamas
- can and should contribute to
this key sector of our economy.
In preparing for this
conference, I was reminded
that tourism provides 63% of all
jobs in The Bahamas and that
it generates 50% of the Gross
Domestic Product. These are
really extraordinary figures....
Let us think through this again
- half of the money generated
in this economy comes from
tourism and more than six out
of every ten people work in this
industry.
And it works. I checked
out our economy in comparison
with that of others in the
region. The GDP in the region
is $7,400 and that of The
Bahamas is $16,851. (http://
www.uis.unesco.org/profiles/
EN/GEN/countryProfile_
en.aspx?code=440)
It is clear that tourism
makes a huge difference to our
collective wealth and well-
being. When tourism does well,
the country does well and its


Presider

citizens prosper. Should tourism
falter, the nation would stumble.

How then do we make
sure that tourism does not
falter and how then do we also
make sure that the citizens
of The Bahamas are reaping
the greatest benefits from this
industry?
Tourism is all about
people people choosing where
to go, what to do and how much
to spend doing it. More and
more countries are seeking to
attract the very same people
- those with the interest and the
means to travel. More and more
people might be traveling but
as they do, they are also more
and more discerning about what
they expect.
What do we offer in The
Bahamas that no one else does?
What is "Better in the Bahamas"
than anywhere else? There
probably is a wide consensus
that we have two precious
assets: the beauty of these


S


Page


islands and the warmth and generosity
of the people who live here. Both of
these assets are precious. They are also
fragile.
Clean waters can become dirty.
Marine life can be destroyed. Beaches
can be eroded. People who are generous
and warm can become intolerant and
angry especially they feel that what
is theirs is being mismanaged or
damaged.
When that happens, people can
flock elsewhere to somewhere cleaner,
prettier, healthier and where the people
are happier to have them.
Such an alarmist scenario is
not unheard of. There are countries that
once were beautiful and are less so.
There are countries where people who
were once open to tourism and generous
to visitors have become resentful and
where tourists no longer go.
We are, I believe, at a critical
point in our history as we seek to
propel our single strongest industry
forward through a number of major
developments or anchor projects in
New Providence and also in the family
islands. This calls for care, creativity and
innovation.









Throughout this day and
indeed throughout this week,
I hope there will many fruitful
conversations about how we
steward our resources, how we
showcase them and how we
ensure their sustainability.
As you have these
conversations, I invite you to
consider how The College/
University of The Bahamas can
be a partner in the sustainable
development of this most
crucial sector of our economy.
I offer you my views on this in
the hope that it will stimulate
your discussions.
A national university
is a key partner in national
development. We are not simply
in the business of building an
institution at The College, we
are contributing to building
a nation and that is how we
hope you will experience our
contribution.

Universities contribute to
nation-building in three ways.
First, we transmit
knowledge through high-quality
academic programmes. For the
last 30 years, The College of
The Bahamas has been building
high quality programmes, first
at the Associate degree level
and increasingly now at the


baccalaureate level. Many in
the tourism industry are our
graduates including, of course,
our Hall of Famer Vernice
Walkine (Director General of
Tourism), who will be speaking
to you later this morning.
The University of The
Bahamas will continue to offer
undergraduate programmes
and we intend to make the
undergraduate experience of
our students better and better.
That is why we have been
seeking to find international
partners who will work with
us to create international
student and faculty exchange
programmes that will enrich the
academic experience of both
universities.
Indeed, we recently
signed an agreement with The
University of Johannesburg
to create such exchanges and
we expect our first field of
collaboration will be tourism
and hospitality, given the high
level of activity in this sector in
both our countries.
Our presence has
meant and will continue to
mean that more and more
Bahamians have access to a
high-quality university education
without leaving home. This is
a precious contribution since


Anthony Benezet, Quaker of French

Huguenot descent: "Without

purchasers there would be no (slave)

trade; and consequently every

purchaser as he encourages the trade,

becomes partaker in the guilt of it."

(http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/

aaohtml/exhibit/aopart3.html)


having a university education
is the road to occupying higher
and higher-level jobs in all
industries, including tourism.
Moreover, we want
to work very closely with the
country's main industries to
make sure that the education
we provide helps to shape the
kind of people that can lead,
create, innovate and drive
success in their chosen fields.
For example, we have a close
partnership with the Bahamas
Hotel Association and I take
this opportunity to thank the
Association for its financial
support and its on-going
commitment to us.
We also want to see
an increase in the percentage
of young people who actually
attend a higher education
institution. Currently, 14% of
Bahamians between the ages
of 18 and 24 participate in
some form of higher education.
If Bahamians are to benefit
from the opportunities of our
economy, then this rate must
be much higher. The tourism
industry like so many others-
can create high-value jobs,
but to fill these positions, you
need well-educated candidates
and you need them in greater
numbers than we are currently
providing.
I am encouraged to
hear of so many employers who
support the lifelong education of
their staff. As a country, we also
need to find ways to support
more young people staying
in school and understanding
that good jobs require a good
education. That is an area where
we are prepared to do our part
and hope to find good partners.
We also believe
that all our undergraduate










programmes are important
to the nation's development.
We need more nurses, more
teachers, more special
education experts, marine
Lawyers, planners, accountants,
historians, musicians,
artists, archaeologists,
public servants, and we are
committed to providing high-
quality programmes so that
we continue the work of our
predecessors who knew that
the best way to increase the
presence of Bahamians in
these fields was to provide the
education and training locally.
As we pursue our
journey, we are seeking to add
a select number of graduate
programmes in fields where
we can expect to achieve and
deliver excellence. At the
moment, for example, we are
exploring the creation of our
own MBA programme. The
University of The Bahamas
would then expand its role in the
development of a highly-skilled
workforce and Bahamians
would have greater local access
to graduate education.
Our second contribution
is research. For 30 years
now, we have been mostly
transmitting knowledge created
elsewhere. There have been
some very interesting research
projects over this time in
history, music and culture to
name only a few, but research
was not part of our core purpose
in a systematic way. It is now.

Our journey now leads us
to aspire to creating new
knowledge through research.
We want to build
a strong marine and
environmental sciences
programme to produce the kind


of scientists and the kind of
scientific research which should
drive decision-making with
respect to the sustainability of
our marine and environmental
resources. The Bahamas is
particularly well-placed to do
this and this kind of research
is critical to making well-
informed choices about tourism
development.
For example, The
Gerace Research Centre in San
Salvador has been successful
for over thirty years in attracting
American and Canadian
university students and
researchers to study one of the
country's richest research sites
in marine biology, in history and
in archaeology. On an annual
basis, there are up to 15,000
student night stays at the Centre
and research carried out there
is published in some of the most
prominent research journals.
Andros is another place
where we can attract students
and faculty alike to carry out
field studies and to do research.
We hope to support the wishes
of Androsians to see growth in
the eco-tourism sector.
We are focusing our
efforts around defining a limited
number of inter-disciplinary
research themes that would
allow us to build new knowledge
for the good of the country and
also for the world. We see these
themes as very closely Linked to
national development issues.
Marine and
environmental sciences,
maritime law, tourism and
culture, development and
quality of Life, financial
services, challenges of small
island developing states all
of these must be integrated
into the broad research


themes we will encourage our
colleagues to pursue. Already,
we have launched a National
Policy Research Fellowship
programme to help increase the
level and quality of public policy
research being carried out in
The Bahamas. We also believe
that too many consultancy fees
leave the country we want our
faculty and our university to be
contributing to good decision-
making and good policy-making
and we want to build the
expertise here,
Our third contribution
is through service to our
community. We have done
this through our Continuing
Education department for years
now, encouraging Bahamians
who might have missed out on
the chance to pursue higher
education to come back.
As we move to
University status, we see
an increase in the service
component. We have created
a new portfolio which we call
"Outreach" and our major goal
in this portfolio is to increase
our presence in the nation.
We want no family
in The Bahamas to be left
untouched by our work. We
currently have three campuses
- one in Oakes and one on Grand
Bahama and new construction is
underway on both of the latter.
We also have a learning
Centre on Exuma where we
want to grow and I have already
mentioned our two research
and field study stations. We
want to increase available
distance education across
the archipelago. We will need
partners to do this but we think
this is a propitious moment
given the level of planned
activity across the country. We










want to ensure that Bahamians
can aspire to all the jobs,
from those requiring the least
education to those requiring the
most.
We are also working
to design and deliver some
signature training programmes
where we are working closely
with an employer to design
a programme that meets
employee and employer
needs. Our first partner in this
respect is the Public Service
Commission, but I hope we
will be able to be of service
to others. We are willing to
work with partners on the
development of such made-to-
measure programmes on the
understanding, of course, that
we need to have the resources
to do so.

We also provide service by
building a vibrant academic
community.
Last fall, we launched
an International Languages
and Cultures Institute, one that
offers instruction in a number
of foreign language and also
hosts cultural and public
interest events. Last fall also,
we launched the new Anatol
Rodgers Lecture series.


We operate a great
bookstore, we hosted Jazz
Under the Stars, a Band Festival
and we are about to open a
new Performing Arts Centre.
These activities contribute to the
quality of life of Bahamians but
we also want to reach out to the
visitor market.
We are exploring how
we might do this. Part of the
attraction of coming to The
Bahamas might then include
academic programming for
visitors who would enjoy getting
to know this country, its history,
its heritage, its people through
the lens of a short course or
brief seminar in history, music
or cooking.
Our service contribution
might also include partnering
with others to showcase
artifacts of history, culture
and the arts in a way that
represents what we most value
about country and culture.
The creation of Sacred Space
at Clifton, for example, might
benefit from development which
includes historical information
panels and a guided tour.
We can work with others to
offer guests in this country an
opportunity to get to know the
people as well as the beaches.


Our service contribution
exists also by virtue of the jobs
we create, the economic activity
we generate and the extent
to which we keep Bahamian
dollars at home.
Because there is
a symbiotic relationship
between tourism development,
education, prosperity and
national development, we
also look for support from the
tourism sector as we carry forth
our nation-building purpose.
In support of our
mission and goals, we have
asked the government to create
a National Endowment for The
University of The Bahamas
which would be funded from
contributions from major
projects. This endowment
would be managed by its own
independent board of trustees
and provide income on an
annual basis for The University
of The Bahamas.
As you continue
throughout this day to reflect
on the growth and development
of our core industry, I invite
you to see the The College/
University of The Bahamas as
a key partner in this industry's
success and in this nation's
future prosperity and well-
being.







School of


Communication &


Creative Arts


COLOUR OF HARMONY 2007

The eighteenth annual
Colour of Harmony exposition
opened on Thursday 19th,
April under the patronage
of the Governor General of
The Commonwealth of The
Bahamas, His Excellency
Arthur D. Hanna, who attended,
accompanied by Mrs Beryl
Hanna.
A production of
The College's School of
Communication and Creative
Arts, Colour of Harmony lived
up to its annual promise to
deliver an evening rich in music
and artworks produced by the
superbly talented students of
the institution.The centrepiece
of the ceremony is always the
presentation of the E. Clement
Bethel Award. When Moderator
Pauline Glasby, Head of Visual
and Performing Arts, announced
Jackson Burnside III as the 2007
winner, the level of applause
was a clear indication that
the audience agreed with the
choice.
Executive Vice-
President Academic Affairs,
Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson,
Welcomed a large audience
and commented proudly on the
growing numbers of students
who are now enrolling in
programmes in the arts.
"This is encouraging for
The University of The Bahamas,"
she added, "as it aims to place
itself at the heart of art and
culture in the country." She
went on to address Mr Burnside,
calling him a "long time friend


of The College, a true son
of Bahamian soil, a lover of
Bahamian culture and a man
who actively supports it".
After receiving his
award from The Governor
General, Mr Burnside, architect,
artist, Junkanooer and cultural
commentator, expressed his
pride and pleasure at receiving
the award.
"This is better to me
than any award that can come
from outside our experience. I
was present at the first Colour
of Harmony eighteen years
ago and remember hoping to
one day gain the award myself
if I worked hard enough," Mr
Burnside said. He continued
by referring to a song sung by
The College Choir earlier in the
programme and entitled "Who
Knows What Tomorrow Brings":
"That's a fitting note," he
commented, "because we don't
know what tomorrow brings but
we have to discover it just as we
have to discover ourselves."
Discovering ourselves
and doing it through
appreciating what our culture
holds was Mr Burnside's
theme. "We must search within
ourselves, in our own ignorance,
to develop our vision," he
stated, "and we must have
confidence in our own culture,
our own legends and stories,
so that we don't feel the need
to copy others. Then we can
discover our tomorrow and copy
ourselves."
Two scholarship awards
from Trinity/Guildhall School of
Music (London) were presented










to music majors Corporal
Chemaco Godet who plays
the trumpet and Donneacia
Rahming, a flautist. Chairperson
of the Local Board of Trinity/
Guildhall, Ms Muriel Eneas, and
the Secretary, Ms Jan Johnson-
Smith, made the presentations.
Chairperson of the
School of Communication &
Creative Arts, Ms Christine
Diment, with obvious pride,
introduced second-year student,
Lazano Rolle, identified as the
most outstanding music student
at The College of The Bahamas.
Described by Mrs Diment as a
truly worthy honouree who is
active both in The College and
in the community, Mr Rolle
displayed his musical prowess
on a number of occasions.
Sponsor, Dr Ebbie Jackson of
the Palmdale Vision Centre
presented the award to a
grateful Rolle.
The principal
performers for the evening were
the COB Band and the Choir,
directed by Mrs Patricia Ellis,
Assistant Director HR, who
gives generously of her time in
this regard. In the absence of
Band Director Chris Justilien,
who was giving a lecture in
New York, the Band conducting
duties were shared by students
Angelique Forbes and Lazano
Rolle.
The ceremony
concluded with the Choir's
rendition of "Go Ye Now In
Peace". The evening ended
with a viewing of a very varied
and accomplished exhibition of
student paintings and sculpture
in the foyer of the Portia Smith
Student Services Building and
Pro Gallery in S block.


17-20, 2007. Consistent with
The College's new drive for
internationalisation, two gifted
and seasoned musicians/
educators joined Music
Department faculty Pauline
Glasby, Dr Kathleen Bondurant
and Chris Justilien as clinicians.
Mrs Audrey Dean-
Wright, COB Music faculty on
secondment to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and her husband
H.E. Carlton Wright, Bahamas
Ambassador to Cuba facilitated
the selection and travel of the
Cubans.


conductor and Professor of
Music at the National School of
Music in Cuba. The professor
Led the workshops in Music
Technology and Drumming,
while Abreu Morcate conducted
the Saxophone and Clarinet
programme.
The Festival culminated
in a concert featuring students
and clinicians.


Janio Abreu Morcate, first
clarinet and soloist with Cuba's
Youth Symphonic Orchestra,
under the direction of Professor
Guido Lopez Gavilan.








Jorge L. Triana Hernandez is a
guitarist, drummer, orchestral


BAND FESTIVAL
The School of
Communication held its
second Band Festival May









SchoolQ

'1 ..... *.^
fuz ,IV


EDUCATION AWARENESS
WEEK
Under the theme:
"Celebrating the Past, Visioning
the Future from College to
University: The Way Forward
for The School of Education,
Seduc celebrated Education
Awareness Week, February
19-29, during which the School
launched an exciting new
web-based programme. The
week, as is traditional for this
annual event, was dedicated to
improving professional practice
in classrooms throughout
the educational system by
introducing educators who
attended to new methodologies
and technologies.
The centrepieces of the
week were a Special Lecture by
Dr. Charles Vert Willie the
Charles William Eliot Professor
of Education, Emeritus,
Graduate School of Education
and the Awards Ceremony at
which Dr Rhonda Chipman-
Johnson, Executive Vice
President, was guest speaker.
The opening ceremony
featured The College's
President Janyne M Hodder
as first speaker. Bringing the
keynote remarks on behalf of
the Minister of Education was
Mr Thompson, Acting Director
of Education. Representing the


educationn


School of Education was Rev.Dr
James Moultrie who offered the
invocation. The Chair, Mrs Gloria
Gomez, gave the welcome. The
moderator was Mrs Kathiann
Antonio, Head of Department,
Primary. Holman McDonald,
B.Ed. Music major sang the
National Anthem and Mr Seldin
Adderley, also a B.Ed. Music
Major favoured the attendance
with an instrumental selection.
The first day culminated
in the launch of the Diploma in
Education Online at a promotion
session and reception, led by Dr
Beulah Gardiner Farquharson,
Coordinator of the new
programme.
The Professional
Development Workshops were
the focus of Tuesday, February
20. Presenters included Dr
Gardiner-Farquharson, Mrs
Thalia Micklewhite, Dr Andre
Neely, Mrs Kathiann Antonio,
Mrs Linda Russell, Dr Ruth
Sumner, Ms Renee Chase,
whose topics were, respectively,
"Orientation to Online/Web-
based courses at The College
of The Bahamas"; "Turning
Students on to Science! -
The Role of the Teacher in
enhancing Scientific Literacy for
the 21st Century"; "Technology
in Childhood Education";
"Establishing National and
International Professional
Development Priorities";


"Strategies for Conducting
and Publishing Teacher Action
Research" and "Literacy
Strategies at Work in the Early
Years".
The next session
brought the presentations
"Intervention Strategies in
Special Education" by Mrs
Maryann Lotmore and Mrs
Debbie Wright and "ALL of We is
One": Drama for children" by
Dr lan Strachan from the School
of English Studies, who Later
presented "Ringplay and Film in
the Classroom".
Participating in the
remaining sessions were Mrs
Jennifer Isaacs Dotson and
student-"Physical and Health
Education" and Mr Peter
William-"Problem Solving in
Math".
The lively Educational
Forum staged in the evening
and moderated by Dr Thaddeus
McDonald, Dean, Faculty
of Social and Educational
Studies, included the following
highlights: "The Role of
Teacher Education in National
Development: A New Beginning"
Mrs Patricia Collins
Deputy Director of Education;
"Celebrating Past Milestones in
Teacher Education: A Historical
Perspective" by long-time
SEDUC faculty member, Mrs
Sheila Seymour
"New Developments in Teacher
Education: Visioning the
Future"- Mrs Gloria Gomez.
Dr. Linda Davis
Vice President Research,
Graduate Programmes and
International Relations spoke on
"Forging International Linkages
and Partnerships in Teacher
Education" and Mrs Katina
Seymour, B.Ed. student
contributed "Building Tools,
Processes and Best Practices
in The College of The Bahamas'
Teacher Training Programme
Reflections from the Field".








Haitian Migrants in The Bahamas


Survey Results
Released

The College of The
Bahamas' new working vision
states a commitment to
high standards of teaching,
scholarship and research,
especially studies that will help
to inform government policies
and decision-making.
The findings of one such
research survey and
partnership, conducted by a
multi-disciplinary team of COB
personnel comprising
Dr Pandora Johnson, Ms
Virginia Ballance, Mr William
Fielding, Dr Thaddeus McDonald
and Ms Carol Scriven, along
with Ms Donna Stuart from
the Department of Labour,
provides a wealth of information
and data. The research
survey entitled "Haitian
Migrants in The Bahamas"
was commissioned by the
International Organization for
Migration (IOM) in coordination
with the Government of The
Bahamas. The project was
designed to help gauge the
impact and dimension of
the Haitian migrants in The
Bahamas, which represents
by far the largest group of
this kind in the country. This
population is characterized by a
distinct Linguistic, cultural, and
social tradition thus posing
significant policy and resource
implications for the Government
and society.
Three distinct but
related activities are reflected
in the report: a literature and
media review; data collection
and analysis of existing
information; and an extensive
demographic survey of Haitian
migrant households, with strict
confidentiality maintained for


the 506 respondents involved, on
the islands of New Providence,
Grand Bahama, Abaco, and
Eleuthera.
Some of the major
findings from the study and
survey include:
* The media portrays the
migrant population in a
way that heightens the
public's perception that
migrants are a threat to
their way of Life
* Haitian nationals resident
in The Bahamas do
not have a voice in the
media
* Many government agencies
do not compile data
indexed by nationality
* Haitian nationals work illegally
in the construction
industry
* Haitian nationals utilize
public educational and
medical resources
disproportionately to the
size of their population
* The work permit system
seems to fail to regulate
the use of foreign
labour and may even
promote poverty in the
Haitian community
* Employers use migrant
Labour without respect
for the legality of the
employment
* Many Haitian migrants violate
the terms of their work
permits with the help of
employers
* Most migrants work in
unskilled or semi-
skilled areas and
are paid less than
Bahamians
* Most Haitian nationals do not
intend to settle in The
Bahamas


The project enjoyed
the cooperation of several
Government ministries and
departments and the active
involvement and support of the
Embassy of Haiti and the Haitian
community. COB students
and alumni who were Creole
speakers or were of Haitian
ethnicity did almost all of the
data collection. A representative
of the Department of
Immigration participated in
the training of enumerators to
demonstrate the government's
support of the study.
Dr Pandora Johnson,
Vice-President Outreach, who
led the COB team, said, "The
study shows how easily illegal
immigrants from Haiti become
absorbed into the community.
We also learnt just how effective
a network of communication
exists between those already
here and those traveling."
William Fielding,
another member of the COB
team, stated, "A unique feature
of the study was the media
review that demonstrates the
way public perception of Haitian
immigrants is manipulated by
the media. We also discovered
that the presence of illegal
immigrants probably causes
the legal residents to become
poorer.
At the request of IOM,
the study used as the basis for
its questionnaire an instrument
that had been developed in the
Dominican Republic for similar
purposes This new study was
the first of its kind for over thirty
years here in The Bahamas. It
was made possible by a grant to
IOM from the U.S. Department
of State, Bureau for Population,
Refugees and Migration.







School of Engli
The School of English Reform, ex-COBUS executive
Studies began its new series member and former co-host of
of Free Speech Projects in Bahamas fd Sunrise, to present
September with presentations their personal views on the
on the theme of "Politics in The topic, "Who Wants to be an MP"?
Bahamas". The first meeting Sir Arthur began by
invited Sir Arthur Foulkes, giving a broad overview of
a former MP and once High the procedures involved in
Commissioner to the United becoming a candidate and gave
Kingdom, and Gabriella a detailed description of the
Fraser, a founding member of two-tiered system of selection
the Coalition for Democratic involving the constituency and



Poliics n Te Baama


sh Studies
the council of the party. He
spoke of the differences in the
process between the 1950s and
60s when he became an MP and
that which prevails now. He also
lamented the present lack of
real debate in the lower house
and the way MPs today seem
reluctant to express themselves
on the real issues but prefer to
wait for their leaders to make
party-line pronouncements.


Ms Fraser admitted
to having grown up in a "very
political household" and to
having thoroughly immersed
herself in election campaigning
while growing up. However, she
is now a self-professed cynic,
deflated by the way present day
politicians don't represent their
constituents but simply hold
office. For this reason she has
refused nominations in the last
two elections.
Both Sir Arthur and Ms
Fraser agreed that Members of
Parliament must believe that
they can be agents for change
for the good of the people and
that they must, above all, wish
to serve their country. They also
agreed that politicians need to
construct their thoughts on the
major issues confronting the
country today, which are trade,
foreign affairs, the environment,
crime, technology and culture.
(Strangely, they did not mention
education!)
The second in the
series highlighted Loretta
Butler, (now Minister of State
for Social Development), and
COB's own Michael Stevenson,
Assistant Professor, School
of Social Sciences, who


addressed the topic "Do We
Have Proper Representation
in The Bahamas"? Ms Butler,
a self-confessed maverick,
approached the topic from
the feminist perspective and
was vehement in stating that
women were certainly not
represented proportionally
considering the small number
of female MPs and their
majority in the population. She
then focused on the findings
of the Constitutional Review
Commission, Proportional
Representation, parliamentarian
promises and The Boundaries
Commission, relating all to the
way the communities are being
represented by their elected
members of Parliament.
Mr Stevenson called the
representation we are receiving
at the moment "dismal", and
proceeded to examine the role
of backbenchers in Parliament,
comparing their performance
here in The Bahamas to their
performance in the United
Kingdom where they are
constantly confronting their
own party, keeping them honest
and even causing them to lose
some votes in Parliament.
He went on to argue that the


silent compliance of the back
benchers could be traced back
to slavery and colonialism when
the masses were expected to
be nothing more than remain
dependent on their masters.
The third and final
session featured Chairman
of the Progressive Liberal
Party and past president of
the COB Alumni Association
(1991-92), Reynard Rigby, and
COB Assistant Professor and
former FNM candidate, Zendal
Forbes. The topic was "Do We
Need Term Limits" and the two
presenters agreed that they
both disagreed with term limits.
They agreed further that the will
of the people should be allowed
to hold sway in true democratic
fashion.
Both expressed a belief
that imposing a limit on the
number of terms or years a
person can hold a parliamentary
seat or be prime minister is
actually undemocratic. They
both stated their faith in the
electorate to impose their own
limit by either voting out a
particular person who had lost
favour or continuing to vote for a
person if he or she was doing a
good job and remained popular.






West Indian Literature Conference-
A Coup for The College, the School of English Studies and the Country


[L-R) Mark McWatt, author; Dr Sandra Pouchet Paquet, Editor, "Anthurium", University of Miami; Dr Marjorie
Brooks-Jones, co-ordinator, West Indian Literature Conference (2007/Nassau, Bahamasl: President Hodder and
Dr Anthony Barthelemy, head, Africana Studies, University of Miami.


March 8-10, 2007 The
College of The Bahamas hosted
the 26th Annual West Indian
Literature Conference (WILC)
under the theme "Horizons",
a coup for the country, the
institution and the School
of English Studies, which
organized the forum with Dr lan
Strachan, Chair of SES and Dr
Marjorie Brooks-Jones, Chair-
elect as coordinators. The whole
faculty of the School formed the
steering committee.
This was the first time
that The Bahamas hosted
this prestigious forum, which
attracted eminent scholars of
Caribbean literature, cultural
activists, literary critics and
internationally-noted writers,
including one of the eminences
of Caribbean literature Earl
Lovelace. The opening plenary
speaker was none other than
Mark McWatt, internationally
recognized author and prize
winner. Among the noted
scholars presenting on the
Caribbean region's literary
expressions and cultural
heritage were Dr Denise de
Caires Narain, Dr Carolyn
Cooper, Dr Michael Bucknor,
Dr Patricia Saunders, Dr Evelyn
O'Callaghan, Dr Jean-Antoine
Dunne, Dr Kezia Page and Dr
Sandra Pouchet Paquet, editor


of the University of Miami's
Caribbean Studies Journal
"Anthurium".
A number of Bahamians
made their mark: Dr lan Bethel
Bennett, Christian Campbell
(now Dr Campbell) and
Angelique Nixon. The School of
English Studies faculty was well
represented by Bahamian Krista
Walkes and Dr Daphne Grace,
SES faculty member, Northern
Bahamas Campus. Former
Rhodes Scholar and writer
Christian Campbell sees it as an
opportunity for The Bahamas "to
come in from the marginalized
position we have occupied for so
long in the region and add more
to the complexity of its cultures
and provide another layer of
beauty".
Dr lan Strachan was
particularly excited about the
opportunity that the conference
provided for Bahamian writers
to showcase their work and
to receive informed, critical
feedback. He chaired a writers'
roundtable, featuring Patricia
Glinton-Meicholas, Christian
Campbell, Angelique Nixon,
Keith Russell and Tyrone
Sawyer. "Bahamian literature
and culture is under studied,"
Strachan said, "and the idea
of local writers reading and
presenting their work to


A


International Labour Organization (ILO) Report on
the Bahamas National Health Insurance Scheme may be retrieved at this http://
www.bahamasemployers.org/documents/iloreport.pdf


eminent scholars from our
region was very exciting".
Among the highlights
of the Conference was the feast
of regional literature presented
in readings by the following
combinations of writers: Keith
Russell and lan Strachan (at
the Conference dinner) and at
the luncheon readings Marion
Bethel and Mark McWatt;
Letawattee Manoo-Rahming and
Fred D'Aguiar; Patricia Glinton-
Meicholas and Earl Lovelace.
lan Stachan also joined in the
later session.
The Conference closed
with a delightful reception
hosted by President Janyne M
Hodder at her home, Seagrapes.
The School of English
Studies and especially the
coordinators were heartily
commended by the President
and College Council.
Hosted previously at
such venues as the Universities
of Guyana, Puerto Rico and
Miami, WILC originally focused
on the writing of the English-
speaking Caribbean, but
gradually the focus broadened
to include the wider Caribbean
and its diasporas and other
forms of cultural expression
such as music, film and digital
technology.
Though working
behind the scenes, the Office
of Communication is to be
commended for a variety of
services, including all print
collaterals and the publication
of the all-important Conference
Programme.
Special thanks go
to College alumnus, Neko
Meicholas, who designed the
beautiful programme, posters,
flyers and other collateral
gratis as his donation to the
success of the grand event.







The College ofThJ


COB Historic
Development:
Election of Staff Observer
on College Council

Determined to
establish greater transparency
and to involve all its internal
constituents as far as possible in
discussions at the highest level,
The College of The Bahamas
invited members of its support
staff to seek nominations for the
position of Staff Observer on the
College Council.
The College of The
Bahamas Act (1995) makes
provision for all its internal


stakeholders to be represented
on the Council but does not
include staff. To redress this
omission the Council decided
that it would be expeditious to
have a staff member on board,
a person who could contribute
to discussions and represent
the views of the more than 330
staff employed at The College.
Until the new University of The
Bahamas Act comes into effect,
voting rights cannot be granted
to the staff representative.
Secretary General,
Ruby Nottage, was named
Chief Returning Officer. There
followed two weeks of zealous
canvassing and promotion as


POWERED BY PEOPLE


EMPOWERING PEOPLE


candidates sought the required
five signatures to support their
nominations. Five candidates
emerged: Sharlene Smith,
Mary Russell, Jerome Wallace
(Northern Bahamas Campus),
Rodman Forbes and Jeannie
Gibson. Two days before polling
a special rally was held at the
Oakes Field Campus so that the
candidates could present their
platforms to the electorate.
The staff voted on 6th
October, 2006. Mrs Nottage,
Mr Sherlyn Hall, Deputy
Permanent Secretary in the
Parliamentary Registration
Department, and Mr Kevin
Wallace from the accountancy
firm Pannell Kerr Foster,
comprised the committee that
oversaw the election's smooth


running and legitimacy. At the
close of voting, there was a
synchronized counting of ballots
cast at the Northern Bahamas
Campus in Freeport and Oakes
Field Campus, Nassau. To
facilitate the process and ensure
transparency, the two locations
were connected by audio and
video links.
Rodman Forbes, a
Media Specialist in the Libraries
and Instructional Media Services
Department, won a landslide
victory, gaining almost 45% of
the votes, winning by 55 votes
from his nearest challenger,
Jeannie Gibson.
Recognizing that history
had been made, COB President,
Ms Janyne Hodder, thanked all
participants, especially the five


candidates, who had contributed
to the extremely successful
election. She said that the
exercise would demonstrate to
the community that The College
was more than capable of
governing itself.
Mr Forbes, a long-time
employee of The College, said
he was pleased at the trust his
colleagues had placed in him
and expressed his desire to
be a fair and honest voice for
the COB staff. He thanked his
opponents and was at pains
to stress that he was Looking
forward to serving in this new
capacity. He will sit on the
Council for one year at the end
of which there will be another
election.





CENTRE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY













w ok h Lo Worrlhop For The Caribbean Region
L. .il ..... LI LI.







MIS/.BS Domain Staffers

Participate in ccTLD Workshops
Since 2004, the Internet Society (ISOC) has been holding technical training
workshops for country code top-level domain (ccTLD) operators in developing In uya na
regions. COB staff members Carla Glinton, .BS and ITC Help Desk Administrator
and Rudyard Burton, Assistant Director, Technical Services had the opportunity
to participate in a workshop held February 14 to 17 at the Centre for Information
Technology in Georgetown, Guyana. The sessions were sponsored jointly by ISOC
and Network Startup Resource Centre and hosted by the University of Guyana.
The workshops, which are conducted as hands-on clinics in a computer
Lab environment, aim to provide the knowledge and skills ccTLD operators need to
build up and maintain high quality infrastructure and services. ISOC organizes the
ccTLD workshop series in partnership with the Network Startup Resource Center
(NSRC).
The ccTLD Registry Workshop series are made possible by contributions
from ISOC Members and the Public Interest Registry [PIR).
Photo: Attendees and instructors, ccTLD Workshop in Guyana, Feb. 2007. COB
staffers Carla Glinton and Rudyard Burton are in second row at the right.






From the Culinary and


Hospitality
The College of The
Bahamas has appointed a new
Executive Director to head
its Culinary and Hospitality
Management Institute (CHMI).
Dr Lincoln Marshall, a seasoned
professional with many awards
to his credit, is mandated to
help the Institute realize its
potential as major player in
developing young Bahamian
talent to take advantage of
increasing opportunities in a
burgeoning Bahamas tourism
and hospitality industry,


Management Institute


particularly in connection with
the new resort anchor projects
throughout the islands.
Born in Over-the-Hill
Milton Street, Marshall attended
St John's College before moving
on to Government High to study
for his 'A' levels. He went on to
Grinnell College in Iowa for his
first degrees and completed his
Ph.D at The George Washington
University.
A man with strong links
to the country and The College
of The Bahamas and a wealth of


experience in both academics
and the hospitality industry,
Dr Marshall returns to COB 28
years after his first stint at the
Oakes Field campus. He worked
in the Office of Admissions from
1977 to 1979 and spent four
years at the Bahamas Hotel
Training College in the 1980s.
Dr Marshall has also worked
in France, Madagascar, Grand
Bahama, Cable Beach and
Washington DC.


New Head for COB's

Culinary and Hospitality Management Institute


Dr Marshall is a
hands-on trainer and educator
for the hospitality industry. "I
was Director of Training and
Development at Carnival's
Crystal Palace when it first
opened on Cable Beach," he
recollects, "and I set up a
training and service academy
that was unique at its time. It
was very much the forerunner
to what Atlantis is doing now."
He also worked at The George
Washington University's School
of Business in the Tourism and
Hospitality Department, where
he designed and developed six
hotel certificate programmes for
students already working in the
industry, in addition to working


with the National Indian Gaming
Association.
What does Dr Marshall
see as his priorities at COB? "I
think we have to nurture a four-
pronged relationship comprising
The College and CHMI, the
hotels and the union," he states,
"and so I see both internal and
external priorities. Internally,
I want to develop training
programmes that will help us
to move on to bigger and better
things. But we must make sure
we Look beyond Nassau and
the confines of COB and offer
opportunities for training on
Grand Bahama, Exuma and the
other islands where these new
hotel anchor projects are going


ahead. The best practices that
we develop at COB can benefit
the entire industry and raise The
College's visibility in a positive
way to the nation."
Dr Marshall has already
devised a strategic plan for the
Institute for the next three years
and brings with him energy and
desire to succeed. "I am not a sit
in my office type of director," he
says. "I like to go walkabout and
move around. I believe this will
be essential if we are to build
the type of relationships that we
need to maintain the Institute's
and COB's position in the
forefront of culinary, hospitality
and tourism development in the
country."










Secrets of Thai Cooking

Shared by Renowned Chef

The past Fall, Bahamian chefs, students of The College of The Bahamas and members of the
general public benefited from special culinary demonstrations of Thai cooking by renowned restaurateur
and chef, Vatcharin Bhumichitr, at the Culinary and Hospitality Management Institute. Partnering in the
venture were the Thai Trade Center in Miami and The College of The Bahamas, in cooperation with the
Bahamas Hotel Association and the Bahamas Culinary Association.
With tourists and residents increasingly Looking to experience cuisine from around the world
and Thai food growing internationally in popularity, the interactive demonstrations were of great interest
to Local culinary professionals who were looking to add to their range of cooking styles. Hands-on
demonstration sessions were offered to three target groups: professional chefs, students and the general
public. Each session covered the cultural and value aspects of Thai dining, with demonstrations of the
best known Thai dishes.
Chef Mario Adderley, lecturer in Culinary Arts and Coordinator of the Apprentice Programme at
COB, took the lead in organizing the initiative. According to Chef Adderley, "This initiative in Thai cuisine
was the first of its kind at COB. We are pleased to have the partnership of the Thai Trade Center in Miami
and our industry partners to conduct such workshops. Thailand is quite similar to the Bahamas with miles
of coastline and a tropical climate and I am sure that Bahamians and visitors will enjoy this tasty-healthy
cuisine for which most ingredients are locally available."


CHMI creates a unique culinary
arts learning experience:
The visit of world- renowned
Master Pastry Chef, Bo Friberg

"As a part of the institution's
strategic plan we wish to
enhance opportunities for
training in the tourism, culinary
and hospitality industry" stated
Dr. Rhonda Chipman-Johnson,


Executive Vice President and
Vice President, Academic Affairs
at the press conference to
announce COB's Professional
Pastry Workshops, which ran
May 16-25.
The series was conducted
by world-renowned Certified
Master Pastry Chef, Bo Friberg
at the College's Culinary
and Hospitality Management


Institute ICHMII. In a unique
thrust to bring more training
opportunities to other
communities throughout
The Bahamas, CHMI ran
the workshops in Nassau,
Georgetown, Exuma and
Freeport, Grand Bahama.
The workshops are the
brainchild of CHMI's Executive
Director Dr. Lincoln Marshall,
who said that the workshop
series would be an invaluable
experience for persons in the
family islands, as participants
would experience specialty
cake baking, marzipan and the
preparation of plated desserts
at a world class level.
Chef Bo Friberg is an eminently
qualified certified Master
Pastry Chef with over 40 years
in the industry and 29 years
of teaching experience. Chef
Bo is currently Department
Chair of the Baking and Pastry
Programme at the Professional
Culinary Institute in Campbell,
California. He holds a degree










as a Master Confectioner from
the Confectionary Association
School of Sweden.
Additionally, Chef Friberg has
worked in small shops and large
wholesale and retail operations
in the United States as well
as Europe, and has served
as a Pastry Chef for Swedish
American Line Cruise Ships.
He has also demonstrated his
pastry artistry on television
shows including the two highly
acclaimed public television
series Cooking Secrets of
the CIA, and Cooking at The
Academy, as well as NBC's
Today Show. While in Nassau, hi
launched this newest work, the
Fourth Edition of Fundamentals
of Baking and Pastry and The
Advanced Professional Pastry
at The College's Chapter
One Bookstore on Thompson
Boulevard.

The College has endeavoured to
strengthen its industry training,
generally. In this connection,
the institution has appointed
Mrs Valderine Hamilton as
Coordinator, Industry Training.
Mrs Hamilton is coordinator for
the Pastry Workshops.


e


e CHMI secured a valuable
exchange programme with
Munroe College of New York
which took the Institute's chef
instructor Christina Moseley to
Monroe and brought Chef Tracy
Zimmerman, who specializes in
pastry and breadmaking to The
College for a semester.

While in New York, Chef Moseley
will have the opportunity to hone
her skills in pastry and do some
teaching as well.

Among other duties, Chef
Zimmerman conducted
breadmaking workshops during
the Summer Session.

CHMI reaches out to youth with
its Little Chefs Programme

CHMI is rolling out another
new programme in their drive
to bring the culinary arts and
hospitality in The Bahamas
to new heights. This time the
outreach is to adolescents.
Parents looking for a unique
and meaningful summer activity
Sfor their children found it
Abundantly in The College of The
S Bahamas Culinary & Hospitality


Management Institute's "Lit'l
Chefs Summer Programme for
children ages 10 to 14 Years,
which took place for Nassau and
Freeport, Grand Bahamas July
16 20, 2007.

At the beginning of the
programme the youngsters in
Nassau were given a tour of the
industrial kitchens at Riu on
Paradise Island.
As high points of their
experience, each participating
youngster was expected to
prepare a three-course meal
and serve it two invited guests.
As the grand finale, the top
student from each cohort
was scheduled to be featured
at the Ministry of Tourism's
Junkanoo Summer Festival
Cooking Demonstration July
28, 2007, Arawak Cay. Each was
to have an hour and a half to
demonstrate the preparation
of one of the menu items they
learned to prepare during the
programme. Unfortunately,
circumstances forced the
cancellation of this segment.


Exchange Programme








rom Libraries and Instructional Media Services
significant about these chapters Having worked as the
is the fact that the contributors, Nursing and Health Sciences
of whom Willamae Johnson Librarian at the College of the
is one, effectively relate the Bahamas for the past 13 years,
Main and Law Libraries: history of individual libraries to Miss Ballance has developed
the social, political, economic special expertise in choosing
and intellectual environment library resources for nursing
Head of COB Libraries and
Head of COB Libraries and in which these libraries were courses. For the latest edition
Colleagues Contribute to Major developed. They thus provide of the Core Title list, she
Publication
T the reader with a glimpse into chose books in four specialty
The Bahamas and
the historical socioeconomic areas: Nursing Fundamentals,
librarianship in this country, development of countries within Community Health Nursing,
thanks to the scholarly the Caribbean region. Perinatal Nursing and Nursing
work of professionals from Education.


I he Colleges Libraries and
Instructional Media Services,
present and past, are well
represented in a new book.
Caribbean Libraries in the 21st
Century: Changes, Challenges,
and Choices (Eds Cheryl Peltier-
Davis and Shamin Renwick),
which came out in June 2007.
Participants include the
head of COB Libraries, Willamae
Johnson; her deputy
Dr Berthamae Walker and
Raynold Cartwright (now
transferred to the Office of
the Secretary General]. Also
making contributions are
Oluyemisi Dina, former Law
Librarian at COB and Janice
Modeste, Librarian, Eugene
Dupuch Law Library.
According to the editors,
Caribbean Libraries provides
access to a collection of articles,
written by practitioners in the
field of library and information
science, which present relevant
and timely information on
issues that challenge libraries
all around the world. Chapters
1-4 feature five lead articles
by Librarians presenting
comprehensive overviews and
analyses of the influence and
development of Caribbean
libraries in their respective
countries. What is most


(L TO R) Julia Burnside, MOT; Melodie
Hillhouse and Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson,
Executive VP, VP Academic Affairs.


Grosvenor Close
Library:
COB Nursing Librarian
Collaborates on
Collection
Development Project


Virginia Ballance, the
Nursing and Health Sciences
Librarian at the Hilda Bowen
Library of the Grosvenor Close
Campus, recently participated
in choosing titles for the highly
respected Doody's Core Titles
in the Health Sciences 2006
edition, an online medical book
review journal. The more than
2000 titles in 120 specialty
subject areas on the latest Core
Titles list were chosen through a
collaboration of specialist health
science faculty and librarians.


Doody's Librarian
selectors work to demanding
deadlines. They are given
two weeks to create a short
list of titles in each specialty
followed by two weeks to work
cooperatively on line with three
other Librarians to rank the
titles on the short list according
to various criteria, such as the
Eri usefulness of the book
S to a Library collection,
the reputation of the
author and publisher,
the overall quality
of the book and, of
course, the value for
money. Librarians
make a third and final
evaluation to decide
which titles within
a speciality would
be considered an
"essential purchase"
for a small Library with a budget
of under $7,500.00.
This is the third time
Miss Ballance has selected
books for the Core List of
titles. She noted that she
was the only "international"
Librarian contributing to the first
edition in 2004 and continues
to be among a small group of
librarians from outside of the
United States and Canada to
participate. In this small way,
she has helped put COB on the
map in medical librarianship.




















Northern Bahamas Library:
Barbara Barton,
Assistant Librarian

Barbara Barton, Assistant Librarian (part-time), became
a COB employee almost 20 years ago quite by chance. Having
completed a Master's in Library Studies, she was asked by the then
Coordinator of the Northern Campus, Dr Arthur Roach, to teach
library orientation. "The next thing I knew," she exclaims, "I was
working part-time. I have continued working so long because I enjoy
the work and I like the students."
Looking back, Ms Barton has some vivid memories which
include a number of students from the Eight Mile Rock community
who struggled through high school and went on to complete COB
and other tertiary institutions, often against the odds. Many are now
accountants, teachers, bank managers and nation builders.
"Some of the most memorable events I can think of," she
reminisces, "include the very first Freeport graduation in 1988, the
Keva Bethel Day Exhibition, a Fair With a Difference in 1995, and of
course the full-time and part-time faculty and staff who have done so
much over the years to establish the Northern Bahamas Campus."
Ms Barton has witnessed the gradual development of the
Northern Bahamas Campus first hand and is excited to anticipate the


building of the new facility. She
has long dreamt of a purpose-
built campus for COB personnel
and students alone.
She says, "COB has
conducted classes in Freeport
for over thirty years. The
Northern Bahamas Campus of
The College of The Bahamas
should be a fully functional
facility with programmes,
services, amenities and a library
fit for a university campus.
We want to be able to seat a
reasonable number of students
at any given time and to display
our reading material, provide
study areas and accommodate
people who have laptop
computers. We also need more
space to display our Bahamian
Reference Materials."










Thre member


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tea hav

beena6*6


by suer


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work a

comn t


exce[Lence in


Three members of the
LIMS team have been Lauded by
supervisors for their hard work
and commitment to excellence
in service delivery. Mrs Tameka
Butler-Burton, Library
Associate I, holds a Bachelor of
Arts Degree in Psychology and
Criminal Justice. She joined
the staff of the Libraries and


Instructional Media
Services Department at The
College of The Bahamas in
September 2002. She has
worked in the Public Services
Units at the Main and Law
Library branches and has
demonstrated a strong
commitment to the institution
through her impeccable work
ethic and dedication. She has
conducted in-house training
workshops for library staff and
is building a collection of digital
resources to improve access by
law students. She has a keen
interest in joining the college
faculty in the future. Mrs Burton
is actively involved in civic
work. She volunteers with the
P.A.C.E. organisation, teaching
basic computer skills to teen
mothers.


Mr Rodman Forbes,
Media Specialist, holds a
Bachelor of Arts degree in
Communications, with an
emphasis on Education. Mr
Forbes is among the longest
serving members of the
College employees, having
started in August 1977. He has
moved through the ranks in
the Libraries and Instructional
Media Services Department,
assuming the leadership of
the Instructional Media Unit in
1997. He gives service above


self and epitomizes love and
commitment and dedication to
the institution. His colleagues
recognized this through their
vote of confidence in electing
him as the first Staff Observer
on College Council in October
2006. Mr Forbes is an active
member of the Centreville
Seventh-Day Adventist Church.


Ms Judy Ann Rolle,
Library Assistant, rejoined The
College of The Bahamas staff
in 2000 when the Bahamas
Hotel Training College was
amalgamated with COB. Judy
previously worked at the Library
Department from 1981-1989.
She is currently pursuing an
Associate of Arts Degree in
Library Science at the College.
Judy has worked in both
Technical and Public Services,
but has a strong interest in
Binding and Conservation and
dedicates herself to ensuring
that the collection is maintained
in the best condition. Her
work ethic and commitment to
provision of excellence in service
delivery are commendable. With
her love for cooking, she can be
counted on to prepare delicious
meals for library social events.





COB's International Languages


Cultures Institute (ILCI)


The College of The
Bahamas is moving inexorably
towards becoming a university.
In the process, COB is
expanding its programmes and
services to cater for the needs
of its students and the wider
community. One of the new
initiatives is the International
Languages and Cultures
Institute (ILCI), offering readily
accessible foreign language and
cultural studies and a range of
unique social opportunities.
As part of what is
intended to be a significant
programme of community
outreach, the organizers are
offering, for a fee of one dollar
per session, tutoring in Spanish
and French for BGCSE students
from three neighboring senior
high schools-Government High,
CR Walker and CC Sweeting.

ILCI was founded on
the notion that the ability to
speak more than one language
is fast becoming a necessity
in the 21st century, where the
Internet and other rapid forms
of communication have created
a "borderless" world economy.
Additionally, certain of the major
languages are a distinct asset to
those working in such industries
as tourism, hospitality and
banking, the foremost industries
of The Bahamas.
ILCI joins the already
established Culinary and
Hospitality Management
Institute and the Marine and
Environmental Studies Institute,
which are the first of the
"Centres of Excellence. The
Institutes are designed to be a
viable and flexible units devoted
to addressing identified national
imperatives.
The International
Languages and Cultures
Institute is the brainchild of
Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson,
Executive Vice President and


Chief Academic Officer, who
has been a foreign language
educator for over thirty years
and speaks Spanish, French
and Haitian Creole. She was
assisted in the development
of her concept by Dr Irene
Moss, the Project Coordinator,
a speaker of German (her
mother tongue), English,
French, Spanish, with a working
knowledge of Hungarian.
Dr Moss is also an assistant
professor in the Foreign
Languages Department in the
School of Communication and
Creative Arts at COB.
The opening of ILCI
on September 26, 2006 was
attended by a large audience
that included Mr Harold Joseph,
the Haiti's Ambassador to The
Bahamas, Josef Hoermanns,
the Honorary Consul for
Germany, Thierry Boeuf,
Honorary Consul for France, Dr
Davidson Hepburn, one time
Ambassador to the UN and now
Honorary Consul for Indonesia,
Ms Juliette Mallett Philips from
the Organization of American
States, Anthony McKinney
from the Chinese Friendship
Association, Dr Earl Cash,
member of The College Council
and two former Presidents of
COB, Dr Keva Bethel and Dr
Leon Higgs.
President of COB,
Janyne M Hodder, a Canadian
from Quebec, began her
remarks in French, her mother
tongue. Dr Chipman-Johnson
called the opening "a joyous
occasion" and mentioned
the survey she undertook to
determine which languages
would be offered and announced
the six languages that would
initially be taught: Spanish,
French, Mandarin Chinese,
Haitian Creole, Portuguese and
Italian, as well as English as a
Foreign Language.










Student

Opportunities



Study Abroad

Ask the vast majority of
language teachers about the
best way to Learn a foreign
language and they will tell you
that there is no better way than
to study in a country where
the target language is spoken.
Studying abroad permits total
immersion in the language.
As a result, students tend
to make significant gains in
fluency. Another benefit of
studying abroad is exposure to
the culture of the people native
speakers. Students get to try the
local cuisine, to meet the locals
and to sample the local culture.

A summer study abroad
programme has been a feature
of foreign Language studies at
The College of The Bahamas for
several years now. Last summer
a group of COB students
spent a month in Spain and
another group went to Costa
Rica during the same period.
Both groups reported highly
successful experiences. The
groups were Led by Professor
Jacinth Taylor from the School
of Communication and Creative
Arts and Dr Margaret Don, who
has since gone on to another
institution.


In the United States and Great Britain...many well-meaning
Christians are using the bicentennial of abolition to raise
awareness of and generate support for campaigns against
modern day forms of slavery such as child labor, prostitution, and
human trafficking. While I applaud these important efforts, I am
concerned that they have largely obscured the legacy of slavery
that still persists for Bahamian and Caribbean descendants of the
Liberated Africans and slaves who originally benefited from abolition.

While ending the slave trade in 1807 was an important first step
towards the liberation of peoples of African descent in the British
Caribbean, emancipation was not declared until 1834 and was not
fully implemented until after a four-year period of apprenticeship
ended in 1838. Even then, the truck system and other discriminatory
economic practices served to keep black Bahamians socially,
politically, and economically subservient to their white counterparts
until the achievement of Black Majority Rule in 1967. While Black
Majority Rule succeeded in creating a sizeable black middle class
that allowed many Bahamians to escape from generations of
poverty, an even larger black underclass still remains today. And
the achievement of Bahamian independence in 1973-partly as the
result of political momentum gained from Black Majority Rule six
years earlier-was largely symbolic. The departure of the British
left a void that was quickly filled by the economic, cultural, and
occasional political influence of the Bahamas' gargantuan next door
neighbor-the United States.

So what's my point? First of all, injustice is multifaceted and
expresses itself in many forms such as slavery, colonialism, racism,
classism, and neocolonialism-to name a few. Secondly, the
elimination of one form of injustice while allowing others to persist
does not result in true freedom. Today, many Bahamians are much
better off socially and economically than they were just one or two
generations ago. Thus, we have developed a false sense of freedom
that allows us to ignore the many injustices that continue to remain
with us as a result of the legacy of slavery and colonialism. But
persist they do, whether we are willing to acknowledge them or not.
So as we observe this important milestone in our history, I hope that
we will not only reflect on its significance for us today. But that we
will also recommit ourselves to the struggle for full emancipation.

Rev. Daniel M. Schweissing
American Baptist Missionary and
Lecturer in Religious Studies
Atlantic College and Theological Seminary Nassau, Bahamas
http://www.haitianministries.net

























Back row tto r: Scholarship recipients
Anais Carter, Moses Darville, Jamie
Wilkinson, Stefana Roberts, Kristina
Russell.



Partnerships
Scotia Scholars Programme
The College of The Bahamas derives valued support from a number of public and private sector
partners. One long-standing partnership that has proven beneficial to all parties has been the Scholarship
Programme sponsored by Scotiabank. Begun thirteen years ago, Scotiabank scholarships are worth
$25,000.00 to deserving and needy students at COB who have benefited from such generosity. This year
the bank has sponsored six more young people who were presented with their awards and a number of
Scotiabank gifts at a ceremony at The College on February 20, 2007.
Managing Director of Scotiabank, Ms Minna Israel, said how impressed she was with the progress
The College had made towards achieving university status and congratulated the students, reminding
them that they were the recipients of a first class education at COB. She quoted Benjamin Franklin saying,
"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest" and went on to say, "By investing in the
education of young Bahamians we are ensuring that there is a talented work force that will continue to
stimulate our country's economic growth and development."
The Scotiabank scholarship programme traditionally supported two-year programmes. It has
evolved into the Scotia Scholars Programme to include students pursuing four-year baccalaureate
degrees at The College of The Bahamas.
Scholarship recipient, Jamie Wilkinson, speaking on behalf of the awardees, said a special
'thank you' to the bank for its contribution to their educational development. COB president, Janyne
Hodder, thanked Scotiabank for its confidence in supporting "these wonderful young people", expressing
her desire to see more COB students staying for four years and also to see them participate in the
international exchange programmes The College is developing. She clearly sees the partnership with the
Scotia Scholars Programme as something that can empower students to take part.
Finally, Cheryl Carey, Director of Financial Aid and Housing, spoke, describing it as a red-letter
day for her department.








tribune/COB Partnership for Literacy


As part of COB and The Tribune's Partnership for
Literacy celebration of International Literacy Day
and National Literacy, COB's Chapter One bookstore
hosted four of The Bahamas best known writers in two
evenings of readings.
Launching the event were Michael Pintard
(Still Standing) and Obediah Michael Smith (Poems
to Shell Peas By, Bicentennial Blues and other
collections). The poets entertained the audience with
starkly contrasting styles and methods of delivery.
Introduced by the President of The College,
Janyne Hodder, herself a former literacy teacher,
Pintard and Smith read and performed selections
of their writings and talked in detail about their
literary journeys. Both are passionate about the need
to promote the written word and the importance of
harnessing the enormous untapped potential found in
young Bahamians, especially the young men, so that
their stories can be recorded and enjoyed.


The second evening featured two
outstanding local authors from the staff and
faculty of The College of The Bahamas: Patricia
Glinton-Meicholas, author of An Evening in
Guanima, the Ninety-Nine Cent Breakfast and
No Vacancy in Paradise, among other books,
and Dr lan Strachan, whose works include Diary
of Souls and God's Angry Babies. Ms Glinton-
Meicholas read some new poems and a very
amusing chapter from her novel, A Shift in the
Light, while Dr Strachan read poems from a just
published collection dedicated to his mother
called Silk Cotton Soul. After the readings, they
both talked about the often frustrating process
involved in getting work published and their
favourite books.
In organizing the events related to the
partnership, Gordon Mills, Editor and Sean
Moore, Marketing Manager represent The
College and The Tribune, respectively.









School of Sciences &Technology


Dr Carlton Watson is someone,
of whom the School of Sciences
and Technology can be very
proud. He is an alumnus who
has returned to the institution to
join the faculty of the school and
he holds a Ph.D. in Experimental
Physics from The University
of Iowa (2001). His areas of
expertise are semiconductor
devices, microwave
devices and techniques,
and microfabrication/
nanofabrication.
Watson brings
international experience to
the job and his commitment to
raise the profile of the sciences
in The Bahamas. "I worked
for two and a half years in
Minneapolis for TLC Precision
Wafer Technology, a high-
tech company that specializes
in making microwave and
millimetre semiconductor
devices with applications for the


automotive, aeronautical and
military markets," he reports.
Last summer, Dr
Watson added further valuable
experiences. He attended the
Pan-American Advanced Studies
Institute (PASI) Conference,
which is funded by the US based
National Science Foundation
(NSF) and The Department of
Energy (DOE). Dr Watson served
on the Conference's Advisory
Committee along with scientists
from Johns Hopkins Applied
Physics Laboratory. In addition,
He presented a lecture titled
"Eddy Current Probe Detection
of Immunomagnetically Labeled
Pathological Samples", to
about thirty graduate students
in physics, engineering and
chemistry. The Lecture was
based on research that Watson
conducted with Dr. Yash Pal
Agrawal, a Pathologist at the
University of Iowa to develop an
improved method to detect and
diagnose cancer.
Dr Watson also
conducted high-level research
In Texas (primarily at Prairie
View A&M University but also at
Texas A&M and Univ. Texas-Pan
American) with fellow Bahamian
physicist Dr Kevin Storr. The
pair also spent some time at
the National High Magnetic
Field Laboratory (NHMFL)
in Tallahassee which houses
some of the most powerful and


sophisticated magnets in the
world.
Watson's research
focused on investigating
materials under low
temperature, high pressure and
high magnetic field conditions.
Watson says that he and Storr
investigated CeColn5, a material
which exhibits unconventional
superconductivity.
"Unconventional
superconductivity is still not
very well understood and
may hold the key to the next
generation of materials. The
data that we obtained will
be of interest to theorists as
they continue to formulate a
more consistent theory that
describes unconventional
superconductors," Watson says.
The two physicists were
able to make arrangements for
Shalton Evans, a College of The
Bahamas student, to spend a
paid summer internship at the
NHMFL. Evans became the first
student outside of the US or its
territories to do so. "We hope
to enable more COB students
to participate in this or similar
programmes in the future,"
Watson says.
Shalton Evans is now
enrolled in Prairie View A&M
University as a double major
in Physics and Chemical
Engineering.












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