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The Snapper

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

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Subjects / Keywords:
Universities and colleges -- Public relations -- Bahamas
Spatial Coverage:
Bahamas -- Caribbean

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Statement of Responsibility:
The College of The Bahamas

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Source Institution:
The University of The Bahamas Institutional Repository
Holding Location:
The University of The Bahamas Institutional Repository
Rights Management:
All applicable rights reserved by the source institution and holding location.

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The College of The Bahamas


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Did you know...?
The first head of The College of The Bahamas was Bahamian
Dr John Knowles. He was a professor at Simon Fraser
Uni'vrsity in Canada, who had taken a leave of absence to
assist in the establishment of the country's first national
educational institution at tertiary-level.


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The College ofIhe Bahamas'
new complex on Thompson
Boulevard was officially named
on Thursday, January 19th, 2006.
It is now called the Michael H.
Eldon Complex, in honour of
the founding Chairman of The
College of The Bahamas. In the
twenty years of Bishop Eldon's
tenure, the College expanded to
the Family Islands and its first
degree programme, the Bachelor
of Arts in Banking and Finance
was launched. In 2004 Bishop
Eldon was named Chairman
Emeritus of the College for
the contributions he has made.
The naming of the Michl-.i-l H.
Eldon Complex is a more public
way of honouring him for those
contributions.


At the unveiling ceremony
the Hon. Alfred Sears, MP,
Attorney General and Minister
of Education, spoke highly of
Bishop Eldon and his service
to the Anglican Church and
The College ofThe Bahamas.
He declared that 'the name
Michael Hartley Eldon is a good
name', bespeaking 'scholarship
and excellence, patriotism and
service, integrity and warmth.'
In selecting an honouree, this is
precisely what the Council and
Cabinet of the College felt that
the name of the former chairman
would convey to staff, faculty,
students and the Bahamian
public.
Dr Keva Bethel, President
Emerita of the College and sister
of Bishop Eldon, gave a response


behalf
of her brother.
She expressed her sadness
that her brother's illness did not
permit him to be at the ceremony
to thank the College personally
for the honour that was being
bestowed upon him. She
affirmed, however that he would
be pleased, as he considered
himself a 'genuine patriarch' of
the College. Dr. Bethel said that
her brother helped to put 'real
flesh on the bones of nationhood'
through his service to the
College.
The Michael H. Eldon
Complex is a visible memorial
to Bishop Eldon's legacy as a
cornerstone in the foundation
upon which the College is built.
As we progress toward university
status, it is important that we
recognize those individuals who
have contributed to making The
College of The Bahamas what it
is today. N


qkapper ... 2




































Above Opening of Michael H. Eldon Complex (I to r) Hon. Alfred M. Sears, Attorney General and Minister of
Education; Marguerite Lady F'Prl-ingj Dr Pandora Johnson, VP Research, Planning and Development; Mr Franklyn Wilson, CMG
(back row); Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson and Hon. Cynthia Pratt, MF Deputy Prime Minister.



















The Minister of
Education Launches his
Book Club Selections
from COB

The Minister of Education,
the Hon. Alfred Sears has
honoured COB by making our
Chapter One bookstore the
headquarters of his Book of The
Month Club. On the morning of
January 16, 2006, Minister Sears
visited Chapter One to announce
the book selections for the month
ofJanuary. "I am here to celebrate
three stories which I have been
personally inspired by," The
Minister said.


Dr Kathleen Bondurant
Music Lecturer
School of
Communication and
Creative Arts (SCCA)

What's good from Idaho
(apart from fabulous baking
potatoes)? Let us introduce you
to Dr. Kathleen Bondurant, one
of the newest lecturers at The
College of the Bahamas.
Kathleen was born in the


These stories were Reading
The Sky by Avi, chosen as the
children's selection for the month,
The Skin I Am In by Sharon
Flake, for young adults and Sir
Clifford Darling: A Bahamian
Life Story, the autobiography of
the former Governor General
of the Commonwealth, as told
to Patricia Beardsley Roker,
as the selection for adults.
Accompanying the Minister was
Mrs. Patricia Collins, Deputy
Director of Education and
other officials from the Ministry
of Education. COB Acting
President Dr. Rhonda Chipman-
Johnson was there to show her
support for the Minister's literacy


drive on behalf of The College
of The Bahamas. Also present
for the press conference was Sir
Clifford Darling himself, who
signed copies of his book as gifts.
The press conference was a
good opportunity to showcase
The College's bookstore,
particularly, the Bahamian and
Caribbean authors section where
the Minister and his officials
gathered for the meeting. Sir
Clifford Darling: A Bahamian
Life Story can be purchased from
the bookstore. COB staff and
students are encouraged to buy
copies for themselves, family or
friends. 0


(I to r) Patricia Beardsley Roker; Sir Clifford Darling; Hon. Alfred M. Sears, MP
Attorney General and Minister of Education; Patricia Collins, MOE; Dr Rhonda
Chipman-Johnson, Acting President, The College of The Bahamas.


Facult

Spo light
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br.i.- iun-trUmcr-t, \Vith -i
rtalci t i .il nd i in thli r h. .im:.
it '.' 'IIJ hii. bI-cen -,.irpi i- i,_ it
Kathleen and her two sisters had
not become musical as well. She
began playing the flute at age 10
and, by 11, knew that she wanted
to be a flutist. One of her sisters
plays the oboe and the other the
bassoon.


5napppr .. 4







Dr. Bondurant earned her
Master's degree and her Ph. D in
flute from New York University,
where she made history when she
became the youngest woman to
receive a doctorate from NYU's
School of Arts and Sciences. That
she continues to be a respected
academic is evident in the fact
that she is currently at The
College of The Bahamas, has
been a university professor for
10 years and taught previously
at the University of New Haven,
Southern Connecticut State
University and the South Central
Community College.
The accomplishments do not
stop there. Dr Bondurant has had
the pleasure of studying with such
world-famous musicians as jazz
pianist Ray Santisi and flutists
James Galway, Julius Baker and
Jean-Pierre Rampal. She has
also performed with famous
orchestras; one of her proudest
records is a solo performance
with the Brooklyn Philharmonic
Additionally, her credits include
stints with The Classic Touch Trio
in Austin, Texas.
Dr. Bondurant's forte is
the flute, but she is also an
accomplished piano and guitar
teacher, and a successful vocal
coach. Indeed, one of her
students went on to win the
Miss Connecticut competition!
Other students have gone on to
attend top music schools, such
as the Oberlin Conservatory in
Ohio, The Peabody Institute at
Johns Hopkins University and
the Berklee College of Music
in Boston. Her teaching is not
restricted to students enrolled at
The College of The Bahamas, she
also gives lessons via web cam
from her website www.


flutepianoguitar.com!
Dr. Bondurant's talents are
as varied as the types of music
she likes. In addition to teaching
and playing music, she composes
and has over 75 copyrighted
songs! 'I love to express myself
in words and music!' she says
enthusiastically, but she is quick
to admit that getting the songs
the recognition they deserve is
sometimes difficult. Nonetheless,
she has won first prize in the
Austin Songwriter's Competition
for 'The Happy Song', and she
was awarded first place in the
Songwriter's Monthly Future
Charters contest for 'Come To
Me'. The 1995 World Special
Olympics featured her song I'm
A Winner!' and she received a
commendation from President
Clinton for a song about homeless
children called 'A Fight


For Love'. Dr. Bondurant is the
creator of DinoKids (tm), an
educational cartoon show mixing
fact and fantasy and featuring
multicultural dinosaurs.
Chris Justilien, a musician
colleague in SSCA, approached
Kathleen to work at The College
of The Bahamas after seeing
her fantastic resume. When
asked why she was attracted to
working in The Bahamas, she
replied, "Apart from the pull of
the gorgeous location, I like to
build programmes." It was the
opportunity to help create a
university-level music programme
here that won her over. She also
said that she simply wanted a
change in environment.
Dr Bondurant has two
wonderful dogs called Bean and
Trudy, who are learning to play
the piano! N
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Opening of Michael H. Eldon Complex (L to r) Mrs Elma Garraway, PS,
Ministry of Health; Mrs Ruth Millar, Financial Secretary, Ministry of Finance; H.E. Paul
Adderley, / ,ing Governor General


5... The C :ii.- J3 of The Bahamas








Denartment


Hurray for the
COB Lady Caribs and
Sporting Firsts for
The College!
If ambitions for the success of
sports at COB are based on the
recent resurgence and success
of the women's basketball team,
coached by Vice President of
Academic Affairs Dr. Linda
Davis, we can reach very high
indeed. The Lady Caribs went to
US Virgin Islands from January
13th to 17th to compete against
The Fall semester saw college teams there and took
the appointment of new Athletics command. The COB Lady Caribs
Director, Greg Harshaw, to the beat the University of the Virgin
staff at COB. Radiating zeal, the Islands women's team twice. Mr.
new director has come in with a Harshaw reports an additional
slew of ambitious plans for sports benefit-the games allowed the
development at The College. team to gain experience of play
As part of the push towards under NCAA rules, which are
university status, he proposes that different from the FIBA rules
College sports teams compete used in the New Providence
in the NCAA or in Division 2 league. These games were also
or 3 of the South Florida area of of historic significance-The
NAIA by 2007 8. COB Lady Caribs led the way
Five core sports have been in making The College of the
identified for development or Bahamas the first Caribbean-
enhancement and promotion:
basketball, volleyball, soccer,
tennis, and track & field. Men's
and women's teams are currently
being selected in these areas.
Plans are also afoot to start men
and women's golf teams. All of the
teams will be competing in the
leagues locally until the proposed
move to NCAA or NAIA.


region college to play in this kind
of competition and have thereby
provided a platform for the future
development of a Caribbean
colleges basketball league.

Launch of Student
Activities at
NBC and
a Tennis Team First
On January 27th and 28th
saw the grand opening of the
Northern Campus Activities
and Recreational Centre,
headquartered at Grand Bahama
Squash Club. Launch activities
included a community interest
meeting to determine needs, a
Fun Run and Walk Race with
a presentation of trophies, a
volleyball tournament and a
social for all launch participants.
The same weekend COB tennis
team members played in the
IBIS Open Tournament in
Miami making the College of
The Bahamas the first Caribbean
member of the Inter Collegiate
Tennis Association. E


,snapper ... 6







University bookstores
worldwide provide centres for all
kinds of positive interactions on
college campuses; so much so,
I that these stores become hubs
from which radiate significant
S .-IpL, r- ..1.. Illc -. lit Chapter
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One is far more than its well
stocked shelves of books. Upstairs,
customers can find merchandise
from t-shirts to beach chairs
bearing the COB logo and
textbooks for all the courses at
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'One Bookstore


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First Edition, the cafe
in the new College bookstore,
has already made a positive
impression. Attracting not only
students, faculty and staff but
also members of the general
public, the caf6 has impressed
its customers with its quality
service and interesting menu.
"We're trying to offer something
for everyone at very reasonable
prices," says manager, Ruth
Duncombe, "and we're definitely
a healthy alternative to the fare
served at the fast food restaurants
nearby."
Clean and spacious, First
Edition provides a comfortable,
friendly atmosphere in its own
attractive surroundings within
the light and spacious setting of
the Chapter One bookstore. "We
want to allow customers to take a


drink and something to eat either
before or after they browse or
choose from among the offerings
on the shelves in the bookstore,"
adds Ms. Duncombe. "It's a sort
of Barnes and Noble idea with a
Bahamian flavour, especially in
the cakes and pastries on offer.
Although they cannot take food
and drinks into the bookstore
itself, they can certainly sit
here in the cafe and read their
new purchases with some light
refreshments."
On the cold menu are
sandwiches and salads, while hot
items include pizza, lasagna and
patties. here are daily specials
and Ms Duncombe tells us
that the menu will be steadily
expanding during the coming
weeks. 0


Another very useful facility
at First Edition is the power
connections for laptop computers
at some tables. As soon as Cable
Bahamas finishes the installation,
customers will be able to eat and
drink while working online.
Ms. Duncombe is assisted
in the cafe by l.-. Denise Penn
and Ms. Genevieve McKenzie,
the cashier. Work-study students
make up the complement of staff
at this delightful and innovative
addition to the life of The College.


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At Kanaom
The ninth edition of At
Random, a publication
of the School of English
Studies, is now available
at Chapter One Bookstore,
Thompson Boulevard and in
Room A-97 of The College of the
Bahamas Administration Block,
at the nominal cost of $10.
At Random features fiction,
poetry and articles on a variety of
topics. This latest edition of the
magazine includes information
on the new bachelor's degree
in English and the Language
Resource Centre (a haven for
student writers). Other titles are
"Successful Parenting" (a


tongue-in-cheek look at the
topic), "Frontiers" (musings about
geographical and other frontiers
in the author's life), "Walking
and Me" (a lighthearted look on
the writer's favorite pastime),
"Harbour Island Odyssey"
(the journey of Anne and Jim
Lawlor as they wrote the story
of Harbour Island), "Junkanoo
and African Retention in the
Bahamas" (an analysis of the
significance ofJunkanoo in The
Bahamas and its roots in African
culture).
Book reviews on Jean-
Robert Cadet's Restavec, Gail
Saunders' Bahamian Society after
Emancipation, and


Dionne Brand's Mon Chagrin,
Mon Heritage are part of the
magazine's offerings. Fictional
works include two short stories,
"De Cocoa Estate" and "That
Summer." Also featured is poetry
by Nicolette Bethel, Michelle
Bain, Randall Pinder, Glendenna
Lightbourne, Emile Hunt, Daria
Paul and Ward Minnis.
The first edition of At
Random came out in 1990. It
was originally the brainchild
of Marjorie Cheetham, then
Head of the Journalism and
Communications Department of
the Humanities Division, which
at that time also included the
Department of English.


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scHOOL NOTES


School of English
Studies (SES)
The School of English
Studies welcomed five new faculty
members to its ranks last semester.
Four of the new arrivals, Shaniqua
Higgs, Kendra Seymour, Krista
Walkes and Dr. Helean McPhee,
lecture in Nassau while the fifth,
Dr. Daphne Grace, is assigned to
Northern Bahamas Campus in
Freeport, Grand Bahama.
Two new courses have
come on stream this year and
are running well. One is a
course designed here at the
college, "An Introduction to
Film Studies", which adds to
the choices for students in the
General Education options, and
ENG 318, "Special Topics in
Literature", focusing on a single
writer, Toni Morrison, is the
other.
This semester SES will revive
the Free Speech Project with two
sets of events. An investigation
into race relations with particular
focus on majority rule will be one
of them. In March a mini festival
of African films will be presented.
Chairperson, Dr. Ian
Strachan, hopes to have the
Reading Room up and running
this semester. In the school's
efforts to encourage more
students to read more, Room F7
is being renovated to become
a reading resource room for
students.


Dr. Strachan is also trying
to establish a pre-doctoral
or teaching fellowship for an
overseas professor. It will be
called the John Boyd Fellowship
in honour of John Boyd, a
Bahamian poet, described as "a
man of colour" in the foreword
of his book of verse "The Vision",
published in 1834, the year slavery
was abolished.
Faculty members of SES
are also trying to help a group
of students who have started a
book club. The aim is to formalize
its proceedings so that it will
continue after the founding
group has been graduated. A
tentative name for the club is the
Robert Johnson Society after the
Bahamian poet who wrote the
anthology, The Road.
Five members of the school's
faculty are going to present papers
at the West Indian Literature
Conference in Trinidad in March.
They are, Dr. !, 1,cli'c Addams,
Dr. Marjorie Brooks Jones, Ms.
X I oi S tiir..-i, il,-,N ill-, D r. Ian
Strachan and Miss Priya Kunan.
Dr. Strachan cannot remember
one school from COB being so
well represented in presenting
papers at a conference.
The .inrl ..1. _- % of student
writing, Tamarind, which
appeared for the first time in 2005
will be published again before the
end of the academic year 2006. E


9... The College of The Bahamas







School of Sciences &
Technology
The School of Sciences and
Technology reports that its faculty
has been very active this academic
year in attending workshops and
working on projects. Dr. Marlene
Jackson attended a Global
Information Systems workshop
in N i -..,, and Dr. Daniel
Donkoh attended an architecture
workshop on the use of concrete.
Chemistry faculty member, Ms.
Neromanie Nezamudeen, was
involved in training sessions
for customs officers on Ozone
Depleting Substances and a team
of lecturers from the school went
to the Island School in Eleuthera
to assist in a community fair and
to engage in end of semester
research projects.



School of Social
Sciences
The School of Social Sciences
has introduced two new BA
programmes this academic year.
A BA in History and another in
Psychology are now available.
Two new faculty members,
Dr. Stephanie Hutcheson,
Lecturer in Psychology, and Dr.
Kreimild Saunders, Lecturer in
Sociology, joined the school in
August 2005.
The school has three projects
in mind for the rest of this
academic year. It is the school's
intention to host forums on the
topics of Race; Religion; and
Bahamas/USA connections at
university level.
Lecturer Stephen Aranha,
who has also been elected
president of the Bahamas
Historical Society, attended five


The school welcomed four
new lecturers for the academic
year 2005 6: Miss Shaniqua
Fernander, Mathematics; Ms.
Renate Roberts, Mathematics;
Dr. Kayla Stubbs, Biology;
and Mr. David McWilliam,
Mathematics. In addition to these
four newcomers, Senior Lecturer
and former Dean of Pure and
Applied Sciences, Dr. Brenda
Cleare, returned to the school
after a spell at the Bahamas
Baptist Community College as its
president.
In the move towards
university status and the school's
desire to promote more research
and professional development,
faculty members have been
encouraged to enroll in online
Ph.D studies via Union


days of seminars and workshops
on presenting the holocaust to
college students at the Centre
for Advanced Holocaust Studies
in Washington DC. Designed
for lecturers at historically black
colleges, the seminar compared
the Holocaust to the African
American experience from slavery
onwards.
Gabriel Lahood attended a
conference in Montreal, Canada
in November organized by the
American Literary Translators
Association. This conference
explored the problems and issues
in translating from and into a
foreign language.
Susan Plumridge and
William Fielding collaborated on
research conducted by students
in Ms. Plumridge's classes to
produce two articles that have
been accepted by US


University. At the moment seven
lecturers are preparing to start
studying for their doctorate,
which will take three years to
complete.
A new General Education
course has been approved, AGRI
229, Agricultural Economics. The
school is also offering some upper
level math and geography courses
online using the Blackboard
programme. This is of particular
interest and importance to Family
Island students who can now
access materials and keep pace
with their counterparts in New
Providence.
Science Awareness
Day is slated for
March or April and will
involve schools in the
community. 0


journals. JAAWS, the Journal of
Applied Animal Welfare Science
accepted an article based on 442
interviews carried out by students,
investigating the "Characteristics
of Owned Dogs on the Island of
New Providence". The research
supports the theory that there is a
clear link between roaming dogs
and unwanted breeding and adds
to the international literature on
the subject. Society and Animals
published the findings of what
was a student-initiated study
on pit bulls by Tyrone Burrows.
Initially based on just over a
hundred interviews, the study was
expanded to cover three hundred
and seventy-five interviews with
.... llg students to discover their
views on pit bull "ownership". This
is believed to be the first time
a COB student study has been
published in an international


Snlpgwr ... 10










School of Social
Sciences


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From the Northern Campus


Dr. Coralee Kelly
reports that classes started
on time in Grand Bahama with
about 100 students in attendance.
One exciting development is the
new courses on offer for the new
bachelor's programme.
Technology upgrading
continues at the Northern
campus. Problems with the fibre
optic cable in the E-Classroom
have been identified and MIS
is working on all hardware
and software concerns. Disney
Foundation donated three 13"
TV sets which will be installed
in the Main Building and Annex
A. The expectation is that there
will be Cable-in-the-Classroom
soon thanks to an initiative from
Cable Bahamas. Internet access
is available on 10 computer
terminals in the new Resource
Centre where students can print
free of charge. The response to
this Resource Centre has been
positive and it is open from 8 a.m.
to 10 p.m.
Athletics and recreation are
receiving quite a high profile at
the moment. Activities weekend
with a Fun Run Walk took
place January 28th and the
Grand Bahama Squash Club is
the headquarters for a number
of activities such as squash,
tennis, table games and darts. In
addition, board games (checkers,
dominoes, etc.) can be borrowed
in the Gazebo and other Student
Lounge areas.
Repairs and beautification
after the ravages of Hurricane


Wilma are ongoing. Retiling
in the hallways, additional
cabinets and shelves for displays
and storage are being built.
Landscaping in the front and
the introduction of plants in
the Gazebo and other areas are
adding to the attractiveness of the
campus.
$3,368.34 was raised
between Main Campus
and Northern Campus
to help students badly
hit by Hurricane Wilma.
The relief campaign, billed "We
are our brother's keeper"was
further augmented by a donation
of $7,000.00 from the William
Jones Scholarship Fund. Eleven
students, identified as the most
adversely affected by the storm,
became the beneficiaries of these
donations.
In honour of US Black
History Month and Northern
Campus expects to hold a
Lecture Luncheon and a Native
Voices production together with
exhibitions in the Main Foyer and
lobby of Annex B. N















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Above Groundbreaking for New Northern
Bahamas Campus (I to r) Julian Francis, Chairman,
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Under the theme
"My Bahamas To A
Common Loftier Goal",
National Tourism Week 2006
featured a week of events
from January 8 to 13, which
included the National Tourism
Conference and culminated in
the prestigious Cacique Awards
Presentation. Attracting an
enthusiastic attendance were the
N1 I t r Classes led by Ministry
of Tourism (MOT) officers
or top-rated tourism industry
professionals sharing their
expertise on such subjects as
product branding. The College
of The Bahamas partnered with
MOT to offer participants in the
seminars a unique opportunity.
This year marked the launch
of a partnership between COB
and MOT, which afforded
delegates the unprecedented
opportunity to acquire a College
of The Bahamas certificate,
which records internationally
recognized Continuing Education
Units (CEUs) that lead to
the establishment of a CEU
record. This groundbreaking
collaboration between industry
and the College of The Bahamas
is expected to increase over time,
add greatly to skill development
in tourism and thereby enhance
the overall Bahamas tourism
thrust in the highly competitive
world travel market.
Of particular interest to
educators was the keynote address
from one of the Caribbean's
foremost scholars, Rex Nettleford,
Vice Chancellor Emeritus of the


University of the West Indies,
at the opening ceremony. Using
the week's theme as his guiding
statement, Professor Nettleford
spoke engagingly and pertinently
about what he sees as the ways for
The Bahamas to reach a "common
loftier ..al" where tourism is
concerned.
Central to his thesis was
the idea that the Bahamian
people must first and foremost
be conscious of their own place
within their own land as they
develop their tourism product.
The sun, sand and sea must
belong to Bahamians and the
Bahamian environment must
be safeguarded primarily for
Bahamians so that the visitors can
then enjoy it with them.
He spoke of the importance
of all the disparate contributors
to the tourism package working
more closely together and
recognizing their own roles within
it and how national policy must
be informed by the multi-faceted
complexities of the destination.
These complexities must be
appreciated by highlighting them
in small scale community tourism
projects and moving away from
the "inflexible megalithic all-
inclusives" that promote only the
minimum of local culture.
Nettleford also spoke of the
need for The Bahamas to find
ways of developing its agriculture,
especially on the Family Islands.
He believes that the benefits of
agriculture will not only boost the
economy but will also help more
people to feel a closeness to the


land.
Finally, he warned of the
dangers of cultural tourism
descending into touristic culture
with nothing of real value on
display. To avoid this he reminded
the listeners of the need for
products of a serious creative
nature that locals would want to
purchase and that the tourists
can come and share. He finished
with a plea to resist the all-
consuming march ofglobalization
by keeping a steady eye on the
true nature and potential of
tourism's possibilities in this
country. Professor Nettleford left
the podium to a rousing reception
from the delegates. U






















13,.. The C f The Bahamas
desig press i ong ing
`I motrcntdaig
submttedhavebee







CHMI has a Cacique
Award Winner
For its finale to its week of
events, the Ministry of Tourism
hosted the presentations of the
2005 Cacique Awards on the
evening of January 13th and it
proved of particular interest for
the COB family. Lecturer in
the School of Hospitality and
Tourism Studies, Dr. Sophia
Rolle (photo at right), achieved
recognition among tourism's finest
by taking the award for Human
Resources Development.
Dr. Rolle, well known in
tourism circles and to the general
public through her weekly
column, "Sophia's Choice", in
The Nassau Guardian, won the
coveted award after just missing
out in 2004. She sees the prize
as a reflection of her eleven years
work at the college in laying the
foundation of management skills


for successive groups of students.
Dr. Rolle regards her work
at COB as training in its purest
form in developing managers
and strategists for the tourism
industry. For her the most
important aspect of human
resource development is being
able to witness the successful
outcome of the four years training
as the students embody the
essentials of the training she
instills in them.
Dr. Rolle's next project
is to write a book on tourism
management. She is planning to
do the groundwork for it during
the summer and will apply for a
sabbatical year to complete the
writing.
With Sophia Rolle's award,
COB now has two Cacique
honourees. In 1996 Patricia
Glinton-Meicholas, now Council
Secretary at The College, became


the first person to win the
Cacique Award for Writing. N


Culinary & HosDitalitv Manaaement Institute


School of Education


This year School of Education
students on teaching practice
have a new resource to assist
them in their quest for exciting
and meaningful materials to
enhance the lessons they prepare.
Education majors can now access
an online teaching tool called
"Blackboard", to which the
students are introduced during
one of their regular computer
courses. The programme is one of
the latest innovations the Office
of Academic Affairs and


the School of Education have
introduced in their drive to
produce better, more resourceful
teachers.
Ever increasing numbers
of students aspiring to become
teachers have meant two teaching
practices this academic year, one
in the Fall Semester and the other
in the Spring. This year education
officers from the Ministry of
Education are involved as internal
moderators providing welcome
partnership for those lecturers


trom ditterent departments
within the college who act as
supervisors and examiners.
There is also a new course in
the school called "Professional
Seminars" for first-year students;
in this course students are
introduced to the teaching
profession and visit schools
regularly so they can understand
more readily day-to-day
organization of a teacher's life and
what it means to be a member of
a school faculty and the teaching
profession. E


Snapper ... 14







In August the School
of Nursing and Allied
Health Professions
welcomed a new
Chairperson, Ms. Laura
Knowles, following the
resignation of Dr. Shane Neely-
Smith. One of Ms Knowles'first
acts as Chair was to attend the
American Council on Education
conference. Convened in San
Antonio, Texas, the conference
proved especially useful for new
chairs.
January 2005 saw Ms. Shirley
Curtis coordinating a midwifery


programme, one of the school's
cyclical offerings. This is the first
time since 2001 that Princess
Margaret Hospital has asked the
school to run this programme.
Twenty-one students are enrolled
at the present.
In the fall of 2005 another
cyclical programme commenced:
the Trained Clinical Nurses
Programme. Fifty students are
enrolled and Ms. Fay Johnson,
seconded from the I i!'ti, of
Health, is the coordinator.
Two faculty members, Leah
Rolle and Yvonne McKenzie, are


currently at the University of the
West Indies in Jamaica pursuing
master's degrees in nursing.
The Lippincott Company,
specialist publishers of materials
for the health care industry,
donated a number of books on
nursing to the faculty.
In November 2005 nineteen
third-year student nurses sat the
Nursing Council Examination,
an assessment, which determines
whether or not the student nurse
is legally employable. The school
is happy to announce that there
was a 100% success rate. I


School of Nursina & Allied Health Professions


From the RESEARCH UNIT
The COB Research Unit exists to advance "research through the provision of
quality research services" (COBRU Mission Statement) and within the last twelve months members
of the unit and lecturers from a number of different departments have actively fulfilled that mission. By attracting
clients from within The Bahamas and from overseas, the unit has designed study methods and facilitated work on
projects as diverse as a market research study for local wines and spirits dealer, Bristol Cellars, to "Determine the
Relationship Between a Decline in Sales Volume and Market Variables in Distributing the Product HPNOTIQ_
in New Providence"; a Ministry of Tourism Hospitality Industry Human Resources Needs Assessment and a
study entitled "Determining the Regulatory Impediments to the Establishment of Small to Medium Enterprises
in New Providence" for the Nhn 111 tr\' of Finance.
The market research study was conducted by Ms. Denise Samuels of the COBRU, Mr. Michael Rolle and
Mrs. Marcia Seymour-Miles, lecturers in the School of Business. The Small Business Enterprises Study was
conducted by N I Denise Samuels, Mr. Daniel Thompson, lecturer in the School of Business and Dr. Joan
Vanderpool, Director of Research and Grants at COB (also of CHMI).
The researchers and consultants for the Hospitality Industry Study that involved all stakeholders and
which is likely to have a far-reaching impact on that industry were Faith Butler, Ph.D, Lecturer in the School
of Education; Mrs. Valderine Hamilton and Sophia Rolle, Ph.D., Lecturers in the Culinary & Hospitality
Management Institute and Chef Vanessa Riley, Lecturer and Apprentice Coordinator (also of CHMI; School
of Business faculty Olivia Saunders, Senior Lecturer, Economics and Jose Velasquez, Ph.D., as well as COBRU
personnel Denise Samuels and Dr. Joan Vanderpool.
When we add to this other research studies that will be reported in next month's paper, the monthly meetings
of The Research Edge Forum Series and the ongoing research training and professional
development in which members of the unit regularly engage, we can see that this
small but deeply committed unit is contributing a great deal to the College of The
Bahamas' bid for university status by fall 2007. 1


15... The ( :C' of The Bahamas








Student in the SDotliaht Terrance JoseDh


39-year-old Terrance
Joseph is a man with a
mission-to gain greater
recognition for himself
and to make more of a
splash on the Bahamian
scene. Joseph feels the way to
accomplish his mission is to get
a Bachelor's degree that will give
him the recognition he longs for
and the power to make changes in
his society.
Joseph sees a degree as
a stepping-stone to making
his dream a reality. Enrolled
in a Business Management
programme at COB, Joseph
pursues his goal one or two
classes at a time. When he
was engaged in studies at the
institution previously, he found
the task of integrating the various
demands of work and study rather
demanding. This time around, he
is determined to make it work.


He resumed his COB career in
the Fall of 2005 and is currently
taking two courses.
A 1983 graduate of
C.C.Sweeting High School,
Terrance Joseph now works
as a Customs Officer with the
Public Service Department after
a stint in the hotel industry. He
finds some aspects of his job,
particularly dealing with people,
challenging and is pleased with
the material benefits his job has
provided over the years. But
there is still something missing-
Joseph yearns for the recognition
and respect he feels education
provides.
He notes that, like himself,
many of his colleagues are
pursuing training and higher
education to fulfill their personal
and professional goals.
A single parent, Joseph says
he has a support network which


makes it possible for him to
attend classes and cope with the
demands of his sometimes long
working hours. Noting that many
of his colleagues' marriages have
ended in failure because of their
demanding work schedule, Joseph
is also quick to assert that his
supervisors support his attempt to
educate himself.
Asked about his classmates,
Joseph says most if not all of
them are younger than he. At
times, he says, this makes him
feel somewhat uncomfortable.
However, he is not intimidated, as
he also feels an association with
his younger classmates can be
mutually beneficial.
If nothing else, Joseph's
willingness to pursue his dream
at the relatively mature age of 39
should act as an inspiration to his
young peers. U











Homicide in The
Bahamas
On January 20, 2006, as the first
Research Edge Forum of the New
Year, Det. Cpl. Chaswell Hanna
of the Royal Bahamas Police
Force presented findings from
his descriptive study, Homicide
in The Bahamas 1991 2003. An
alumnus of COB and present
adjunct lecturer in the School of
Social Sciences, Det. Cpl. Hanna
spent two years collecting data for
his study and held his audience
of students, faculty and staff
enthralled for the duration of his
90-minute presentation. He was
at pains to inform his audience
that this research was


to be the foundation on which
future and more analytical
studies into homicide in this
country would be based. Some
of the more memorable statistics
communicated were that 69%
of murder cases in the Bahamas
are solved; seven out ten murders
are committed by people who
know their victims; in 2005, six
murder victims had previously
been charged with murder, but
had not been convicted. Further,
Hanna revealed that in The
Bahamas murder cases are never
administratively closed. Det. Cpl.
Hanna ended his presentation to
warm, appreciative applause. U


John Rood, United
States Ambassador to
The Bahamas made
his first official visit
to The College of The
Bahamas in December,
calling on Acting President Dr
Rhonda Chipman-Johnson and
other members of COB's senior
administration. Accompanied
by Michael Taylor, US Embassy
Political Officer, and Mrs.
Kathryn Gibson, Public Affairs
Specialist, Mr. Rood promised
to assist The College in several
of the areas of need indicated
by the administrators and spoke
of Florida Governor Jeb Bush's
desire to do the same.
Ambassador Rood, who has
been a visiting lecturer at Florida
State University, spoke of his
enduring interest in


17.. The College of The Bahamas







education and his commitment
to increasing his embassy's
contributions to The College of
The Bahamas. Without hesitation,
the Ambassador accepted to give
the principal address at COB's
Commencement Exercises on
May 25, 2006 at the request
of Dr Chipman-Johnson, who
was conveying the consensus of
her whole team. To the further
delight of the COB group, Mr
Rood revealed that Florida
Governor Jeb Bush was planning
a Spring visit to The Bahamas
and was keen to see how he could
open doors to COB in his State
and help The College to forge
more mutually beneficial ties with
institutions of higher learning
across the Gulf Stream.
Mr Rood told the COB
leaders that, while he had a
number of ideas of his own
as to how he might assist The
College of the Bahamas, he
preferred having them present
him with a "dream list". The
invitation was accepted readily.
In addition to the Acting
President, the managers giving
input were Dr Linda Davis, VP
Academic Affairs; Dr Pandora
Johnson, VP Research, Planning
& Development; Mr Colyn
Major, VP Student Affairs; Mr
Denton Brown, VP Finance
& Administration; I r Rubie
Nottage, VP & General Counsel;
Ms Janice Cartwright, Special
Assistant to the President and
Mrs. Patricia Glinton-Meicholas,
Council Secretary and Acting VP
Institutional Advancement.
Topping the list of
possibilities for assistance
from the State Department
and Governor Bush was the
implementation of a


programme that would facilitate
student exchanges, including
internships, between COB and
Florida universities. Both sides
considered desirable and feasible
periods of attachment for COB
administrators, especially those in
new offices such as Institutional
Advancement, which will
play an important role in the
"College to University" process.
Those taking part would have
an opportunity to gain valuable
insight from counterparts in
already established units of similar
focus, thereby building capacity.
VP Academic Affairs focused on
forging partnerships for bringing
more collaborative post-graduate
degrees of various kinds to The
Bahamas and eventually creating
the necessary infrastructure to
allow COB to award its own
master's and doctoral degrees. Of
particular interest, she said, would
be a partnership for post-graduate
professional certificates in legal
studies.
Dr Pandora Johnson
appealed for assistance
in amassing the
collection of books
and other print
material for the Harry
C Moore Library post
construction. She was
interested in Mr Rood's
promoting The College's entry
into a university consortium
that would permit COB to buy
library books for its holdings
at more favourable rates. There
was mention also of seeking
partners among American
universities, who could benefit
from conducting marine and
environmental research, using The
College's two research centres-
Bahamas Environmental


Research Centre on Andros
and Gerace Research Centre
on San Salvador. Dr Johnson
also brought to notice COB's
imminent move to developing its
Northern Bahamas Campus on
Grand Bahama.
Mr. Rood also
expressed confidence
in the quality of COB's
main product-its
students. He spoke of a
quiet, unofficial visit he had
made to an English class at The
College a short while before at
the request of COB lecturer,
Dr Virginia Purvis-Smith. He
said he had been "incredibly"
impressed by the students, finding
their questions highly intelligent
and their demeanour far more
polite and receptive than that of
college students he had met with
back home. He said that, based
on what he experienced in Dr
Purvis-Smith's class, he believed
COB students could compete
successfully anywhere. N
















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I -e~t [Im *


Snapper .. 18








Senior Manaaer Profile


Vice President Finance
& Administration
E-Mail: dbrown@cob.edu.bs
Office Location:
Portia M Smith Building

Denton Brown joined the
senior management of The
College of the Bahamas as
Vice President Finance &
Administration in mid-2005.
He was selected from among a
sizeable number of applicants for
his unique professional profile.
He has proven to be a results-
oriented operations and facility
management executive with
extensive financial and human
resource management experience.
This former member of the US
Army Corps of Engineers, with
an MBA from the University of
Illinois, is an expert planner


uenton K. urown
with success in creating new 1968. Retired August 1992
organizations, achieving strategic as Lieutenant Colonel.
goals, improving operations Military awards include the
and service, and lowering costs. Legion of Merit, Bronze
His extensive experience in Star, 5 Meritorious Service
construction, facility renovation Medals, and 3 Army
and delivering projects on time Commendation Medals.
and within budget has already Professor and Department
made a significant contribution Head of Military Science,
to College projects, particularly to Army ROTC, University of
the review of the drawings for the Illinois 1989-1992
proposed Harry C Moore Library Deputy Commander
and will be essential to the and Director, U.S. Army
management of the construction Corps of Engineers
of the facility. Construction Engineering
Research Laboratory
Career Highlights (USACERL), Champaign,
* University of Illinois, Illinois 1986-1989. Chief
Champaign, Illinois 1992- Administrative Officer and
2003 United States Contracting
Assistant Project Manager, Officer for USACERL.
UI-Integrate Project Responsible for financial
Finance Team, July 2002- and human resource
August 2003 management, procurement
Grants & Contracts and and contracting, security,
Fixed Assets Team Leader, communications and
UI-Integrate Project networking, computing,
Finance Team (July 2001- library and publication
June 2002). services, operations
Associate Director, National and safety, and facility
Center for Supercomputing maintenance and
Applications (NCSA) July construction. USACERL
1995 to July 2001 conducts basic and
Associate Director, School applied research with the
of Chemical Science, mission of reducing the
College of LAS (July 1992- cost of constructing and
July 1995) maintaining Army facilities
* United States Army Corps of worldwide with significant
Engineers 1968-1992 emphasis on environmental
Commissioned Second protection/mitigation. U
Lieutenant, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, July


19... The C .: --,;- of The Bahamas








In the Reaion


uariooean virtual ulsasier LIorary


The Caribbean Disaster
Information Network
(CARDIN), University of the
West Indies Library and the Unit
for Disaster Studies, Department
of Geography and Geology,
launched of the Caribbean Virtual
Disaster Library on Friday,
January 27, 2006.
The Caribbean Virtual
Disaster Library is a collaborative
effort between CARDIN, the
Unit for Disaster Studies, the
Regional Disaster Information
Centre for Latin America
and the Caribbean (CRID),
with sponsorship from the
International Strategy for
Disaster Reduction (ISDR),
CUSO and the European
Community Humanitarian Aid
Office (ECHO) .


CARDIN was initially funded by (ECHO) in June 1999 and seeks
to provide linkages with Caribbean disaster organizations, to widen the
scope of the collection of disaster related information, and to ensure
improved access to such material. The development of the Virtual Library
resulted from a need for readily available documents on Caribbean
disaster information. The Unit for Disaster Studies and CRID have
provided the base documents for the virtual library.
The virtual library represents a one-of-a-kind information resource
which allows students, policy makers, professionals and the general public
to retrieve the most pertinent disaster related information specific to the
Caribbean.

Details of the Virtual Library can be accessed at:
http://mona.uwi.edu/cardin/virtuallibrary/searchlibrary.asp
or through the Science Branch Library's web page at:
http://wwwlibrary.uwimona.edu.jm:1104/science_library.html.
Tel: (876) 935-8202, 970-1757,
Fax: (876) 970-1758
E-mail: cardin@uwimona.edu.jm
Website: http://mona.uwi.edu/cardin/