Mandeville, Jamaica [Nigel Coke/WIU/IAD]
In the year when it is celebrating the centenary of its founding, Northern Caribbean University (NCU), received a big boost with news of the accreditation of the PhD degree in Education from the University Council of Jamaica, (UCJ). The news came last week as the university prepares the third batch of candidates for graduation from its first doctoral program which was introduced seven years ago.
“This is a great day to which we have come,” said an elated Dr. Herbert Thompson, President of NCU. “The accreditation has particular significance at this time. The fact that we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of our founding makes it even more significant. It took us all of 100 years to try to get it right at the highest level of academia and I am delighted that we are celebrating it at this time.”
The President said that the accreditation has put NCU in a position to further satisfy the needs of the hundreds of persons from Jamaica and the wider Caribbean region who desire to pursue terminal degrees in order to better address the needs and challenges of the nation and region. There are over eighty persons presently enrolled in the PhD program, with dozens of others who were waiting to enroll once they were assured of accreditation.
Chairman of the NCU Board, Dr. Patrick Allen, explained that this is the first Adventist University in the Inter-American Division to receive State accreditation for a Doctoral Program. He said “the new areas which are presently being charted by NCU are phenomenal, and the institution is making great strides for a university that was chartered only eight years ago. We commend the work of its president, administrators and faculty on their reaching this significant milestone.”
Preparations for the PhD in Education, a four-year program, started in February 2000 and underwent a few leadership changes until September 2000 when Dr. William Green, a former Chair of the Department of Teaching, Learning and Administration for 10 years at Andrews University, along with his wife, Dr. Rita Henriquez-Green gave leadership to the program. He is presently the Dean of the College of Graduate Education and Leadership (CGEL), which offers the program.
“It started with the recruitment of 15 to 20 persons each year,” said Dr. Green. “Then in 2002 we started the Masters in Education program, which was accredited by the UCJ in 2005. In 2004, the Adventist Accreditation Association (AAA) gave us permission to offer the PhD. in Education after studying us for two years.”
When asked how he felt about this achievement Dr. Greene said “I feel relieved on hearing of the granting of accreditation by the UCJ. It feels good to know that the hard work has paid off in this way because it will help us to go forward in a more confident manner.”
So far, six students have graduated from the program, two in 2005 and four in 2006. At this year’s commencement exercises scheduled for August 10 to 12, three students will graduate, with another five slated for the December graduation.
“I am extremely delighted,” said Mr. Andel Bailey, the University’s most outstanding student for 2006 and one of the three persons who will graduate from the program in August. “It is an indication that the UCJ recognizes the effort of NCU and the College of Graduate Education and Leadership. I am also happy because, as a graduate of the program, it is a great feeling to know that my degree is recognized by a national accreditation body,” he added.
NCU, which started in 1907 as West Indian Training School in Bog Walk, St. Catherine, offered its first Bachelor’s degree program, the Bachelor’s degree in Theology, in 1963. In the 1970s, the bachelor’s degree in business administration, education and nursing were added. On June 24, 1999, the institution received University Charter from the government of Jamaica and has since added numerous other programs to its curricula.
