Community College Holds Record-BreakingGraduation
Eighty-nine students, the largest graduatingclass to date, donned caps and gowns last Thursday to receivetheir Community College diploma's from His Excellency the Governor,Mr Peter Smith and the Honourable Anthony Eden.
Among these were nine students who received their Nursing Certificate,a one year course organized and taught jointly with the Collegeand George Town Hospital, which is recognized in the State ofFlorida. This was the first graduating class from this programmewhich began in 1998.
In his report to the packed audience at the Church of God Chapel,the President of the College, Mr Sam Basdeo outlined the remarkablesuccess of the College over the past few years. He said that since1996 eight new programmes in the professional and vocational areashave been introduced.
In January 2000 the College began offering two programmes leadingto professional certification in Computing, the A+ and the MicrosoftCertified System Engineer (MCSE) in collaboration with Cable andWireless.
Also in 2000 the College and the Ministry of Education reachedan agreement with the University of Miami for teacher training.Through this arrangement, Community College Associate Degree graduateswill be able to complete the requirements of their programme andgain the required teaching certification irrespective of levelof interest, in two years.
Thirteen associate degree programmes were offered in 1999/2000.
In the area of student services, the President said that thisyear support to students was strengthened by the addition of tutorialsas well as an advising service, students already have the benefitof an induction and a work placement programme. Almost 2000 studentsattended the College in 1999/2000, of these 70 percent were Caymanian.The programme with the highest enrollment was the associate degree,with 233 students.
The College enjoys strong support from the private sector, andgovernment. Sixty-six private companies gave scholarships andother forms of assistance to Community College students this academicyear. In addition to Cable & Wireless, and apart from government'sEducation Council, Caribbean Utilities, Ansbacher Cayman Ltd andthe Bank of Butterfield were the biggest sponsors of multiplestudents.
Fees at the College continue to be low, with full-time certificatestudents enrolled in vocational areas paying about 5 percent ofthe economic cost of the programme. A Caymanian student can nowcomplete an Associate Degree at the College for less than $5000.
The fact that enrollment in the associate degree programme hasquadrupled since its introduction in 1996 shows that more andmore individuals are realizing the value for money available locallyin our own tertiary institution. Community College degrees attracta full two years credit towards a Baccalaureate degree at an everincreasing number of overseas colleges.
The institutions which now accept Mr. Basdeo has been presidentof the Community College for the past fifteen years, and beforethat was associated with its early beginnings as an evening programmeof the Cayman Islands High School. He oversaw the amalgamationof three small technical schools in 1985 to form the CommunityCollege of the Cayman Islands, and the move to the new campusoff Walkers Road in 1990. The College is the centre for all government-fundedpost-secondary education.
Included in Thursday night's programme was a record number ofprizes and awards, many from the professional associations andservice clubs. The Board of Governor's prizes for outstandingacademic achievement and service to the College in each of thethree area, Certificate, Professional and Associate Degree werepresented by the Chairman, Mrs Berna Thompson-Cummings.
The graduation address was delivered by the Honourable TrumanBodden, Minister for Education who for the last eight years hasoverseen the College's progress. The graduates' response was deliveredby Miss Linda McField, the Outstanding Business Student and recipientof several awards.
The Community College can be reached at www.candw.ky/~ccci/ccci.htm.Collegeclasses for the 2000/2001 academic year begin 4 September 2000.