Courses at the UCCI campus started over the summer

As Cayman Brac prepares for the start of the new academic year, there’s one historic difference – this is the first year that tertiary education will be offered on this Island, and already it’s making a huge impact.

The University College of the Cayman Islands/Civil Service College campus in Stake Bay ran courses this summer and is now registering students for the new academic year.

“People are still signing up and we’re expecting at least 40 to register for the UCCI course and the same number for the Civil Service College and maybe 50 or more for the continuing education classes,” said Campus Director Martin Keeley.

It’s not just school leavers who are taking advantage of the opportunity to study for their Associates and Bachelors degrees right here on the Island; several students are transferring either from college abroad or UCCI on Grand Cayman.

Vanderlinde Dilbert, a Paramedic at Faith Hospital, started his Associates degree at the Florida Medical Training Institute, but was able to take some courses over the summer at UCCI and now has three credits left to take.

After that he said he’s hoping to transfer to UCCI to finish his Bachelors because it’s much more convenient to take courses here on the Brac.

“The staff is really friendly and accommodating,” he said. When he was called out for an emergency before the end of an exam, they were willing to work things out so he could finish it later.

“The video link worked really well. The teacher answered all emails promptly, the follow-up was good and the course was excellent,” he said

His wife, Tammy, who works as Receptionist at Faith Hospital, is also taking her Associates. She took a certificate in hospitality when she graduated from Cayman Brac High school in 1992 but didn’t pursue further education at the time.

“Having the campus here really makes a difference,” she said, adding that she knows several people who are thinking of taking degrees who would not have attempted it otherwise.

Shavon Bodden, who left a job at the airport after five years as Air Nautical Information Service Officer, now works as Receptionist and Information Officer at the Brac UCCI campus.

Ms Bodden graduated from high school in 2000 and worked for two years as a Teachers’ Aide. During that time she decided that a career as a teacher was not for her, so she didn’t go on to college as planned to take a teaching degree.

Now, even with two young children and a baby due in January, having a campus here on island provides the opportunity to continue her studies. She is taking her Associates degree, either majoring in Accounting or Business Administration.

“The huge interest in these course is very promising for an island that is experiencing tertiary education for the first time,” said Mr Keeley, whose job it is to oversee the operation of building, inter-campus coordination, scheduling and use of classrooms.

Until the end of the last academic year, Mr Keeley was the Environmental Science teacher for the primary schools on all three Cayman Islands, and will continue teaching this at the UCCI as a degree course.

A Residential Construction and the Building Code course, taught by Building Inspector John Elliott, has attracted a lot of interest and starts 18 September.

Kenny Ryan, Chairman of the Board of the Electricity Regulatory Authority, Project Manager of the CBP&L new plant on the Bluff and past District Commissioner, will be teaching a course in Electrical Design in November.

Leisure Class for Art, taught by CBHS Art teacher Alison McLeod, is proving a popular choice for students who are taking degree courses but want to go on to study art or graphic design. If it works well, this may become a certificate course, said Mr Keeley.

A wide range of continuing education classes also start in September, including popular adult swimming courses by Michael Hundt.

Other on-campus faculty members are Kevin Roberts (IT) and Richard Juman (English), both on the teaching staff at Cayman Brac High School, as well as retired mathematics teacher and current School Inspector Edna Platts, and Richard Moss, who retired as Spanish teacher at the high school in June.

The majority of college courses will be taught via video link to the main campus on Grand Cayman, Mr Keeley explained. This will be totally live and interactive as if the teacher and students were in the same room.

“The UCCI campus is a wonderful resource for Cayman Brac and I’m so pleased that the people here are embracing it so quickly,” said Sister Islands MLA Moses Kirkconnell. “As time goes on, it will develop and grow and I hope everyone who has ever wished they went to college now takes full advantage of this great opportunity.”