University of The Bahamas Begins New Academic Year with Renewed Commitment to Excellence
11th September 2024
Nassau, THE BAHAMAS — University of The Bahamas (UB) has fully embraced the path of rising to meet perpetual standards of excellence and as a result helping The Bahamas to grow and its citizens to thrive. The academic community has started the 2024-2025 academic year with a renewed commitment to progress in a journey towards national and international accreditation.
There was a resounding affirmation of that commitment at the 2024 Faculty and Staff Seminar held on Thursday 15thAugust. The theme was “50th Anniversary – UB at the Crossroads of Accreditation: Continuous Improvement to Attain Global Recognition on the International Stage”.
“This is a gateway to elevating UB in a different way onto the world stage, where our students, faculty, and academic offerings are unquestionably recognized along with those as being the best in the world,” said Chair of UB’s Board of Trustees, Mrs. Allyson Maynard-Gibson, KC. “It’s about ensuring that UB becomes a beacon of excellence, not only in our minds, but unquestionably in the minds of the global community.
“We are nation builders, and the work that we do is going to shape the academic and professional lives of our students and the future Bahamas. When we succeed, they succeed, and The Bahamas rises to higher heights.”
Over the past 18 months, faculty, staff, students and senior administrators have ben engrossed in a cultural and operational transformation to meet the standards of the National Accreditation and Equivalency Council of The Bahamas (NAECOB) and the South Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The enduring impact will be a national university that is stronger and better able to meet its mission of supporting and driving national development. For instance, financial audits that were outstanding since 2012 have been completed, laboratories are being modernized with state-of-the-art equipment and the technology infrastructure is being transformed.
Additionally, culminating a herculean effort over the last several years, the new UB-North campus at the former Kipling Complex in downtown Freeport, Grand Bahama, is where classes will be held soon after the campus in East Grand Bahama was severely damaged in Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Still, UB President (Acting) Janyne Hodder said the job is not yet done.
“Our hard work is not over,” said President Janyne. “The process of accreditation is referred to as continuous improvement, because the cycle of assessment never ends. While the intensity of the application process may subside, our orientation to expand excellence and maintain our standards is forever.
“And we do this hard work, because we have the honor of having been entrusted by the people of The Bahamas, with delivering on high quality and accessible education. It is an important purpose which we are fortunate to work towards.”
At the faculty and staff seminar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Frederick Mitchell delivered the first plenary presentation with a trip down memory lane on the vision of the vision that Sir Lynden Pindling had for an independent nation and the establishment of the former College of The Bahamas (COB). COB was one of several institutions the country’s forefathers believed would prove to the world that The Bahamas could stand on its own two feet politically and economically. Minister Mitchell said Sir Lynden would have been proud of the University’s progress to date.
“I want to extend the warmest congratulations to this institution for all the work it has done, and to thank the faculty and staff for all the work they continue to do,” said Minister Mitchell. “The board, the chair, the president, and all those who support the work. It goes without saying that this institution will go from strength to strength. I think Lynden Pindling would be proud of where this institution is.”
The seminar also featured a presentation on artificial intelligence (AI) from Tameka McNair, Human Resources Director, Digital Employee Experience at Microsoft, as well as a special panel discussion on UB’s pursuit of national and international accreditation, featuring SACSCOC President, Dr. Belle Wheelan; Dr. Cheryl Cardell, Vice President of SACSCOC; Dr. Sidney McPhee, a Bahamian-born American educator who has served as President of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) since 2001; UB Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Maria Oriakhi; and Dr. Danny Davis, AVP of Institutional Strengthening and Accreditation, UB.
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- 2) Faculty Staff Seminar 2: President (Acting) Janyne Hodder encourages UB faculty and staff to never let up on pursuing excellence and collectively steering their beloved University towards even bigger and better heights as the noble quest for national and international accreditation continues.
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- 4) Faculty Staff Seminar 4: Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Frederick Mitchell delivers the first plenary presentation with a trip down memory lane on the vision of the vision that Sir Lynden Pindling had for an independent nation and the establishment of the former College of The Bahamas (COB).
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- 6) Faculty Staff Seminar 6: Tameka McNair, Human Resources Director, Digital Employee Experience at Microsoft, delivers a thorough presentation on artificial intelligence (AI) during the Faculty and Staff Seminar.
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- 7) Faculty Staff Seminar 7: SACSCOC President, Dr. Belle Wheelan delivers brief remarks before participating in a panel discussion about UB’s pursuit of national and international accreditation.
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- 8) Faculty Staff Seminar 8: Dr. Cheryl Cardell, Vice President of SACSCOC fields a question during the 2024 Faculty and Staff Seminar.
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- 9) Faculty Staff Seminar 9: Dr. Danny Davis, AVP of Institutional Strengthening and Accreditation, moderates the panel discussion about UB’s pursuit of national and international accreditation.
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- 10) Faculty Staff Seminar 10: Dr. Sidney McPhee, Bahamian-born President of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), touches on a salient point during the panel discussion.
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- 3) Faculty Staff Seminar 3: Hundreds of UB faculty and staff attend the 2024 Faculty and Staff Seminar held in the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) of UB’s Keva M. Bethel Building.
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- 1) Faculty Staff Seminar 1: Chair of UB’s Board of Trustees, Mrs. Allyson Maynard-Gibson, KC, reminds hundreds of UB employees of how important the phrase “continuous improvement” is for the advancement of Bahamian academia.
Office of University Relations
University of The Bahamas
2nd Floor, Michael H. Eldon Complex
Oakes Field Campus
P.O. Box N-4912
Nassau, The Bahamas
Tel: (242) 302-4355/4354/4365
Chartered on 10th November 2016, University of The Bahamas (UB) is a beacon for national transformation. Approximately 5,000 students are enrolled in the University of The Bahamas system which includes campuses and centres on New Providence, Grand Bahama, San Salvador and Abaco, as well as UB online education. UB’s diverse academic programmes, research engagements, athletics and leadership development experiences equip our students to become global citizens in a dynamic world.