Bodden gets UCCI top job
(CNS): Following the unofficial announcement several months ago by Leader of Government Business McKeeva Bush that he believed Roy Bodden was the best man for the job, finally the Board of Governors of the University College of the Cayman Islands has announced the appointment of the former UDP education minister as the new president. Berna Murphy-Cummins, chair of the UCCI Board of Governors, said Bodden’s appointment had followed a lengthy and vigorous process to find the right candidate.
“From this number, three were short listed, two of whom were Caymanian and one a permanent resident,” she said. “Mr Bodden has proven leadership ability and experience in a wide range of senior positions, including the private sector, education and government. He is a respected scholar, with the rare ability to relate to people at all levels.”
Cummins noted that Bodden convinced the panel that he is a visionary leader with the experience and commitment necessary to conceive and communicate strategy at the highest levels, and to carry others with him. “The board has offered its full support to the new president and we look forward to a new start at UCCI,” she added.
The current education minister, Rolston Anglin, voiced his pleasure in accepting the Board of Governors’ recommendation.
“Mr Bodden takes over during extremely challenging times for UCCI. However, I am confident that he is the right person to be the president at this crucial juncture of the college’s history and development,” he said, and added that he hoped to see UCCI stabilized and reorganized to focus on the needs of students and the economy. “We anticipate relevant programme offerings that will distinguish UCCI, not only regionally but internationally,” Anglin said.
According to a release from GIS, Bodden himself shared his pleasure on his appointment with members of the faculty and staff at a gather on Friday where the announcement was made. “It is an honour to have been selected to serve as the next president of the University College of the Cayman Islands. The interview process was, by my own reckoning, one of the most meticulous, thorough and comprehensive exercises that I have experienced and it was conducted with exemplary professionalism,” he said.
Bodden said he had been “humbled” by the outpouring of support from persons across the Caymanian community throughout his candidacy. Looking forward to working with the Board of Governors, the faculty and students, he said he wanted to build an institution to which every person in the Caymanian community can feel that he or she is a stakeholder. “An institution which caters to the educational needs of the growing diverse society that is the Cayman Islands,” Bodden added.
Following Finance Committee last week when the acting Dean Brian Chapell appeared, it was understood that some attempts have been made to address the problems which Bodden referred to.
UCCI was at the centre of a scandal last year when the former UCCI president, Hassan Syed, resigned citing a serious medical condition before the release of an auditor general’s report detailing a series of “financial irregularities” in the president’s office involving credit card abuse, unauthorised expenditures and a controversial salary advance.
Soon after Syed’s academic credentials were revealed to be falsified, the UCCI accountant at the time, Khemkaran Singh, was subsequently blamed for the problems and replaced by the university’s Board of Governors, resulting in a 23 April 2009 lawsuit against the school, in which Singh claimed he was made a “scapegoat” for the problems.
In July Bodden said he was coming with no baggage and with his integrity. “I want this to be a clean break. I want to be clear and transparent,” he said.
Bodden has spoken of the need to improve accreditation at UCCI and is regarded as an advocate for the faculty to engage in academic research and peer review.
The author of three books, two of local political history and one of traditional Caymanian folk tales, he is one of few academics in Cayman that has grappled with the complexities of Caymanian identity and social history.
Category: Local News
Congrats Mr. Bodden! Lets move the Caymanian train forward. WeFirst, at last at last!
Could anyone please tell me what great success Mr. Bodden had as Minister of Education? As that seems to be a great emphasis on these posts, but I have yet to see anyone tell exactly what he did, other than hold the title?
All is quiet now. Amazing what facts do to a discussion that is based on emotion.
Congrats Mr. Bodden!
Congrats to Mr. Bodden
However, it’s a shame that the LoGB announced it publicly months ago. Another example of the LoGB blurting out whatever comes to his mind…seemingly because he is always more concerned with furthering his own selfish interests…(making the announcement himself publicly will garner votes for him and UDP).
Brings to mind a famous quote: "not only must justice be done, it must appear to be done".
Congratulations to another successful and well deserving Caymanian! I am sure he will do us proud!
I guess UCCI doesn’t adhere to international standards with their college search, such as an earned PhD for President. Yes, there are a few community colleges that don’t’ require a PhD, but I thought Cayman was aiming for a higher standard. After all, I find it beyond belief that Mr. Bodden (although qualified for Cayman) was the most qualified out of "130" applicants. Just take a look at a real job description for a community college.
http://www.harford.edu/PresidentialSearch/profile.asp
And to think Mr. Bodden wrote three books
Actually, I seem to be more aware than you on what the "typical" President job entails. It seems to me that you might not. Try researching and see what most Presidential positions require. Below might help you understand. By the way UTECH’s President has a JD and PhD amongst other accolades. http://www.utech.edu.jm/About/pres_message.htm
Chronicle of Higher Education Presidential Jobs:
http://chronicle.com/jobSearch?contextId=61&facetClear=1&searchQueryString=president&position=&location=&postalcode=&within=10
Not sure what you argument was there.
I guess that a PHd . It is evident that you are an angry expat by your comments that Mr.Boddens education is only good enough for Cayman.
Please,please you all must give the people of these Islands an opportunity to do the job that they trained forand stop the bitterness. How can we get ahead if every good job must be given to a foreigner, look at the last president who came here with fake certificates all made by their peers and we accepted him, Mr Bodden is one of ours and I do beleive was as good a choice as any of the others that applied. caymanians keep the faith our day will come.
But you should remember, last Presidente did some good work for the college. He introduced CPA classes, got private sector involved in assisting the college and expanded amount of courses offered. Not sure whether he speaheaded initiatives to convert the Community college into a university. And he was a very good IT lecturer. So eventhough, he did not get the PHD he had all the experience and qualification in leading this institution. I do not think he submited a fake certificate, but he told the interview panel he has a PHD. So it was up to Mr. Basdeo to do the necessary checks.
This is the problem in Cayman. We import medical doctors without checking the authenticity of their certicates. There are medical and dental doctors practicing here with malpractice convictions sanctions in their records in either in USA or Canada. Sometimes, if we google their names, you will find all the details. Try next time before selecting a doctor for your family. Google all the doctors practicing in Cayman and see results you get. You will be surprised my friend. There was a Cheif Statistician appointed by the Portfolio of Finance (FS was Mr. Macarthy) sometimes ago who claimed that he has a doctorate in Statistics. But later found out that the certificate was a bougus one. So he disappeared after 3 years in the job.
So those who complain about Mr. Bodden not having enough experience, should have patience now and give him an opportunity to prove himself. Any qualified Caymanian deserves an opportunity !!!!!!!!!
Take the comment seriously or not, it’s up to you my friend. After all it really doesn’t matter to me or anyone else, how you spell his name. It is probably FAKE anyway, like everything else that he brought to the table. This appointment has been decided, it’s not a debate. Just get over it!
10:31 you are right, we have some expats who come to our shores claiming they have a PhD or other certificates to find out later that they don’t. Yes, I said above some.
We Caymanians have to prove and show our papers and back ground checks are carried out on us to confirm.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander.
my 2 cents on this topic
Indeed what is good for the goose is good for the gander and that is the case here already.
In order to obtain and renew a work permit in Cayman you must provide proof of your qualifications – I certainly do and my certifications incidentally, are very genuine. But having the piece of paper is not enough to get my job. All applicants for my job (Caymanian and ex pat) sit the same test. None of us know what is going to be on the test or how long it will take. All we do know is that we are expected to produce high quality, accurate and speed-efficient results and the winner (regardless of nationality) gets the job. Copies of all these tests and their results are provided to Immigration in support of an application for my work permit.
All over the world people are obtaining positions based on fake qualifications, Cayman is in no unique position in that regard. In a recent survey of 1500 major employers, Experian found that 71% had encountered serious "lying" in job applicants’ CV’s. The difference is, the onus is on the employer and Immigration departments to make checks as to the validity of statements, authenticity of certificates (ask for originals and check with the issuing institution), check employment histories with previous employers when obtaining references, etc. Many often ask their prospective employees to sign a statement confirming the truth of their applications and supporting documents. If someone lies about their qualifications to get a job, it is Fraud by false representation. Once discovered, they lose their jobs and possibly have criminal proceedings brought against them. Not sure if any of this is practice in Cayman yet however, I’ve certainly never come across it (or anyone with fake qualifications) here myself, but thats not to say it doesn’t exist.
Congratulations Roy.
Lets not use the influenceof the UCCI to recommend any more blanket status grants. Keep Big Mac at a distance.
Congrats Roy!!!
Your Name will be Our History books to come!
Your Heart is finally in the Right Place!
Your have been & will continue to be a Caymanian Inspiration!
I am not sure I can take your comment seriously as it was Syed, not Zyed. But then again maybe you were educated someplace other than me.
It is well known for many years that one Indian will become qualified and another thousand will recieve a copy of the certificate with their names on it.
Years ago it was popular to employ Indians who showed up with Marine Engineers certificates only to discover that they did not know a piece of machinery when they saw it.
The Indians blamed this on the British who employed Indians two for one or four for one and gave them all the same names and each a copy of their qualifications. In other words if four Indians were employed to fill the place of one englishman, the four Indians all ended up with the same name and qualifications.
You speak from both sides of your both. First we need to stop this "UDP vs. PPM thing", then you try to blame former PPM Minister McLaughlin for the scoundrel Syed. As I understand it, Syed was a lecturer at UCCI before Mr. McLaughlin ever became the Minister. His credentials were accepted by the previous President of UCCI (who I believe was appointed by the UDP). The Cabinet Minister is not responsible to check the credentials of applicants for that position – that is the role of the UCCI Board. He does not personally select the President of UCCI (unless you are McKeeva Bush, that is, in which case it does not matter that you are not even the Minister of Education).
While Mr. Bodden may have been a good candidate, the problem is that the LOGB tainted the selection process by announcing in advance that he thought he should get the job. And lo and behold the UDP-appointed Board selects that self-same person to get the job. Incidentally, this is why we know that had the LOGB wished Mr. Anglin to be Deputy LOGB, then he would be. That is just the way it works. The ‘process’ simply appears to rubber stamp what has already been pre-determined.
In any case, I wish Mr. Bodden and UCCI well. May it prosper under his leadership.
McKeeva stated in May or June that he wanted Roy Bodden for the job. Roy even made public statements stating he would not take the job until/unless the accounts for the institution was up to date.
Therefore, I would seriously love to know the names of the 130 "intelligent" persons who believed that they would therefore have a chance at actually being considered for the position in light of such.
Just shows that "intelligence" does not equal "sense"
Roy is without a doubt a good teacher but does this qualify him to be President of the UCCI ?
I think not. That position requires leadership skills which is something that Roy, by his own admission, does not have.
He displayed no leadership skills as the Minister of Education and publicly admitted that he had failed in that role. The man is very clearly an academic but it takes more than that to be President. It takes an educated leader to be an effective President of UCCI.
But, again contrary to law, McKeeva (not the board) announced Roy’s appointment before the new board was even appointed so they had to carry out McDinejad’s will or else !!!!!
I guess McKeeva, who is very clearly over qualified to be the President of UCCI :-), will run the UCCI from his Ministry with everything else and HE will be the de facto President.
Watch what happens next…..the production of more McKeeva’s……Good night Cayman !!!!!!!!!!!
I have had the pleasure of attending some of Mr. Boddens lectures. He is a very interesting person and brings with him with a wealth of knowledge to the UCCI.
I am sure that the Board has made the right decision and that he is the best person for the post.
Good luck sir, I wish you well
Does Mr. Bodden have a PhD or are we talking about a PhD that isn’t really a PhD? As for the recruitment process being extremely vigorous… ha ha ha I doubt it. Most universities/colleges take a minimum of one year to recruit a senior administrator, never mind a president. When was this position advertised – August 2009? Guess things are done more efficiently in the CI, especially when the LoGB decides who should be the next president. So lets just call it for what it is instead of all this song and dance about a vigorous recruitment process, the best person for the job, etc…
Well done thou good and faithful servant!!!! You deserve the position, and I am sure we will see good results from UCCI !!!
Congrats Mr. Bodden!! You deserve this appointment! As it was you who helped convert the Community College of the Cayman Islands into the University College of the Cayman Islands, when you were the Minster of Education. Therefore, I have full confidence in your knowledge, skills, and abilities to lead this higher educational institution, and will further develop it to be the best that it can be. As it is my passion and dream to see exceptional educational standards be implemented in the Cayman Islands. All the best Mr. Bodden! May the good LORD be with you always.
Gilbert must be mad all he got was a morning job at UDP radio
08:37 GILBERT MUST BE mad, all he got was a morning job at UDP Radio?
Dont fool yourself my friend. Just listen in and hear how good, and informative Gilbert McLean is on the morning show. He will have more to bring the table when he is elected nextime round……………………………….
As for Mr Bodden being the president, I am proud…….. and a better man could not have been chosen. Grudgefulminded Caymanians or jealous expatriates dont want to see him get the job. McKeva Bush fixing una business though. I do not care who wants to say this and that about him, and that he dont have this and that. He is a Caymanian with education and the know how to take the position. There are some people that just aint happy unless they critize every darn soul for everything. Not a good and encouraging word. Some people are so unhappy with their lives that they just fly around like John Crow and pull the flesh from every living thing that moves. Try say something good sometime naw. Dear me !!!
May I be so bold as to inquire as to what Mr. Bodden’s credentials are – where was he educated – what was the topic of his PhD thesis.
From statements he made earlier this year in the press – He is being awarded an **honorary** PhD from a technical higher education institution in Jamaica – for the latest book that he is writing. This is not a normal PhD – which typically requires 3 to 5 years of graduate study/research work. Its more of an honour or an award – vs an academic qualification.
I think he holds a MA and BA from a North American university in the social sciences.
Congratulations to Mr. Bodden on his appointment.
Congratulations also to the Cayman Islands for finally having sense enough to recognise the potential of our own well educated and experienced educators.
Whilst reading through the postings under this thread I could not but notice that some sour individual chose to outline their unhappiness at Mr. Bodden’s appointment, not just once but twice, as per the copy headings below. This sour individual obviouosly wanted to be sure that their comments were read.
I hope that the LoGB, or some of his inner circle, will read this and understand why Caymanians are now unable to "embrace" certain of the expatriate community here and why we are becoming increasingly intolerant of their hatred towards us Caymanians, in our own country. McKeeva can make as many impassioned pleas as he likes but until he understands the root of this divide he will only be fuelling rather than eliminating it.
It would, of course, be remiss of me not to say that there are some wonderful persons here from foreign lands, with whom we share mutual respect and great friendships. Unfortunately these wonderful individuals are becoming less of the norm and their reactions in many instances mirror those of the Caymanian people. Yes, these lovely people often share our feelings about the anti-Caymanian attitudes displayed by certain expatriates who are unfortunately here, and it would do for the government to listen a bit more closely … they might just hear collectively sensible statements beyond the noise and rhetoric.
You see, the double postings highlighted in this thread is an example of the disrespect projected towards us McKeeva, so wake up from the slumber and understand that your impassioned plea needs to be re-directed – not so much towards Caymanians but to those who choose to come and live and work amongst us.
CNS: I delete double entries but seem to have missed it this time with the posting referred to here. It has been deleted now.
He met the MINIMUM requirements, wow great choice.
http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:qZVCD4nc-bAJ:jobs.chronicle.com/jobs/0000606448-01+ucci+and+chronicle+of+higher+education+and+job&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk
Minimum is all one needs to reach that lowest of bars "suitably qualified".
My sincerest congratulations to Mr. Bodden!!
I’ve had the privilege to sit in on his classroom at UCCI and I feel he does a wonderful job as a teacher! I may not have agreed with his policies as Minister for Education but Mr. Bodden is a great educator and I feel that he will do well in his new position as President.
Mr. Bodden, at a glance I have been an admirer of you and your vast knowledge on our history. You have also been an inspirational voice to the nation building journey we have and are currently experiencing.
I have no doubt that your vision is clear and strong. It will shape the mission of our higher learning institution, which, will have the greatest impact on our countries’ human capital development advances. The future looks bright.
Thank you for rising to the challenge – congratulations sir!
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Mr. Bodden. This is truly an historic occasion and I am so pleased that this day has come.
A true Caymanian with so much to offer this country. Let’s move UCCI out of the ‘Sayed era’ and set new standards and expectations for our students.
Right on time. Well done! Congratulations–Sieze the time!
If only you had spelled "sieze" correctly…seize the day anyway!
I think it should really be spelled "carpe".
+ a diem
It is refreshing to see a son of the soil chosen to run one of our very important institution. It is time to start to put the confidence in one of our own. It is time for us to stop running to the UK who has demonstrated that all they care about is our money.
Cayman and the Caribbean have very capable and able people to take on any challenge that we may face. May God help us to move away from that colonial mentality.
Congrats Mr. Bodden, a job well deserved.
This is a historic day in the Cayman Islands, we are proud of you.
Lisa
"Bodden’s appointment had followed a lengthy and vigorous process to find the right candidate."
“From this number, three were short listed, two of whom were Caymanian and one a permanent resident,”
Why am I not surprised that from a field of 130 applicants, who were no doubt qualified and distinguished academics, the 3 short listed candidates were Caymanian, or a permanent resident. This appointment has simply further solidified my opinion that the education system of these islands is a joke. Bodden is a political appointee. He may have been the most qualified Caymanian, but I highly doubt he was anywhere near the most qualified candidate to apply for the position. If the goal was to have a Caymanian figure head for UCCI, so be it, but dont try to pass it off that there was ever really a choice in the matter. He was the president designate from July.
The overall attitude towards education in Cayman seems to be that if we build new, bigger schools, it will fix all of the problems. If we throw more money at it, maybe our kids will be motivated to start to learn. If we have a Caymanian running UCCI it will become a top academic institution.
The people of this country need to wake up. Parents, take responsability for your children’s educational future. It is not the government’s or the school’s jobs to raise your children. You have a hand in it to. UCCI should not have the task of teaching kids how to read, or function in a modern society. Stop dumbing down the offerings at UCCI, and raise the academic standards. No new president, Caymanian or otherwise will be able to make UCCI a successful, internationally recognized, ACCREDITED, academic instition until the attitudes towards education in this society are drastically changed.
I fear that appointing Mr Bodden may have been the political choice, but it is doubtful it is the right one for UCCI, or the Caymanian people it serves.
If you have nothing positive to say just keep your mouth shut !!!!!!!
You are absolutely right! The funny thing is the job REQUIRED an accredited PhD, which Mr. Bodden does not have. In fact, he as stated as much himself that he doesn’t have his PhD, but he is going to "write a book" to get a PhD instead of doing the academics. It is a shame to the process in my opinion. While I applaud being able to find a Caymanian, it wasn’t about finding a qualified one.
Yet another nail in the coffin for UCCI as they will not get accreditation with a leader who is not qualified.
The job didn’t require a Ph.D. It required a Master’s Degree which Mr. Bodden already has. UCCI’s first President, Mr. Sam Basdeo, did not have a Ph.D.
If you are going to criticise, and there may be room for criticism, then at least do so on a factual basis.
It seems the education system wherever you came from did not teach you that you should make at least some attempt to understand what it is you are talking about before you offer your opinion. As an expat who has been here for quite some time, I can say that you are in a very small monority if you think that Mr Bodden is not the right man for the job – Caymanians, expats, UDP, PPM all are pretty much in agreement about this one. Your rather scattershot thought process is very hard to follow but you seem to regard this appointment as some sort of affirmative action for reasons that you are not very clear about. You couldn’t be more wrong. Mr Bodden is the right man for many reasons and it would have been a travesty if he had not been given this post. I’m confident he will do an excellent job.
Oh so we should appoint another thief like the last president and not Mr Bodden? Why not give him the opportunity? How can you say he is not the best choice? the man was minister of education he knows the education industry inside out. You see, as soon as a Caymanian makes some headway someone has to throw up excuses and roadblocks and propaganda.
This place needs a revolution!!!!
"WAS Minister of Education. Does that make him qualified? Did he do a good job that changed our educational system. After all as Minister he had a pretty powerful position for change, but it didn’t seem to help. What did he accomplish during his tenure? Please tell me something that makes him qualified for this post.
I fear your comments are far beyond true. The application process was a very vigorous one with presentations and interview panels. Yes there was approximately 140 candidates there were other candidates that had a lot more experience than Mr. Bodden but Caymanian take preference over everyone else and if we find qualified persons within that circle then it is within our right to stop there. I for one was very impressed with Mr. Bodden’s CV and I recoginized that he did not only have the academic background that we were looking for but also the leadship and international networking that the College needs to move us forward. I am very proud of the decision that was made in selecting Mr. Bodden for President and I for one give him my full support.
UCCI Board Member
An anonymous board member??? Really you can’t be taken seriously unless you add your name, and if you were a professional board member you would have done such.
It is without question there were NOT 140 candidates, that is a fact. It is also true that almost all universities publish the short list of 2-3 potential Presidents so that the public can get to know them. Obviously Cayman did not do that, as transparency is non-existent here. It is my understanding even the "acting" President did not apply as this as a done deal.
Add your name, give us a list of the 2 or three shortlisted candidates and then we can decide if it was a good choice.
A professional board member would never have written a statement on this website. How unprofessional can you be? What do you expect from a Board Member appointed by McKeeva. Not much.
it is a shame that Sayed is not charged with a single crime for all that the money he has defrauded UCCI with. He should be extradited back to Cayman. MacKeeva wants even more professionals to come for longer imagine.
Can only hope that Mr. Bodden will be more productive @ UCCI than he was as Minister of Education.
Congratulations Mr. Roy a position well deserved.
I don’t know why it took so long but i’m glad that someone who has Caymanians at heart is appointed.
We still need to bring Fayed to justice, so all new appointed board of Govenors please continue to seek justice for the Caymanian people who was robbed blind by this Crook.
This must be a happy day in these Islands.
I am confident that Mr. Roy Bodden will take UCCI into a new era.
A beneficiary of UCCI Associate and Bachelors programs I look forward to the many joint ventures between the past students and the intuition.
Again congratulations Mr. Bodden
Congratulations!!!!
Excellent Choice -Mr. Bodden-Congratulations.
Mr. Bodden please continue to make your self accessible. Please make your recommendations on government scholarships for caymanians to do the bachelors in Social Science degree so that we can be equipted to deal with ALL our social problems. Please do not limit this to a particular age group