University plans compulsory civic duties

(CNS): Students attending the University College of the Cayman Islands will soon be required to undertake some kind of civic service alongside their studies, the president has revealed. At last Thursday’s graduation ceremony, UCCI President Roy Bodden spoke about the college’s continued commitment to character building as well as academic study. He revealed that the “Men of Standard” programme is to be expanded beginning in the 2014 academic year, with plans to submit the programme for accreditation by one of UCCI’s external partners. He also revealed that the board of governors has approved a mandatory community service aspect to begin in the next academic year.

“There is the recognition that UCCI must be for the Cayman Islands what Napoleon, that father of military genius, in 1778 said of the French Citizen’s army: 'the vitality of the nation, the purification of its morality and the foundation of all its habits',” Bodden said during his address to the graduates.

Revealing the latest news from the local college, the president said that UCCI will now be offering the Commonwealth Executive Masters of Business Administration (CEMBA) and the Masters of Public Administration (CEMPA) programmes.  These advances have been made possible by the university’s acceptance into membership of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), and the Virtual University of Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC), respectively.

With regard to further recognition of the university’s standing,Bodden reported continued efforts to expand the number of institutions with which the University College has articulation agreement. This includes a recently signed agreement with the New England Institute of Technology (NEIT), giving UCCI engineering students access to their mechanical engineering programme. Meanwhile, NEIT remains “the premier destination of UCCI students seeking advanced study in technical and vocational studies,” Bodden said.

As a reflection of the international regard of the university, the college will host next semester, for the first time, a professor from the Goethe University Frankfurt (Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main).  Founded in 1914, the university was renamed in 1932 after one of the most famous natives of Frankfurt, the poet and writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goet. Another professor, this time from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, will be similarly hosted next semester, both at no expense to UCCI.

Bodden revealed that more than 100 students have been registered in the associate of science degree.