George Dawkins (centre), one of Northern Caribbean University's first Ph.D graduates, smiles as he is robed by Dean of the Graduate School, Dr. William Green, at Sunday's commencement service. Mr. Dawkins and Daniel Fider were the first students to graduate from the institution with doctoral degrees in the Ph.D programme, which started in 2000. At right, Dr. Rita Henriquez-Green, education chair at the graduate school, assists in robing Mr. Dawkins. - CONTRIBUTED
THE NORTHERN Caribbean University (NCU) conferred degrees upon 948 students from across six academic colleges, on Sunday, at its sixth graduation exercise since it became a university.
The institution, which has been growing leaps and bounds since it received university status in 1999, had to break its August 14 graduation ceremony into two parts, to accommodate the growing number of graduates, who received degrees ranging from associate to doctoral.
During the morning exercise, which began at 9:00 a.m. in the NCU gymnatorium, some 406 students from the Colleges of natural and applied sciences, teacher education and behavioural sciences, and graduate education and leadership received their degrees. At the afternoon ceremony, students from the college of business, arts and general studies and the school of religion and theology received their degrees.
FIRST DOCTORAL GRADUATES
For the first time in its 86-year history as an academic institution, NCU graduated doctoral students, Daniel Fider and George Dawkins, who received Ph.Ds in Education.
Aston and Novelette Tai, Jamaican entrepreneurs, and world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Lloyd Dayes were conferred with honorary doctorates. Dr. Dayes, who delivered the commencement address, charged the graduates to go forward boldly, as "He who had transplanted you, would sustain you". He reminded them of times past when they were guided through terrible times by the hand of a big God.
SURGEON HONOURED
Dr. Garfield Munroe, a surgeon who specialises in the field of Ophthalmology, was honoured for his outstanding achievements in the field of medicine. Dr. Munroe, an alumnus of the institution, pledged funds to assist with the building of the university church, and to implement programmes at the university to assist the less fortunate.
Executive director of the Student's Loan Bureau, Mrs. Lenice Barnett was conferred with an honorary doctorate, before addressing the graduates of the afternoon session.
Charmaine Holness, director of health services, was awarded the president's medallion for outstanding service to the institution and the community of Mandeville.
