Dr Alfred Sangster: The architect behind UTech’s rise

In his book, The Making of a University – From CAST to UTech, published in 2011, Dr Alfred Sangster gave a detailed account of the transition of the College of Arts, Science and Technology from a minor technical academy that opened in 1958, with just over two dozen students, and an offering of four courses, to a major degree-granting institution with student numbers in excess of 6,000. More importantly, however, he presented the reader with the context within which this occurred, giving a comprehensive history of the diverse socio-political and educational developments in the island that took place over the period of half a century.

Sangster died on Monday night at age 95.

To those who knew Sangster personally, his eclectically documented account was typical of the man for whom thoroughness and meticulousness were hallmarks.

Sangster became principal of CAST in 1970, a title that was renamed president following the restructuring of the institution’s administration shortly afterwards. With Sangster wearing the captain’s hat, the college managed to thrive during a period when other tertiary institutions were struggling to keep afloat amid the rising waters of economic challenges and stiff competition from overseas schools.

In the 26 years that Sangster headed the institution, the student population grew from approximately 1,500 to more than 6,000, while 50 more academic programmes were introduced to the curriculum, and the groundwork laid for the college’s transition to university status, which took place in 1995.

Sangster also gave oversight to the expansion of the college’s physical plant, including the addition of the Departments of Computing, Architecture and Technical Teacher Training, as well as to the boosting of academic and administrative staff numbers.

Of equal importance was the president’s foresight to establish links with the nation’s private sector, and with overseas institutions, which helped to set CAST on sound footing. This networking process also saw Sangster attending myriad conferences across the globe in an effort to learn as much as he could, and cultivate as many partnerships as possible, to assist in CAST’s development. The most significant event in CAST’s transition from a college to a university, however, was its attainment of degree-granting status in 1986.

During this time, the college had been steadily building up a reputation for providing the country with workers who transitioned seamlessly into the labour force, as engineers, architects, pharmacists and more; so much so that it was perhaps inevitable that comparisons would be made between CAST and The University of the West Indies (UWI), which, despite its higher status, could not always make the same claim of its graduates.

ENHANCING TERTIARY EDUCATION

Sangster always insisted, however, that CAST – and later, the University of Technology, Jamaica – was not intended to compete with UWI, but rather, was an institution that complemented the older university, offering programmes that were not on UWI’s curriculum, thereby enhancing tertiary education in Jamaica.

Over time, CAST had also begun to attract increased numbers of overseas applicants, mainly from the Caribbean, several of whom attended the college on fellowships awarded by government-affiliated and private international agencies in Britain, Canada and the United States.

Yesterday, UTech, Jamaica President Dr Kevin Brown hailed Sangster as a visionary leader, noting that his “extraordinary contributions have left an indelible mark on the university and the nation”.

He added that Sangster “was not just an educator and administrator; he was a visionary, a mentor, and a builder of institutions. His work at CAST/UTech laid the foundation for countless individuals to pursue their dreams and achieve greatness”.

Prior to being offered the job of principal of CAST, Sangster had been vice-dean in charge of evening students at The UWI, and, initially, had been reluctant to give up his tenure to head a college in a job that, at the time, did not offer him any assurance of security. He accepted the challenge, nevertheless, after being encouraged by trusted colleagues, and started out on secondment from The UWI.

As a sports enthusiast, Sangster’s vision also included the development of the programme related to that discipline, and CAST became the leading tertiary institution in sports, constantly coming out on top in inter-collegiate championships.

Yesterday, Sports Minister Olivia Grange saluted Sangster for his role in the development of athletics in the island.

“Led by his conviction that Jamaican athletes could achieve excellence while attending local colleges and universities and coached by Jamaicans, Dr Sangster partnered with the late Dennis Johnson, a former 100 yards world record holder, to establish a facility to provide such training at his institution,” Grange said. “This has paid off big time with Jamaica producing world-class athletes trained right here at home and by local coaches.”

A MEMBER OF MANY GROUPS

Sangster was a member of many regional and international groups, such as the Association of Caribbean Tertiary Institutions and the World Association on Co-operative Education, which he served as vice president. He also served on local bodies like the Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) and the Public Service Commission, where he became involved in a highly publicised and heated debate concerning his defence of then Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s dismissal of that committee’s members on the grounds of misbehaviour when they failed to reverse their recommendation of Professor Steven Vasciannie for the post of solicitor general.

The educator, who was married to Trinidad-born Velma Bodden, and was the father of two daughters and a son, was born on July 24, 1929, in St Elizabeth. The son of farmer/politician Peter Sangster and his wife Iris, he attended Munro College and Queen’s University in Northern Ireland.

He received the Order of Distinction (CD) in 1982, and the Order of Jamaica in 1995.

When he assumed leadership of CAST, Sangster had envisioned seeing the college become the leading polytechnic institute in the Caribbean, and when he retired from the institution a year after CAST became UTech, he was to have seen his dream fulfilled.

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