Civic leaders praise NCU for godly heritage
Published:Sunday | January 27, 2019 | 12:27 AM
Civic leaders in Manchester praised Northern Caribbean University (NCU) for its sterling contribution to the community and the wider Jamaica during a recent thanksgiving service to mark the institution’s 100th year in the parish.
The church service was the first of several events to take place in 2019 to mark the institution’s contribution to the development of the parish and central Jamaica. The year-long celebration is being held under the theme “Serving Community for 100 Years, Changing Lives for Eternity”.
Among celebrants at the thanksgiving service held on January 19 on NCU’s main campus were Custos Rotulorum of Manchester Sally Porteous, Mayor of Mandeville Donovan Mitchell, Member of Parliament Mikael Phillips, and Councillor Omar Oliphant.
Porteous noted that “NCU has played a pivotal role in shaping the lives of so many, and all those persons who worked to make (the institution) the success that it is are to be commended for their efforts.” She added that at a time when the country needs strong leadership, NCU has come forward and has given of its best, for which the country is grateful.
In congratulating NCU, Phillips said, “Not only have you given of yourselves to those of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) faith, but you have given yourselves to everyone around this parish and this nation. You have shown us that nothing is wrong in putting God at the centre of everything that we do.”
Mayor Mitchell’s quoting of scriptures and his reference to SDA pioneer Ellen G. White’s statements on “True Education” delighted the congregation.
Councillor Oliphant, an NCU alumnus, recounted that the relocation of the then West Indian Training School from Riversdale, St Catherine, where it was founded in 1907, to Mandeville in 1919 made it possible for the “ordinary young man and the ordinary young lady from the country area to become extraordinary citizens of this great land – Jamaica.”
In his remarks, NCU president, Dr Lincoln Edwards, said that on an occasion such as this, the university community must remember those whose vision and commitment created the institution. He also thanked to those who had worked hard and diligently to fulfil the mission of the university and who had bequeathed a strong legacy to the current stakeholders to expand their visions.
Dr Edwards further stated: “NCU affirms its historical commitment to the integration of faith and learning, innovation and creativity, strong work ethics, and service, its commitment to moral and ethical values, and to the Seventh-day Adventist heritage.”
He said that institutions that survive for 100 years are to be considered with some measure of awe because longevity is a trait that is difficult to come by in this postmodern era. He noted that staying the course for the long haul was one of the characteristics that NCU epitomised.
The church service also provided the opportunity for the NCU community to thank God for the recent achievement of institutional accreditation from the University Council of Jamaica effective February 17, 2018. “I am extremely honoured to be the president for such a time as this, our centennial year in Manchester,” Dr Edwards told the gathering.
Alumnus Pastor Peter Kerr, vice-chairman of the NCU board and president of the Atlantic Caribbean Union of Seventh-day Adventists, delivered the sermon from Proverbs 30:24-28. He suggested that individuals and NCU as an institution should adopt visions akin to the behaviour of the ant (preparation for hard time), the coney (protection and refuge in God), the locust (cooperation and unity), and the spider (determination when defeat looms).
Brief testimonies of thanksgiving were allowed at the service. Among the testimonies was that of a single parent, who, while not being Seventh-day Adventist at the time, chose NCU as the best option for her son. Years later, her son is an alumnus with a prosperous career. As testified by others, the work-study programme and values of the institution were critical factors in establishing personal and career foundations.