UCC News & Updates

Local Experts Explore AI & Education at Rickert Allen Memorial Lecture

(from left) Professor Haldane Davies, president, UCC; Rachel McDonald, educator & education consultant; Matthew Stone, founder, Jamaica Artificial Intelligence Association; Nadine Matthews-Blair, VP group marketing, analytics & digital & CEO, NCB Foundation; Trevor Forrest, tech evangelist & CEO, 876 Technology Solutions; Godiva Golding, CEO & founder, STEAM House Network; Nicole Brown, senior AVP, enterprise information management, NCB; Trevor Chung, AVP digital & user experience, NCB; and Kevin Powell, principal, Jamaica Stock Exchange eCampus.

A cadre of distinguished speakers led virtual presentations around the theme 'Navigating Artificial Intelligence and Education: Exploring Issues of Impact, Ethics, Access and Security' at the third annual Rickert Allen Memorial Lecture hosted by the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) and the NCB Group on April 26.

UCC President Conferred with Professor Title 

Dr. Winston Adams, UCC founder and Group Executive Chairman congratulates UCC Professor Haldane Davies on being installed as the new President of the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Professor Haldane Floyd Davies was officially installed as the third president of the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) at its main campus in St Andrew on March 27, 2023 and was also conferred by the UCC board of directors with the rank of professor of practice in higher education strategies.

Describing the ceremony a historic event for UCC as well as a moment of reflection and thoughtful consideration for the future of higher education in Jamaica and across the Caribbean, Professor Davies said he was "heartened and humbled by the kind words and expressions of congratulations and words of wisdom and encouragement" extended to him.

Declaring that "it is not a job for the faint-hearted", he noted that it is a challenging time for higher education when leaders are being called upon even more to "navigate challenging waters of enrolment, finances, faculty, staff and student unrest, no-confidence votes and political and governance interference, just to name a few".

Referencing the theme for the March 20-27 Inauguration Week — 'Igniting, Discovering, Impacting our World' — Davies spoke to a number of initiatives already undertaken since assuming the UCC presidency six months ago, including strengthening the governance structure and the provision of tuition remission to allow faculty, staff, spouses and dependents to attend UCC free of cost.

Board representation has also been expanded to include representatives from the alumni, faculty and students with full voting rights.

UCC Urged to Continue Impacting the World

From Right : Dr. Lincoln Edwards - President, Northern Caribbean University,  Dr. Colwick Wilson - President, University of the Southern Caribbean, Dr. Haldane Davies - President, University of the Commonwealth Caribbean, Dr Meric Walker - President, East Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and Prof. Colin Gyles - Acting President of the University of Technology (Photo : Bryan R. Smith)

One of the region's distinguished educators has urged the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) to continue embracing its role of addressing the challenges faced by Jamaica and the wider region.

Dr David Hall, president of the University of the Virgin Islands, issued the charge last Tuesday as Dr Haldane Davies was installed as UCC's third president at the institution's campus in New Kingston.

Drawing on the installation ceremony's theme — 'Igniting, discovering and impacting our world' — Dr Hall said it embodies a spiritual formula that is fundamental to the existence and progress of life.

"Everything we know, appreciate, and benefit from started with a spark of creativity, which led to some important discovery, which eventually impacted our lives," he said. "There can be no fire without a spark, there would be no Internet, renewable energy, or cures for diseases without a spark and a discovery."

The same, he said, is true for human beings.