The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

INTERNATIONAL accreditation for a University of the Bahamas may not be difficult to achieve, COB council chairman Alfred Sears said yesterday.

Asked by The Tribune if the new COB president would be mandated to seek international accreditation for university status for the institution after 40 years as a college, Mr Sears said: “Based on the investigation which we have carried out, COB currently qualifies for most of the criteria for a university, so the process accreditation will not be a difficult process for the university.”

Speaking at a press conference to update the public on the 2013 presidential search, Mr Sears said: “The Bahamas itself has the Ministry of Education, also in the process of establishing a national accreditation system.

“So those questions in terms of the affiliation for accreditation will be made once we have our new president in place and with the president’s advice and guidance, we will move to the announcement of the University of the Bahamas.”

COB president Dr Betsy Vogel-Boze, in her opening remarks in June at the Bahamas at 40th Independence Conference noted that the college, almost 40 years old, was “already a university in all but name” considering the number of students graduating each year with a Bachelors Degree and the existence of two Masters Programmes in Business Administration and Science and Reading respectively.

Former Justice Ruby Nottage, now chairman of the Advisory Search Committee recruiting presidential candidates to replace Dr Vogel-Boze, whose contract ends on New Year’s Eve this year, also commented on the mandate of the college/university seeking international accreditation.

Taking issue with the how the question was “worded”, Mrs Nottage explained that the new president, “would definitely not have the mandate”.

“The mandate for seeking accreditation would be that of the council as we reach university status and as to their determination as to where they will seek accreditation, which areas, associations they may wish to align with, if at all,” she clarified.

“And so all of that is a decision that’s made not so much by the president, although I know that her/his advice will be sought by council.”