The Tribune

By TANEKA THOMPSON

Tribune News Editor

tmthompson@tribunemedia.net

MINISTER of Education Jeffrey Lloyd will be the keynote speaker at Atlantic College's 22nd anniversary graduation ceremony at the Melia Ballroom tonight at 7pm.

Under the theme, "Global Competence for an Interconnected World", some 52 graduates will receive their associate and business degrees in a variety of areas including accounting technology, business administration, business management, Christian counseling, Christian education, computer information technology, criminal justice, human services, public administration and theology.

Atlantic College, which is a part of the Mission Baptist Church, was founded to educate people in the inner city.

The school was started 22 years ago in Grant's Town. Mission Baptist Church was founded by Rev Dr R E Cooper Sr and has been continued by Dr R E Cooper Jr, a top educator, who established the school to educate "our people."

"We have seen the need for education in our inner city as we live here daily," said Dr Cooper Jr. "Our mandate is to educate our people and we have been doing just that for the past 22 years. Many people outside of the inner city still don't know that we exist and have been playing this pivotal role for this long."

As president of Atlantic College, the Theological Seminary as well as the Interactive School of Learning, Dr Cooper is ably assisted by Dr Melony Thompson as vice-president of administration and fiscal affairs. Dr Thompson was recently lauded by Punch columnist Nicky Kelly in an article about her unique method of teaching, the school said.

Ms Kelly in her article went on to say that the Ministry of Education should adopt this practice and will therefore yield better results in public schools, according to a press release from Atlantic College.

Professor Wilston Anderson is the vice-president of academic affairs.

The school is located on East Street and Hay Street.