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~ Special award for Danny's parents, Smith ~
PHILIPSBURG--University of St. Martin (USM) honoured a long list of staffers and faculty for their efforts in moulding students over the years during its 25th anniversary celebrations on Friday evening.
A special award was presented to Vice President of USM Foundation and the institution's first Director Pastor Wycliffe Smith, as well as to the parents of Treasurer of USM Foundation Danny Ramchandani, for allowing their only son to come to St. Maarten many years ago. Danny Ramchandani accepted the award on behalf of his parents.
University of Curaçao official Francis De Lanoy and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Anguilla Community College Delroy Louden also presented gifts to USM. Anguilla's gift consisted of a plaque made with genuine Anguilla stone and Curaçao's token was a beautiful painting.
The faculty and staff awards were presented in two categories: staffers and faculty who served the institution for less than 15 years and those who were at the facility for over 15 years.
Guadeloupe said persons had to congratulate themselves because USM's growth and development was because of them. He elaborated on the number of degree and non-degree programmes the institution now offers and said the celebration of USM's anniversary was the celebration of a dream come true.
President of the USM Foundation Valerie Gitterson-Pantophlet said USM had a solid foundation with the various persons who had been at the institution's helm over the years. She said USM had five boards since its inception and these boards never lost the HOPE or the vision of the founders.
USM will be closing its first chapter and will embark on a new chapter, which will bring about changes. This new chapter included the introduction of USM's Project Serving our Nation (PSN) project, which was launched during the latter part of the programme (see related story).
Gitterson-Pantophlet said one can ask themselves what sort of society they wanted to leave behind. She said USM's dream was for every student to become whatever they wanted to become in society. USM's alumni were functioning in all levels of society.
USM dates back to 1980, when the Mullet Bay Resort Hotel and Casino, under the leadership of Hushang Ansary, identified the need to upgrade the performance of its staffers. Contact was made with Johnson and Wales University to provide professional staff to conduct custom-designed hospitality training programmes and courses for these staffers. Credits earned through these courses were transferrable to Johnson and Wales if staffers had the desire to further their studies at the time.
In 1986, the Mullet Bay Institute developed this training programme. The institute began to accept persons who were not employed at the Mullet Bay Resort Hotel. Courses offered were predominantly hospitality-related, but the rapid growth and success of the Mullet Bay Institute eventually led to the emergence of USM in 1989, as an extension of Johnson and Wales University.
It was at this time that the Government of St. Maarten got involved under the leadership of the late Dr. Claude Wathey and, together with Ansary, started the Foundation for Higher Education in March 1989.
During USM's 25-year existence, the institution has granted more than 640 Associate in Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees. Additionally, many students have continued their studies at other universities in pursuit of higher degrees following completion of programmes at USM. Hundreds of persons have also pursued non-matriculated courses at USM.
Also addressing attendees were Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs Jorien Wuite, who spoke on behalf of Minister Patricia Lourens-Philip, who could not make the event.
Dignitaries present included National Alliance Member of Parliament (MP) Silveria Jacobs; United People's Party MP Maurice Lake, who was also one of the USM faculty honourees, and Advisory Council Vice Chairperson Mavis Brooks-Salmon.
