REPORT #353 August 2000
UNIVERSITY OF BELIZE OFFICIAL OPENING AUGUST 1ST, 2000


Produced by the Belize Development Trust

Inauguration ceremonies for the University of Belize will be held on campus in Belmopan, August 1, 2000. Dr. Angel Cal, the President of the University of Belize announced today that he has selected the officers who will be the regular members in his cabinet.

The President's Cabinet, (internally known as Central Administration) meets on Wednesdays from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and advises the President on matters of institutional policy, regulation and direction.

The Cabinet is also a forum in which the President communicates matters of policy, regulation and direction to the major sections of the university community.

The President's Cabinet will consist of Dr. Leopold Perriott, Vice President, Academic Affairs and Provost; Dr. Alvaro Rosado, Vice President, Finance and Administration; Dr. Martin Cuellar, Vice President, Student Affairs; Mr. Stephen Nembhard, Director of Development, External Relations, and Project Officer; and Dr. Roy Young, Director of Research.

The University of Belize will represent the effective amalgamation of five tertiary or higher education institutions, namely the Belize College of Agriculture, the Belize Teachers' College, the Belize Technical College, the Belize School of Agriculture, the Belize School of Nursing and the University College of Belize.

The University of Belize will have two campuses (UB Belize City Campus and UB Central Campus, Belmopan) and one center, UB Toledo University Center.

It will consist of six faculties, each headed by a Dean, and each of which will be divided into departments headed by a Chair. These departments may be split into Program Units headed by Coordinators.

The faculties are the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Faculty of Arts and Science, the Faculty of Business, the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, and the Faculty of Nursing, Health Sciences, and Social Work.

UB Belize City Campus will house all the faculties except for the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, during a period of transition until the facilities are put in place at the Central Campus in Belmopan.

Central Administration, the offices of the President, Vice Presidents and Central Accounting will be located at the Central Campus in Belmopan, and will be housed at what was the UCB Belmopan-Campus.

The programs offered at that institution will continue to be offered.

What is the UCB-Toledo Campus will become the UB Toledo University Center and the programs that were offered there will continue to be offered to southern Belizean students.

The Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources will be housed in Central Farm but during the University's first academic year, 2000-2001, the Natural Resources Department will be located in Belize City and will not move to Central Farm until the 2001-2002 academic year. Associate Degree programs in General Agriculture and Natural Resources Management will be offered at this faculty.

The Faculty of Arts and Science will be housed at the existing facilities of the Belize Technical College compound, using laboratory facilities at the Belize Technical College and UCB, Belize City.

Associate Degree programs in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, along with Bachelor Degree programs in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics will be offered at this faculty.

The Faculty of Business will be housed at the existing facilities of the UCB-Belize City Campus.

Associate Degree programs in Business Administration, Accounting, Secretarial Science/Business Studies, Administrative Assistant, Hotel and Catering, Small Business and Marketing, along with Bachelor Degree programs in Business Administration and Accounting will be offered at this faculty.

The Faculty of Education will be housed at the existing facilities of the Belize Teachers' College.

Certificate Level 1 and Level 2 programs along with Bachelor Degree programs in Primary School Teacher Education and Secondary School Teacher Education (with concentrations in Biology, Business, English and Mathematics) will be offered at this faculty.

The Faculty of Engineering and Technology will be housed at the existing facilities of the Belize Technical College with the Department of Information Technology in Belmopan.

Associate Degree programs in Architectural Technology, Building & Civil Engineering Technology, Construction Technology, Mechanical & Electrical Technology, Basic Trades Automotive Crafts, Building Trades Electrical Crafts, Basic Mechanical Fitting & Machining Craft, and Information Science (to be offered at the Belmopan Campus); and Bachelor Degree programs in Civil Engineering and Information Science will be offered at this faculty.

The Faculty of Nursing, Health Sciences and Social Work will be housed at the existing facilities of the Belize School of Nursing.

Programs for the academic year 2000-2001 are Associate Degree programs in Medical Laboratory Technology, Pharmacy & Social Work; and Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing; Bachelor Degree in Nursing; along with Nursing Programs: Certificate in Rural Health Nursing, Diploma in Professional Nursing, Midwifery and Certificate Program in Practical Nursing.

Credit Hour fees for Belizean students are $20 for Associate Degree programs, and $90 for Bachelor, Paralegal, Transient and Regional Language Center programs.

Prospective students may obtain a schedule of fees and other information from the Office of Student Affairs at the UB Belize City Campus, (formerly University College of Belize, West Landivar), or UB Central Campus, (formerly UCB Belmopan Campus).

The University of Belize is a national, autonomous and multi-location institution committed to excellence in higher education, research and service for national development.

As a catalyst of change it provides relevant, affordable and accessible educational and training programs that address national needs based on principles of academic freedom, equity, transparency, merit and accountability.

DEVELOPMENT TRUST COMMENTARY ON UWI  RELATIONSHIP!
Jamaican University,  UWI,(University of the West Indies) is in town drumming up business.  Mostly post graduate students wanted in Jamaica to keep the cost of their University going. ( Ph'd level)

Bah!  Except for one or two fields, like the medical field they have nothing relevant to offer Belizean students anymore.  Belize is not only catching up to UWI, it is going more relevant to the needs of Belize and not the academic trivia nonsense that UWI teaches.

 The greatest educational problems in Belize are  a) elementary rural schools and b)  Two year Associate degree programs in all kinds of technical specialty fields.  Working knowledge with an entrepreneurial economic cash impact for the student and the country are the emphasis in Belizean education now.  And so it should be!   UWI, except for their medical and software programming programmes (the private technical school) have nothing relevant anymore.

 UWI of Jamaica only trains students to work for salaries.  To be employed by a government department bureaucracy. Belizean education is shifting emphasis to education for entrepreneurs and self employment.  Big difference in how you do education.  Instead of the UWI of credits and academic paper work, which is useless for entrepreneurial education in a pioneer frontier land like Belize, or Guyana; our educators are busy preparing students to switch careers at the drop of the economic hat of opportunity and markets.  One career is not enough in today's world of Belize with shifting technologies and markets.  A smattering of skills in the latest money earner is more important to the students and the country for revenue, than a bunch of over academically wrongly educated paper certificated wastrels bumming jobs of a government payroll, we cannot afford.  Students have to graduate and be self supporting, not looking for jobs with a government pay check.  We look for UBC students to start business and employ people, even if it is only the family relatives.  UWI can go back home and rejuvenate their University to World Economics instead of that Industrialized European country education of salaried union people who cannot produce anything independently.  Give it ten more years and Belize will be teaching Jamaican students in the realities of real education. Dr. Cal, Dr. Rosado and the others are doing fine and coming along nicely from my viewpoint.

Ray Auxillou
Trustee
Belize Development Trust
Box 51, Caye Caulker, Belize, Central America.


CAMOLOTE, BELIZE,  FACTORY BUILDER/BUSINESSMAN RETURNS FROM CHINA!  BELIZE MAY LOSE PROPOSED METAL INSTRUMENT MOUTHPIECE MANUFACTURING BUSINESS TO CHINA?
Well, I won't bore everyone with all the details of my trip. I will be putting together a website with pictures of what I consider to be the highlights of the trip. Should have it done by the weekend, and will post accordingly.

In brief, it was a great trip. Both as a business trip and as a personal vacation. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a little adventuresome.

Beijing was as modern a city as I have ever been in. If this is "third" world, then Belize city is around "sixth" world. Wide, well paved streets, amazingly beautiful new marble office buildings, lots of taxi's to take. Great food. Friendly people. Never felt afraid to be out at day or night. Hell of a place, if you ask me!"

( Trustee comment: drug dealers and thieves get a prompt bullet through the head and their organs sold on the hospital market)

"I have an offer to join a business there to manufacture brass musical instruments and mouthpieces. The labor is there but the technical expertise is not. That is, not yet!

From what I saw, it will take them about another 50 years to make the US what England is today. An old world leader whose time came, and went.

My son's Chinese language course starts next week". (His son already speaks Belize Creole and there are two major Chinese languages and lots of dialects.  Mandarin and Cantonese are the major languages)

"I am already planning a trip back before Christmas to confirm the factory plans.

Does this mean giving up on Belize? Not at all. I don't think I would like to live there. Too busy for me. There is always a market for real premium, well made and marketed products. This was demonstrated by the fact that while Chinese made French Horns were available for $110.00 US, my friend from Germany sold all three of the horns he brought for an average price of $5,000 US. Also proving the point was the fact that I sold half of the display I brought, at $50 each, when there were Chinese mouthpieces at the next table for just less than $3.00 each. I sold the balance of the display to a guy who will be selling them for me in China.

It's a big world out there. Lots of opportunities, everywhere.

Terry

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