The free-of-charge benefit concert is in aid of persons impacted by Co

The first annual Cayman Islands Good Samaritan benefit concert to aid families across the Cayman Islands adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic takes place on Saturday, September 26, 2020, at 7:30 pm, at Kings Seventh-day Adventist Church, located on Walkers Road. 

     The donations gathered at the charge-free benefit concert, organised by the Northern Caribbean Alumni Association Cayman Chapter (NCU ACKy), will be applied to community-wide needs, regardless of affiliations.

     Performers at the concert will include well known artistes such as the Williams Quintet, Michele T, J-Prophet, Sebert Bramwell, Quincy Brown, Shantoya Garwood, and the ACKy Folk Choir.

     While offering the community at large some relaxation in this evening of drama and music, the event offers an opportunity for any member of the public to share a little with others whose livelihoods have been adversely impacted by the pandemic. Attendees are invited to bring a generous offering in lieu of a door charge and any food items they may wish to contribute.

     Interested members of the public or companies are invited to contribute also by contacting the Good Samaritan Pantry, c/o shirlenehenriques@gmail.com, 325-9917.  Mrs. Shirlene Henriques, retired Health Services Authority administrator, a former director of Community Services for the Adventist Church and a former member of the National Hurricane Response Committee, continues to be active in services to the whole community.

     A registration form, which will also be available at the event, is available at NCUKyAlumni@gmail.com, or by contacting Mrs. Henriques.

     Arrangements for the benefit concert are led by Mrs. Georgia Isaacs, the organisation’s VP for Social and Cultural Affairs, who said: “The Cayman Islands have been very fortunate to have been thus far spared some of the harsher health impacts of the COVID-19 virus; nevertheless, many of our neighbours across the Cayman Islands are struggling through the pandemic’s financial consequences.

     “This concert seeks to remind each of us that ‘CaymanKind’ is about helping our neighbours. It is about lifting each other up in times of hardship,” Mrs. Isaacs added. “In this way, we are offering everyone an opportunity to be a good Samaritan—come out and show your love, generosity, and spirit of neighbourliness.”

Meanwhile, Mrs. Henriques encourages the public to register: “If you are struggling, register so we can help” and to attend the concert:

“Whoever you are, and whatever your concerns, whether for some form of aid, encouragement, or social engagement, let's come together and celebrate, sing, laugh and lift each other up.”

The Kings Church venue, located next to Cayman Academy on Walkers Road, is among the largest churches on Grand Cayman.

The concert celebrates the sixth anniversary of the Cayman Chapter, whose aim is to contribute to the improvement of life in the Cayman Islands while supporting the role of the Northern Caribbean University, Jamaica. As part of the anniversary celebrations, a service will be held on Saturday morning (September 26th) with special guest speaker Dr. Lincoln Edwards, president of NCU, who will deliver his message via Zoom at a service beginning 10:40 am.

Currently there are two students enrolled at NCU, one pursuing a degree in social work and the other in the field of education, both on sponsorships arranged by the Cayman Chapter. A third scholarship is being considered for another Caymanian commencing January 2021. Any qualifying person, regardless of religious affiliations, may apply for scholarships by the Cayman Chapter to attend NCU.

In a separate initiative, the Chapter recently collected donations totalling US$10,000 towards scholarships administered by the NCU Federation alumni chapters worldwide. That will go towards funding scholarships for returning NCU students impacted financially by the pandemic.

The university is owned and operated by the Adventist Church in the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos. Membership in the local alumni association is open not only to alumni but also to anyone, regardless of religious affiliations, who wishes to be involved in the chapter’s activities.

June 30, 2019

Tevon Dixon, who begins her studies at NCU in fall 2020 on a full NCU ACKy scholarship, will realise what she terms as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to study for a degree in social work.

“I am very grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the grant of this scholarship,” Ms. Dixon said, adding: “I see myself becoming a role model, particularly for young people.”

This is the second tertiary level scholarship issued under the auspices of the local NCU alumni association, said Patricia Ebanks, president of the Cayman Chapter. The first scholarship awardee, Ms. Sonia Bailey, is entering her second year towards her bachelor’s degree in education. 

A third scholarship is under consideration for issue in January 2021 for a Caymanian to pursue a postgraduate diploma in education at NCU.

The latest scholarship awardee, Ms. Dixon, is the grand-daughter of the late local building contractor Roy Campbell and his wife Omelin Alberga-Campbell, and the daughter of Ms. Joy Campbell. 

Ms. Campbell, a former paramedic, retired on medical grounds from the Health Services Authority (HSA) several years ago following a serious accident between the ambulance she was driving and another vehicle. Tevon is the second of five children.

October 26, 2018

The Cayman Chapter of the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) Alumni Association announces its first donor-funded scholarship tenable at NCU in September 2019. The first ad for the scholarship was published locally on Friday (October 26, 2018). 

The four-year scholarship will cover tuition, books and accommodations at the Mandeville-based university, in the fields of computer studies or education. Caymanians or locally resident Jamaicans are eligible to apply.

“Our chapter is grateful for the generosity of this scholarship donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, and who has stipulated the criteria for eligibility,” said Chapter President Patricia Ebanks, adding: “Our Chapter is delighted to administer this scholarship along with those issued directly by us, the first of which we anticipate announcing in 2019.” Six Caymanians are now studying at NCU.

The restriction of the currently available scholarship to the two designated areas, IT and education, was stipulated by the donor.

Northern Caribbean University has over the past several years distinguished itself in the area of information technology.  This year the university created history by fielding the first Jamaican student-entrepreneur team, Beasc Technologies, to win the prestigious International Business Model Competition (IBMC) for tertiary institutions globally. The projects entered in these competitions by NCU are all technology-driven. (https://jis.gov.jm/student-entrepreneur-team-wins-global-competition/).

Beasc Technologies, which was one of five Jamaican teams participating in the IBMC’s 2018 competition in Utah, USA, May 10-11, 2018, topped participants from 38 other colleges and universities to cop the champion’s trophy and a US$30,000 cash prize. The University of the West Indies’ Eco-Structures, was the first runner-up, winning the US$20,000 second place prize.

“This continues NCU’s solid track record of accomplishment in international computer technology and business competitions in recent years,” said President of NCU Dr. Lincoln Edwards, who last month spoke at the Cayman alumni chapter’s anniversary celebrations.

Other NCU teams achieving creditable performances inthe IBMC competitions over recent years include Herboo Enterprises, which placed eighth; JarGro, a 2015 semi-finalist; Guardana Inc., which placed sixth in 2016; and Natsima Nutraceuticals, which placed fourth in 2017.

Addressing the competition’s annual launch earlier this year at the Knutsford Court in Kingston, Jamaica, Dean of NCU’s College of Business and Management, Dr. Audley Eccles, said:

“At NCU, we recognise that the National Business Model Competition is much more than just a competition. For us, it is an opportunity to introduce students across all disciplines to entrepreneurship… and, more importantly, to entrepreneurship as a viable career option. It’s about igniting that entrepreneurial spirit that we seem to have as a people, and nurturing it and showing students the possibilities that exist.” (https://jis.gov.jm/ncu-goes-for-fifth-straight-win-in-dbj-business-model-competition/).

NCU student-teams have also been multiple winners in the Microsoft Imagine Cup, a premier global technology competition giving students the opportunity to use their imagination and passion to create technological solutions. 

Notably, an NCU team copped the Microsoft Imagine Cup Interoperability Award, becoming world champion from among a field of 90 competitors at the world finals in Warsaw, Poland, July 8, 2010. 

Persons interested in IT may pursue a bachelor’s degree in either computer information systems or computer science. The computer information systems degree has an emphasis in networking, data management, information security, technology management and digital design, while the computer science degree focuses on software engineering, information security, and data communications and networks.

The scholarship is also available to Cayman-based students matriculated into either the early childhood, primary, or secondary education teaching programmes.  

NCU teacher education and computer studies courses are accredited by the University Council of Jamaica, the accrediting agency for all tertiary degrees offered in Jamaica. 

NCU’s teacher education courses are additionally accredited by Jamaica’s Joint Board of Teacher Education and the Adventist Accreditation Association. 

Teacher education courses at NCU are supported by the use of technology, seminars, micro-teaching episodes and two teaching practicum periods. 

Among pre-requisites for application for this alumni chapter scholarship is matriculation   into one of the two relevant NCU faculties. 

For information on NCU programmes, visit https://www.ncu.edu.jmor contact the Office of Admissions, Northern Caribbean University, tel: 1-876-963-7250-5,admissions@ncu.ed.jm.  

Persons interested in applying for the NCU Alumni Association Cayman Chapter Scholarship may contact the Chapter President at 345-938-2209 or ncu.kyalumni@gmail.com. The deadline for receipt of scholarship applications is May 31, 2019.

10 November 2015

The Cayman Chapter of the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) Alumni Association has announced a public meeting on Thursday, 19 November, to solicit input on a community education initiative slated for 2016.  The initiative is being spearheaded by the Cayman Chapter (ACKy) as part of its agenda aimed at strengthening the Cayman community.

     All interested members of the public, as well as all friends and alumni of NCU, are invited to attend the public meeting, at which Mrs. Janet Walters, director of NCU’s Community Counselling and Restorative Justice Centre (CCRJC), the developers of the programmes under consideration, will be presenting.  The November 19 public meeting will be held at Cayman Academy, Walkers Road.

      NCU is the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s flagship institution of higher education administered in Mandeville, Jamaica. Jointly owned by Adventists in Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Bahamas, NCU serves the higher educational needs of the north-western Caribbean.  The CCRJC is the community outreach arm of the NCU, which offers variations of the programme in Jamaica and member countries.

     A key anticipated outcome of the 19 November and other planned meetings is the prioritizing of three different skills training exercises to respond to needs identified by the local chapter’s executive committee.  The seminars, one or more of which may initially be selected for implementation next year, will target, respectively, parents, youth, and/or young fathers/young men.  The seminars vary in length, but most involve six or eight sessions of two hours each.

       While here Mrs. Walters will participate in other meetings and talks, including a service at one of the Adventist churches on Saturday afternoon (21 November), to which members of all Adventist churches and other interested persons are invited. Church members and other guests will have an opportunity to have an input at that meeting, also. 

     Commenting on the plans, ACKy President Patricia Ebanks said that her committee is excited about launching this first project in connection with the chapter’s goals.  But much more so, she said, the committee is elated at the prospect of filling needs in the Cayman community and ultimately transforming lives.

     Director Walters says the training programmes are collectively aimed at achieving better informed and skilled parents; building stronger, more supportive, responsible families; improving parental effectiveness; reducing teenage pregnancies and abuse and neglect of children and youth; and developing stronger sense of self and a greater commitment towards self-development.  The programmes are also designed to help decrease the number of “at-risk” youth and the resulting teenage delinquency and crime rates.

     Billed by the CCRJC as “empowerment programmes,” these training seminars have been conducted since 2010 by the nine-year-old community counselling centre. So far, the centre, which has attracted funding for its community outreach programmes from such financial powerhouses as the World Bank, has trained over 1,200 children, youth, young father/young men and parents. According to the CCRJC, 95% of participants gave positive feedback and commended the centre for reaching out in the communities.

      At the 19 November public meeting, attendees will learn about the effectiveness of community intervention programmes such as those offered by the CCRJC and details of the three identified programmes. The presenter is also expected to demonstrate some of the skills and the way in which they are imparted in the seminars. The meeting will end with a question-and-answer period, in which attendees will have an opportunity to participate in programme selection and otherwise provide feedback.

     Mrs. Walters has been a practising counsellor for over six years. She holds an MSc degree in counselling psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family. Presently, she is pursuing a doctoral degree in counselling psychology with the same emphasis. Mrs. Walters also holds a BSc in counselling with the emphasis in financial counselling and has spent 30 years in the banking sector.  

     ACKy’s President Ebanks said that the community outreach programmes are in partial fulfilment of ACKy’s three-pronged agenda, which includes offering scholarships to qualified local students and contributing financially to NCU.

        She said that she had already held planning meetings with the Adventist Conference directors and that her committee would be approaching interested private sector sponsors to assist with next year’s implementation.

16 September 2015

The formal inauguration of the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) Alumni Association Cayman Chapter took place on Saturday (12 September), when 48 members were inducted, while some ten others are currently scheduled for the November General Meeting.  A key goal of the organization is to contribute to the development of members and the Cayman community.    

     The inaugural service taking place at Kings Church was facilitated by that church’s minister, Pastor Jeff Jefferson, who is also Chaplain for the NCU Alumni Chapter Cayman (ACKy). Pastor Ivor Harry, the chapter’s VP for Educational & Religious Affairs, and the Education Director for the Cayman Islands Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (CIC SDA), was director for the service.  The theme for the service was “For Service in this Life.”

     The Alumni Director of NCU’s Department of Alumni Relations, Mrs. Susan Long-Gordon, officiated in the induction ceremony. NCU, located in Mandeville, Jamaica, is a liberal arts university owned jointly by the Adventist churches in Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, and The Turks and Caicos Islands.

     Two alumni were honoured at the service for their commitment to service in the Cayman Islands: Mrs. Shirlene Henriques, a former Grand Cayman nursing administrator, and Mrs. Georgia Isaacs, who currently serves as a nurse on Cayman Brac. Amidst many other majors offered, the institution’s nursing programme is regarded as among the best regionally and many nurses working in health care facilities in Cayman.

     Special greetings were brought by Dr. the Hon. Linford Pierson, former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, recognized during the service as a distinguished alumnus of NCU, and Pastor Shian O’Connor, President of the CIC SDA. Both President O’Connor and Dr. Pierson were inducted as members and Dr. Pierson is slated to join the chapter’s executive committee.  

      Mrs. Long-Gordon delivered a short message in recognition of the Chapter’s formation, as well as greetings from NCU’s President Trevor Gardner.

       Ms Patricia Ebanks, President of the Cayman Chapter, outlined the goals of the organisation. These include community and member education and training; scholarships to Cayman’s youth; and gifts to support NCU’s work. She urged the new members to commit themselves to helping Cayman’s youth “become the best they can be.” 

     The Cayman Chapter caters not only to alumni of NCU but also to all friends and supporters of NCU. The next general meeting to which members are invited is scheduled for 19 November.  Interested persons may visit the website, www.NCUCaymanAlumni.com/, for further information.   

     The Adventist church in the Cayman Islands is said to be one of the fastest growing, with a membership of some 4,500 throughout the three islands.

Photo caption: ACKy President Patricia Ebanks pins CICSDA President Shian O'Connor.

(For photos of event, please visit Photo allery)

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17 August 2015

The Cayman chapter of the Alumni Association of Northern Caribbean University (NCU) launched its website Monday (17 August, 2015). Targeting not only alumni but also all friends and supporters of NCU, the website, www.NCUCaymanAlumni.com , is intended to play a key role in coordinating the chapter’s initiatives.

The website enables prospective members to sign-up; keep abreast of what is taking place in the local chapter and at Northern Caribbean University; make donations; and link to other Adventist entities.

Located in Mandeville, Jamaica, NCU is owned jointly by the Adventist (SDA) churches in Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, and The Turks and Caicos Islands, 

The Cayman chapter of the Alumni Association of Northern Caribbean University re-launched on 18 June with the aim of contributing significantly to the Cayman community, among other goals.  The local chapter’s coordinating effort continues later this month when another general meeting takes place, on Thursday, 27 August, at the Cayman Academy Hall (adjacent to the SDA Conference Offices, off Walkers Road).  All interested persons are invited to the meeting that starts with a social networking hour at 6:30 pm.

NCU itself, which celebrated its hundredth birthday in 2007, places much emphasis on contributing to the strengthening of the social fabric of communities served by the university. 

The local alumni chapter aims to take advantage of these and other tools available through NCU.  “Our vision is that NCU’s social intervention programmes can be adapted to help support families and persons at risk in our own communities.  This will be an opportunity for NCU alumni to give back to our communities at home in Cayman,” explained Patricia Ebanks, president of the local chapter of the Alumni Association.

The Education Secretary for the Cayman Islands Conference of Seventh-day Adventist, Dr. Ivor Harry, agrees: “Through sponsorships of programmes available from the alma mater, the Cayman Chapter of the Alumni Association will offer an avenue for NCU graduates to make an important and needed contribution to the Cayman community.”

Among such available programmes is the Empowerment Training Project launched in 2010 by the university’s Community Counselling and Restorative Justice Centre (CCRJ).  The aims of the CCRJ’s Empowerment Training Project include supporting and training parents in their quest to achieve stronger, more supportive, responsible family environments; reducing teenage pregnancies and abuse, and neglect of children and youth; and fostering a stronger sense of self and commitment towards self-development among targets. 

“The proven track record of the Empowerment Training Project in achieving positive results in Jamaica’s schools and communities has created a demand for the programme in Jamaica and elsewhere, and we believe that it can have a similar impact here,” Pastor Harry says.

In addition to spearheading such social intervention programmes, the association aims ultimately to grant scholarships to Adventist youth to attend NCU, and to otherwise support the well-being of the alma mater.  Another key goal will be to offer opportunities for the educational, social, cultural and spiritual development of members of the local alumni chapter.

The Adventist church in the Cayman Islands is one of the fastest growing, with a membership of some 5,000.

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16 JUN 2015

With a view to contributing significantly to the Cayman community, the Cayman chapter of the alumni association of Northern Caribbean University will be re-launched on Thursday, 18 June. “With the large number of graduates here in the Cayman Islands, we believe that a local alumni chapter can make a significant difference to the social development of the Cayman Islands and for this reason we are particularly excited about this re-launch,” said Dr. Ivor Harry, Education  Secretary for the Cayman Islands Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

The university, which celebrated its hundredth birthday in 2007, places much emphasis itself on contributing to a strengthening of the social fabric of Jamaica in a number of collaborative efforts “The availability of these resources to the Cayman community is what makes this relaunch so exciting,” Dr. Harry said, pointing to one particular programme, “The Empowerment Training Project,” as offering potential for sponsorship by the Chapter for use in Cayman. 

The Empowerment Training Project was launched in 2010 by the university’s Community Counselling and Restorative Justice Centre (CCRJ).  The CCRJ is a community outreach entity operated by NCU since 2003 and works collaboratively with two Jamaica Government organisations – the Victim Support Unit and the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences. 

The CCRJ’s Empowerment Training Project, Dr. Harry says, can be easily adapted for use in Cayman.  More than 1,248 participants from over 25 communities and schools In Jamaica have benefitted from the project.  The aims of the project include achieving better educated and well-informed parents, and stronger, more supportive, responsible families; decline in teenage pregnancies; less abuse and neglect of children and youth; and a stronger sense of self and greater commitment towards self-development,  among other important social development targets.  

“The proven track record of this project in achieving positive results in Jamaica’s schools and communities has created a demand for the programme in Jamaica and elsewhere, and we believe that it can have a similar impact here,” Pastor Harry says.

Through sponsorships of projects such as this and others available from the alma mater, the Cayman Chapter of the Alumni Association, Pastor Harry says, offers an avenue for NCU graduates to make a real Explaining the resources and amenities available at NCU, Dr. Harry noted that the institution is headquartered in Mandeville, Jamaica, and operates extension campuses in Eastern and Western Jamaica.  Nearly 4,000 unique students from 26 countries are enrolled in its five colleges and one school The university is accredited by the UCJ (University Council, Jamaica), the same authority that accredits the University of the West Indies (UWI).  

“The majority of our programmes are accredited, and the others are in the process of being accredited by the UCJ.  In addition, the university administration is preparing for a self-study in pursuit of ‘institutional accreditation,’” said Dr. Trevor Gardner, President of NCU.  Institutional accreditation, a status that UWI itself only recently achieved, means that all the academic programmes and services as well as the operations of the institution meet the required standards of the national accrediting body within the country.  In essence, all the academic programmes of the university would be recognized internationally, Dr. Gardner said. “This would be a great accomplishment for NCU, as currently the only tertiary institution in Jamaica with full accreditation from the UCJ is the University of the West Indies,” said Dr. Gardner. Membership in the Cayman Chapter of the Alumni Association is open not only to alumni but to all friends of the university.  The chapter’s re-launch takes place on Thursday (18), at 6:30 pm, at the The Adventist church in the Cayman Islands is one of the fastest growing, with a membership of some 

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