NCU Acting vice-president academic adminstration Dr Beverly Cameron (right) prepares to cut ribbon at the opening of new facilities at NCU campus in Montego Bay. Looking on is NCU board member Patrick Corrodus. (Photo: Alan Lewin)

MONTEGO BAY, St James

President of the Northern Caribbean University, (NCU), Dr Herbert Thompson announced last week that the tertiary institution will soon be introducing a degree programme in Hospitality Management and Tourism at its campus here.

"We are also thinking that we are going to bring the Bachelor's degree programme in hospitality here to Montego Bay and we are making a distinction. We have an Associate's degree (programme) and we have Bachelor's degree, so we feel that inasmuch that there are hospitality-training facilities here in Montego Bay at the Associate's or Diploma level what we can do is offer a Bachelors so that those who want to upgrade can so," Dr Thompson explained.

The NCU president, however, made it clear that the programme would not be introduced at the Montego Bay campus located on premises of the Seventh Day Adventist's West Jamaica Conference Centre in Mount Salem, Montego Bay at the begining of the next school year.

" It is not something that is going to be on stream for August but I suspect that by January 2009 we should be ready because we already have the campus structure and every thing to introduce the programme," Dr Thompson told the Observer West.

He argued that there is a great demand for this programme in the tourism mecca of Montego Bay, while at the same time conceding that "we might be a little short-sighted for not thinking about that before".

Citing that the university's ultimate goal was to "answer to people's need" he articulated the university's role of maintaining the family unit.

"We realise that the university has a responsibility to keep families together. It is not sell your belongings and go to college or go to university we need to take education to people wherever they live, where they work, where they can keep the families together".

The NCU president who was speaking last week at the launch of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Montego Bay campus and official opening of new facilities, noted that the Brown's Town campus will be relocated to Runaway Bay for the opening of the next school year.

At that time the Bachelor's degree programme in Hospitality, Management and Tourism will be introduced there. "We are planning to take the programme to Runaway Bay. We have bought new property down there where we will begin operations in August. We are moving our campus from Brown's Town to Runaway Bay."

Information science and technology will be added to the current list of programmes being offered at the university at the beginning of the next semester.

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