DR Herbert Thompson, the immediate past president of Northern Caribbean University (NCU), has been named the first pro vice-chancellor of the University College of the Caribbean (UCC).

Thompson’s appointment was officially announced by UCC chairman Winston Adams, at a special reception held last Wednesday at the Wyndham Hotel in Kingston.

He also announced that Sir Kenneth Hall, Jamaica’s former governor general, would join the management of the university college as the first chancellor.

“We are undoubtedly privileged to have as part of our new governance structure, two of the most distinguished and highly respected leaders in this country,” Adams told those gathered at the reception.

He noted that UCC is at a stage where it is repositioning itself to become one of the most competitive tertiary institutions in Jamaica and that the two new additions to the team formed a part of that process.

Thompson, who served for 21 years as president of Northern Caribbean University (NCU), will, as pro vice-chancellor, provide leadership in academic policy, accreditation and the UCC Foundation. He will be the new chairman of the UCC Academic Council and also a member of the CKC Advisory Board.

A former member of the University Council of Jamaica, his duties as pro vice-chancellor will also include promoting UCC’s contribution to the development of higher education in Jamaica and the OECS islands. In addition, he will provide leadership to UCC’s international donor relations activities.

Hall is a former pro vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies and principal of the Mona campus. He was also chairman of the Caribbean Examination Council.

In his new role as chancellor of UCC, he will guide the corporate governance processes and chair the UCC Advisory Council. He has also been appointed as honorary member of the Caribbean Knowledge City (CKC) Advisory Board, which will govern the implementation of a knowledge-based export development project being spearheaded by UCC and JAMPRO/JTI (Jamaica Trade and Invest).

In addition to conferring the academic awards of the university, Hall, a former deputy secretary general of the Caribbean Community Secretariat, will act as the chief representative of UCC’s outreach efforts to the various communities of interest locally, regionally and internationally.

A private university college that offers courses in diploma, associate degrees, bachelor degrees and master level education, UCC was formed in 2004 from the acquisition of the Institute of Management and Production — IMP (founded 1976) by the Institute of Management Sciences (founded in 1992).

It was the first university college to obtain registration and recognition status from the local accreditation body, the University Council of Jamaica. UCC has 12 locations throughout Jamaica and is also in six other islands in the Caribbean.