FORMER executive director of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) Professor Andrew Spencer has been appointed head of the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) as the institution, which in recent years became embroiled in controversy alongside the education ministry, looks to reorganise its operations.

The CMU announced the appointment on Monday in a press statement.

Professor Spencer will take up the post as of September 12 and replaces Professor Emeritus Evan Duggan, who has served as interim president since June 2020. Embattled former president Dr Fritz Pinnock resigned on February 18 this year.

“As a university we have been having discussions at various levels about the future of the institution and, in the context of the [novel coronavirus] pandemic, those discussions are even more urgent. We are confident that given his record of achievement and experience, both inside and outside academia, Professor Spencer can help accelerate the implementation of the outcomes of those consultations and deliberations, further improving institutional governance and efficiency and enhancing CMU’s capacity to fulfil its mandate for specialised maritime education and training regionally,” chairman of the CMU Council Professor Gordon Shirley said.

Professor Spencer has served as deputy executive director at the Mona School of Business and Management at The University of the West Indies (UWI). He was also director and senior lecturer at the UWI Centre for Hotel and Tourism Management.

He currently chairs the governance committee of the University Council of Jamaica and the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean’s Tourism Advisory Board.