It was a mellow afternoon last Thursday as we listened to the life stories of the two Jamaicans who were installed as pro-chancellor and president of University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech), Aldrick “Allie” McNab and Dr Kevin Brown. Both are graduates of high schools in Montego Bay — Cornwall College and Herbert Morrison Technical High School, respectively.

McNab is known as a top footballer, broadcaster, founder of Visual Vibes, chairman of Special Olympics Jamaica, and senior consultant to Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange, minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport. However, we discovered that he won a “Champs” gold medal for the 100 metres in 1966, a record which stood for several years. He shared that as “country boys” both he and the “Munronian” who won the silver never received scholarships, while the Kingston students who placed after them did. Nevertheless, his football talent took him to the US where he gained degrees in management and graphic arts and was one of the founders of Major League Soccer (MLS).

McNab rarely speaks about his volunteer work. So few knew that he had been representing successive prime ministers on the board of UTech since 2007 and had served on various committees there over the past 17 years. His appointment as pro-chancellor was, therefore, a natural progression for a man whose entrepreneurial success and other achievements will see UTech well served.

In his address, McNab declared, “We wish to send a message to all of Jamaica. UTech is open for business; we are the country’s only fully owned university. You own us, so it is our responsibility to take good care of your sons and daughters. We take this responsibility very seriously indeed as we help to hone their skills to navigate an ever-changing and challenging world.”

In his address, Dr Brown spoke of his humble beginnings, and after introducing his mother, Barbara Campbell, a retired postmistress, he said, “I must talk about my late grandmother and matriarch, Mabel Campbell, a phenomenal woman who I miss dearly. A lady who lived in rural Hanover, a place called Dias, and she was a mere market trader… She said to my mother, ‘I am in the market, but this is not for you. Education is going to take you out of this.’ ”

His mother kept the education mantra going, with young Brown committed only to school, the library, and cricket at Herbert Morrison. This served him well. After graduating from UTech in mechanical engineering, he earned a Ford Motor Scholarship to the University of Nottingham where he earned both master’s and PhD degrees in the same field. He held senior posts with Rolls Royce and received special recognition from the company recently, among several other prestigious awards.

Dr Brown paid tribute to Dr Alfred Sangster, first president of UTech, and his successors. He thanked outgoing honorary treasurer, the phenomenal Shirley Tyndall, for her service to UTech. He lauded our “magical” teachers and acknowledged the union leaders at UTech. As he noted that he was the first UTech graduate to become its president, Dr Brown became tearful, bringing guests to their feet with loud applause.

In commenting on the changing needs of students, he noted, “This is the generation that wants it now… this is a generation that wants flexible education, education on demand, so we have already agreed that we will start to give them stackable credentials before they even get to the final year.”

In addressing Education and Youth Minister Fayval Williams, he said, “This is a big challenge for us to upgrade our infrastructure. We have already started to do that, Minister. We have many courses now aligned to the technological changes that are happening, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and much more.”

Both McNab and Brown acknowledged the support of their wives, children, extended family, and close friends who filled the UTech auditorium. My husband, “Hubie”, was happy to share in the occasion, a proud College of Arts, Science and Technology (CAST) graduate in mechanical engineering.

World Bank lauds EPO

Chief economist for Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank, William Maloney, last week lauded the role of Jamaica’s Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC) as the bank forecasted a 2 per cent growth of the Jamaican economy.

“Jamaica continues to be incredibly impressive in their management of external debt,” he noted in a voice clip on Nationwide News Network website. “The consensus mechanism that they developed, the EPOC several years ago that brought … the major interest groups in the economy together with the goal of managing the fiscal deficit and managing the debt levels has worked extremely well and generated consistently declining overall debt levels, which I think, in the long term, will lead to more dynamic growth.”

With its published quarterly reports, the Keith Duncan-chaired EPOC has tracked Jamaica’s economic performance, noting the good, fair, or deficient performance in every sector. EPOC had also held ‘Pon the Corner’ exercises in which Duncan would lead discussions in the layperson’s language, promoting understanding and participation among Jamaicans from all walks of life. We thank the EPOC volunteers for their dedication to our financial well-being.

Water problems

Jamaica is experiencing a drought, but our problems could have been minimised with better water resource management over several administrations. Our schools and resort areas are of particular importance.

Let us hope that we can look at permanent solutions such as harnessing resources from the many springs with which we are blessed and making rainwater harvesting a way of life for Jamaicans.

The cries of the caretaker at the Negril Primary School over the theft of the school’s water tank resulted in prompt assistance from well-wishers.

Congratulations,

This column has lauded the accomplishments of St Mary-born Claudia Gordon, the first black deaf woman attorney-at-law in the US. Gordon has been a passionate advocate for special needs and a regular visitor to the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf in Jamaica.

Last Tuesday, US President Joseph R Biden designated Gordon chair of the National Council on Disability (NCD). This is an independent, non-partisan federal agency that advises the president, congress, and other federal agencies on disability policy. The former vice-chair, she succeeds Andres Gallegos, who passed away last year.

In accepting her new post, the White House release quoted Gordon: “I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the country in this capacity as chair and look forward to continuing our journey of increasing accessibility and inclusion in all walks of life. I also plan to continue and build on the policy endeavors of our late Chair Gallegos during his tenure, to elevate the importance of addressing health disparities of people with disabilities and securing their equal access to quality healthcare to the forefront of policy progress.”

Let us remind the parents and families of deaf children that they can attend the residential schools of the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf in Kingston, Manchester, and St James. A mind like that of Gordon’s would be a terrible thing to waste.

Jean Lowrie-Chin is the founder of CCRP, a legacy project of her company, PROComm. Send comments to lowriechin@aim.com.