Althea McMillan heart and soul in the right place

Dr Althea McMillan, executive vice-president at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in Mandeville has her heart and soul in the right place. She is a teacher, student counsellor, wife, mother, writer and motivational speaker all rolled into one. However, attending to the everyday needs of students, especially those in distress, is for her, the singular most important aspect of her job. “I’ve learnt from very early in life that love is lived, and that sharing and caring are the best gifts that you could ever pass on, especially to those who are in need,” McMillan shared with All Woman.

An educator and administrator for well over 40 years, she has extended herself beyond the shores of The Bahamas, her home country, to the United States of America, Guyana and Jamaica.

“When I left Government High School in Nassau, I worked for a year as a receptionist, but I did not like it. I then got a job as an untrained teacher and enjoyed it so much I decided to go into it full-time,” she said.

Petite, soft-spoken and unassuming, she is second-in-command at NCU, a position she has held for the past five years, and for which she could easily earn the title, “Grande Dame” as her association with the institution began way back in 1962. She was awarded a three-year scholarship to pursue undergraduate studies at what was then West Indies College.

After graduation, she worked for several years in British Guiana (Guyana) as a Seventh-Day Adventist Missionary, and taught in The Bahamas, before being called back to the College, this time as a lecturer. For the next six years, she taught, nurtured and mothered students at every level.

A woman on the go, she migrated to the United States, where she read a masters degree in English, and completed a Ph D in education. Although the option to remain in the US was attractive, the warm sunshine of the Caribbean beckoned.

“I got a teaching job directly after graduation, but I was really tired of those harsh winters shovelling snow so I did the natural thing. I moved back to Jamaica in 1996 on invitation of Herbert Thompson, president of NCU. About this same time, my husband was being seconded to work here in Mandeville, so everything fell into place,” McMillan said, without one ounce of regret.

“I was absolutely delightful to come back … I had seen all the faces of Jamaica. I knew Jamaica in the 60s and 70s when things were different. I have been here for so many transitions, so I can relate to Jamaica in a way that some people can’t. My husband is a Maroon and actually has relatives in Maroon Town,” she added.

With a full slate of administrative responsibilities, McMillan now assumes the role of a guest lecturer at the masters level. This she does mainly during the summer. She is in charge of five specific areas in the university, including public relations and the media, student affairs and the college’s work-study programme. As provost, when the president is out of office (which is quite often), she has full responsibility of the institution which now offers higher doctoral degrees.

She also oversees the beautification project on campus which she takes on as a hobby.

An accomplished writer, McMillan’s first book, A Manual for Speakers and Writers, was well-received. She is now in the process of revising this for Caribbean audiences. Her second book, Definitions of Love, is a special work of art.

“Definitions of Love has a special message for everyone. I was inspired to write this book out of the generosity of a friend, and by my mother, who is the epitome of love. She is 102, and is still loving people,” McMillan offers as she shared her creative side with All Woman.

Her literary skills aside, McMillan has spent the last 15 years counselling married couples, especially women, and giving motivational talks.

“I have done lots of studies on women’s issues and parenting, and it’s so rewarding when people tell you how much they have been helped. To get to the heart of the problems, you often have to go very deep which requires heart-to-heart talks on very intimate matters including sexual issues,” she explained.

McMillan is just shy of celebrating 30 years of marriage to Dr Wendell McMillan, an Adventist Minister. It’s a match she said that was made in heaven.

“I met him at age 11 and loved him since then. We started talking at age 13 while I was in third form, and we got married within weeks after leaving college. He is the first, last and only man for me”, McMillan declared.

The couple has three grown children – Coralee, Laurel, and Wendell jnr, who are off on their own. “The nest is empty, and right now we are having a ball”, she said with a hearty laugh that explains the rest.