Monroe University Celebrates the Class of 2019 at Annual Commencement for St. Lucia Campus Graduates
CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA, October 16, 2019 – Monroe University, the New York-based institution offering Associate, Bachelor's, and Master's degree programs from its Saint Lucia campus in Castries, held its Annual Commencement on Sunday for local graduates. The Honorable Dr. Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, delivered the keynote address to great applause.
The ceremony was held at the Royalton Saint Lucia. College President Marc Jerome and other senior administrators joined local campus faculty and staff at the graduation ceremony, which recognized and celebrated the academic achievements of 65 students earning their degrees.
In addition to students from Saint Lucia, the graduating class included students from Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Vincent. Their home countries were represented at the opening of the ceremony with a colorful parade of flags.
Adjunct professor Nathalie Jolie-Fanis served as Grand Marshal for the opening processional. Minister Jod Charles of the Calvary Baptist Church in Gros-Islet gave the invocation. Among those offering welcoming remarks to the graduates and their guests were College President Marc Jerome; Dr. Alex Ephrem, Senior Vice President at Monroe; Ameil Sloley, a member of the College’s Board of Trustees; and Augustus Small, Dean of Administration for the Saint Lucia campus. Dr. Sonia Alexander, who oversees Academic Affairs for the Saint Lucia campus, announced the students earning academic awards.
Among the Saint Lucian dignitaries in attendance were:
– Sir Emmanuel Neville Cenac and Lady Cenac, Governor-General
– Benjamin Emmanuel, Cabinet Secretary
– Her Excellency Elma Gean Isaac, Ambassador to CARICOM (Caribbean Community and Common Market)
– Dr. Robert Lewis, Former Minister of Education
– Severin Moncherry, Commissioner of Police for the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) and member of the College’s Saint Lucia campus Advisory Board
– The Honorable Lenard Montoute, Minister for Equity, Social Justice, Local Government and Empowerment
– Fiona Philip-Mayer, Chief Education Officer
– Dr. Windy Moncherry, Managing Director, National Apprenticeship Program
The College was also privileged to also welcome Chandler Hyacinth, Permanent Secretary in Dominica’s Ministry of Education, to the ceremony.
President Jerome said during his remarks: “Today was a very proud day for the College and these impressive graduates who worked so hard to balance their work, school, and family responsibilities to achieve their academic dreams. It was a pleasure to tell them it was time to move their tassels to the left.”
The moving of the tassel is a graduation ceremony tradition that symbolizes the students’ successful completion of their degree programs and new status as college graduates.
Approximately 1200 students have earned their degree through Monroe University’s Saint Lucia campus since its establishment in 2007. The campus, located on Vide Boutielle Highway in Castries, offers students a broad array of degree programs through its Schools of Allied Health Professions, Business and Accounting, Criminal Justice, Hospitality Management, and Information Technology. In the southern town of Vieux Fort, the College operates the International Hospitality Training Institute in partnership with the Saint Lucian government. Now in its second year, the Institute prepares local residents for entry-level hospitality positions with cruise ships, hotels, resorts, and restaurants.
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