UB Holds Graduation Exercises for 1,147 Graduates

The University of Belize honored 1,147 Graduates during its Commencement Exercises which were held on Thursday,14th June, 2018, and Saturday, 16th June, 2018 at Punta Gorda Town and Belize City respectively. The keynote address in Belize City at the new Civic Center was delivered by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Culture Youth and Sports Hon. Patrick Faber. Mayor of Punta Gorda, Ashton Mckenzie, an alumnus of UB, delivered the keynote address for the Punta Gorda ceremony.

The graduates by faculties were as follows; Education and Arts – (461); Management and Social Sciences – (349); Science and Technology – (210); and Nursing, Allied Health, and Social Work – (127). Of the total number of graduates 743 (64%) were females and 404 (35 %) were males. 140 of the graduates received Certificates from the project: Improving the Quality and Relevance of Early Childhood and Secondary Education in Northern Belize, done in partnership with the Government of Belize and funded by the European Union.

The Board of Trustees, Management, Faculty and Staff of the University of Belize congratulate the graduates on their achievement, and extend best wishes to them as they work to become catalysts for change and development in Belize.

The top Achievers for this year’s graduation were Christina Aldana, Associate Degree in Architecture, Shaquila Vernon – Bachelor Degree in Accounting and Camille Ellis – Diploma in Education Methodology.

UB Continues Its Efforts to Build Capacity In Ocean Acidification Research

The Faculty of Science and Technology congratulates Mr. Jair Valladarez for his participation in a three weeks’ fellowship at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden; The Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Infrastructure, from June 4-22, 2018. The participation of Mr. Valladarez in this meeting arises from his involvement in project INT/7/019 “Supporting a Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network towards Increased Involvement of Developing States”.

The training is part of the efforts to build research capacity at UB through participation in national, regional and inter regional projects funded by the Technical Cooperation Program (TCP) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In addition to building capacity through this training, the University of Belize is executing National Project BZ7002 “Strengthening National Capacity for Measuring and Monitoring Marine Pollution and Studying the Effects of Ocean Acidification on Marine Ecosystems”.

The participation of Mr. Valladarez in this meeting will strengthen UB’s capacity to perform ocean acidification (OA) research and monitoring and will complement work in other projects.

IT Lecturer Teaches Computer Basics to Primary School Students

As a part of the on-going initiative by the Information Technology faculty, to increase computing competencies at the primary and secondary levels of education; from June 5th to June 15th, Mr. David Garcia, IT Lecturer from the Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Information Technology, conducted a “Microsoft Office Basics” course for Standard 6 students of Our Lady of Guadalupe Primary School in Belmopan. The objective of the course was to build computer literacy and foster computational thinking skills of the primary school students. This was achieved through interactive sessions with the students on the use of the Microsoft Office applications to automate everyday tasks such as document creation, numerical computations, and the presentation of information. Woven into the delivery of the application concepts were computational thinking activities that provide insights into problem-solving and how this relates to life inside and outside of the classroom.

The President congratulates Mr. Garcia and the Faculty of Science and Technology for the commendable outreach work.

Mr. Mathias Vairez Jr. Publishes in Administrative Issues Journal

Mr. Mathias Vairez Jr., lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Arts at the Punta Gorda Campus has once again published in a research journal. Mr. Vairez along with Dr. Douglas Hermond and Mr. Tyrone Tanner from Prairie View A & M University, Texas conducting a research entitled “Enhancing the cultural competency of prospective leaders via a study abroad experience” and it was published in the Administrative Issues Journal.

The publication can be accessed at: https://aij.scholasticahq.com/article/3641-enhancing-the-cultural-competency-of-prospective-leaders-via-a-study-abroad-experience

Once again the President congratulates Mr. Vairez on his research success.

Engineering Lecturer Attends Electrical Vehicle Workshop Held in Barbados

Engineering Lecturer Mr. Cleavon Diego represented the University of Belize in a two-day Electric Vehicle workshop held in Barbados during June 20-21, 2018. The workshop was conducted by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat.

Mr. Diego found the workshop to be very constructive and a great learning experience in matters of Energy, Policy, Renewable Energy, Know How and Maintenance of Electric Vehicles. The workshop challenged the creative abilities of the participants.

The President thanks CARICOM for giving UB this opportunity.

UB holds Awards Ceremony for Graduands

On Monday June 11, 2018, in the presence of administration, faculty, staff, parents and guardians, the University of Belize recognized graduands who excelled academically, provided tutoring services and/or served on Student Governments across campuses. President Sankat awarded medals of academic excellence to top overall academic achievers by faculty. The University’s Vice President Dr. Simon and Faculty Deans presented students graduating with academic honors (Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Summa Cum Laude) with honor cords. Students were not only recognized for academic excellence but also for service to UB and the community. These students received service medals and certificates of appreciation. The University of Belize thanks the Student Governments for their contribution to the success of this event.

Senior Management and Executive Members of UBFSA Met on June 12

Professor Emeritus Clement Sankat welcomed the incoming President of the UB Faculty and Staff Association (UBFSA), Dr. Ethel Arzu, and members of the executive, Dr. Pio Saqui and Dr. Apolonio Aguilar, and congratulated them on their recent successes. He urged all to let’s work together to build the UB and he also shared with the UBFSA the existing policy document on promotions at UB. President Sankat was accompanied by the Senior Management Team comprised of Dr. Mariot Simon, Mrs. Sherlene Julien, Ms. Hertha Gentle and Ms. Denise Robinson.

Brighter Buildings for Faculty and Students

When students of the Belmopan Campus return to classes for the new academic year they will be treated to freshly painted buildings. The Physical Plant department has been painting the Scarlet Macaw and Jabiru buildings with our UB colors.

The President thanks Mr. Francis Burns and his team for the work that is in progress.

Prize awards and luncheon with Ambassador of ROC (Taiwan) and RLC Faculty

Ambassador Charles K. Y. Liu of the Republic of China (Taiwan) kindly invited the President, Vice President and Faculty of the Regional Language Center to lunch and to celebrate the success of a few language students from Taiwan. The President thanked the Ambassador for his steady support of the RLC and asked for wider support to enable the UB to achieve its transformational goals.

Ambassador Liu noted that several UB graduates were receiving scholarships for graduate studies in Taiwan and strongly supported human development of Belize.

President Sankat Attends the CTA Board Meeting in Brussels, Belgium

The President attended the 33rd Meeting of the CTA Board between June 7-8, 2018 in Brussels, Belgium.

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) is a joint international institution of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and the European Union (EU). Its mission is to advance food security, resilience and inclusive economic growth in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific through innovations in sustainable agriculture. CTA operates under the framework of the Cotonou Agreement and is funded by the EU.

The Board also met with the Secretary General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) Dr Patrick Gomes (Centre in photo) at ACP, House, Brussels and reviewed the work of the CTA and its future in the context of the Cotonou Agreement which will be coming to an end.

Photo: Chairman, Professor Augusto Manuel Correia (third at back) and Vice Chair Professor Emeritus Clement Sankat (first at front).