NCU honours top students

Seven hundred and fifty-eight undergraduate students at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in Mandeville, Manchester, were recently honoured for outstanding academic performance, demonstrating loyalty to the university and its standards, as well as exemplary citizenship during the 2017-2018 academic year.

The students were recognised during the annual Honours Convocation that was held on November 15 in the university's gymnatorium. Among students on the dean's list, 12 received the top award of summa cum laude; 62 earned the magna cum laude, followed by 148 students who were awarded cum laude. The remaining 536 awardees were recognised on the honour roll.

In addition to the academic awards, some 70 students received scholarships. These included the President's Awards for Excellence, Digicel Scholarship, Sagicor Scholarship, Byron Robinson Scholarship, Adrian T. Westney Scholarship, Cinderella Memorial Scholarship, and the Vashti Ivis Scholarship.

NCU President Dr Lincoln Edwards congratulated the awardees for their hard work and outstanding performance.

"I hope that our being here today for this convocation is an inspiration to the rest of our students to strive to come up higher," he added.

TRANSFORMATION OF ETERNAL VALUE

Pointing to NCU's current theme, 'Transforming for the 21st Century: Time for Action', keynote speaker Dr Owen Roberts noted that

the world had seen many transformations in medicine, engineering, communications, education, religion, economics, natural science, and space science during the past 60 years.

However, he said that in all the transformations over the ages, one has eternal value.

"I recommend to you that the transformation that matters is that of the human mind in the image of his creator," Dr Roberts declared. He encouraged the awardees to keep growing mentally, socially, and spiritually into the fullness of "Him who has called you from darkness into His marvellous light".

Dr Roberts, who is special assistant to the university president with responsibility for research and assessment, also implored the top achievers to use the gifts received through the honours and which has equipped them for service, to bring about meaningful change in their corner of the world or the entire world.

In her remarks, Vice-President of Academic Administration Professor Vivienne Quarrie advised the gathering that real, sustained excellence does not come by happenstance, but by being intentional in identifying goals, and by doggedly working towards their successful achievement. She congratulated the awardees and thanked the generous benefactors for their positive actions and investments in the process of transforming our society.