New NCU president installed

Wants Mandeville to become centre of excellence for the knowledge-based industries

BY ROHMA TOMLINSON Observer writer tomlinsonr@jamaicaobserver.com

Published in the Jamaica Observer | Wednesday, June 27, 2012

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Dr Trevor Gardner, a stalwart Jamaican educator who has served several academic institutions in the Caribbean and the United States, was Monday installed as the 23rd president of Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in this central Jamaica town.

Dr Gardner, who served as academic vice-president of NCU between 1999 and 2003, returned to the island in late 2011 to take up the institution's lead post after its longest-serving president, Dr Herbert Thompson, retired.

Newly installed president of Northern Caribbean University Dr Trevor Gardner (right) receives the Holy Bible from Karlene Sinclair, member of the university board, during the inauguration ceremony held at the university on Monday. The Bible is one of the university’s symbols depicting its foundation as a Christian institution. Dr Gardner is the institution’s 23rd president. (Photo: Urijah Deacon)


The installation wraps up a week of activities, including a leadership symposium which pulled together a slew of political, business, education and civic leaders to discuss plans to transform the central Jamaica capital into a knowledge and technology centre of excellence.

Since his return to NCU in January this year, Dr Gardner has joined the call for Mandeville to be transformed into a centre of excellence for the knowledge-based industries, and is pushing for it to become the "Silicon Mountain of the Caribbean".

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