It is with great pleasure and anticipation that I invite you to participate in the re-development of the Dominica College of the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica.

Overall, many exciting things are happening simultaneously in re-structuring and rebuilding this College. A cornerstone of this major re-organization effort is that we use the expertise and experiences of Dominicans (and to some extent other Caribbean persons), at home and abroad to develop this institution and re-ignite this great vision of a college education for every Dominican who wants to access it. Pulling all our resources and experiences together in this effort will help us realize this vision.

Government is totally committed to this initiative. It has appointed the Management Team of 8 persons (and a small Secretariat of administrative staff supported by a lead consultant) to oversee the transition. We have commenced in earnest to develop a Business Plan, draft legislation to give the College full autonomy, and are now in process of establishing a series of Transition Teams to provide the actual policy and program development advice needed to achieve our goals.

Although our financial resources are severely limited even as we undertake this bold initiative, Dominica is blessed with persons of magnificent accomplishments whom we are now calling upon to assist us. They are the thousands of graduates and beneficiaries of a Dominican Education. Those graduates are spread throughout Dominica, the Caribbean and the entire world. Many are highly respected leaders at home, in the region and internationally. Still others have distinguished themselves in private business, the judiciary, academics, government and many other fields and vocations.

Whatever the case may be, the vision of the Ministry of Education can be realized if persons with the expertise and experiences can in any way, big or small, lend their assistance. In spite of the tremendous obstacles ahead, the Ministry of Education truly has a lot of which to be proud. I am calling upon our trained or experienced Dominicans, wherever you may be, to join in and help build and develop our own College.

Admittedly this will take enormous coordination and sacrifice. That may be the price we must pay when our financial resources are limited and significant international funding is a thing of the past. But this is also a great opportunity to involve our people in the development of its College and country.

There are many exceptional models of various facets of college development and operation that we can use and access to ensure that we realize our vision. We do not have to re-invent the wheel. We can use the experiences of others and our expertise to build a model College system for Dominica.

This college system that we are building must significantly increase our productivity and competitiveness in the region and internationally. The Dominica College system must play a most important role in Dominica’s economic development and prepare all Dominicans for the demands of the rapidly evolving global economy and the numerous challenges that lie ahead.

Currently in Dominica, three colleges comprise the college system that provides post-secondary education and training. They are the Nursing School, Clifton Dupigny Community College and the Dominica Teachers Training College with a combined enrollment of approximately 775 students, 47 full-time and 25 part-time instructors. All three institutions operate independently of each other and are administered by the Ministry of Education. There is no affiliation, articulation or cross registration among these colleges. The new plans will amalgamate, consolidate and expand the current system.

The work activities to fully re-develop the College has been identified and assigned to fourteen working groups called Transition Teams under the guidance of the Government appointed Management Team. I am appealing to persons with the experience and skills needed by those teams to join in providing support, either as Team Members or Resource Persons.

Interested persons should forward (by fax or email) a one-paragraph bio to the attention of Ms. Vanya Jones, Education Planning Unit, Ministry of Education, as soon as possible. For more information on being a Resource person or Transition Team member, call 767-448-8686 or send you email to hthomas@stu.edu.

The principal objective of the Transition Teams is to assist in establishing an efficient, effective and unified college system for Dominica. The Transition Teams will facilitate a transparent and fair process in which there is optimum participation from all stakeholders. The time is now when we must do what is right for our future. I am counting on you to help develop our College.

Thank You and God Bless.