LEADERSHIP
JOURNEY
Over the past twenty-five plus years I have
had the privilege to serve three institutions:
(1) President of the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of
Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT); (2) Vice President of Institutional
Advancement, Vice President/Dean of Strategic Planning and Information
Technology/Chief Technology Officer, Vice President/Dean of Finance and
Development/Chief Financial Officer, Acting Dean of the School of Business and
Public Administration, Senior Policy Advisor, at Medgar Evers College of the
City University of New York; and (3) Vice President of Finance and Strategy at
Bethune-Cookman University.
Before delving into my leadership journey it
is important to note that the whatever success that was achieved was not
because of one individual but through a collective effort of all of the
relevant stakeholders coming together in pursuit of the common good of
transforming the lives of the students who attended the three institutions that
I had the privilege to serve in various leadership positions.
President
College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and
Tobago (COSTAATT)
From 2008 thru 2013, served
as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the largest, national
undergraduate multi-campus college in Trinidad and Tobago with over 11,600
students and over 550 full-time faculty and staff. Led and empowered an executive team of six
vice presidents, faculty and staff to ensure the achievement of the College’s
mission, vision and strategic goals in alignment with national education policy
priorities and objectives for sustainable development. Promoted the College’s strategic agenda with
trustees, public officials, business and industry, and secured the necessary
resources and partnerships to advance the College’s mission and goals for the
benefit of all stakeholders. Maintained oversight of combined recurrent and
capital budgets in excess of $250M.
Strategic Leadership: Successfully articulated and garnered the
necessary support and resources for a new strategic vision aligned to national
educational policy and COSTAATT’s mandate to broaden access; directed and
empowered a committed team of 6 vice presidents; developed and implemented a five-year
progressive and comprehensive strategic plan which established the following
six strategic initiatives: Strengthen the Academic Enterprise, Broaden Access;
Improve Student Success; Enhance Managerial Effectiveness and Increase
Productivity; Improve Institutional Visibility and Image; and Upgrade Physical
Infrastructure. The plan established realistic and attainable goals and
objectives and provided the requisite resources to permit the accomplishment of
the College's mission and vision; reviewed and improved governance and
management systems in compliance with the legal, regulatory, and accreditation
requirements; successfully sponsored the College’s first application for
accreditation with the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT);
built a strong platform for organizational change premised on creativity,
flexibility, the pursuit of excellence, in an atmosphere of transparency and
robust accountability, that transformed COSTAATT into a confident, purposeful,
dynamic undergraduate college – the prototype of modern higher education in
Trinidad and Tobago.
Results: COSTAATT created history as the first institution to be granted
accredited status in Trinidad and Tobago, and moreover, for the maximum period
of seven years; the institution’s stability and visionary leadership were cited
by the external accreditation evaluators as significant and contributory to the
College’s progress, fiscal health and culture of excellence; wide ranging
reforms in curriculum, organizational structure and business processes
transformed the College from a two year institution offering associate’s
degrees to a full-fledged undergraduate college offering an expanding range of
baccalaureate degrees; initiated the process for seeking institutional and
programmatic accreditation from various US accrediting agencies. The College
has become 25-30 percent more efficient in utilizing resources as well as 75-80
percent more effective in achieving the following strategic goals:
Strengthen the Academic Enterprise: In alignment with national educational policy, initiated and
guided the drive for major curriculum reform through a comprehensive assessment
of existing programs; and the design and implementation of a new and expanded
core curriculum and competency based assessment; commissioned the expansion of
academic programs through the introduction of over 37 new internationally
benchmarked bachelor’s degrees and four post-graduate advanced diploma programs
which are aligned to sectors’ needs and market demand; spearheaded the
College’s first restructuring of the academic organizational structure,
rationalizing departments under major schools to create synergies and maximize
use of resources; upgraded faculty appointment, evaluation, and reappointment
criteria to include research and publication as necessary prerequisites;
increased faculty to student ratios as well as full- to part-time faculty in
compliance with accreditation requirements by recruiting over 100 new full-time
faculty; petitioned review of teaching methodologies for flagship programs;
established the country’s first school of journalism and communication studies;
introduced the first state-of-the-art patient simulation laboratories for the
practical training of nursing students; established the Division of Research
and Innovation which includes 6 research institutes to strengthen the capacity
for scholarly research and publication and pursue a research agenda that is
linked to Government priorities for sustainable development. To date these research
institutes have generated over $3.0 million dollars in research grants.
Established strategic partnerships with 5 international universities and
colleges and 4 local institutions to create seamless pathways and opportunities
to foster collaboration and promote student success.
Results: the
College has cemented its position as the leading national provider of relevant
and progressive undergraduate education, offering flexible and alternative
pathways in what has traditionally been an elitist system of tertiary
education, and was awarded first place for Excellence in Quality Management
System by the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago. Moreover, it is the
preferred and in some cases sole provider in certain disciplines that are
critical to the national economy; and, through the expansion of its bachelor’s
degrees it has contributed to the development of the seamless national
education system.
Broaden Access: implemented a multi-faceted plan to broaden access and increase
opportunity in keeping with Government’s target of 60% participation in
tertiary education that included the establishment of the Department of
Community Outreach and Youth Affairs to increase access and opportunity for
pre-college students as well as previously underserved groups, which has helped
to increase enrolment annually from 5,014 in 2008 to over 11,600 in 2012;
making COSTAATT the largest national public provider of undergraduate education.
Conducted feasibility studies for facilities expansion to meet unmet demand for
access in previously underserved geographic areas; in 2009, opened two new
campuses that to date have facilitated increase in enrollment at Tobago Campus
(850 students) and South Campus (3200) in Sutton Street in San Fernando; a
third site in Sangre Grande in East Trinidad opened its doors to approximately
500 students in January 2012; secured Board approval for the establishment of a
permanent flagship campus on lands allocated by Government in Chaguanas;
implemented plans for the development of a robust distance education capability
to expand access and address the pressures of space constraints.
Results: the
College has increased enrollment by over 130 percent over a four-year period
and now offers over 150 course sections in fully online and blended formats for
a 144 percent increase over the last two years. The number of applications has
increased from approximately 5,000 in fall 2008 to over 10,000 in the fall 2012
semester.
Improve Student Success: commissioned audit of all non-academic programs and
services within the Division of Student Affairs, resulting in the design and
implementation of an integrated student development plan, including: an
athletics and student life program and services, health and counseling services
program; devised strategies and programs to address male underrepresentation
and underperformance; implemented a comprehensive academic progress policy
which includes continuous assessment and early intervention strategies; spearheaded the introduction of an expanded and rebranded
developmental program - COMPASS (Compensatory Programs and Academic Support
Services), to strengthen academic foundations for underprepared students
through the provision of tutoring services, academic advising and psychosocial
support; started the phased implementation of e-readers and e-textbooks for all
students; and implemented an holistic career development and management
services for students, which include among other things, career fairs,
exploration of graduate and professional studies, career coaching, CV
preparation, and interview preparation and training. Critically also, the
College has expanded relationships with key business and industry partners thereby
increasing opportunities for student internships.
Results: the College is now the only tertiary education
institution in the nation, to boast a comprehensive academic and student
support services developmental program (over 3500 students are currently enrolled)
offering previously marginalized or excluded students the opportunity to
benefit from tertiary education and the possibility of increased socio-economic
mobility which have helped to increase first year retention over the past three
years by at least 15 percentage points. Over
the past four years the College has graduated over 4,200 students; and as a
result of the introduction of a career development and management program, all
students are now able to benefit from a range of services aimed at preparing
them for entry into the world of work, which has resulted in approximately 75
percent of graduates receiving promotions and or offers of employment within
one year of graduation.
Enhance
Organizational Effectiveness and Increase Productivity:
Revised COSTAATT’s organizational
structure to better align people, resources, goals and objectives in support of
the new strategic priorities; strengthened the financial architecture and
reporting framework to ensure greater accountability and transparency by
sponsoring the comprehensive audit of the College’s financial and non-financial
operations which resulted in the introduction of a series of policies and
procedures that more effectively managed the collection, analysis, and
reporting of financial data which improved the quality, accuracy, and
reliability of financial reporting for timely and effective decision-making;
implemented a comprehensive human resources development plan which included the
provision of scholarships for faculty/staff to pursue doctoral studies;
sponsored the introduction of the College’s first corporate annuity pension
plan, and a revised and improved group health plan, as well as a life and
disability insurance plan; won the support of the COSTAATT Board of Trustees to
undertake the long outstanding capital project to upgrade and expand
implementation of the College’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system,
Banner; and commissioned a customer care training program for staff to enhance
the quality customer service at the College.
Results: The College is the only
tertiary education institution in Trinidad and Tobago to possess an integrated
software platform for the administration of academic program, student services,
finance, procurement, and human resources; the integrated platform confers
superior capability for data mining, analysis and information sharing to inform
management decisions; improved benefits package enables the College to compete
more favorably against other tertiary providers seeking to attract and retain
quality staff, especially in critical hard to recruit areas. Financial
reporting to the Board and executive leadership is now done on a monthly basis;
procuring goods and services has improved by over 75 percent as a result of
implementing on-line procurement; over 80 percent of the College’s recurrent
expenses is paid within 30 days of receipt of invoice; and as a result of
implementing and enforcing more stringent student registration policies 90
percent of student receivables are collected within the semester incurred. In
addition, by implementing minimum class size and stricter enforcement of
faculty workload requirements the cost per credit hour of educating a student
has been reduced by over 40 percent.
Improve
Institutional Visibility and Image: Re-Branded the College’s marketing and communications strategy to
promote the transformational nature of education using the motto of
“Transforming Lives, Transforming Communities, Transforming the Nation – One
Student at a Time”; copyrighted the tagline and introduced the official College
newsletter “Transforming Lives” and “Transformation” – the official College
magazine. Established the COSTAATT
Foundation to develop strategic partnerships and alliances with business and
industry and embark on fundraising with the view towards diversifying revenue
streams and reducing reliance on Government funding.
Results: The
College’s brand recognition is well established and is reinforced through its
academic programs and student support services; thereby making the College a
household name that has become a key driver in promoting the transformational
effect of education in national development. The COSTAATT Foundation, once
fully implemented, will provide the College with the means to supplement
funding for capital and other projects that might otherwise not be possible
based on necessary prioritization of Government funding.
Upgrade Physical Infrastructure: Opened new campus sites in San Fernando (South, Trinidad) and
Scarborough, Tobago in 2009; established a new full-service campus in Sangre Grande
(East Trinidad) in January 2012; and a National School of Nursing and Allied
Health Sciences which is scheduled to open in 2013. Commissioned the
development of a comprehensive facilities master plan to detail the academic
and infrastructural requirements for the College’s long-term development; and
turned sod for the phased construction of the College’s flagship campus in
Chaguanas (Central Trinidad).
Results: These new sites in San
Fernando and Tobago have provided students with access to upgraded, modern learning environments
conducive to teaching and l earning;
with the establishment of facilities in Sangre Grande (East Trinidad), the College will be the first tertiary education
institution to provide local access for populations
in that geographic area. Additionally, with the siting of the main campus in Chaguanas (Central Trinidad) all
segments of the population of Trinidad and Tobago
would have easy access to state-of-the art teaching and learning environments.
