News > The College Highlights Its Outreach Efforts
The College Highlights Its Outreach Efforts During Difficult Economic Times While appearing as guests on the STAR 106.5 talk show "Jeffrey" on Wednesday December 3rd Vice President of Outreach Dr. Pandora Johnson, Registrar Dr. Danny Davis and Director of Counselling and Health Services Mr. Stanley Smith continued to promote The College's package of relief measures designed to assist students, prospective students and displaced workers feeling the effects of the current economic slowdown. Recently, College administrators announced a three pronged approach to assisting students and their families who may be experiencing financial hardship as a result of a slowing economy in addition to an outreach programme for Bahamians who have recently lost their jobs or have been placed on reduced workweeks. Under a revised Deferred Payment Plan, students can register after the payment of only 33% of total tuition fees. The balance, however, must be paid over the next two months. There are also financial aid provisions in place. For students currently studying abroad and whose families are finding it difficult to meet costs, The College has made arrangements to accept their transfers whether for one semester only or for a longer period. Displaced workers have been receiving specific information from experts at The College about how to make themselves more marketable. Since the initial announcements were made, Dr. Davis reported on the radio talk show that the Admissions department has already received an application from a parent who intends to have her son – who is studying abroad – enrolled at The College in January. Officials are preparing for more of these kinds of application requests. Asked by show host Jeffrey Lloyd whether there has been a falloff in enrollment in light of the current economic predicament, Dr. Davis responded in the negative. "We are seeing students registering and engaged in the process to the degree that we are expecting at this point. If you think about it, this is a good time for people not come out of school. This is a good time for people to get in school. This is a good time to retool; to invest in yourself and in your future," he said. The College's Centre for Continuing Education and Extension Services [CEES] offers academic upgrading, professional and personal development courses for adult learners. College officials also expect an increase in the transient student population spurred by economic challenges. "We are expecting now given the economic situation in which we find ourselves that many more students may have to stay home and not lose their standing at the home institutions by enrolling in The College," said Dr. Pandora Johnson, Vice President, Outreach. "What we do tell them is to confirm at your home institutions the courses that you take with us, so that when they go back, their courses can be transferred. We will accept at the very beginning an unofficial copy of your transcript but we will always follow that up with an official transcript." The College's Counselling and Health Services department has been offering counseling services and career advice for displaced workers, addressing topics like Resume Writing; Interviewing; Coping with Stress and Loss in Challenging Times; Career Survival & Transition and Financial Management. "We are excited about what we are doing in regards to assisting our students and extending this to the community," said Mr. Smith. Arrangements have also been made for CEES to provide additional focused attention on displaced workers on Thursday December 4th and Friday December 5th when town meetings are scheduled to be held to inform them of various opportunities that are available to retool themselves and for entrepreneurial pursuits. Representations of the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation [BAIC] and the Bahamas Development Bank [BDB] will also be present at the town meetings.
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