News > Trans-Atlantic Sabbatical Will Strengthen COB's International Partnerships
Trans-Atlantic Sabbatical Will Strengthen COB's International Partnerships and International Relations at The College of The Bahamas Vice President of Research, Graduate Programmes and International Relations at The College Dr. Linda Davis is today six weeks into a ten-month long trans-Atlantic sabbatical that will take her into at least six countries spanning three continents. A multi-continent examination of educational leadership, the voyage represents a very special opportunity for The College of The Bahamas, a member of the International Association of Universities (IAU), on whose Board College President Janyne Hodder sits, to strengthen and extend strategic international partnerships. "The significance of these opportunities for international engagement is huge," said Dr. Davis. "The truth of the matter is that no matter where I go in this journey, I wear The College's logo, literally and figuratively...The institution's name is one that the universities and their faculty, staff and students with whom I come into contact, remember. This is the foundation upon which future partnerships, teaching and research opportunities are built." The foundation being established with each of Dr. Davis' ports of call will also have the added benefits of exposure to best practices and strategies in international university relations and research capacity strengthening. Dr. Davis has already completed the first leg of her sabbatical, having spent five weeks as a partial voyager of the Semester at Sea global study programme aboard the MV Explorer - a floating university campus. The programme is currently under the academic sponsorship of the University of Virginia, opening the door to the possibility of The College negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding in support of faculty and student exchanges, research and study abroad opportunities. Dr. Davis' stint on the voyage included ports of call at Halifax, Canada; Cadiz, Spain; Casablanca, Morocco and Accra, Ghana. The cross cultural exchanges made possible by the Semester at Sea experience provided a unique context for Dr. Davis' examination of how institutions develop strong international presence while also maintaining distinct national identities. The next leg of Dr. Davis' journey will take her to Wheelock College in Boston in October. As a visiting scholar, she will collaborate in a case study examination of Wheelock's Master of Education [MEd] programme in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Teaching facilitated by The College in New Providence. The first cohort of 18 students graduated this past May, receiving their degrees during The College of The Bahamas annual commencement exercises. Wheelock is considered a leader in early childhood education and this partnership is helping The College to build capacity to eventually offer its own graduate programmes. Currently, The College facilitates seven graduate degree programmes in conjunction with other universities. "Undoubtedly, this provides an excellent opportunity for me to critically examine not only The College's current modus operandi regarding graduate programmes but it also provides an opportunity for the publication of a comparative piece as Wheelock has also offered programmes in other international jurisdictions," Dr. Davis explained. In mid-November, Dr. Davis will extend her visiting scholar role, this time with another of The College's respected partners, Kent State University in Ohio. Like Wheelock, Kent was a natural choice for Dr. Davis, especially given The College's longstanding relationship with the university whose Master of Education in Educational Administration, School Counselling and Special Education degrees are also facilitated at The College of The Bahamas. The College has enjoyed a ten year partnership with Kent State, a university that has maintained a high research profile along its wide range of academic programming. Dr. Davis shared, "The month there, will allow me to leverage the diverse academic fora research and learning communities in a way that will help me to gather some momentum for early drafts of the academic pieces that I hope to produce by the end of the sabbatical." And in a move that will allow for partnership building on the continent of Africa, Dr. Davis will spend more than three months at the African University College of Communications [AUCC] at Accra, Ghana, beginning in January, 2010. The College signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the university about one year ago, which is expected to generate rich academic experiences. Dr. Davis will use her time at AUCC to explore engagement opportunities with other institutions of higher learning in Africa. From the experience of her sabbatical, Dr. Davis expects to contribute writings to The Journal of School Leadership and to also develop a series of staff development institutes for The College of The Bahamas. She is also planning to author a book, International Partnerships: The Dynamics of South-South and South-North and [Eastern] Relations. Dr. Davis' sabbatical ends in June 2010.
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