I wish to extend a warm welcome to those of you who are coming to us for the first time for the 2009/2010 Academic Year. We also wish to welcome back our returning students.

 

You are entering the College at a time when the institution is in the process of making a significant leap within the tertiary education environment of the 21stcentury.Currently, there are comprehensive changes taking place within the physical, organizational and educational dimensions of the College and these are accompanied by a change in the culture of the organization as well. Let me emphasize that all of these changes are being carried out primarily for the benefit of you, the students, who are the reason for our existence as an educational institution and for whom academic excellence and relevant training must be necessary objectives of our College.

 

As you will no doubt notice, there is a comprehensive upgrading of all facilities that would make your stay at CCLCS a comfortable one while at the same time this would allow us to better fulfill our mission in what has become an increasingly competitive tertiary environment. Additional state of the art classrooms and auditorium, new cafeteria, student union offices, playing fields and other recreational facilities are only some of the features which constitute our new-look campus visible to the eye from the highway.

 

With respect to the organizational changes, CCLCS is providing a full complement of staff to ensure that all aspects of its education and training mission are carried out in the interest of all of our students. It is our intention to serve you, our students, so that you can acquire all of the benefits due to you as citizens who are expected to make your contribution to the society of which you are an integral part. These changes are designed to ensure that all aspects of students’ affairs and services are decisively dealt with so that learning can take place with as little hindrance as possible.

 

Concurrently with the physical and organizational changes taking place at CCLCS are the efforts to improve the quality of the College’s offerings even as we continue to develop more programmes that are in keeping with our vision and mission. Our recent launch of three new programmes, among which are our first two Bachelor's Degrees takes the College to a new level of achievement as a community college. Moreover, the development of our Student Support Centre will ensure that you get all the help necessary to navigate the tertiary education waters.

 

Our franchise agreement with our regional partner, the University of the West Indies, and our articulation agreements with other reputable international institutions of higher learning are meant to respond to the demands of our students for greater choice and flexibility in the area of tertiary education. Given our expanded curriculum and our broad based student population, the College is committed to helping you achieve your personal, academic and career goals while at the same time making an impact upon the direction of the nation and the region as it seeks to raise the social consciousness of this student population. This is what we mean when we aim to offer our students an Education for Liberation.

 

Whether you attend the centre at Valsayn, El Dorado, South or Tobago, the same quality of programme and service awaits you. We thank you for choosing CCLCS as the institution to provide you with the skills, training and lifelong values which you seek and which are geared towards the pursuit of your self-development. You can look forward to a very rewarding experience here at the Cipriani College of Labour and Co-operative Studies. Together we can play a decisive part in rescuing this nation of ours.