BASSETERRE St. Kitts, July 19th 2011 - The Alumni Chapter of the Caribbean Students Organization, at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, is pleased to announce that a student from the St. Paul’s Primary School Ms. Jholane Williams was the recipient of the 2011 Caribbean Alumni for Regional Progress (CARP) Scholarship.
Mr. Gary N. Thomas, CARP Representative for St. Kitts and Nevis, presented the award to Ms. Jholane Williams at the St. Paul’s Primary School’s Annual Graduation and Award Ceremony which was held on Monday 11th July, 2011 at the St. Paul’s Anglican Church. Thomas said, “The aim of the CARP Scholarship is to assist needy students in the islands of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The scholarship, which was in the amount of EC$534.00, is to be used solely for the purchase of school supplies. Each year CARP seeks to award a deserving student in each represented country, and with the continued support of our alumni, we are hoping to increase this to two scholarships per island in the coming year.”
In discussing the criteria for the award Thomas said, “The recipient of the scholarship should be a current student at a Primary School in the federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. He or she should be selected by the Principal in consultation with the staff. In addition, the scholarship recipient should be selected based on his/her financial needs and academic performance.”
Thomas, a 2000 graduate at Midwestern State University said, “All contributions for the CARP Scholarship initiative comes from the alumni. He noted however that in Antigua, the contributions are matched by the ABI Bank. Since 2004 Primary School students across the region have benefited from our efforts to pay it forward. Past students of the Dean – Glasford Primary School, Bronte-Welsh Primary School, Tyrell-Williams Primary School, Beach Allen Primary School, Dr. William Connor Primary School, Tucker-Clarke Primary School, and Dieppe Bay Primary School have been past recipients of the CARP Scholarship.”
Thomas said, “I was very pleased to present this scholarship to such an impressionable young person. We at CARP wish her much success in all of her endeavours, and we hope that she would become a part of the Midwestern State University and Caribbean Student Organization family one day.”
Ms. Mutryce A. Williams, CARP Representative for St. Kitts and Nevis, 2001 Midwestern State University graduate, in citing the origins and history of the Caribbean Students Organization, at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls Texas said, “Dr. Randy Glean officially launched the Caribbean Recruitment program in the spring of 1993.
After the experimental admission of four students from Grenada, Dr. Jesse Rogers established a platform to allow him to recruit more students. Visits to Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Vincent in the summer of 1993, yielded eight students in fall 1993 and an additional six in spring 1994.
In January 1994, the Caribbean Students Organization (CSO) was formed by the 18 students enrolled at that time. The program was predicated on the simple proposition that these excellent students would be given the opportunity to pay in-state tuition provided they maintained a pre-determined academic level. This was accomplished by the provision of competitive waivers and partial tuition scholarships. In addition, the current students agreed to provide basic adjustment services and assistance to students who arrived in the ensuing semesters. With the combination of these factors, the stage was set for the growth of the program. In the late spring of 1995, a change in state law threatened to derail the entire competitive waiver option and almost put an end to the program.
In response, Dr. Glean established partnerships with various organizations and governments and secured funding and a structured platform that allowed the program to continue. As of January 2009, almost 1000 students have been recruited, and almost 250 Caribbean Students are currently registered through this program. This has led to a stellar enhancement of the university's reputation as an international entity, and over 40 countries are currently represented among its student population.
CSO has been instrumental in creating an international housing program at Colony Park, and in leading the charge for the internationalization of the campus. Students from Africa, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal have all benefited from the CSO initiative and many other universities have begun to emulate the MSU model for developing a first rate international program. After 15 years of growth, Caribbean Students continue to graduate at an unprecedented 95% rate on time, with more than 60% achieving honors and over 70% going on to earn advanced degrees.”
Williams said, “The region owes a huge debt of gratitude to Dr. Randy Glean, who officially launched the Caribbean Recruitment program in the spring of 1993. It is because of his continued vision and arduous work that many of us were afforded the opportunities and successes that we have had, and continue to have today.
Our coming together and providing scholarships that would assist in alleviating the cost of education for children across the region is our way of showing Dr. Glean that we have learnt from his example of selflessness and giving.
CARP Representative Gary Thomas and I gladly join with Dr. Randy Glean, and our fellow MSU/CSO alumni in particular President Ophetta David, Bren Romney, Desiree Stephens, Nathalie Jolie-Fanis, Lloyd Peters, and CARP Director Casmint Edwards in paying it forward to Ms. Jholane Williams and every other CARP scholarship recipient past and present.”
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