THE Institute of Management Sciences/Institute of Management & Production, IMS/IMP, will be officially launched, in January 2004, as the first privately-held independent university college in the Caribbean.The university college concept was first introduced in Canada several years ago, and is a relatively new and unique player in the field of higher education. The concept was in response to an essentially pragmatic issue in Canada where constraints were placed upon access to baccalaureate degree programmes, particularly for those living outside major urban regions of the provinces. While traditional colleges were mandated to offer the first two years of a degree, access to studies necessary to complete the degree was possible only by distance learning through the Open University, or by relocating to one of the established universities in major cities.
The solution to this problem was to award a university degree granting function to selected traditional colleges located mostly in large rural centres hence the university college concept.
At the same time, the current World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations for the progressive liberalisation of higher education and innovations in information and communication technologies are rapidly providing alternate ways to deliver higher education services. With new types of providers' such as corporate universities and university colleges (e.g. the proposed NCB University and University College of the Caribbean, UCC), other for profit institutions and media companies, therefore, are steadily emerging.
This scenario is changing further by providers public and private, new and traditional delivering higher education services across national borders to meet the needs in other countries. As a result, an exciting but rather complex picture of higher education provision is emerging. Mindful of the benefits and threats resulting from the progressive trade liberalisation of higher education, many reputable local and regional tertiary education institutions like, IMS/IMP, are now taking urgent steps to maximise these benefits while minimising the threats to a robust and quality regional higher education system.
According to chairman, president and chief executive officer of IMS/IMP, Winston Adams, "The private independent university college is a concept which requires definition in the context of the Jamaican higher education system, since there are no prior models nor formal standards. The concept is found in many advanced countries like the USA and Canada, where private university colleges have high credibility, specialising in undergraduate and post-graduate education in business and technological disciplines."
Mr. Adams further states that "For the management of IMS/IMP, the university college concept is firmly rooted in a philosophy of higher education and training based on flexibility, professional standards and work place exposure. It is for this reason that a new centre of excellence, the University College of the Caribbean (UCC), and new parent entity of IMS and IMP, will be distinguished by a wide variety of programmes and levels, the flexibility of entry qualifications and clearly defined exit standards, benchmarked against professional practices and international standards. As an independent comprehensive post-secondary institution therefore, the new entity will gradually begin, over the next five years, to offer an even wider range of local and overseas programmes.
