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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
Statement to the Press from Minister of Education, Science and Technology the Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald in which the Minister Explains Cabinet Decision on the Engagement of Dr. Rodney Smith.
The Minister States:
I have attached my press statement made on the 20th August, which I read at a Press Conference. I have underlined in red my position and that of Cabinet on the question of settling financial terms with Dr. Smith.
Cabinet ONLY accepted the recommendation by the Council to appoint Dr. Smith as President. That acceptance came with 2 conditions, which you will see highlighted and underlined in red on pages 3 and 4. The Council could not negotiate terms prior to receiving approval from Cabinet. Once that was received I then authorized Council to negotiate subject to certain conditions.
As I stated in my statement, given the circumstances this was a reasonable and prudent approach. My position and that of Cabinet has not changed with regard to the conditions as set out in my statement.
JF.
Press Conference by Minister Jerome K. Fitzgerald
Minister of Education Science and Technology
August 20th 2014
In mid June of this year I received a recommendation from the COB Council that Dr. Rodney Smith be appointed the new president of the College of The Bahamas. The Council indicated that they had come to this conclusion after conducting an open, fair and transparent process.
After receiving the recommendation and having consideration for the concerns that were raised if the recommendation by the Council to me was Dr. Rodney Smith, I wanted to satisfy myself that I properly consulted with and obtained the views of the three (3) stakeholders before I made my recommendation to Cabinet.
The first stakeholder I wanted to hear from was the community at COB. I received assurance from UTEB, COBUS, the Public Service Union and the alumni representative. These bodies went further and sent a joint letter to me indicating that they were in complete support of the Council recommendation.
The second stakeholder was the wider community. Here the views differed and in some cases very strongly. The views fell into 3 categories: those who supported and thought that Dr. Smith should be given a second chance, those who thought once he showed contrition he should be forgiven for a mistake he committed over 9 years ago, and then there were those who thought it was a cardinal sin in academia and he should not be appointed. With this last view I was surprised, I must admit that this view was not widely shared by the majority of professionals I spoke with in academia and the overwhelming support by the college community reflects that this was not a view they shared.
I also found it instructive that the former Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies Rex Nettleford now deceased, who is unquestionably one of the most respected personalities and academic leaders in the region was the dissenting voice on the committee 9 years ago. Additionally, recently 2 of the members of that committee, Bishop Gomez and Justice Strachan, which recommended to the then Council that Dr. Smith should not continue as President have now said essentially that Dr. Smith committed a wrong, paid the price for that error and provided that he showed contrition and accepted full responsibility for the error and was genuinely sorry, they saw no reason why an incident which occurred over 9 years ago should now disqualify him from being appointed President of the College. Interestingly, this now reflects that the majority view of that Committee 9 years ago is now in line with the views of the present search committee and the recommendation of the Council.
In essence I feel the collective views of both committee members and that of the Council are now in line. I am convinced however that all persons who weighed in did so with a love for country and wanting what is in the best interest of the college and by extension our country.
Finally I wanted to ensure that the appointment of Dr. Smith as president would in no way adversely impact the ability of the college to receive the accreditation necessary for university status. I have spoken with persons associated with the accreditation process in the United States and have been assured that Dr. Smith’s past mistake, for which he has taken full responsibility, will not be considered in the accreditation process.
I want to say that this was not a decision I took lightly. In fact it is probably the decision I have struggled with the most since I have been appointed to the post of Minister of Education. I therefore wished to take time for meaningful consideration, not only providing the community the opportunity to express its views, but also myself the opportunity to reflect on those views.
I have reflected on all the views expressed and yesterday I advised the Cabinet of The Bahamas that I support the recommendation of the College Council to appoint Dr. Rodney Smith as the next president of the College of the Bahamas for the reasons I listed above. The Cabinet supported my recommendation.
I now therefore authorize the College Council to negotiate reasonable contract terms with Dr. Smith consistent with terms agreed previously with former presidents taking into consideration the usual cost of living increases. I also wish to indicate that Cabinet was also united in the view that if financial terms and benefits can be agreed with Dr. Smith that the term of the contract in the first instance should not exceed 3 years with the usual option to renew. In light of everything that has transpired the Cabinet felt this was a reasonable and prudent position to take.
In conclusion, this process is a fine example of our precious democracy at work. I now ask that the country move on and put its full support behind the college community and its leaders as we move the college towards university status.
© Copyright 2014 by thebahamasweekly.com
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