On January 30th, Commissioner Sarah Wescot-Williams met with Dr. Roosevelt Williams, President of the Association of Caribbean Territory Institutions Inc. (ACTI) to discuss a proposal for membership in ACTI. Also in attendance at the meeting were Mrs. Forsythe labega, Sector Director for Education and University of St. Martin President, Mrs. Josianne Fleming-Artsen. USM is already a member of ACTI.
There are several benefits that can be had from membership in the ACTI and these were discussed with Dr. Williams. Commissioner Wescot explained that in St. Maarten’s quest for country status within the Dutch Kingdom, expertise in the region could and should surely be used to assist with the many preparations that need to be made for country status. Education is no exception in this regard.
The talks with Dr. Williams were of an exploratory nature and the proposal will be analyzed as to its potential benefits for Sint Maarten as a country.
Commissioner Wescot-Williams considered the meeting fruitful and informative, and promised to have the proposal analyzed and to determine, within short, what the course of action would be.
ACTI’s objectives are to:
1. Facilitate cooperation and collaboration among the institutions in a wide range of academic, administrative and other areas;
2. Facilitate more effective utilization of scare resources in seeking to enhance access, mobility, and quality in tertiary education;
3. Facilitate articulation among institutions;
4. Facilitate and promote the communication between the tertiary institutions of the region;
5. Assisting in identifying and meeting the ongoing tertiary educational needs of the region and individual territories.
Sint Maarten is also being considered as the venue for the ACTI’s board of directors’ meeting in March of this year.