By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

CENTRAL Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis questioned why the University of The Bahamas has appointed another non-Bahamian president of the institution, insisting qualified Bahamians can perform the role.

His comment came as elected officials prepared to pass the 2023/2024 budget, which includes an allocation of $36M for the university.

Mr Lewis said: “We went from $23m in 2023, to $32m, so my question like I asked last week, we in our policy, we do not have a Bahamian as the president. I know we talked about the board operating, we talked about Bahamianisation.

“We have a qualified Bahamian in this country who applies, who’s rejected. Why isn’t it our policy where someone like Dr Ian Strachan can be the president of UB? When there is a Bahamian like Dr Sydney McPhee, the president of Middle Tennessee State University in the US, but a qualified Bahamian is not heading our highest tertiary education institution in The Bahamas? Why is that? Don’t we have a say?”

Education Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin deferred to UB’s board, which she said is autonomous.

She said: “Allocation of $36,244,773 is an annual subvention by The Bahamas government to support the university’s operations. The university is governed by legislation. It is autonomous.”

She said the university is seeking accreditation. She said the government intends for it to eventually be ran by a Bahamian.

“Certainly the policy of The Bahamas government is that a Bahamian will lead the University of The Bahamas,” she said. “They’re currently in the accreditation phase and we trust that they move through that quickly.

“Yes, that that is the policy of The Bahamas government, but the university is created by statute, it is governed by law, it is autonomous, and it has a board on which you have a member and I didn’t see that there was any dissent from any decision made.”

UB recently announced that President Dr Erik Rolland was leaving, citing personal and family issues, and that a previous president of the College of the Bahamas, Janyne Hodder, a permanent resident, would complete the remainder of his contract.