By THEA RUTHERFORD,NG Nat'l Correspondent,thea@nasguard.com

The following is Part I of a five-part Nassau Guardian series that takes a look at the changes the College of The Bahamas has undertaken, and will continue to make, as it awaits university status. New installments of the series will appear each Monday.

When Education major James Peterson thinks of the University of The Bahamas, he thinks of a sprawling campus surrounded by thriving businesses. He thinks of an institution that offers everything he wants in a tertiary education. He thinks of a university – with its state-of-the-art facilities and sought-after academic programs – that can inspire a nation.

Peterson, 35, believes that the College of The Bahamas' anticipated transition to university status is a step forward for the nation.

"I believe that it's a signal that The Bahamas is developing, because as the college develops, so does The Bahamas," he said on his way to class one day.

The university "would then bring about a transition and a recognition that Bahamians are capable of doing things just as well as others are able to and we'll then be able to reflect upon ourselves," said Peterson. "And when we reflect upon ourselves the next generation will be able to develop The Bahamas to an even greater extent than it is today."

Peterson's excitement resonates with stakeholders at the college on all levels, who see the upcoming university as not just an institutional upgrade, but a means of rejuvenation for its inner city environment.

For more than 30 years the college's main campus has made its home in Oakes Field. The two-story, pink and white main building, with wings outstretched on each side, has symbolically embraced the inner city communities of Bain and Grant's Town, Black Village and Big Pond that it intersects. But with all of its proposed new buildings and programs and upgrades, the college's administration looks to the powerful intangible meaning of the creation of a university.

"The projects that we are undertaking are very intentional," said Dr. Pandora Johnson, Vice President of Outreach at the college. "They're meant really to be aspirational and inspirational for the entire Bahamas, but particularly for the people who are in these communities that are really seen as part of the inner city."

The university will be about creating knowledge as opposed to merely disseminating it – the institution's chief mandate oft repeated by College President Janyne Hodder – but it will also be about creating aspirations.

"The university really can do, I think, a lot to inspire people and to kind of have a renaissance in these areas," said Johnson.

The $29 million Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre, the most expensive capital project to date, anchors the inspirational role stakeholders want the university to play. Slated for a 24-hour Internet café, a small performance center, a museum collection of Sir Lynden Pindling's documents and memorabilia and a digital database of information accessible outside the college, according to College Librarian Willamae Johnson, the new library, like the current one, will remain open to the public.

"The new library represents of course a community library, we're hoping that members of the public will access the library," Johnson said.

With a string of million-dollar capital projects in various stages of development, a branding exercise for the university in full swing and a constant flow of ideas through various committees appointed for one aspect of the institution's development or the other, the College of The Bahamas continues in its move towards university status. The move is one President Hodder assured over a month ago that the institution is ready for. It now only awaits the legislation from government to complete the transition.

At present the college stands poised for physical growth as well as faculty and program expansion. A strategic plan for 2009 - 2019, published online and distributed in booklet form, promises a number of new academic programs, including the eventual development of the university's own Master's degree programs in Education and Business, two of the institution's most popular programs.

"There have been Master's from other universities which we offer here," said Dr. Rhonda Chipman-Johnson, Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs. "We've done a variety of Master's programs but we haven't had any of the College of The Bahamas or the University of The Bahamas Master's."

The road to university status has included a stepped up information campaign that has led to the publishing of newspaper supplements, as well as faculty and staff members making the rounds on radio talk show programs to shed light on recent developments at the college. The institution has also made information about the status of capital projects and the results of its 2008 Academic Quality Assurance Task Force Report available online.

The 107-page report includes a general observation of the institution's strengths that note strong council support, internal presidential and senior staff leadership, devoted faculty and staff, high potential for development and fundraising as well as a sound vision and attainable goals. On the other hand, the Task Force, chaired by Frederick Lowy, found the college's challenges to be a need for increased resources and "the need to reverse an institutional culture that is prepared to accept 'good-enough performance' when 'striving for excellence' is possible." The report added, "In both areas, important advances have been made in recent years but greater progress is possible."

As the institution moves forward, its president hopes that it will one day own all the property it occupies. The college is currently engaged in a cadastral survey to this end.

"The goal will be, of course, that the University of The Bahamas will be the owner of its own property," said Hodder. The survey of the college's boundaries will then lead to a master plan for the next 25 to 50 years, the president said.

With a 10-year plan of ambitious additions and upgrades for the soon-to-be University of The Bahamas, the college and the country wait for the touted beacon of hope. The college's neighbors wait as well for new and increased business opportunities and an upgrade to the perception of the area.

"Some people (are) scared of this area," said Nickia McPhee, 24, a roadside salad vendor who says that she does good business with the college students now and anticipates more business as the institution grows. "People won't be as afraid anymore," she said of the environment. "That'll be good."

And for current students encouraged by the prospect of university status, said Peterson, the Education major, "It's an exciting time."