The state-of-the art Ross University School of Medicine was officially opened last night at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw, president of parent company Adtalem Global Education, Lisa Wardell, Dean William Owen Jr and Vice President of Operations Carey James, university officials, Members of Parliament and business stakeholders were present as the 40-year-old institution opened its new permanent campus in Barbados with classes expected to begin on Monday.
The LESC-based institution consists of a digital anatomy and medical imaging lab, living anatomy lab, clinical lab space with SimMan 3G advanced patient simulator.
RUSM Barbados is one of five accredited simulation campuses to be established outside of the United States. It also have 14 small group classrooms on campus, a digital library, faculty lounge, faculty meeting space, faculty work space which is shared space with a collaborative open floor plan.
According to Prime Minister Mottley, the LESC facility had been restored to its educational purpose.
During her feature address, Mottley urged Barbadians to embrace the 1350 students like their own.
“Let us embrace the children of Ross recognizing that they are our children, they are our partners and our family. Let them understand what a wonderful place this country will be,” she said.
She assured that her Government will be looking to make good on its promise of a partnership with Adtalem’s for-profit nursing school Chamberlain University and the Barbados Community College.
“There is a cry across the world for nurses, good nurses . . . We have to reset the things that our population see as possible opportunities for careers and regrettably many young girls have not seen the nursing profession as that profession that can create that career and vocation for them as their grandparents and great-grandparents have done,” said Mottley.
“The ability of the Caribbean to continue to produce large numbers of nurses is constrained only by our capacity to educate them and we stand here today ready to work on that partnership with you to significantly expand the number of nurses that we can produce not to send out to the rest of the world and immigrants but to send to the rest of the world for sale of services for 6, 9 ,10 months never forgetting where you come from and where you might return to,” she continued.
The construction projects for the living and academic facilities has provided work for over 1,000 Barbadians and the annual economic benefit of the RUSM is estimated to be between US$55 to 65 million. President of Adtalem Lisa Wardell, revealed that to date there are 40 new permanent employees in Barbados with an anticipated number of 150 for the new year.
While welcoming RUSM flagship to Barbados, Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Santia Bradshaw also expressed her anticipation at the future collaborations that her Ministry and the University will embark on to ensure high quality education.
“While the economic impact may be apparent, their commitment to collaborative research and development alongside our local tertiary institutions aligns well with our strategic goal to wider access to allied health programmes in Barbados,” Bradshaw said.
“Ross University School of Medicine will certainly contribute to Barbados moving forward the modernization of community health care structures, while at the same time, becoming a stronger competitor in the global health education arena,” she added. (KK)
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1. The Prime Minister is doing what she said she would do and inter alia that is bringing jobs to Bajans. I wish her well in all her future endeavours.
2. I also wish the students every success in their studies. Perhaps on graduation some of them will consider putting their medical knowledge to good use with a career in B'dos.
It really doesn’t matter which party gets credit for the university. But the CEO said it was Mia who caused to choose Barbados:
Ross University picked Barbados because of Mottley-led government
KERRI GOODING CREATED : 5 JANUARY 2019 CARIBBEAN NEWS ADTALEM President Lisa Wardell speaking to Prime Minister Mia Mottley outside the Simulation Centre at the new Ross University School of Meidcine facility.
ADTALEM President Lisa Wardell speaking to Prime Minister Mia Mottley outside the Simulation Centre at the new Ross University School of Meidcine facility.
Ross University School of Medicine opened today officially in Barbados and once and for all the scepticism about why the campus relocated was laid to rest.
Speaking to Loop News during the tour of the new facility situated within the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC) on Two Mile Hill, President and Chief Executive Officer of Adtalem, Lisa Wardell said that the university stands by its decision.
She told Loop:
"We took the risk on Barbados based on Prime Minister Mottley and her Cabinet because it was clear that they were going to help partner with us in a very short time frame. There always were going to be obstacles right, that we were going to be able to overcome those obstacles, so for our investors and for the folks that fund us, they see Barbados as a place that is easy to do business; that is partnering with investors and businesses that are coming in; that has a government that is very focused on, for us it is important that the government is focused on education and particularly healthcare education."
This was copied from loop news and you can listen to it yourself on YouTube.
The wheels of getting this University started under the Dems
@Kevin: "what do you call yourself who probably voted for the B’s all your life? A bewitched yardfowl?"
Hahahahahaha! LOL! :-))
Good one, Kevin. Luv it!
@Harper, What was wrong with Bridgetown University and Victoria University?
I dont believe Ross was poached.
I voted twice for the B's & thrice for the D's. If an almost bi-partisan voting record like that makes me a yardfowl, what do you call yourself who probably voted for the B's all your life? A bewitched yardfowl?
@Kevin
Forgot to mention some of the others by name -- Bridgetown University and Victoria University -- on the Harbour Road.
Since you are excited about Ross University being in Barbados, are you now acknowledging that it was not "poached" from Dominica as was said by your fellow yardfowls?
@ Carl Harper, keep 'harping' on about the WUB. There were 6 others medical schools besides that.
@Kevin: “...I hope those that was crying down the move of these types of universities before would see the benefits that they would bring.”
Do you mean “benefits” like the Washington University of Barbados Medical School where CEO Venkat Gopi was arrested and remanded at Dodds prison, and who is wanted by police in his homeland India for allegedly defrauding students of thousands of dollars for a medical degree that does not exist?
Do you think it is just coincidence that “Washington” was included in the name of that university? Ask Jonesey his link to anything Washington. And by the way, the “joke” in the Jones WUB YouTube video about receiving money in a FedEx envelope might have been a deflection from the real envelope with $70,000 in cold hard cash that was never mentioned.
It is just a matter of time before the “Russian connection” is busted on the Harbour Road medical schools where Barbados’ newest vice-chancellor and “private citizen”, get a handsome salary. Remember he said he may not be visiting the USA within the next seven years for fear of being stopped in Miami by the Feds.
Whoever decorated the new roundabout at Coverley for Christmas must be commended. No imported Canadian pine trees, no cheap Chinese trash, just local coconut palm limbs and a bit of local skill .
This is good news and I hope those that was crying down the move of these types of universities before would see the benefits that they would bring.