In an effort to attract more St. John residents to enroll at the University of the Virgin Islands, recruitment officer Karen Blyden and a team of information specialists held an outreach meeting Saturday afternoon at the Legislature Building in Cruz Bay. It drew a small but attentive audience.
The UVI representatives said the school is interested in attracting both high school students unsure where they want to enroll and people who want to complete their degree studies or enhance their careers.
"We put a team together that consisted of the admissions director, a business instructor and a financial aid supervisor," Blyden said. Their main focus was "to share information regarding all of the opportunities that are available" at UVI, she said.
Those at the Saturday session were asked to fill out a survey form. Blyden said the information they provided will help university officials decide whether to focus on getting more St. John students to take classes on the campus at the west end of St. Thomas, or on trying to find ways to bring classes to St. John.
It's at least an hour's travel time by car or public transportation from Cruz Bay to the UVI campus — and that doesn't take into consideration the time it takes to get to the Cruz Bay ferry dock. Returning home, it's the same. The long daily commute is taken on by a stalwart few full- time students. Those with day classes catch the ferry for Red Hook as early as 6 a.m. Working students such as Yulandra Richards head to the campus between 4 and 6 p.m.
Richards has been commuting for a while, between working full time and raising five children. Although "it's a challenge," she said, "I enjoy doing it, because I'm trying to accomplish something. It's hard at times, but you have to keep trucking."
In recent years, UVI expanded its nursing and early childhood education course offerings, attracting more St. John residents. Now recruiters are promoting aspects of the university's technological capabilities — on-line "distance learning" and "modular education," which allows students to fit classes in during evenings and weekends. The recruiting team also touted UVI's expanded computer science curriculum as the kind of education that can benefit any student at any stage of life.
St. John Motor Vehicles Bureau administrator Joan Thomas commuted for several years while earning her bachelor's and masters' degrees at UVI. Now, she said, she hopes to return to the university for some personal pursuits — "classes in music and computers."
Blyden said she would send some UVI course catalogs and financial aid brochures to the St. John Administrator's Office. She invited anyone else interested in the university to pick up copies there.
