More THAN 60 students at the Salem Runaway Bay campus of the Northern Caribbean University (NCU), who earned grade point averages (GPA) between 3.0 and 4.0 for the 2008-2009 academic year, were honoured for their academic achievements at the recently held Honours Convocation Ceremony.

The ceremony, held at the Runaway Bay Heart Hotel, is of historical importance as it marked the installation of the executive body of the Salem Runaway Bay United Student Movement (USM). Members of this esteemed body are student representatives elected by the university's student population to make representation, on their behalf, to the university's administration.

Patrick Smith, director of NCU's Corporate Communications, Mar-keting and Public Relations Depar-tment, delivered the keynote address in which he challenged the honourees to be relentless in their pursuit of excellence.

Godly responsibility

He also challenged the women in the audience to encourage the males in their lives to advance their education to the tertiary level.

Elected vice-president of the USM for NCU's Salem Runaway campus, Ransford Davidson, who attained the highest GPA among male students, expressed his delight in being asked to serve. He stated that service, to him, is a hallmark that epitomises the tenets of a Godly responsibility and duty to his fellow men. He pledged to serve with distinction and to contribute his time and talent in making the lives of his fellow students meaningful and productive. Chief female sponsor of the USM, Grace Carr-Benjamin, encouraged the USM executives to be true servant leaders.

Faculty and staff of the Salem campus were commended for services in providing quality Christ-centred education primarily for the people of Trelawny, St Mary, and St Ann. The NCU Salem campus currently offers first degrees in business administration, management studies, social work, guidance counselling, secondary and primary education. Courses toward these degrees are delivered in the evenings, Mondays to Thursdays each week.