(CMR) The oldest college in the Cayman Islands, the International College of the Cayman Islands (ICCI), celebrated their 50th anniversary on Friday evening at the Cayman Islands Yacht Club with the governor in attendance.
ICCI was started in the fall of 1970 and is located in Newlands, Bodden Town. The school was founded by Dr. John Hugh Cummings and his wife Elsa Cummings. They both served as the first two presidents of the university.
In 1973 ICCI Radio station was also the first radio station in the Cayman Islands with a remit to help students build their confidence and communication skills. The station remains operational to this day.
They were also the first educational institution on the island to offer an associate's, bachelor's, or master's degree programs to students.
One of the founding trustees, Amy Gage, shared how the idea was borne back in 1969 from a small group of persons passionate about education for a small island nation:
My deceased husband, Prof. Frederick Kline, taught in the Art Department at Portland State University from 1964. Fred, came home one evening saying he had met Dr Hugh Cummings, who was married to a Caymanian academic, Dr Elsa Simons-Ebanks Cummings. Dr. Elsa earned a doctorate from the University of Oregon in Spanish Literature and Poetry. They moved to Portland, where we all lived, to work in universities there, Dr Hugh at Portland State University, and Dr Elsa at Lewis and Clark College. They wanted to start an institute of higher education in the Caymans. This was a dream come true for me, which my father was thrilled to support wholeheartedly. He was an early contributor to the non-profit, the “American Committee for the International College of the Cayman Islands”. He knew this was important and needed in his homeland.
Fred and I, with our young daughter, Laura would go to the Cummings’ home in Portland, meeting others interested in crafting a college in the Caymans. Many of this group came from the Quaker community and several Caymanians.
Two of the most influential– Floris McCoy McField (originator of the idea) and Tanyia Eden Connolly joined in to consider the dream of a college. We plotted out the basics of ICCI, with the Cummings’ at the helm, from the late 1960s. They eventually moved to Newlands to run the college with their very tiny daughter, April, who assisted with the pioneer radio station,101.1 ICCI-FM, while sitting on her father’s lap in the radio station. Dr Elsa maintains a leadership position in the college over 53 years and serves daily as President Emerita and Trustee.
She has been honoured by the community for her consistent and noble efforts in higher education and has helped develop the quality not only of the academic environment but the quality of life for all in the Cayman Islands.
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The governor shared that he was delighted to be in attendance to celebrate this memorable occasion.
The International College of the Cayman Islands is incorporated as a nonprofit guarantee company in the Cayman Islands to operate as a private, independent institution of higher education. It is also registered with and recognized by the Education Council of the Cayman Islands Government.
The school's property and buildings are held in the name of the college by a board of trustees. The board is responsible for the maintenance of college properties and formulates college policy.
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