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Real academics have no problem admitting they gained from int’l exposure
DEAR EDITOR,
I must first thank His Excellency President David Granger for allowing a search committee process that brought this Guyanese high achiever to head the University of Guyana.
After a review of his academic and career achievements, only someone like the self described academic Mr Freddie Kissoon would have a problem with the choice. The President, a scholar himself, knew that searches for staff in academia have less to do with nationals that struggled in the trenches, and everything to do with the best qualified person that could be recruited, regardless of nationality.
Dr. Griffith’s CV, which on the UG website, shows that he was a university Dean in Florida, a university Provost in Virginia and New York and a university President in Georgia. It also lists his seven books, dozens of book chapters and articles, and scores of speeches all over the world.
It tells you when he testified in the United States Congress and you can link to his speech there. And there is a whole lot more.
Fortunately Dr Griffith is Guyanese, and is a graduate of UG. Mr Freddie Kissoon may have contributed in many ways to Guyana, but there is nothing outstanding about his contribution as an academic. Assuming he does have a Masters Degree, he would have been asked to leave after two years by most degree granting universities with a focus on research, and scholarly work by their faculty. I wonder how many articles he has written. He must have read many books, but has he ever written one?
He owes UG a great debt of gratitude for keeping him for twenty four years more than he should have been there. Real academics have no problem admitting they gained a lot more from international exposure, than the “being in the trenches” rhetoric used by Mr Kissoon to justify the exclusion of qualified Guyanese who have lived abroad, from positions they are qualified to compete for.
Mr Kissoon has no vision for the growth and development of the University of Guyana, from primarily a local institution, to one that attracts regional, and international students and faculty. Dr Griffith was not selected to maintain the status quo, the type of situation that benefited Mr Kissoon.
It is clear from his speeches and TV appearances that his mission is to develop with the assistance of competent staff, a first class institution, a concept Mr Kissoon may have some difficulty with. Mr. Kissoon has to spout venom and bad talk Dr. Griffith, but from everything any objective person can see Dr. Griffith is not into tearing down and bad talking, but building up.
Yours respectfully
Weldon Kendall
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