11 to receive honorary doctorate degrees from UG

Nov 04, 2024 News

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…Eze Rockliffe, Anne Greene, Chris Fernandes, Ian Robertson and Dr. Narendra Singh among awardees

Kaieteur News- In its fourth annual honorary degree conferral, the University of Guyana (UG) has revealed its 2024 roster of exemplary Guyanese in science, business, arts, and education who will receive honorary doctorates at this year’s convocation.

The awards, to be presented during the 58th Convocation from November 7 to 16, recognize notable alumni and leaders across diverse fields. Among the honorees are Sir Ronald Ramjattan, founder of Barron Foods and an alumnus of UG’s Faculty of Natural Sciences; Dr. Narendra Chetram Singh, a Toronto-based surgeon and medical innovator; Hansib Publishing founder Mr. Arif Ali; and linguistics and language expert Prof. Ian Robertson.

Other recipients include entrepreneur and philanthropist Victor Compton Insanally; shipping industry leader Christopher Fernandes; finance and management expert Ralph Bazilio; child rights advocate Ann Greene; historian and consumer advocate Patrick Parbhu Dial; celebrated musician and culturalist Eze Rockcliffe; and cultural icon Pauline Thomas, also known as “Auntie Comesee.”

Moreover, the university explained that the selection for the honorary doctorates is made over a year-long process. Nominations for honorary doctorates are made through an academic division within the university at least one year in advance of the award to allow for the shortlisting and the five approval steps and background research to be conducted. Those receiving this symbolic gesture of excellence must have been nominated and must exemplify decades of consistent excellence in their areas of service, the university said.

To attend or view the presentations visit: https://www.facebook.com/uniofguyanaand UG Broadcasting Service at https://broadcasting.uog.edu.gy/.

The following are brief synopses of each awardee.

Sir Ronald Ramjattan, Founder Baron Foods

Sir Ronald Ramjattan is a well-respected Chemist/Food Technologist. He is the CEO and founder of Baron Foods Ltd. Sir Ramjattan began his academic journey at the Muslim Education Trust College in Brickdam, Georgetown.  His passion for chemistry led him to the University of   Guyana, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry in 1972.

Upon graduating from UG, Mr. Ramjattan started his professional career as a Chemist with GUYSUCO before joining the firm of Ricks & Sari Agro Industries Ltd in Guyana as a Food Technologist. He was later transferred to manage the company’s operations in Saint Lucia and subsequently made the bold decision to establish his own company Baron Foods Ltd in Saint Lucia in 1991.

Under Ronald Ramjattan’s visionary leadership, Baron Foods Ltd has evolved into the largest food processing products manufacturer in the Eastern Caribbean. The company now boasts a portfolio of over 165 award-winning food products and exports to both the Caribbean and inter-national markets.

This celebrated entrepreneur has received numerous awards, including The Businessperson of the Year 1999 Award and the coveted Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” 1999 Award. In addition, he was bestowed with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in November 2014. Ramjattan, who is also a notable philanthropist, will be awarded an honorary doctorate for Excellence in Science on Thursday, November 7th at the 4pm ceremony

𝐃𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡, 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐧, 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫

Dr. Narendra Singh is currently the Director of Pediatric Critical Care Services at the South Tex-as Health System. Additionally, he is the Strategic Adviser to the Minister of Health in Guyana. In 2018, he retired as the Chief of Staff at Humber River Hospital, Toronto.

Dr Singh is also the Programme Director for the Pediatric Post Graduate Programme, University of Guyana/ Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, and Associate Clinical Professor, Faculty of Medicine at the McMaster University. He founded Guyana Help the Kids in 2009 to address neonatal and infant mortality rates in Guyana.

Dr. Singh has received numerous awards including the Meritorious Service Medal of Canada and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Prix d’excellence (Specialist of the Year). He will be awarded an honorary doctorate for Excellence in Medicine on Saturday, November 9 at the 4pm ceremony

 

𝐀𝐫𝐢𝐟 𝐀𝐥𝐢, 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫, 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭

Arif Ali has over 50 years’ experience in publishing for and about the Caribbean in the United Kingdom. Ali’s career as a newspaper publisher started in 1973 with the acquisition of West Indian World. Under Ali’s editorship, the West Indian World prospered, campaigning on various educational issues that were affecting black schoolchildren in Britain. Ali went on to further en-gage and communicate with the Caribbean, African and Asian communities by establishing the Asian Digest (August 1980), the newspapers Caribbean Times (1981), Asian Times (1983) and African Times (1985), as well as Root Magazine (1987).

In 1997, Ali sold his newspaper companies in order to concentrate on book publishing, and Hansib remains “the biggest and most diverse black book publisher in Britain”. He is the recipient of many awards for his service including 2024 Bocas Henry Swanzy Award for Distinguished Service to Caribbean Letters. Mr. Ali will be awarded an honorary doctorate for Excellence in Literature on Friday, November 8th at the 4pm ceremony.

 

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐫

Following the completion of his secondary education at Queens College, Prof Ian Robertson went on to the University of the West Indies, Mona, where he completed the Special Honours degree in English. He returned to the University at the St Augustine campus where he completed his Ph. D in Linguistics.

Prof. Robertson worked in the education system in Guyana and Trinidad and Jamaica for more than forty years. He has also been actively involved in the work of the Caribbean Examinations Council having served as Assistant Chief Examiner at the CSEC English panel and as Chair of the syllabus development committee for the preparation of the CAPE Communication Studies.

In academia, his work has covered a number of areas including Creole Linguistics, English Language Education in the Caribbean, the Caribbean Oral Traditions, among other areas

“In the world of Creole linguistics, he will be best remembered as the rediscoverer of Dutch-lexicon Creole in Guyana. His rediscovery of Berbice Dutch was not fortuitous. His personal exploration of the documented history of the language and the geography of Guyana convinced him that the language could not be extinct before he undertook the quest to find speakers. He applied his linguistic work to the educational needs of speakers of Creole languages at the level of teach-er education through his face-to-face teaching and through his publications, both as sole author and in collaboration with other distinguished scholars”.

Prof. Robertson will be awarded an honorary doctorate for Excellence in Literature and Linguistics on Saturday, November 9th at the 9am ceremony.

𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐬, 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐭𝐝

Patriarch of the Fernandes clan, international shipping magnate and servant leader, Mr. John Fernandes’ work experience covers a wide range of activities in the fields of business and management, as well as social, cultural, humanitarian and sports in Guyana. He pursued his tertiary education at the Irish Management Institute and Pennsylvania State University. He is currently the Chairman of John Fernandes Group of Companies.

Chris Fernandes also served as the Hon. Counsel for Germany to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana from 2003 – 2010. He was the First President of the Shipping Association of Guyana Inc. (1995 – 2002). He was also the Chairman of Caribbean Shipping Association.

In 2002, he received The Golden Arrow of Achievement (AA) award for long and dedicated service in the field of Commerce and Shipping. Additionally, in 2007, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) for his outstanding accomplishments and significant contributions to the business community and the wider Society. He will be awarded an honorary doctorate for Excellence in Business, Sports, Education and Civic Engagement on Thursday, November 7, at the 9am ceremony.

 

𝐀𝐧𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐞, 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞

Ann Greene is a career social work professional with over 45 years of experience in the Public Service in Guyana. She has served in a number of capacities in the Social Services in Guyana, starting as an administrative staff and moving to a probation and welfare officer a capacity in which she served for several years before reaching the height of Chief Probation Officer and later Director of the Childcare and Protection Agency (CCPA).

Greene is the recipient of the Order of Service of Guyana for long service with exceptional dedication in the probation and welfare service (2011). She also received other awards including the European Union Human Rights Award for relentless work for the development and protection of children’s rights in Guyana. Greene will be awarded an honorary doctorate for Excellence in Children’s Welfare, Protection, Social Services and Professional Development on Saturday, November 9th at the 4pm ceremony.

 

𝐑𝐚𝐥𝐩𝐡 𝐁𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐨, 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐳𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐭

Ralph Bazilio has over 37 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant in the US. He has built a distinguished career providing audit, accounting, financial, and management advisory services. As the CEO of Bazilio Cobb Associates and the Managing Partner of Watson Rice LLP, Bazilio has demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise in both firms, guiding them to prominence in the accounting and consulting sectors.

Bazilio has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of the District of Columbia, He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM). He will receive an honorary doctorate for Excellence in Business, Sports, Education and Civic Engagement on Friday, October 8 at 4pm.

 

𝐌𝐫. 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥, 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧, 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫

Pat Dial is a historian by profession. He served in numerous capacities in the public service over several decades, including at the level of Permanent Secretary in the then Ministry of Information and Culture and as Executive Director of the Advisory Committee on Broadcasting (ACB) which later evolved into the National Broadcast Authority.

He also lectured History and Caribbean Studies for many years at the University of Guyana. Mr. Dial’s work on consumerism spans several decades and to this date, he serves as President of the Guyana Consumers Association (GCA). As a Justice of Peace (JP), he provides assistance to members of the public. For his excellent work and contribution to Guyana’s national development, he was awarded the Cacique Crown of Honour (CCH) and the Golden Arrow of Achievement (AA). Mr. Dial will receive an honorary doctorate for Excellence in History on Thursday, November 7th at 9 am.

 

𝐕𝐢𝐜 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐕𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞

Victor Insanally has had a long and illustrious career through which he has made immense contributions to the arts, culture, and public life of Guyana. He has been a pioneering force in Guyanese arts, culture, public relations, and philanthropy. His contributions to the creative and civic life of Guyana, particularly as a distinguished broadcaster, cultural leader, and pioneering entrepreneur is unparalleled, Moreover, his devotion to the upliftment of Guyanese children through the Tina Insanally Foundation exemplifies his commitment to using his talents and influence for the greater good.

In recognition of his exceptional contribution to the field of The Arts, the Theatre Guild of Guyana recently awarded him the 2023 Icon of the Arts Award for Marketing and Promotion of the Creative Spirit. In 1998, he was conferred with the Cacique Crown of Honour for his outstanding services to the country. He will receive an honorary doctorate for Excellence in the fields of Business and Entrepreneurship on Friday, November 8th at the 9am ceremony

 

𝐄𝐳𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐟e, 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐧

Eze Rockcliffe is a cultural icon. He is the lead for the Yoruba Singers band, formerly known as the “Kitty Young Ascrians”. Due to Rockliffe’s exceptional talent and leadership, the band has achieved many significant successes for over half a decade. Owing to the fact that the band has never broken up, it is by far the longest continuing ensemble of its kind in the country. It is the first to have played at almost every version of the Caribbean Festival of Creative Arts (Carifesta), and the first musical group or outfit from Guyana to have had the honour to perform at the world-famous Maddison Square Garden alongside the Mighty Sparrow and the late Lord Kitchener back in 1983.

Rockcliffe and the Yoruba Singers have more than 100 recorded songs, the majority of which are originals. Rockliffe will be awarded an honorary doctorate degree for Excellence in Performing Arts, Music and Culture on Saturday, November 9th at the 9am ceremony.

𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐬, 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐤𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭

Pauline Thomas—affectionately known as “Auntie Comesee” is a living legend at one hundred and two years old. Her name resonates deeply within the realms of storytelling, folklore and cultural preservation. Her legacy has not only enriched the artistic community in Guyana but has also influenced the wider Caribbean diaspora.

Thomas’s captivating performances at the Theatre Guild of Guyana set the standard for stage acting in the country, earning her widespread admiration for her ability to blend humour, pathos, and cultural nuance in her roles. However, it was her work as “Auntie Comesee” on the radio that truly solidified her status as a national icon.

Thomas’s contributions to Guyanese arts have been celebrated through numerous prestigious awards and recognitions, both locally and internationally. Some of her most notable accolades include: The African Canadian Achievement Award in Arts (2000), the Guyana Folk Festival Award from the Guyana Cultural Association of New York (2007), the Guyanese Artistic Music Awards (GAMA) Storyteller and Actor Award (2008) and the Guyana Awards (Canada) for Media and Culture.  At the remarkable age of 79, she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in World Religion and Fine Arts Studio from the University of Toronto. Ms. Thomas will receive an honorary degree for Excellence in Performance, Arts and Letters on Friday, November 8th at the 9am ceremony.

These awardees join only 21 other honorary doctorates ever awarded by the University in its 61-year history.

 

(11 to receive honorary doctorate degrees from UG)

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• and education, Arts, business, honorary degree conferral, Science, University of Guyana

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