Nassau, Bahamas, July 2^nd, 2020: The Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) will join the host of academic institutions around the world and throughout the Bahamas to hold a virtual 2020 Commencement Ceremony on Friday, Executive Director of BAMSI and head of the College, Dr Raveenia Roberts-Hanna said.                                                                                                           

“While the day will not be the same as our ceremony in Andros, we worked very hard to capture the essence and the spirit of our on-campus ceremony onto a virtual platform,” she said.                                                                                                   

The 2020 Commencement Ceremony marks the fifth graduation that BAMSI has held. This year, there are a total of thirteen graduates who come from islands across the archipelago. Nine of the graduating class are marine science majors, the largest number to graduate to date. The other degree holders come from the agriculture, aquaculture and environmental science programmes.                                               

“We are of course excited to be a part of this academic chapter in the student’s lives, in preparing them for this moment so they can go forth and bring the necessary change that is needed in the Bahamas,” Dr Hanna said.                                        

Keynote speaker for the ceremony will be Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Michael Pintard. Conferring the degrees upon them will be Chairman of BAMSI Stephen Turnquest. The graduates can also look forward to a few special surprises during the virtual ceremony.                                                                        

As BAMSI celebrates yet another cohort to successfully complete their programme, the Institute is also ramping up for the upcoming semester. The Government’s Free Tuition Grant makes this an especially exciting time for the college, new and existing students.                                                                                                                   

“We are grateful for the Government’s continued support of BAMSI through its Free Tertiary Grant which means that academically qualified students who have financial challenges are now afforded the opportunity for free tuition, so we are anticipating that many high school graduates and others will take advantage of the opportunity.” Dr Hanna said.

Prospective students should note that registration is still ongoing with the admissions team continuing to work with all relevant stakeholders during this time. “We do understand that we are working in a COVID-19 environment, so we want to make their transition to the campus as seamless as possible. We are ready to welcome them to the next chapter of their lives,” she said.                                                       

Dr Hanna noted further, that as the country focuses on food security, it is crucial for persons to understand the importance of the nation being able to feed its citizens, and to then take advantage of the opportunity of free tuition to purse training in marine science, agriculture, environmental science, aquaculture, agribusiness  and its related sciences.                                                                                               

During the upcoming semester BAMSI will add five new courses to its programme offering, several of which go beyond the scope of agriculture and farming, and that will enable the Institute to cater to a wider audience.  “We do have a cross section of programmes, business management, art and the environment, animal science, general agriculture and agronomy,” Dr Hanna said.                                                 

She also noted that for graduates, BAMSI has also forged close relationships with international tertiary institutions to make it easy for students to transition to the bachelor’s degree level once they have completed their programme.                        

Family and friends can tune in live on BAMSI’s Facebook, YouTube and Instagram platforms. The ceremony will also be streamed live on the Institute’s website www.bamsibahamas.edu.bs at 10am, Friday, July 3. They can also download the commencement booklet.