The Catholic College of Mandeville, formerly called The Vicariate of Mandeville College, is a community of people sharing together in the search for truth as it is manifested in themselves and others. Established by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mandeville, the College first held classes in January 1993 in response to the growing need for teacher training and lay leadership training in the rural areas of Manchester, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth. The Catholic Vicariate of Mandeville, which comprises of these three civic parishes, was elevated to the status of a Diocese on February 15, 1998 when the College also received its present name. The College is recognized by the three Catholic Dioceses in Jamaica: Kingston, Montego Bay and Mandeville. The College was registered with the University Council of Jamaica in 1997 as a tertiary institution offering training in teacher education at the primary level. The Diploma in Primary Education programme was first accredited by the University Council of Jamaica on June 1, 2001 and re-accredited in 2006 and 2009. The Bachelor of Education (Primary) was accredited in 2005 and re-accredited in 2009 and 2014. The Catholic College of Mandeville is a registered private company in Jamaica. The governance structure for such an entity is a Board of Directors. The Bishop of Mandeville appoints the Board of Directors and the Bishop sits on the Board in the role of Chancellor. The Board, with the approval of the Bishop, appoints a Director who is responsible for the administration of the affairs of the College. The Director reports to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors then is the governing body that has the overall fiduciary and legal responsibility for the entity. The Bishop appoints a Board of Governors who acts as an advisory group to the College Administration, which in turn is responsible for the development and implementation of programmes of study and for acquiring qualified faculty to teach the necessary courses
In July 1991 the Catholic Church in Jamaica was reorganized from a two-region division to one of three regions with the newest established region comprising the south-central parishes of Clarendon, Manchester, and St Elizabeth. This region of the Church was called the Catholic Vicariate of Mandeville with Paul Michael Boyle, C.P. as its ordained Episcopal leader. Bishop Boyle recognized the need for promoting education at all levels including the tertiary level. This need was apparent in the number of pre-trained teachers in schools, especially in basic schools. In the rural areas, opportunities for upgrading and pursuing a diploma programme were limited and generally not accessible to working people. Therefore, the planning of a programme for in-service training of teachers was initiated immediately. By early January 1993, a programme of courses leading to a Diploma in Primary Education was ready for implementation. The programme was geared towards the adult learner with an emphasis on pre-trained teachers. Thus, was established the Vicariate of Mandeville College (VMC) from which the programme was operated. With the elevation of the Vicariate to the status of a Diocese on February 15, 1998, the College was renamed the Catholic College of Mandeville (CCM). The first courses were offered to eighteen (18) students in February 1993 and were conducted at Mount St. Joseph Preparatory School. However, in September 1994, St. Paul of the Cross High School was chosen as more convenient for the administration of the College and better equipped for a tertiary level programme, which eventually would require laboratories for the practical subjects. Two avenues were considered: seek approval from the Jamaican Ministry of Education or from a foreign college or university. For the development of the students (whose futures would be lived out here in Jamaica), it was decided to seek Jamaican approval.
The first formal approbation received by the College for the teacher training programme was from Bishop Boyle, who announced that the Diploma awarded by the College would receive recognition in Catholic Schools, with the appropriate remuneration for that level of qualification. In 1994, after Catholic Church approval, recognition from the Jamaican Ministry of Education was sought. The Certificate of Registration was granted by the University Council of Jamaica, November 1997 and was celebrated by the College community on May 30, 1998.The next major milestone in the history and development of the College was the First Graduation Ceremony that was held on January 31, 1999. Five students were awarded Diplomas in Primary Education. Each graduate had attained at least 126 credits covering all the mandatory and optional areas of the programme. The Chairman of the CCM Board of Governors conducted the proceedings and representatives from Church, civic and educational groups, which included UCJ 6and the Mandeville Office of the Ministry of Education, were present. Once the programme had been put to the test of a graduation, inquiries were made concerning the route to accreditation. By September2000 the CCM Academic Planning Committee, endorsed by the Director and Board of Governors initiated efforts to gain accreditation by UCJ for the Diploma Programme in Primary Education. This was received on June 1, 2001. Relocation of the College in 2001 to 66 Caledonia Rd., Mandeville, allowed for the implementation of the full-time day Diploma Programme that began in September 2002 with a class of 42 Students. October 2003 witnessed the implementation of the 4th year of a Bachelor of Education Degree Programme as a part-time evening programme over 2 years.
The 4th year of the full-time day degree programme was inaugurated in September 2005. The B.Ed. Programme(Primary) received UCJ accreditation on June 1, 2005 and the Diploma in Primary Education was re-accredited on June 1, 2005. From 2000 a rapid growth in enrolment has taken place together with a development in programmes and resources. The Catholic College of Mandeville had entered a new chapter in its history. The College was incorporated in June 2007. The Masters of Education in Teaching & Learning was launched in February 2008 and implemented in July 2008 through a partnership with Saint Mary’s University, Minnesota, USA. Nineteen of the inaugural students graduated from the M.Ed. Programme in September 2010. The M.Ed. Programme, for many years recognized and accredited in the USA, was accredited by UCJ in May 2010.The increasing enrolment—now about 700—demanded physical expansion, which was implemented with a Ground–breaking Ceremony on December 8, 2010 at the new location in Williamsfield, Mandeville. Students, staff and faculty moved into the new campus in 2013. In 2016 based on a review of decreasing student enrolment figures over the previous four years and the difficulties students were having in meeting their financial obligations, the Board of Directors took a decision to transition CCM into a graduate institution focusing only and expanding upon the offering of graduate professional programmes that responded to the industry needs of the Jamaican community and built around international partnerships. As a part of this, the decision was also taken to teach-out the undergraduate programmes on a part–time basis only. This teach-out has a projected completion date of July 2023.
Catholic College of Mandeville hosted two satellite campuses, one at St Thomas More Catholic Church grounds on Fernleigh Avenue Pay Pen, where Applicants/students residing in the parish of Clarendon attended the satellite campus in May Pen the capital of Clarendon. The students pursued two courses Language Arts one (1) and Language Arts two (2). The students then attend the main campus in Mandeville to do the remainder of course requirement for matriculation for graduation.
The Kingston site was a full-time programme. It was started at the Holy Childhood high school. It was them moved to St. Michael’s Seminary & Theological College, which is in Papine, at 7 John Golding Rd, Kingston Jamaica. “The Catholic College programme shared classrooms and library space. The completion of study was for three (3) years where students obtained a Diploma in Primary Education. Students had a choice to upgrade to a bachelor’s degree by attending the main campus.
The current total enrollment of Catholic College of Mandeville had now reached approximately six hundred and fifty (650) students and approximately 70 faculty and staff (full-time and part-time). From the programs we have offered, the college has seen a total of five (5) graduates in in 1999 to approximately 200 in 2011. As Jamaica’s fastest growing Catholic tertiary institution, we continue to make great strides in the educational sector by partially completing our new Campus in Williamsfield, Manchester to meet the educational demands of our current and new students.
Catholic College of Mandeville (CCM), founded by the late Bishop Paul Michael Boyle, C.P. in 1992, was established to assuage the increasing demand to upgrade the teaching skills of Jamaican educators. Cognizant of the fact that many teachers, pre-trained and post, were unable to fund their education, Bishop Boyle endeavoured to ensure that the college would be accessible to everyone through the formula of affordable tuition costs plus quality training.
This formula has been a success as within the first year of 1993, eighteen (18) students occupied one classroom at the college’s previous location, Mt. St. Joseph Preparatory School for 1½ years then St. Paul of the Cross High School, for some time. For the subsequent years, CCM continued to see an increase in enrollment, additions in faculty and staff and recognition from various private and educational boards and institutions in Jamaica. Indeed, in 1995, CCM had been approved by the Catholic Church and registered with the University Council of Jamaica in 1997. The college received accreditation and re-accreditation status of two of the main programmes offered by the college: Diploma in Primary Education (2001, 2005) and the Bachelor in Education (Primary), (2005, 2010).
While the main focus, presently, has been in the field of Primary Education, among its degree offerings are electives for advanced areas in Reading, Special Education, Guidance & Counselling, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Information Technology. CCM also offers short courses in Computer Literacy and Competency in English. These courses enhance the training of prospective teachers as they prepare for the 21st century classroom. Other short course programmes include Special Education which focuses on professional studies in special education.
The Master of Education in Teaching & Learning Programme, in partnership with Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, USA, commenced July 27, 2008, saw its first graduates (nineteen) on September 26, 2010, and received accreditation from the UCJ in 2011. Currently, there are 80 students enrolled in the M.Ed. Programme which operates one weekend per month over 20 months.
The college also hosts satellite sites: May Pen and Kingston, which offer the same programme as the main campus in Manchester. Current total enrollment of CCM has now reached approximately seven hundred (700) students and approximately 80 faculty and staff (full-time and part-time). From the programmes we have offered, the college has seen a total of five (5) graduates in 1999 to 200 in 2010. As Jamaica’s fastest growing Catholic tertiary institution, we continue to make great strides in the educational sector by constructing a new campus in Williamsfield, Manchester. We also continue to offer approximately fifty (50) courses per semester for the full-time and part-time evening programmes with the anticipation of adding new and diverse courses to meet all educational demands of the Jamaican populace.
Catholic College of Mandeville is grateful for the support we have received from our inception and we continue to crave your support as we continue to provide “quality in action and in word.”