The Gambian Government Praises Saint Mary's University

February 16, 2001

The Gambian Government Praises Saint Mary's University

Today, the Government of The Gambia, West Africa will honour Saint Mary's University at a special ceremony in Banjul, the country's capital city. The event will coincide with the country's National Day celebrations.

Yahya Jammeh, President of The Gambia, will preside over the ceremony where Dr. Colin Dodds, Saint Mary's University President, will be officially thanked by Gambian authorities and officials from the new University of The Gambia for the role that Saint Mary's has played in assisting the Gambia develop its tertiary education system and its new university.

"This role has included over six years of involvement in the delivery of university-level programming in The Gambia through the Saint Mary's University Extension Program where over 250 Gambians have graduated with Saint Mary's degrees in their own country," says Denis Leclaire, Director of the Saint Mary's International Activities Department. "In addition, with support from the Canadian International Development Agency, Saint Mary's continues to work with the new University of The Gambia, assisting it to develop and strengthen governance and administrative systems."

Dr. Dodds will be speaking at the special ceremony where he will also be honouring the more than 100 Gambian students who graduated in absentia over the last year. Also part of the Saint Mary's delegation is Heidi Taylor, Program Director for the Saint Mary's International Activities Department, who has managed the University's involvement in The Gambia for the last six years.

Saint Mary's has one of the most "internationalized" universities in Canada, with hundreds of international students on its campus from almost 100 different countries - the largest number of students from the Caribbean, Japan, China, the United States, Brazil, and Taiwan.

The University is home to one of Canada's leading business schools, has the largest Arts Faculty and a Science Faculty widely known for its cutting-edge research.

Press Release: The UEP Student Experience

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
Email: sabally@mlsabally.com

First-World Education in the Third World

Author Narrates Development of The Gambia’s First University

ATLANTA – Momodou Sabally presents an inspiring account of the Saint Mary’s University Extension Program in The Gambia in his new memoir, Homegrown: The Student Experience of a UniqueCanada-Africa University Program (now available through AuthorHouse).

The Gambia, located in West Africa, has faced harsh economic conditions for years, and having its own university seemed to be merely a dream, according to Sabally. In 1995, the country began a partnership with Saint Mary’s University of Canada to provide undergraduate degrees for Gambian citizens for the first time in their own country. This program was called the Saint Mary’sUniversity Extension Program in The Gambia. Professors from Saint Mary’s traveled to The Gambia to teach, and qualified Gambian instructors were hired as adjunct professors. This partnership ultimately led to the founding of the University ofThe Gambia, which now operates as an independent degree-granting institution.

Sabally describes his experience as a student at the university in a conversational and easy-to-read style tinged with humor and reflection. He retraces his personal development cognitively,socially and personally, as well as the impact the universityhad on the entire country. “The overriding theme appears to bethat round or sound education, as provided by the UEP, is thelaunch pad for meaningful national and personal development,” he says.

The story opens in the permanent secretary’s office at Bedford Place Building in Banjul with the sentence, “I’ve been directedto expel you from the program.” From that dramatic opening, Sabally takes readers through a series of flashbacks of the events preceding this moment. He divides his experience into three stages: initial intellectual struggles, his rise to the presidency of the university’s student government and valedictory speech, and attendance at the First International Conference of Young Leaders in Taiwan.

The captivating plot provides readers the entertainment of a novel while maintaining the authenticity of a true story as Sabally vividly illustrates his experience in this unique program.

Sabally was born in Banjul, The Gambia, and currently resides in Atlanta. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Saint Mary’s University Extension Program. Sabally has published several articles and poems in The Gambia’s Daily Observer and has served as president of the Association of Authors and Writers. He has also written Instant Success: The Ten Commandments of Personal Achievement and the Road to Enduring Riches and is currentlyworking on his third book. He publishes a bi-weekly e-zine, Inspirational Success Now, as well as motivational articles forhttp://www.mlsabally.com/ and other publications.
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