UB Board of Trustees holds press conference; is president resigning?

The Board of Trustees of the University of Belize held a press conference at the facility’s gymnasium this afternoon. The purpose of the conference was to provide information on the alleged resignation of its president, Carey Fraser. We say alleged because even after the hour-long session that much is still not clear. Chair of the Board of Trustees, Harrison Pilgrim, started off the conference by reading a statement. In a nutshell, that statement provides a chronology. On November first, President Fraser allegedly told the Board that he was considering an appointment which would take him away from the university.  On November sixth, the President allegedly wrote to Prime Minister Dean Barrow and advised him that he would leave U.B. at the end of the academic year, which is June 2014. On June eighth, Pilgrim met with the president to get a better understanding of his intent and on November eleventh, the Board decided to accept Fraser’s letter to the PM as a notice of his resignation. Pilgrim would not disclose the details of the letter or his meeting with the president. So with that said, there was still no clear understanding of the reason for Fraser’s resignation, if he has even formally resigned. 

Harrison Pilgrim, Chair, Board of Trustees, UB

Harrison Pilgrim

“The president has not provided me or the board with direct communication spelling out his intention. The press conference is intended to make you aware of exactly where the situation is at this point. The Board of the university is mindful of the critical role of leadership in an institution just like this and informs its constituents: the stakeholders, the staff, the faculty, the students and the wider Belizean populace that it intends to take swift and effective remedial measures to preserve the smooth and effective management of the university’s of the high quality academic instruction within a safe and enabling campus environment.”

Allison Fraser

Allison Fraser, President, Faculty and Staff Association, UB

“I believe that this press conference is a premature at this time. Being on the board, I know that the board cannot remove the president of the university. The board should make recommendation to the prime minister for the removal of the president; they are to make recommendations.”

Harrison Pilgrim

“Once the Board became aware of the president’s intention—stated first at a board meeting—and then in a letter to the prime minister, it would have been a serious dereliction of duty if the board did not immediately go into gear to ensure that once there is a clear indication from the president to the board it is able to respond.”