Former Government Minister Receives Honorary Degree from Northern Caribbean University

Dr Linford A. Pierson, a former minister of government in The Cayman Islands, was conferred the Doctor of Public Service (Honoris Causa) from Northern Caribbean University during its graduation exercise on August 8, 2021. In addition to Dr Pierson, Andrew Ingraham, a United States-based businessman, was conferred with the Honorary Doctor of Business Degree and Fae Ellington, a veteran broadcast journalist in Jamaica, was conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Liberal Arts Degree by the University.

Dr Pierson served as the chairman of the board of directors of The Cayman Islands Utility Regulation and Competition Office (OfReg). In addition, he has represented The Cayman Islands Conference of Seventh-day Adventists on the NCU Board of Governors since December 2019 and was also the Commencement Speaker for the University's first virtual graduation in December 2020.

Dr Pierson attended West Indies College (forerunner of Northern Caribbean University) in his teens and is the holder of a Master's degree in Pastoral Psychology and Counselling from St. Stephen's College in Canada, and a Doctoral degree in Educational Psychology from Walden University in the US. Dr Pierson is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Accountants and is certified as a Public-Private-Partnership (P-P-P) Professional by the Association of Public Management Group (APMG) in the United Kingdom.

During 1988-1992 and 2000-2003, Dr Pierson served as Cabinet Minister in The Cayman Islands and has served the Cayman Islands Civil Service for 16 years. As a civil servant, he was Chief Officer for Health, Education and Social Services. He also worked for a time as Deputy Finance Secretary. The political offices held by Dr Person include Minister and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and Cabinet Minister with responsibilities related to utilities. His private sector experiences include being a former Director of Finance for Cayman Airways.

As the theme for its graduation, the University chose "Empowered by God: Overcoming Hurdles to Become the Anticipated Change." The weekend began with its usual Consecration Service on Friday, the Baccalaureate Service and the Commencement Ceremonies taking place on Sunday. This is the 98th year of graduation exercises at Northern Caribbean University since its establishment in 1907.