The Gerald H. Read Center for International and Intercultural Education's presence in the Bahamas began in 1994, with a project initiated by former KSU faculty member Dr. Beverly Shaklee at the Bahamian Field Station on the island of San Salvador. Our support for this and other initial collaborative projects helped to pave the way for what has become the first off-campus, on-line, off-shore degree program in couseling for the Graduate School of Education at Kent State University.

This comprehensive collaboration officially described in a Memorandum of Agreement with The College of the Bahamas (www.cob.edu.bs) in 1998 includes:

• Master's Degree in School Counseling
• Master's Degree in School Administration
• Master's Degree in Special Education 
• Student Travel/Study Programs
• International Student Teaching Collaborations
• Faculty and Administrative Visits with Kent State University and College of the Bahamas
• Student Teacher Experiences/ Local Teacher Development.
• Educational Research on Under Achievement of Males.

Master's Degree in School Counseling: In July 2001, a graduate program in school counseling is established at COB, with KSU faculty delivering coursework in the Bahamas and online to a cohort of 30 students. Select COB faculty serve as adjunct faculty in specific areas. This marks the College and Graduate School of Education’s first  on-campus and off-shore program. In the summer of 2002 and again in 2004, a student cohort from COB spent six weeks at Kent State University. The first group of students graduated with their masters' degrees in school counseling in Nassau in January 2003. This was the first off-shore Kent State graduation.  The second cohort will graduate in January 2004.

Master's Degree in School Administration: A graduate program in school administration, modeled after the successful school counseling program, is initiated in the fall of 2002. A Masters in School Administration will be delivered on-site in The Bahamasand on campus at Kent State University.  A cohort of future Bahamian school administrators began their courses in the fall of 2003 and will also graduate in January 2004.

Master's Degree in Special Education.  Discussing are underway for a cohort of Master's students in special education. 

Environmental Research Project:  Dr. Dale Cook, Associate Dean, College of Education, and Dr. Harold Johnson, a Professor in the Department of Foundations of Education and Special Services, work closely with the Bahamian Educational Research Center on a community-wide initiative to understand and protect the land environment. The program is expected to emphasize technology and literacy.

Student/Travel/Study Programs: The first joint student/faculty group travel program in 2000 brings participants from Kent to scenic Andros, the largest island in the Bahamas. Two students from the Bahamas have completed degrees from the College and Graduate School of Education--a Ph.D. in higher education administration now an administrator at The College of the Bahamas, and a B. A. in special education--the first for the Bahamas. 

International Student Teaching Collaborations: The College of the Bahamas’ membership in COST (www.teachabroad.ua.edu), a collaborative effort among universities to provide quality student teaching opportunities in settings outside the United States, enables American education majors to complete student teaching requirements in the Bahamas during sessions of eight to 15 weeks.

Faculty and Administrative Visits to and from Kent State University and College of the Bahamas: Fourteen representatives from the College of the Bahamas (www.cob.edu.bs), a recently established four-year institution, and the Ministry of Education arrive at KSU for a week-long visit. The delegation includes COB President Dr. Keva Bethal, who stresses his institution’s interest in technology development. Months later, faculty from the College and Graduate School of Education participate in a COB conference on literacy.

Student Teacher Experiences/Local Teacher Development:  The initial phase of our Bahamian initiative begins in 1994 when Dr. Shaklee invites students and faculty members from the College and Graduate School of Education to join her at the Bahamian Field Station (www.sansalvadorisland.com/fieldstation), located on the island of San Salvador. These visits involve community-education experiences that provide KSU undergraduates with opportunities to teach in local schools. Meanwhile, local teachers are free to work with KSU graduate students and faculty on professional development issues. During four such experiences that take place in subsequent years, local teacher development workshops focus increasingly on areas such as literacy and science.

Educational Research in Under Achievement in Males: At the request of COB President Dr. Leon Higgs, Dr. Averil McClelland, a Professor in the Department of Foundations of Education and Special Services, and Dr. Awilda Hamilton, Associate Dean, College of Education, commence research comparing the educational development of adolescent males in the Bahamas to that of their African-American counterparts in the United States.

Graduate Council Presence:  Dr. Don Bubenzer continues to serve on The College of the Bahamas Graduate council.  This membership continues to serve as a communication link between the two institutions and resulted in a new graduate initiative with the School of Nursing.