DR.
J.A. GEORGE IRISH |
Executive
Director |
|
J.A.
George Irish, Ph.D., Executive Director of Caribbean
Research Center and Professor of Interdisciplinary
Studies. Dr Irish has over 30 years University teaching
experience; has held various positions internationally
as Professor of Comparative Caribbean and Latin American
Literature and Spanish Language; has coordinated faculty
and student exchanges and study abroad programs in
Latin America and the Caribbean; special interest
in research, editing, publishing, convening international
conferences, and giving open lectures in the international
academic world. |
 |
TEACHING
PHILOSOPHY |
Education
is a cornerstone for personal and community development.
Access to knowledge is the inalienable right of
all
humanity. Responsibility for educational advancement
is as much an individual as a collective challenge.
We owe it to our
fellowmen and our countries to open up opportunities
for investigation, critical analysis, open discussion,
individual reflection,freedom of thought and shared
intellectual enrichment. The professor/student relationship
that is founded on such principles rather than fostering
robots, creates gateways for intellectual fulfillment
and mutual respect.
Inter-disciplinarily
offers the teacher a vehicle for responding to the
diversity of learning styles and intelligences of
students, and a medium for a true to life understanding
of the inter-relatedness of all knowledge.
Research Interest
The role of education and culture in the promotion
of sustainable development. Caribbean and African
diasporic experiences in North and Central America.
|
|
 |
Organization
of American States (OAS): Member of the Select Panel
of Eminent Persons commissioned by the Secretary General
of the Organization of American States according to
the mandate of the 1990 General Assembly to review the
role of the OAS within the Inter-American system, and
to make specific recommendations for the future role
of the organization in hemispheric relations. The Panel
comprised 2 national Presidents, 3 Senators, 5 Foreign
Ministers, 1 Governor, 1 technocrat and 1 academic. |
| |
|
New
York City Board of Education Commission on Students
of African Descent. |
|
New
York City and New York State Committees on Education
of Caribbean Students. |
|
New
York City Board of Education Committee on Grades Transitions. |
|
Albert
Shanker College Scholarship Fund of the United Federation
of Teachers, New York. |
|
New
York State Regents Advisory Council and Visiting Committee
on Low Performing Schools. |
|
Executive
Committee of the Institute for Research on the African
Diaspora in the Americas & the Caribbean, City
College (CUNY). |
|
Board
of Visitors for the NYC Police Academy. |
|
Member,
Advisory Board, Global Studies Institute, Lincoln University,
PA. |
|
Editorial
Advisory Board, Caribbean Educational Research Journal,
UWI, Cave Hill, Barbados. |
|
Editorial Board, Journal of Eastern Caribbean Studies,
UWI, Cave Hill. |
|
Vice-President,
International Institute for Technology Exchange and
Capacity Building, Panama. |
|
| 1999 |
MEC/CUNY/PSC
Performance Excellence Award |
| 1999 |
MEC
Ten YEAR Dedicated Service Award |
| 1999 |
MEC
Association of Black Social Workers Award |
| 1998 |
University
of the West Indies Distinguished Graduate Award |
| 1997 |
Caribbean
American Chamber of Commerce & Industry, (CACCI) |
| 1997 |
Flatbush
Neighborhood Housing Award for Excellence in Education |
| 1997 |
Trinidad
& Tobago Alliance Award for Outstanding contribution
to education and research within the Caribbean American
Community. |
| 1997 |
East
Indian Diaspora Inc. Award for Outstanding Leadership
Initiatives In Developing Educational and Community
Service Programs for the Caribbean Immigrants in New
York City |
| 1996 |
The
University of the West Indies Guild of Graduates (Miami)
for sharing scholarship and experience |
| 1996 |
Garifuna
Heritage Award, New York. |
| 1993 |
Marcus Garvey Award for Leadership and Community Service
by Marcus Garvey Centennial Commission, New York. |
| 1992 |
Medgar
Evers College, CASA Award for Outstanding Leadership
in the Caribbean Community, New York. |
| 1992 |
MlCO
Old Students Association Award, for Outstanding Contribution
to Education, New York. |
| 1992 |
St.
Vincent and the Grenadines Ex-Teachers' Association
Award for Outstanding and Dedicated Service, New York. |
| 1991 |
Brooklyn
College Caribbean Students Union Award for Outstanding
Contribution to Education, New York. |
| 1987 |
Montserrat
Aspirers of Boston Award for Outstanding Contribution
to Education. |
| 1987 |
MAWU
Award of Merit for Distinguished Contribution to Labor
Relations. |
| 1986 |
Osmund
Dyce Fellowship to Harvard University. |
| 1985 |
Community
Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education and
Culture, Montserrat. |
| 1965 |
University
of the West Indies Graduate Fellowship. |
| 1964 |
1964
University of the West Indies Student of the Year Award. |
| 1961 |
Montserrat
Student of the Year Award |
| 1959 |
Montserrat Student of the Year Award |
|
|
PSC-CUNY
Grievance Counselor. |
|
PSC-CUNY
HEO Delegate. |
|
HIP
(HMO) Hospital Visitation Associate. |
|
Member,
Governor's (Cuomo) Task Force on Community Relations
for the Crown Heights Community. |
|
Editorial
Board, Daily News Caribbeat Magazine. |
|
Member,
Board, Caribbean American Center of New York. |
| 2000 |
Distinguished
New Yorker Leadership Award, Comptroller, New York City. |
| 1999 |
Humanitarian
Award, Brooklyn District Attorney. |
| 1998 |
Mother
of the Year, Montesserat Progressive Society, New York. |
| 1998 |
Nominee
for Mother of the Year/Community Service, CaribNews. |
| 1992 |
Community
Service Award, Caribbean American Students' Association,
Medgar Evers College, CUNY. |
| 1992 |
Marcus
Garvey Award for Deducated and Consistent Servivce to
Prisons, Caribbean African Unity. |
DR.
COLEEN CLAY |
 |
Dr.
Clay holds a Ed.D in School Psychology and International
Education Development from Columbia University,
Teachers College. She is the Coordinator of Educational
Research and Development.
Special
Interests: Curriculum Development, Assessment ,
Educational Psychology and Language Development.
|
|
HOLGER
HENKE |
| Senior
Fellow - Research & Publications |
SPECIAL
APPOINTMENTS |
 |
|
| RECENT
AND FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS |
| a)
BOOKS |
|
In
Preparation: Crossing Over: Comparing Recent
Migration in Europe and the United States, editor,
(Lexington Books, forthcoming). |
|
Modern
Political Culture in the Caribbean (Foreword
by Prof. Rex Nettleford), (main) co-editor with
Fred Reno (Université des Antilles et
de la Guyane), 2003. |
|
The
West Indian Americans, Greenwood Press, Westport
(CT) 2001.. |
|
Between
Self-Determination and Dependency: Jamaica’s
Foreign Relations, 1972-1989, The University
of the West Indies Press, Kingston 2000. |
|
The
End of the “Asian Model”?, (main)
co-editor with Ian Boxill, John Benjamins, Amsterdam/Philadelphia
2000. |
|
| b)
SELECTED ARTICLES |
|
"The
Legitimacy of the Neoliberal Trade Regime: Class,
Race and Gender in Contemporary Development,”
in: Issues in Caribbean Sovereignty and Development,
Cynthia Barrow-Giles and Don D. Marshall (eds.),
Kingston: Ian Randle Publishers (forthcoming
2002). |
|
“Freedom
Ossified: Political Culture and the Public Use
of History in Jamaica.” in: Identities:
Global Studies in Culture and Power (forthcoming,
2001).. |
|
“The
‘Shiprider’ Controversy and the
Question of Caribbean Sovereignty,” in:
European Review of Latin American and Caribbean
Studies, No.64 (June 1998), 27-47. |
|
“The
Granite Pampa: Some Notes on the Perception
of Hemispheric Flows of Migration,” in:
Wadabagei. A Journal of the Caribbean and its
Diaspora, Vol.1 No.1 (Winter/Spring 1998), 85-110. |
|
Exchange
with Merle Jacob (Gothenburg University) on
the nature of Caribbean society, in: Social
Epistemology, Vol.11 No.1 (Jan.-March 58; 1997),
pp.39-71:
Pt. 1: “Towards an ontology of Caribbean
existence”, ibid., pp.39-58;
Pt. 2: “Commentary on Merle Jacob’s
‘Constructing cultural identity: the question
of Caribbean existence’ ”, ibid.,
pp.69-71. |
|
“Mapping
the ‘Inner Plantation’. A Cultural
Exploration of the Origins of Caribbean Local
Discourse,” in: Social and Economic Studies,
Vol.45 No.4 (December 1996), pp.51-75. |
|
| c)
COMMUNITY SERVICE |
|
Advisory
Board member, Brooklyn College Library "Archival
Survey of the Records of the Jamaican and Trinidadian
Communities" Project. |
|
Chair,
Caribbean Studies Association "Task Force
on Technology," February 2001. |
|
Assistant
Editor, Wadabagei. A Journal of the Caribbean
and its Diaspora (Caribbean Research Center
at Medgar Evers College, CUNY). |
|
External
examiner (for M.Sc. degree) - Univ. of the West
Indies, Dept. of Sociology (October 1997; October
1998). |
|
Conducted
workshops and guest lectures at UWI (1995, 2001),
Columbia University (2000), NYU (2001), St.
Francis College (2001), Brooklyn College (2001). |
| d)
CURRENT RESEARCH |
|
Pilot
study “Jewish and Caribbean-American relations
in New York City: Perceptions, Conflict, and
Search for Solutions.” |
|
Legitimacy
of Neoliberalism and Globalization in the Caribbean. |
|
Issues
of Caribbean Political Philosophy. |
|
ADVISORY
BOARD |
| MEMBERS |
Mr.
Roy A. Hastick, Sr. - Chair |
President/CEO
of the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce
and Industry, Inc. (CACCI) and has been the
Chairman of the board from its inception; Una
Clarke is a member of the New York City Council |
| Hon.
Una Clarke |
Member
of the New York City Council |
Hon.
Rick Craig |
Former
Counsel General of Barbados |
Dr.
Dennis Derryck |
Professor
at the New School University |
Ms.
Julia James |
CPA
(accountant) and community leader |
Hon.
George McKenzie |
Former
Consul General of Trinidad and Tobago |
Dr.
Marco Mason |
Executive
director of the Caribbean Woman's Health Association |
Hon.
N. Nick Perry |
Member
of the New York State Assembly |
Mr.
Karl Rodney |
Chairman/CEO
of the CaribNews newspaper |
Dr.
Waldaba Stewart |
Chairman
of the Caribbean Action Lobby (CAL) |
|
Ex-officio: |
Dean
Evelyn W. Castro |
Dean
of the School of Arts and Education at Medgar
Evers College (CUNY) |
|
|
