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University College of the Cayman Islands President and CEO Stacy McAfee put things in perspective as she addressed a group of campus officials, students and supporters crowded into a room of the One-Stop Centre during Wednesday’s dedication of that new space.

“This truly will be the one stop students can make to get any information they need outside of the classroom.,” McAfee said. “If UCCI is their second home, the One-Stop Centre is the living room.

“Everything from admissions to registration to academic counseling to health and wellness to student government will be housed within this complex of offices,” she added. “No student will have to go more than few steps to get the support or information they need.”

The centre, she said, represents a shift in philosophy.

“One of the three pillars of UCCI’s vision is to be a student-centered institution,” McAfee said. “By consolidating our student services into one location, we are meeting that goal both practically and conceptually.”

Whether applying for admission to the university, registering for classes, receiving IT assistance, getting scholarship information or just obtaining a student ID, students will find the help they need at the One-Stop Centre. Other services offered at the centre will include financial aid, academic counseling and internship advisement. Additional components will be added as the year goes along.

There are also plans to have employers hold seminars in the centre, talking to students about what skills they will need once they enter the working world. Along with that, students will have access to applications for local internships.

Additionally, Student Life will be housed in the centre, providing support for students both academically and socially with tutoring services and activities such as clubs and, eventually sports.

During the dedication, McAfee pointed out a trophy case at the back wall of the room where the crowd was gathered. The campus hasn’t had a space to spotlight its students’ achievements.

“We just assembled these display cases,” she said, “and students are coming out of the woodwork with awards they’ve won and have been keeping at home.”

Student Life Director Donnette Goddard pointed out some other features of the room, including a word cloud on one wall featuring a cluster of key ideas related to student life and UCCI, an a display of more than two dozen national flags representing the diversity of the students attending the university.

“I’ve just been told we’re missing Haiti,” Goddard said. “So, we’ll be adding that one.”

Such elements, she said, are a way of building community at UCCI. The One-Stop Centre is a key component in doing that.

“The One-Stop Centre is supposed to be sort of the hub and remind (students) of what we offer them,” Goddard said.

And those offerings are now much easier to access.

“There will be a lot happening within these walls,” McAfee said. “It’s not that these things are new. We’ve offered these services here at UCCI all along. But in the past, they have been scattered around the campus in different offices. The idea is to make it easy for students to access the resources and services they need.”

Doing so, she added, provides “the foundation for generating academic, and ultimately, career success.”