Dear Source:
I have thought for a long time that the Virgin Islands should be putting as much effort into attracting colleges as the driver for tourism as casinos. The two life events most likely to draw a person's friends and family to another location are marriage and graduation. Having visited us they may visit again and then recommend it to others.
The Virgin Islands has the University of the Virgin Islands which has now attracted a lot of respect but it should not be alone. There are a lot of communities in the United States the size of ours who derive their economy from having a variety of colleges. If the US Virgin Islands had more colleges then the loss of a valued faculty member to UVI would not also be a loss to the Virgin Islands. It would not be the same point of contention if that faculty member were picked up by another institution.
As well as the format pursued by the University of the Virgin Islands for it's accreditation by the Mid Atlantic States there are other formats and other non regional accrediting bodies which are accepted as legitimate by the U S Department of Education. There are well over a thousand accredited colleges and at any one time several are for sale and we should try to bring more in.
Richard Bond
Boston and St. Croix
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