- Dr Balvin Braham was appointed president of Northern Caribbean University
- He previously led the Adventist church’s West Jamaica Conference
- The letter says NCU receives no direct government funding
- It lists campus expansion, renovations and lecture theatres as challenges
The appointment of Dr Balvin Braham as president of Northern Caribbean University (NCU) drew a warm welcome in a letter to the Jamaica Observer in July 2026, along with a clear-eyed list of what the new leader must tackle.
Writer Dr Burnett Robinson, describing himself as a fellow Jamaican and parishioner, traced Braham’s rise from humble beginnings in rural St Elizabeth through the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Braham has served as a pastor, youth director of the Jamaica Union Conference, president of the West Jamaica Conference and vice-president of the Inter-American Division, overseeing operations in more than 20 countries. “His life affirms that greatness is not determined by one’s place of birth, but by one’s commitment to purpose and service,” Robinson wrote.
The letter was frank about the institution’s position. NCU is a faith-based liberal arts university that operates without direct government funding, and it faces significant financial and administrative challenges, including campus expansion, structural renovations, modern lecture theatres and technological advancement.
Robinson pointed to the university’s century-long record of producing graduates in medicine, education, business, ministry and public service across Jamaica, the Caribbean and beyond. “NCU has chosen a president prepared for such a time as this,” he wrote, adding: “May his presidency strengthen the institution’s Christian mission, expand its influence, and leave a monumental legacy.”
Running a university campus without state support is, in large part, a property management challenge. Buildings age, standards rise and students expect modern facilities, all of which must be funded from fees, church support, donors and partnerships. Deferred maintenance becomes more costly every year it is put off.
For Mandeville, where NCU is a major employer and draws students who rent rooms and apartments, the university’s physical growth matters to the local property market. For Adventist members and alumni at home and abroad, the letter is a reminder that sustained giving to capital projects, not just tuition, is what keeps a church-owned campus competitive.
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