The Tribune

CYNTHIA “Mother” Pratt has been honoured by St Augustine’s University at its National Alumni Association Conference in the Bahamas, the first time it has been held outside the United States.

Over 100 former graduates were honoured, including 15 Bahamians, at the conference, which culminated in a Gala Ball at the British Colonial Hilton on Saturday night. The Prime Minister was among the guests.

Founded in 1867 by prominent Episcopal clergy, St Augustine’s University has become one of America’s most respected private, accredited, historically black, co-educational institutions of higher learning. For the past 75 years, the university - in Raleigh, North Carolina - has been aiding its students through the Office of Alumni Affairs and during the 1970s and 1980s, Bahamians flocked there.

“Mother” Pratt, who studied there between 1980 and 1983, was proud to have been reocognised as prime honouree. “I was elated and touched emotionally by the re-engagement of St Augustine’s University with the Commonwealth of the Bahamas,” she said on Saturday night.

“I was happy to see and speak with the president of St Augustine’s University, Dr Everett Ward, president of the Alumni Association Patti Brown and the Board of Trustees members, continuing to have interest in the Bahamas and the students of our country.

“I was grateful and proud to hear the stories of the numerous Bahamians who attended St Augustine’s University and the many contributions to developing and educating impeccable leaders in our country - notable persons such as president of the Bahamas Union of Teachers Belinda Wilson, Minister of Labour Shane Gibson, Jerome Sawyer, BTC’s Senior Manager in Public Relations and Jenny Isaacs‐Dotson, the president of the Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas.

“Myself and many others are all a part of their educational scholarship contributions that have helped make our country better.”

In 1993 “Mother” Pratt received an Honorary Doctorate degree of Humane Letters from her alma mater and later became the president of the Bahamas Chapter of the St Augustine’s Alumni Association. Since 1980 she has been an official recruiter for colleges abroad and had the opportunity to provide hundreds of scholarships to deserving Bahamians.

The Bahamas Chapter had held a number of fund raisers for students that cannot afford to get a higher education, culminating in the Gala Ball on Saturday.

“Mother” Pratt said: “St Augustine’s University has invited me to St Augustine Day in North Carolina, where I will present the commencement speech along with having a book signing for my new book “An Ordinary Woman from the Heart of the Inner City” for the library and students.

“I am just grateful to God for the opportunity for our Bahamian students to have St Augustine’s University as a added institution to continue to progress our country.”