Roland Clarke for
President
of the
Old Harrisonian Society,
OHS
Dear Fellow Old Harrisonians:
It
is with a great sense of pride and a commitment to serve that I present myself
to you as a candidate for the position of President of the Old Harrisonian
Society (OHS). I currently serve on the OHS Council and I am a Life Member. I respectfully ask for your support and
assistance.
In
this introductory manifesto I present my vision for the OHS. My vision represents a significant departure
from the past and is predicated on your support and active involvement in the
OHS. I’m sure that you have perceptions
of concern about the OHS which were
forged during your formative years. As you have grown away from the School, those
perceptions are probably now set in their rightful place and you can now do
something about them with conviction. I
sincerely believe that the time is ripe to harness the best of all Harrisonians and put our collective
goodwill to the benefit of the School and to us as a Community (Society).
My own perceptions of the OHS is that it has been selective of its membership and therefore has not taken full advantage of our greatest asset, our diversity. It is high time to put this behind us and move the OHS to its rightful place to be of us and by us. While this movement has started under the current President through his encouragement of more females and younger members, there has been a parallel drop in the involvement of the older members. This schism is something that I abhor and I will seek to re-connect and harness the goodwill and resources of those that we follow. Ironically, we who were once “young” are now negatively perceived by the current generation as not willing to give back. This quagmire we must break.
Under my stewardship, the benefits that I will foster for our Community will be guided by the Objects of the Constitution of the OHS. These Objects may be found (in Draft) at http://www.oldharrisonian.org.bb/news/DraftConstitution.pdf. In particular, I would like to draw your attention to the third of twelve Objects which reads:
“(c) To foster friendly relationships and social intercourse between
members of the Society and to provide a meeting place for past pupils
of the School and for the members of the Society;”
I
really believe that this element has been missing for most of us far too long,
and if we forge a Society that is based upon this premise, we will amply serve
the remaining Objects.
The
remaining Objects relate primarily to the
welfare of the School, plus a number that relate to the financial and
management affairs of the OHS. Under my
stewardship, I will also emphasise:
“(f) to obtain, collect and
receive money and funds by way of contributions, donations, affiliation fees,
subscriptions, legacies, grants and any other lawful method, and to accept and
receive gifts of property of any
description (whether subject to any special trusts or not);”
“(i) to arrange and provide
for or join in arranging and providing for the holding of exhibitions,
meetings, lectures and classes;”
I
encourage you to join me and implement this vision for the greater good. Join
the OHS today at http://www.oldharrisonian.org.bb/join/membership.html
and vote on 13 October 2011 at HC, 5:30 PM.
BIOGRAPHY OF ROLAND CLARKE
Roland
attended Harrison College between 1969-1978.
He was an active participant in the music programme at the School, as
well as the cadet corps, hockey and athletics.
After
Harrison College, he represented the UWI Cave Hill in athletics and played 2nd
trumpet in the Barbados Symphonia. He also served on the Vestry/Council of the Episcopal
(Anglican) Churches of St. Mary’s Church, Philadelphia and Christ Church
Cathedral, Hartford.
His academic
pursuits include the BSc (Physics major), UWI, the MSc in Alternative Energy,
University of Reading, UK, and the PhD in Energy Management and Policy,
University of Pennsylvania, USA. He also
won an Internship in Solar Energy in France.
Roland
is a former CARICOM Diplomat having served as Project Manager of the Caribbean
Renewable Energy Development Programme at the CARICOM Secretariat. He has the
high distinction of representing the CARICOM Secretary General at the First
Summit of PetroCaribe hosted by the President of Venezuela for Heads of Government
from across the Caribbean.
Roland
is internationally recognised by the Government of Canada, the World Bank, and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Partnership, Austria. He has significant
private sector experience having worked in two of the largest electric utilities in New England, and having conducted
his doctoral field research at the Barbados Light and Power Company, BLPC. He
was also a recent Intervenor at the Fair Trading Commission rate hearing proceedings
of the BLPC.
Today,
Roland is in private practice under the name Clarke Energy Associates and
specialises in solar energy (PV), energy efficiency and energy policy. He
enjoys good old-fashioned Bajan dancing, is an avid fan of Browne’s Beach and
is way too jolly for his own good.
In deo fides
Operational Plan
Your vote for Roland is a vote for the Kolij Cares Initiative. Leadership that
redirects focus to charitable giving, new membership, business networking, a
distinguished lecture series, school extracurricular activities, and outreach.
My vision for the Society is to channel it towards being a caring organization, based on the principles of charitable giving and your active involvement. In this regard, I propose the Kolij Cares Initiative as captured in the following outline of an Operational Plan:
1. Charitable
Giving. At present there is very limited charitable
giving and membership involvement by the OHS.
Funds are limited to gross receipts from annual subscriptions, plus
donations of $1,100 and modest savings of about $36,000 in 2011 (and dropping).
Regular activities include support for the annual diner, Founder’s Week, an
online database of all past students, and other well established activities. Ad hoc activities include the award of a
scholarship to a deserving student, the construction of monuments, and the upgrade
of the physical plant. I propose to expand
and add new activities through appeals to your generosity and active support
as follows:
a.
Legacies and Gifts. These may take any form including your financial
contributions, memorabilia, time and talents, your good name, or any other way
that you may wish to ensure your legacy.
You will be publicly recognised in ways that are appropriate to the OHS and
acceptable to you. Gifts will be processed in such a way as to make them tax
deductible.
b.
Ad Hoc Fundraising. Every year,
the OHS receives requests from members of our Community who
have fallen on hard times and are in need of our urgent support. I propose that a Kolij
Cares Fund be established to
deal with these requests. In addition, I propose that direct appeals be made to
you that target specific cases so that you may have greater control over your contributions. I also propose that the beneficiaries should
be all members of our Community, whether financial members of the OHS or not.
c.
Donation Goal. I estimate a donation target of $127,900 per year
would be required.
2.
Membership Drive. The
OHS currently has about 150
“financial members.” I propose to expand
this by at least 50 new members per year by targeting all the diverse
sub-groups in our Community. I believe
that the benefits of participation in the activities herein will drive new
membership and donations. I will also
target the graduating classes of the School.
Persons making donations of more than $1,000 will be made Life
Members. Special recognition will be
given to persons inducting more than five (5) members per year.
3.
Business Networking. This will include public mini business exhibitions, health
fairs and other outreach events by professionals both at home and overseas.
4.
Distinguished Lecture Series. This will take
the form of an annual event named in honour of a prominent Old Harrisonian
(such as a certain former headmaster, hint, hint!). This will be supplemented by more regular talks
to students through the School’s Guidance Counselor, to
parents through the Parent Teacher’s Association and to the pubic though Town Hall Meetings.
5.
School Extracurricular Activities. I will
facilitate past students who wish to coach or mentor current students in any
field such as sports, music, art, girl guides, cadets, scouts, religion, business,
and the professions. Financial
assistance will be provided to students to aid their participation in both
local and international events. A stipend will be paid to coaches and mentors to
subsidise their costs.
6.
Communications. You will be
kept abreast of the developments of the School and the OHS by way of a mailed
letters, school magazine, email, text messages to your cell phone, the web site
of the OHS, and Face Book.
7.
Outreach. I am forever mindful that Old Harrisonians
are members of the wider community of their families and friends. I will
therefore seek to embrace the wider community in all of the activities under
this Operational Plan.
I
hope that you will agree that the above outline for an Operational Plan will
place the OHS on a more sustainable footing.
These proposals supplement my Introductory
Manifesto above.
I respectfully ask for your vote and support in the implementation of the Kolij Cares Initiative at the Annual General Meeting, 13 October 2011 at the School Hall, 5:30 PM.
You may reach me by telephone 251 0298 or by
email at clarker999@aol.com.
Sincerely,
Roland Clarke PhD (HC 1969-78)
http://www.linkedin.com/in/rolandclarke
In deo fides