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<p>As interim Director of the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education at The University of<br />
Guyana, Dr Murray knows a thing or two about motivation when it comes to self-study. So it is<br />
quite fitting that she recently completed her doctorate in Business Administration following a<br />
five-year period of study with Edinburgh Napier University in the United Kingdom.</p>

<p><br />
Dr Murray previously served as the Interim Deputy Director of the Institute in 2016, prior to<br />
which she was the Assistant Director of Berbice Campus for approximately two years.<br />
Throughout this period she assiduously studied, something she attributes to a need to learn and a<br />
thirst for knowledge. “I love research and my strength lies in the methodology section,” said Dr<br />
Murray, who considers herself the perennial student. “I have been studying for a long time, and<br />
new topics continue to spark my interest.”</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>She began her educational journey in Berbice at the New Amsterdam Mission Chapel<br />
Congregational School (now the New Amsterdam Primary School), before moving on to the<br />
New Amsterdam Multilateral School. She later became a teacher, ironically at the same<br />
Multilateral School, before heading to Georgetown to pursue a Diploma and subsequently a<br />
Degree in Accountancy at The University of Guyana.</p>

<p><br />
She reflected with enthusiasm on her classroom experiences as a student at the University and<br />
remembered one influential staff member in particular, who she said always made his classes fun<br />
and interesting: “There was this amazing lecturer by the name of Anand Persaud. As I sat in his<br />
classroom, I admired his lecture style and the way he knew his material. I began to think: I want<br />
to lecture and I wouldn’t mind being a person like him, who knows his material.”</p>

<p><br />
Later on, she decided to pursue her Masters in Finance Accounting and Management (MSc) at<br />
The University of Bradford in the United Kingdom. “Those things are so easy to aspire to until<br />
you actual try it,” she said with a chuckle. “Then you realise how challenging they can be.”<br />
Subsequently she did a Master’s in Education (MEd) at The University of Guyana, before<br />
pursuing her doctorate. At times, during her doctoral studies, she experienced feelings of<br />
uncertainty, wondering if she would be able to cope with the new challenges and demands.<br />
However she persevered and is thankful to have completed the programme.</p>

<p><br />
Today, Dr Murray uses her extensive knowledge and expertise to facilitate the continuous<br />
development of the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education. Her vision is that the<br />
Institute will one day provide distance education and be renamed The University of Guyana<br />
Open Campus.</p>

<p><br />
The Vice-Chancellor, the Renaissance team and staff members of The University of Guyana<br />
congratulate Dr Jacqueline Murray on this special achievement.</p>

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<p dir="ltr"><strong>Editor’s note - </strong>Dr Murray has since been confirmed as Director of the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education IDCE</p>

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<p dir="ltr"><strong>Copyright @ July 2019</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>By the Public Relations Division, University of Guyana</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Reprint permission must be requested from the Public Relations Officer, University of Guyana</strong></p>

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