Miconians and Fellow Jamaicans,  

We observe Labour Day annually on May 23 to inspire community service and collective action, and to honor the 1938 labor rebellion, a turning point in Jamaica’s working-class struggle. This Labour Day 2025 is themed “Protect the Environment: Our Land, Our Duty, Our Future”, and culminates Workers’ Week (May 18–23), which is themed “Transforming Jamaica’s Workforce for Greater Resilience and Sustainable Development”. 

These themes call us to prepare and protect our workforce (the people), to safeguard our environment and to build a resilient future for both. The Mico University College leads this charge by fostering educators who understand these themes, and who embody leadership, integrity, and innovation. They are ready to transform lives and society through education. 

On May 23, we will take steps to preserve our heritage by starting to specially protect and highlight our campus’ Lignum Vitae (*Guaiacum officinale*) trees. They are Jamaica’s endangered national flower, symbolizing our nation’s resilient history and vibrant growth. 

This effort to protect and preserve heritage is much like The Mico Foundation’s *Project Buxton Restore: Save the Buxton Building* campaign, launched this week.

A special guest at the launch, The Honourable Olivia “Babsy” Grange called the 135-year-old Buxton Building that is named for abolitionist Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, “an icon of hope”. The restoration will help ensure that our collective legacy endures. It is why we are also pleased that it is supported by Prime Minister The Most Honourable Dr. Andrew Holness and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust.  

The Prime Minister visited our campus this Teachers’ Day, May 8, celebrating our 190-year legacy as the Western Hemisphere’s oldest teacher training institution. He offered to support our appeal for full university status through an Act of Parliament, to fund the training of a speech therapist for Mico CARE, to provide a student bus, and to support the Buxton Building’s restoration.

That visit, and visits from Chinese Ambassador Chen Daojiang, Indian High Commissioner Shri Mayank Joshi, and Acting British High Commissioner Jonathan Cook, strengthens our vision and affirms our global impact. These officials all praised our legacy of educating thousands of Jamaicans, now training tomorrow’s workforce.  

The Mico has a holistic approach to training that was skillfully showcased near Mico Week, when our track team secured two gold medals and a silver at the 2025 Penn Relays, with Rasheed Foster’s 10.46-second 100m time standing out. Our National Mathematics Workshop from May 27 to 29 will promote new strategies to elevate mathematics education, and our drive to train over 250 new STEM scholars annually will foster the training of a resilient workforce ready for the dynamic global landscape of the future. 

The Prime Minister recognized our efforts to prepare the workforce for a sustainable technology driven Jamaica when he hailed plans for our STEM and Business Incubation Centre, that also aligns with Labour Day’s important themes. The centre will demonstrate The Mico’s shared vision with the Government of Jamaica, and empower educators to prepare youth for sustainable development and for a STEM future.

I will end by echoing a call from Minister Grange that was extracted from “Jamaica, Land of Beauty”, “from riverside to mountain, from cane field to the sea, our hearts salute Jamaica, triumphant, proud, and free”.  I call on Miconians to join Labour Day projects everywhere, and to demonstrate leadership, integrity, and innovation anywhere we work.

Remember to volunteer in clean-ups, plant trees, beautify your homes and communities, and support the Buxton Building restoration. Finally, let us honor the 1938 rebellion by protecting our environment and transforming our workforce, to forge a sustainable Jamaica with enduring hope.  

Yours in service,  

Dr. Asburn Pinnock  

President, The Mico University College