Morne Fortune, which means “Hill of Good Luck” plays a central role in Saint Lucia’s history. It was a battleground for the British and French as they fought over the “Helen of the West”, and, in the late 18th century, the fort at the summit was alternately occupied by the two powers.
In 1966, the Saint Lucia Government took the decision to restore a number of the abandoned military buildings at Morne Fortune for educational use. This was eventually accomplished with significant support from the British Development Division of the United Kingdom. By the early 1970s, three institutions were operating within the Morne Educational Complex, namely: the Saint Lucia Teacher’s College, the Morne Fortune Technical College, and the Saint Lucia A’ Level College. Not many years after the establishment of the Morne Educational Complex, the need to integrate the three institutions was realized and, in 1979, the Cabinet of Ministers appointed a committee to consider the matter. This was the genesis of the idea that would eventually be fulfilled in the form of a Community College.
In September 1986, the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) formally opened its doors. The College, named after Sir Arthur Lewis, the Saint Lucian economist and 1979 Nobel Laureate, was Saint Lucia’s premier post-secondary educational institution and the only community college on the island. At that time, SALCC comprised of the Division of Arts, Science and General Studies, the Division of Teacher Education and Educational Administration, and the Division of Technical Education and Management. Later, the Health Sciences and Agriculture divisions were added.
Recognizing there is a diversity of disciplines, talent and expertise among past students living and working in Saint Lucia or part of a worldwide Diaspora, and which could be leveraged for the benefit of the SALCC, students and alumni, a group of past students of the Saint Lucia A’Level College (from years 1980, 1981, and 1982) decided to set up an association as one of their anniversary activities.
The Alumni Association of the Tertiary Educational Institutions on the Morne (AATEIM) was established in 2020. AATEIM is open to all past students as well as past faculty and staff of SALCC, and all of its precursor colleges and divisions. The Association has a vision to support SALCC’s goal of contributing to national development through education, as well as the goals of any subsequent institutions that may evolve from the College. AATEIM’s mission is to pursue its vision by facilitating a culture of philanthropy among the alumni body and its partners to contribute their time, talent, financial and strategic resources to the advancement of the College’s goals. The Association will do so by promoting a spirit of unity and patronage among former students and faculty, well-wishers and business enterprises who together will partner to meet the diverse needs and interests of the College.