And I said to him that a major part of the reason was the quality and rigour of the degree programmes that we undertook. I said to him that back in the 70s and 80s when I went back there to teach the average student had just a first degree and they went back to the public service or their jobs in the private sector and used that to advance themselves.

“The point I am making is that the history of UWI included a very solid undergraduate programme, and that is important because at the end of the day if you have that solid foundation you can built almost anything on it…

“I have expressed the need for UWI to focus on maintaining that because we don’t want to get caught up in numbers at the expense of the quality for which UWI has developed a solid reputation.”

The educator, who has also taught at Louisiana State University and the Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity (BIMAP), noted that while increased access to more Barbadians was important, the increased intake should always be matched by the appropriate increase in physical plant, teachers, teaching resources and support personnel.

The background from which McClean speaks of the need to maintain quality is much wider than academics, credit union support and volunteerism. She is a former chairperson of the board of Bridgetown Cruise Terminal Inc., and past director of Goddards Enterprises Limited, RBTT Bank (Barbados) Limited, the Barbados Stock Exchange and Days Books. She continues to be a Trustee of the Anglican Church.

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