Looking Beyond: UWI 2012
by Professor E. Nigel Harris
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Our University is in the second year of implementation of its 2007-2012 Strategic Plan. More than three years ago, representatives from the broad cross section of our complex, multi-sited community embarked on crafting a plan, which we wanted to be transformative. We acknowledged that if we were to sustain our position as the leading institution of tertiary learning in the English-speaking Caribbean, we would have to embark on broad and deep change. Such change could not be enacted by the leadership of our University alone, but would have to be owned by all our participants who would be seized by the need and a desire for change.
Our vision for this plan, based on a collective effort and desire decided that “By 2012, the UWI will be an innovative internationally competitive, contemporary university deeply rooted in the Caribbean committed to creating the best possible future for all our stakeholders. It will be the University of first choice for the region’s talented students and academics. It will provide a truly supportive environment that rewards excellence and it will be agile enough to thrive in a dynamic global environment”. The plan is based on four central pillars and six enablers. The central pillars are: Teaching and Learning; growing our Graduate Programmes; strengthening Research and Innovation; and strengthening our Outreach sector. The six enablers include Transformation of the Administrative Culture; Financing the Enterprise; Marketing and Branding; Strengthening the National Engagement Processes; Strengthening Regionality and International Partnerships.
To ensure that the Plan would be implemented and monitored, we upgraded the University’s Planning Unit into a full-fledged Office of Planning and Development led by a Pro-Vice Chancellor (Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie). Leaders in implementing the Plan have clear areas of accountability and there will be annual reporting of their progress towards measurable agendas – the first such meeting was held in September 2008 and the second is scheduled for August 2009.
Progress has been made on all fronts, though not equally in every area. Perhaps the most visible and dramatic change occurred in the area of Outreach, marked by the launch of the Open Campus and, in Jamaica and by the launch of the Western Jamaica Campus in Montego Bay. The Open Campus merged the School of Continuing Studies, the UWI Distance Education Centre and the Tertiary Level Institutions Unit. The goal of this revolutionary endeavour is to reach many more students in UWI-12 countries (those that do not have campuses) and those outside the walls of the other three campuses. The Open Campus uses a variety of modalities to reach students, particularly online technology, but face-to-face and videoconferencing are also being utilized. The enthusiasm with which this initiative has been received is heart-warming, though the sweeping nature of change in structure, expectations and course offerings makes for significant challenges. The leadership of PVC Hazel Simmons-Mc Donald and colleagues has exhibited intense commitment, a tireless work effort and ingenuity. The launch of the Western Jamaica Campus in the 2008 academic year, while less expansive in scope, had demanded considerable work, attention and imagination.
