UWI Names 2011 Honorary Graduands
The ceremonies begin on October 15th with the Open Campus Graduation to be hosted this year in Antigua, where Dame Pearlette Louisy, Governor-General of St. Lucia and Mr. Alwin Bully, Cultural Administrator will receive the honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) and Doctor of Letters (DLitt) degrees respectively. Graduation ceremonies at the Cave Hill Campus in Barbados will claim the spotlight on October 22nd, when The Most Rev. Dr. The Hon. John W. D. Holder and Professor Compton Bourne receive the honorary LLD and Professor Kwesi Prah, Professor Emeritus Keith A. P. Sandiford the honorary DLitt and Dr. Shirley Brathwaite the honorary Doctor of Sciences (DSc) degree.
From October 27th to 29th, the celebrations move to the St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad, where the honorary LLD will be conferred on Mrs. Helen Bhagwansingh, Professor Anantanand Rambachan, Mr. John Reginald Dumas, Sir Fenton H. Ramsahoye, Mr. Brian Charles Lara and Ambassador Kamaluddin Mohammed, while Mr. Donald ‘Jackie’ Hinkson and Mr. Roy Cape will receive the honorary DLitt.
Finally, on November 4th and 5th, the Mona Campus in Jamaica will host the closing set of graduation ceremonies. At Mona, Ms. Minna Israel, Mr. Earl Jarrett and The Hon. Usain Bolt, OJ will all receive the Honorary LLD while Professor Lenworth Jacobs and Dr. Erna Brodber will receive the DSc and DLitt respectively.
OPEN CAMPUS
HE Dame Calliopa Pearlette Louisy, Governor-General of St. Lucia is the archetypal Caribbean leader. An educator and linguist by profession, Her Excellency is a Caribbean icon who has contributed to the development of the region. The widely published, highly decorated, multilingual Caribbean woman has made her mark on the public sector, particularly with reference to the education sub-sector. She was appointed Governor-General of St. Lucia in 1997. This holder of a BA (English and French), MA (Linguistics), PhD (Higher Education) and an honorary LLD has written a number of major papers and made presentations on Language and Education.
Mr. Alwin Anthony Bully has made an invaluable contribution to culture not only in Dominica but in the wider Caribbean. The accomplished playwright, actor, choreographer/dancer, director and culture adviser is also an educator at heart. Mr. Bully is the holder of a BA (General Honours) English and French from The UWI and has been the recipient of numerous awards over his long career including Caribbean/United States Theatre Exchange Award for West Indies Theatre Achievement in 1979; numerous Actor Boy Awards and the Best Costume Award – Carnival Dominica in 2010. Some of his plays include The Nite Box (1977) and more recently Oseyi and the Masquerades (Screenplay) (2010). Mr. Bully is credited with having designed the Dominican national flag.
CAVE HILL CAMPUS
Dr. John Holder, Archbishop of the West Indies is a distinguished and respected scholar and theologian. Emerging from a brilliant career at Codrington College he became the Bishop of Barbados and later Archbishop of the West Indies. Dr. Holder holds a Diploma in Theology (Dip.Th.) from Codrington College, a BA in Theology (UWI), a Masters in Sacred Theology (University of the South) and a PhD in Old Testament Studies from the University of London. He is widely published and most recently has an article ‘Joel’ in The Africana Bible: Reading Israel’s Scriptures from Africa and the African Diaspora.
One of Africa’s most distinguished scholars Professor Kwesi K. Prah is a leading intellectual advocate of the 21st century African renaissance. As a prominent linguist of the continent who speaks and researches dozens of languages, Professor Prah has served universities in all parts of the world and is a respected voice in development discourse. This acclaimed Ghanaian linguist has extensive experience as a consultant and has produced more than 230 publications and conference papers.
Professor Compton Bourne is one honorary graduand who has deep connections to The UWI. He is a graduate of the University of London, The University of Birmingham and The University of the West Indies. The former UWI Principal (St. Augustine 1996-2001), Pro-Vice-Chancellor Planning and Development (1990-1996) and Deputy Principal (St. Augustine 1990-1993) also served as a Director of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago and until recently was President of the Caribbean Development Bank. Professor Bourne is the author/editor of 10 books and more than 50 scholarly papers in addition to more than 50 research reports and advisory memoranda for Caribbean governments, foreign governments and international development institutions and agencies.
Dr. Shirley Brathwaite is a tireless community servant. Born in St. Michael, Barbados she obtained her first degree in Medicine at The University of the West Indies then migrated to Canada to pursue a four-year fellowship and residency in Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Brathwaite has served as member of the Board of Directors of the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa-Carleton Immigrant Services and the Hard to Serve Children Committee of Ottawa. She has also been President of the Barbados Ottawa Association for a number of years and an Executive Committee member of the National Council of Barbadian Associations in Canada. In 1992 Dr. Brathwaite was awarded the Commemorative Medal celebrating the 125th anniversary of Canada’s confederation. In 2009, she established the Dr. Shirley Brathwaite Foundation to support African-Canadian children at risk.
Professor Keith A. P. Sandiford is an outstanding educator, author and community servant. He received his MA and PhD degrees from the University of Toronto before serving for 32 years as a Professor of History at the University of Manitoba from which he retired in 1998. Professor Sandiford’s numerous articles, books, pamphlets and reviews cover a wide range of topics including Caribbean cricket, Barbadian culture and education and West Indian contributions to Manitoban life. He is a pioneer in the sociology of sport and is internationally recognized as one of the world’s leading cricket statisticians and historians. In 2002, Professor Sandiford was elevated to the position of Professor Emeritus by the University of Manitoba and was awarded the Gold Crown of Merit in 2004 by the Barbados Government for his outstanding community service.
