Editorial: State of Independence

UWI St. Augustine looks toward turning 50

We recently celebrated Republic Day on 24th September and in October, our UWI Campus at St. Augustine will celebrate its forty-nineth anniversary. A fiftieth anniversary (in 2010), is a milestone by any standard, but one that leads to a profound need to assess the past and plan strategically for the future of our unique institution.

Our University’s independence is closely linked to the history of our islands. As the Caribbean moved towards independence from British colonial rule, The University of the West Indies also progressed, from a college of the University of London, to a full-fledged institution, with main Campuses in Jamaica, as well as Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. On a similar path to growth as a Regional University was our development in the sport of Cricket. Our regional cricketers, sometimes from very small island states, joined forces and fought their way up the ladder to be world leaders in Test Cricket. Perhaps a key lesson we can learn from our past, is that we must continue to be innovative, competitive and work together as a team in the best and worst of times.

Although our Campus of nearly 17,000 students has significant challenges, we have accomplished major milestones in the calibre of our alumni and the quality research projects that have helped in the development of the region. Yet, we have to ensure that our key focus remains on meeting the needs of our stakeholders, primarily our students, staff and communities. As educators, every member of staff should be professional and service oriented. We must instill a sense of engagement in our teaching and inculcate some of the broader goals of the distinctive UWI graduate, while creativity and problem solving must be central to our research. We will have to do this in difficult times, as we continue to be affected by the global economic crisis.

In this issue of UWI St. Augustine News (STAN), we look to those who have gone beyond the ordinary to excel in their field and serve our community. I am inspired by the determination and sheer courage of our valedictorians, who will celebrate with our graduating class in November. Another milestone is the prolific work of our film students at this year’s Film Festival, which was highlighted locally and internationally at the Portobello Film Festival in London and featured on the BBC. These films enabled us to see ourselves, our landscape, our social ills and successes without censure. I would like to thank Drs. Jean Antoine and Bruce Paddington for developing this programme.

As we welcome the more than 200 national scholarship winners who selected UWI as their first choice, we also look to our President Medal winner Nadimah Mohammed, who is also featured in this issue.

There are also those members of staff who work diligently behind the scenes to ensure that we provide a quality education to our students. In this UWI People segment as we welcome our recently appointed Campus Brusar, Ms Carla Dubé, we celebrate the more than forty years of sterling service provided by Mrs Lylla Bada, by sharing some of the highlights at a luncheon held in her honour.

We also hope you enjoy the impactful research being done at UWI to address the HIV-AIDS pandemic and our book review examines the multi-faceted, cross-departmental work of our staff.

These are but a few of the features in our award-winning, UWI STAN. We hope you continue to enjoy the publication and share your stories and views with us.