“Obtaining a degree is important, but it is what you do with the knowledge gained after getting the degree that will be counted more.” With these words, Vice Chancellor Professor E. Nigel Harris welcomed nearly 4,000 first-time students to the St Augustine campus at the matriculation ceremony held on September 15 in the JFK Quadrangle.

“We wish to graduate individuals who can make decisions,” he said, “who can act in ways that are infused with respect and caring for people, even if those people are different racially, ethnically, culturally, or religiously from one self. We want graduates who will be responsible citizens, who know and participate in the life of their community; who respect other people and the environment in which they live.”

Regarding the region’s movement toward integration through the creation of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy, Prof. Harris said, “You, students of the regional University of the West Indies, are most strategically placed to drive the regional integration process forward. It is you who must persuade people not to limit their vision, imagination, activity and enterprise to the confines of their micro-island states, because if they do, it will be a formula fraught with peril.”

He also touched on personal issues, such as the various health issues facing Caribbean people. “While you are here we want you to do all that it takes to make healthy life style choices. Our Chancellor, Sir George Alleyne, currently chairs the Caribbean Commission on Health and Development and in its recent report to the CARICOM Heads of Governments; the Commission identified non-communicable diseases as major contributors to illness and death – diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases lead that list of diseases. Avoiding obesity, not smoking and developing some form of physical activity in one’s daily life are important factors in healthy living. Injuries due to gun violence and motor vehicle accidents are leading causes of injury and loss of life, particularly among young people. It is disturbing that for each of the two years I have been here as Vice Chancellor, I have received news of one or other of our students losing their lives in motor vehicle accidents – if you drive, do so safely and soberly (soberly means that if you have been drinking, don’t drive).”

“The Caribbean Commission Health Report shows that HIV/AIDS is the fastest growing cause of disease and death among young and middle aged people. Students, I tell you, if you are sexually active, do so safely! For those of you who may want to volunteer some of your free time, you can join groups fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS and combating the stigma that is associated with the disease – one such group is the UWI HIV/AIDS Response Programme (UWI HARP) Programme, which you can find out about on our website.”

Campus principal Dr. Bhoe Tewarie highlighted a few of the opportunities available to students, such as co-curricular credits. “Not all of your courses need to be structured in a rigid way. There is room for flexibility and creativity depending on your realm of interest,” he said. “There are several bursaries which are available on the basis of first year performance. These are provided through the Development and Endowment Fund by corporate donors and private citizens. I want to let you know that there are about 150 bursaries available to nationals and 58 bursaries available beginning this year to regional students, which increased from 38 last year. So there are over 200 bursaries waiting to be won on the basis of merit and need,” he added.

The Principal also reiterated the Vice Chancellor’s request to support the Caribbean Integration Programme and further encouraged students to take advantage of the many study abroad programmes which UWI offers. “International exposure at a university in another country can be a priceless part of your education,” said Dr. Tewarie.

“If you live up to the promise of which you are capable, you will fulfill the purpose for which our university was created in 1948, nearly 60 years ago; and that is of transforming the English Speaking Caribbean into a stable, enlightened, thriving, creative part of the world. Whether in medicine, engineering, law, education, nursing, religion, the arts, humanities, social sciences, economics, pure and applied sciences, or in other fields, our graduates have excelled. Some have been leaders of government, of business and countless other organizations; one, Derek Walcott, is a Nobel Prize winner in literature; a previous Vice Chancellor, Sir Arthur Lewis, was a Nobel Prize winner in economics; several have been Rhodes scholars and recipients of other international, regional and national awards. They have sat in the same classrooms in which you will sit, walked the same grounds that you will tread, sat under the same trees and dreamt the same dreams. The success in your life need not be winning big prizes, leading governments or other organizations but it will come from delving deep within you and doing the best you can to enrich your own lives and the lives of peoples around you.