New PVC for Planning and Development Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie had just signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Republic Bank Ltd. (July 31, 2007) to design, finance and construct a five-storey building with two floors dedicated to parking space, one floor to Republic Bank and the remaining two floors to UWI, when UWItoday spoke to him in a face-to-face interview.

“I would like to think of this arrangement, which took some time to negotiate to fruition, as my parting gift to the St. Augustine Campus as principal and my initial contribution to UWI as PVC for Planning and Development,” PVC Tewarie said. “There are other things that are yet to be finalized that will redound to the benefit of this campus and there are irons in the fire that are meant to benefit the University as a whole. I will continue to do the best I can wherever I am.”

In the soon to be constructed building, a postgraduate student facility will be established. “The campus needs it” said PVC Tewarie “and this would add something tangible to our strategic plan 2007-12 which is committed to the growth in the number of graduate students.” On another floor will be housed the Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Wealth Creation.”

Where did this idea come from UWItoday asked?

“The concept was mine and I shared this with the Campus Community very early in my term. The challenge was where to find space and resources for it. Meanwhile the idea developed. Cheryle Dubay of the Business Development Office expanded on the concept in her MBA thesis. She also revised and enhanced it after a course on Entrepreneurship at University of Bath and again after she and Prof Chanan Syan of the Faculty of Engineering visited the Centre for Entrepreneurship at Warwick University. This is not just a Campus Centre - it is meant to serve the entire region.”

The five-storey building is likely to cost over $100m and Republic and UWI have agreed to begin construction within two years.

Signing for Republic was Managing Director David Dulal-Whiteway. Mr. Whiteway, who is a UWI graduate and who also at one time taught on a part-time basis at UWI, spoke of the long and enduring relationship between Republic and UWI since the days of Barclay’s Bank and the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture. He said that it was a pleasure to be partnering with UWI in this enterprise and that “Republic is happy to do something with UWI that will further contribute to regional development.”

Republic is UWI’s main sponsor of the World of Work (WOW) programme. The building will be located on a part of the southern carpark, just beyond the food court.