I extend my warmest welcome to you! For all of us, lecturers, administrators and other members of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture (FFA), we are indeed thrilled to have you here.
In the coming weeks, as you get to know the campus and the people who work here, I hope you will take a moment to reflect on the astounding array of resources that have been marshaled to support your development as responsible and independent human beings. Use these resources fully and wisely. If you do, I am sure that your experience at the UWI will be even better that you anticipated.
The Faculty offers its programmes from three departments: Agricultural Economics and Extension, Geography and Food Production, with very strong inter-departmental cooperation. Programmes are packaged in a flexible manner to allow you the freedom to pursue programme
combinations of your choice in order for you to realize your dream career. The curricula are regularly updated and revised to keep pace with the changing requirements for skill sets and competencies and ever expanding knowledge and technological bases. National and Regional Food Security, Renewable Energy, Environment and Climate Change issues are some of the most pressing global challenges of this era and the FFA is actively addressing these issues.
The UWI and FFA’s rules, regulations, procedures and processes are online. The booklet contains FFA’s regulations governing each programme. If you need further elaboration and/or further information specific to a programme of interest, you may visit the office of the Head of the Department where the programme resides and/or contact the Deputy Dean, Teaching, Learning and Student Development who can be reached in the Faculty Dean’s Office.
Your development will not be confined to academics. We have several clubs and student organizations – so no matter what your interests are, there’s a place for you. And if there isn’t, you can create one! Be bold. Be imaginative. You are destined to be our next leaders, whether it’s by conquering climate change, or developing a new crop variety. We want you to become leaders who succeed by examining facts, who understand complexity and who work to bridge differences. You will come to understand how living in a community of peers with ideas, cultures and backgrounds quite different from your own can enrich and broaden your understanding of the world and help you define the place that you want to take in society.
I can guarantee you that your years here will fly by – and that the amount of change and growth you see in yourselves will be astonishing.
You – the students – are the most important part of a university. You represent future generations that are needed to tackle the difficult and complex challenges ahead; whether national or global. As with all things, you’ll get out of this experience what you put into it. So, give it all you’ve got. We stand ready to support you as best as we can. Have a wonderful 2019-2020 academic year with us!
