News Releases

The UWI prepares for “A time of Challenge, A time of Opportunity”

For Release Upon Receipt - May 6, 2013

UWI


UWI REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS, Jamaica – The annual business meeting of University Council met on Friday, April 26th for the first time in the Council Room of the new UWI Regional Headquarters at Mona. This annual meeting at which all the contributing governments are represented, considered reports from the leadership of the regional institution of its stewardship over the past year and plans for achieving its strategic vision in the years ahead.

Despite the challenges of a very difficult global economic environment, the reports evinced a commitment to propelling the UWI towards the attainment of its goal of being recognised as a world-class university. The Vice-Chancellor in his presentation examined the extent to which the UWI is already positioned to be internationally competitive and identified the areas which would require greater attention.

Council also reviewed the implementation of the 2007-2012 Strategic Plan and heard from the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Planning and Development an update of the status of operationalising the 2012-2017 Strategic Plan. The tuition fees for the incoming academic year were approved but in response to concerns expressed about the relevance of the current mechanism for deciding on tuition fees throughout the institution, the Vice-Chancellor was asked to convene a Task Force to review the process and make recommendations for improvement. A decision was also taken to authorise the introduction of special fee concessions for students from the ACS (Association of Caribbean States) countries for an initial period of three years.

Other matters dealt with included the approval of recommendations for the conferral of honorary doctorates at the graduation exercises to be held in October/November; and consideration of reports from the Campus Principals, from the Alumni Association and the Guild of Students as well as Financial Reports. The External Auditors and the University Audit Committee both gave positive assessments of the fiduciary management of the resources of the University.

Several members remarked on the high quality of the presentations and the richness of the discussion. There was consensus that the regional institution had over the years shaped the development of the contributing countries and represented a valuable investment that must be preserved in the interest of the Caribbean region. It was acknowledged, however, that economic realities dictated the formulation of new modalities to finance the institution going forward.

A note of optimism about the opportunities presented by the growing demand for open, on-line knowledge transfer was echoed by several members and there was consensus that this was one of the notable successes of the last planning cycle. The Open Campus Principal was commended for her leadership of this endeavour over the first five years of its existence. It was felt that the Open Campus was well positioned to take advantage of new opportunities that are becoming available. Principal, Pro Vice-Chancellor Hazel Simmons-McDonald, who retires later this year, was highly commended for laying the foundation for the unfolding of new avenues for improving access to underserved communities in the region.

 

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About UWI

Over the last six decades, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional University with well over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with physical campuses in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Open Campus sites in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Christopher (St Kitts) & Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. The UWI Open Campus operates from over 45 site locations across the region, serving over 16 countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. The UWI is a university with an international reach, with faculty and students from over 40 countries and collaborative links with over 60 universities around the world. Through its seven Faculties, the UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. 

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