For Release Upon Receipt - March 27, 2014
St. Augustine
ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago – The largest graduating class in the history of the Campus; the introduction of new ‘relevant and responsive’ programmes; global partnerships with countries such as China, Germany, Chile and Spain; enhancing the Campus’ physical capacity; community outreach and a commitment to engaging staff: these were just some of the highlights and achievements of The UWI St. Augustine Campus in the Academic Year 2012/2013. They were revealed as the Campus hosted the annual meeting of its Campus Council on Tuesday March 26th 2013 at the Hilton Trinidad Ballroom and Conference Centre.
Campus Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Clement Sankat presented the 2012/2013 report to Council Chairman, Mr. Ewart Williams, Vice-Chancellor, Professor E. Nigel Harris and members of the Campus Council Board. The presentation of the report included the Financial Reports and Accounts for the year ending July 31, 2013; reports from the Campus Audit Committee and meeting of the Campus/ University Grants Committee. Vice Chancellor, Professor Harris and Guild President, Alexander Johnson, also gave their remarks. Campus Deans also followed with their presentations of the 2012/2013 Faculty Reports.
In his review of the reporting period, Council Chairman said “The period covered by this annual report coincides with the first year of our University’s new Strategic Plan 2012-2017.” He added, “While seeking to consolidate the tremendous gains that The UWI has made over the past decade or so, the Plan sets an ambitious medium-term agenda centred around transforming The UWI into a ‘globally recognised, regionally integrated, innovative and internationally competitive university deeply rooted in all aspects of Caribbean development.’ ” The Chairman also noted the increase in student enrolment at the post-graduate level and significant expansion in programme offerings to meet the requirements of various stakeholders. He made specific mention of The UWI St. Augustine’s persistent efforts at enhancing academic quality, which were reflected in the international accreditation of several programmes in Engineering, Medical Sciences and Business.
The Campus Principal reported on the many meetings held with Government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, the private sector and captains of industry, resulting in MOUs with key institutions. The Council also heard of the ways in which the St. Augustine Campus poised itself to continue strengthening partnerships and forming beneficial relationships, during the 2012/2013 academic year.
The 2012/2013 Annual Report highlights the following key areas: Employee Engagement and Development; Teaching, Learning & Student Development; Research & Innovation; Outreach; Infrastructure; and Funding and Finance.
A full copy of the Annual Report can be downloaded at
http://sta.uwi.edu/resources/documents/UWI_AnnualReport_12_13.pdf
A full copy of the Faculty Report can be downloaded at
http://sta.uwi.edu/resources/documents/UWI_FacultyReport_12_13.pdf
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About The Campus Council
The Campus Councils were created with the responsibility to preserve the regional character while giving greater autonomy to the Campuses to respond to national needs and those of the non-campus countries. The governing body of the St. Augustine Campus is the Campus Council, which is established by Statute under the Charter. The Campus Council meets annually, largely to receive detailed reports from officers and committees, which have responsibilities, that derive from the Charter statements and other instruments such as academic and curriculum updates; changing statistics on students with regards to enrolment and graduate throughput; staffing issues and strategic initiatives that have been undertaken. A fundamental aspect of the accountability of The University of the West Indies is the annual meeting of the Campus Council, where Annual and Faculty Reports are presented. The Financial Report each year ending 31st July is submitted to the Campus Finance and General Purposes Committee for consolidation and approval en route to the Campus Council and then to the University Council for final approval.
About The UWI
Since its inception in 1948, 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 50,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest, most longstanding Higher Education Institute (HEI) in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus. The UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation.
(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)
For the latest UWI News, click http://sta.uwi.edu/news.
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