News Releases

The UWI and FIU Sign MOU on Academic and Research Collaboration

For Release Upon Receipt - May 22, 2014

St. Augustine


The University of the West Indies (The UWI) and Florida International University (FIU) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on April 30, 2014 which focuses on developing and implementing a programme of collaboration in research, teaching and staff and student mobility. The MOU was signed at the FIU, by The UWI’s Vice-Chancellor Professor E. Nigel Harris and by Professor Mark Rosenberg, President of FIU. Witnessing the signing was Dr David Rampersad, Executive Director of the Central Office for Regional and International Affairs of The UWI.  

During the signing ceremony, UWI’s Vice-Chancellor Professor E. Nigel Harris emphasised the need for projects that have impact on the societies served by universities as well as the need to seek the resources to implement such projects.  FIU’s President Professor Rosenberg indicated his pleasure in the re-establishment of ties between the two institutions and his support for continued collaboration. 

The MOU was finalised after a series of meetings, beginning February 2013, by the leadership and interested stakeholders of both universities. According to the agreement, both universities recognise commonalities of direction and interests in research and teaching and acknowledge their significant roles as leaders in higher education, teaching and research within their respective countries. 

This new partnership between The UWI and FIU is not the first of its kind since a number of engagement and outreach activities already exist. Notable among them is an exchange and cooperation agreement signed in May 2011 as well as a dual degree agreement between FIU and The UWI’s Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business in Trinidad and Tobago. Dr Rampersad noted that the partnership with the FIU would strengthen UWI’s ability to respond to pressing issues of concern to the Caribbean region in areas as diverse as Climate Change, Human Security and Governance.  “We look forward to engaging in joint research that will have an impact on society and in exchanging staff and students so that the perspectives of all of us are broadened”.  

Note to Editor: In photo -The UWI’s Vice-Chancellor Professor E. Nigel Harris and Professor Mark Rosenberg, President of FIU. 

About FIU 

As Miami's first and only public research university, offering bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, FIU is worlds ahead in its service to the academic and local community.Designated as a top-tier research institution, FIU emphasizes research as a major component in the university's mission. TheHerbert Wertheim College of Medicine and the School of Computing and Information Sciences' Discovery Lab, are just two of many colleges, schools, and centers that actively enhance the university’s ability to set new standards through research initiatives.www.fiu.edu 

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 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider 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. Website: www.uwi.edu 

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)  

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