News Releases

ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago. June 16, 2015 – The University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine Campus joins the regional community in congratulating one of the Caribbean's most celebrated and renowned entertainers, social commentator and ambassador extraordinaire, Slinger Francisco, the Mighty Sparrow, who has been conferred the Order of the British Empire. Sparrow is an Honorary Graduate of The UWI; he was conferred the honorary Doctor of Letters in 1987.  

According to the official website of the British Monarchy “The Order of the British Empire recognises distinguished service to the arts and sciences, public services outside the Civil Service and work with charitable and welfare organisations of all kinds.” The award was announced in the birthday honours list of Queen Elizabeth II. Sparrow is listed among the recipients of crown dependencies and Commonwealth honours for 2015 and was awarded for his services to culture. 

In 2001, Sparrow was awarded the region’s highest honour, the Order of the Caribbean Community. This follows a long list of accolades including Chieftaincy of the City of Lagos, Nigeria (1977); awards or certificates of appreciation from the governments of Nassau (1980), the Virgin Islands (1980), Barbados (1981), Jamaica (1993), Trinidad and Tobago (1969, 1974 and 1993, when he was awarded the second highest honour in the land, the Chaconia gold medal for long and meritorious service).  

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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: http://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.)