News Releases

Hasely runs at UWI

For Release Upon Receipt - July 22, 2017

St. Augustine


On Friday 21 July, The University of the West Indies (The UWI) St. Augustine Campus in collaboration with the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC) launched A Commemorative Exhibition: Hasely Crawford – National Hero. The exhibition will be housed at the Alma Jordan Library at The UWI from July 25 to August 18.

In sharing his welcoming remarks, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, Professor Brian Copeland, noted that “Hasely Crawford is considered the gold standard for excellence, not only because of his historic Olympic performance, but because of all that he’s since done. He is the gold standard for all of us, on and off the track.” He reiterated that this is not the Campus’ first partnership with NGC and expressed his desire to see more such collaborations with corporate Trinidad and Tobago. “You should note that the Commemorative Exhibition is not The UWI’s first partnership with the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago. Rather, it stems directly from a partnership developed out of NGC’s support for the Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the period 2012-2016.”

The Exhibition will be housed at the Alma Jordan Library. The UWI libraries have always played a key role in supporting the strategic initiatives of the University and over the last several years have developed a suite of print and digital resources to support the certificate and master’s programmes in the pedagogy of sport. With the confirmation of the formal establishment of a Faculty of Sport this coming August, the opportunity to partner with the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago to pay tribute to a national sport icon such as Mr. Hasely Crawford could not have come at a more opportune moment. The exhibit constitutes part of the University libraries’ long-standing tradition of honouring regional icons as well as their efforts at preserving and showcasing all aspects of regional and national heritage. Our globally recognised collections span the 17th century to the new millennium and contain material in all formats. Hasely Crawford remains one of the country’s major national icons, however, the full details of his Olympic triumph and his many accomplishments remain unknown to the majority of the national community. This exhibition hopes to bridge that gap.

Mr. Crawford, Trinidad and Tobago’s first Olympic gold medalist, has been an employee of the National Gas Company since 1994 and was the Head of Community Relations from 1996 onwards. He was responsible for several major projects during his tenure at NGC, most notably the construction of several facilities, and the development of the Right on Track Programme – a scientific approach to teaching track and field as well as basketball at the community level that targeted the youth. He was also integral to community engagement through a period of rapid pipeline expansion by the Company as typified by the Cross Island Pipeline and the Beachfield Union Development Project. Since his retirement from NGC in 2010 he has remained involved with the Company as a consultant, coaching and mentoring young professionals in the field.

About The UWI

Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (The 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, The 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. For more information, visit www.uwi.edu

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