News Releases

Professor Richards’ contribution will keep UWI helping students

For Release Upon Receipt - January 9, 2018

St. Augustine


The University of the West Indies mourns the passing of the 4th President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Professor George Maxwell Richards, a scholar, a colleague, and Principal of the St. Augustine Campus from 1985 to 1996.

On behalf of the St. Augustine Campus Community and on his own behalf, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the St. Augustine Campus, Professor Brian Copeland, offered condolences to the family of Professor George Maxwell Richards. 

“As The University celebrates its 70 years of leadership and service to the Caribbean in 2018, it’s important to mark the immense contributions that Professor Richards made, both as an academic in the field of Chemical Engineering, and as Principal of this Campus. Indeed, he epitomised this 70th anniversary theme by all that he did and continued to do during his presidency.”

In 1989, during his tenure as Campus Principal, he translated his love of Trinidad and Tobago and its culture into what is now a major annual fund-raiser of The UWI Development and Endowment Fund (UWIDEF). The ‘UWI Fete’, which again takes place this Sunday, was his brainchild and was the very first public ‘all inclusive’ Carnival fete in Trinidad and Tobago. Carnival fetes offered by promoters have since emulated and adopted that 29-year-old template. At that time, the Caribbean and Latin America were in the midst of what was called the ‘Debt Crisis’ – incomes and imports dropped; economic growth stagnated; unemployment rose; and inflation reduced the buying power of the middle classes.  Today, the ongoing economic downturn is compounded by the devastation wrought by climate change resulting in increasingly severe storms in the Caribbean. Now, like then, the impact of the economic scenario has been tremendous on students.

The St. Augustine Campus appreciates that for more than two decades, thousands of students have benefitted from this signature event. In 1992, UWIDEF offered 19 bursaries; in 2017, that figure was 210. Among the many reasons for which The University and this region are grateful for the service of Professor George Maxwell Richards, this is surely a major one.

A Condolence Book will be opened at the Campus’ Main Administration Building between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. from January 10 to January 26.

 

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Photo

http://bit.ly/2qLKG0v

Photo Caption: Professor George Maxwell Richards, Former Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. Photo by Richard Spence

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, 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, Social Sciences and Sport. The 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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