For Release Upon Receipt - February 10, 2019
St. Augustine
It was with deep sadness that The UWI community learned of the passing of former St. Augustine Campus Registrar, Richard Saunders, today, February 10, 2019. Saunders served as Campus Registrar from March 1, 2013 until his recent retirement on July 31, 2018.
Speaking on Saunders’ passing UWI Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles said "Richard's untimely passing has painfully torn the fabric of his family and friends and represents another surprising shocking, sapping the spirit of the University community. His grace as a gentleman is well known and the calmness of his character resonated as a standard to be emulated. We shall miss him. I offer love and blessings to his family who can be assured of the university's support."
UWI St. Augustine Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, Professor Brian Copeland shared fond memories of Saunders as campus colleagues for several years. “Richard brought a special grace in the discharge of his duties through his charm, impeccable dress and consummate eloquence. He will be sorely missed. On behalf of the St Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies, I extend heartfelt condolences to his family,” he said.
A Senior Executive with over 40 years’ experience in Project Development, Project Implementation, Real Estate Sales and Marketing, he led cross-functional, multi-level management teams to enhance stakeholder value. His professional experiences bridged the industrial, public and private enterprises and academic institutions. Saunders held senior executive positions in both the public and private sector, including TSTT, Alston’s Building Enterprises Limited, the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, Guardian Properties Limited and most recently, he was Managing Director at TTPOST.
The former St. Augustine Campus Registrar was an Honours graduate of The UWI and also attained his MSc in Electronic Instrumentation at the University of Wales, Swansea and a Diploma in Public Enterprise Management at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA). He is a Past President and Director of the Association of Real Estate Agents (AREA), a Past President of the Association of Professional Engineers of Trinidad and Tobago (APETT). Throughout his career he had been very active in Professional Associations and is currently Vice-President of the Trinidad and Tobago Group of Professional Associations (TTGPA).
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About The UWI
For the past 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider world. The UWI has evolved from a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to an internationally respected, regional university with near 50,000 students and four campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, and an Open Campus. As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with universities in North America, Asia, and Africa such as the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development, the UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies and the Institute for Global African Affairs with the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport.
As the region’s premier research academy, The UWI’s foremost objective is driving the growth and development of the regional economy. Times Higher Education has ranked The UWI among the top 1,258 universities in world for 2019, and the 40 best universities in its Latin America Rankings for 2018, and was the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists. For more, visit 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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