News Releases

UWI St. Augustine Updates Plans for 2021 Virtual Graduation Ceremonies

For Release Upon Receipt - November 13, 2020

St. Augustine


As The University of the West Indies (UWI) prepares for its regional graduation ceremonies carded for January 2021, the St. Augustine Campus has made some adjustments to its current arrangements to ensure that all graduands have a memorable experience, even during this global pandemic and economic downturn. The virtual ceremonies at St. Augustine are carded for January 11 and 12, 2021.

Speaking on the adjustments that have been made, Campus Registrar Dr. Dawn Marie De Four-Gill shared “We are also mindful that graduands are desirous of renting academic regalia for their own personal photo sessions with friends and family. The Campus is therefore actively making the requisite arrangements to facilitate this after the January 2021 graduation ceremonies, guided by the national protocols. More information about these arrangements will be shared in due course.” All graduands will also be invited to participate in a virtual meeting on Tuesday, November 17 at 7pm via the Campus YouTube channel.

She also added that the number of available appointments for the portrait photography sessions will be increased. These sessions, which began on Wednesday November 11, will now facilitate appointments up to 5:00 p.m. daily beginning Monday, November 16 and will run to Friday, November 27, 2020.

In outlining the process for regional and international graduands to participate in the virtual ceremonies, the Campus Registrar confirmed that there are currently two options available:

1. For those who are in a country with a landed campus or an Open Campus site where the option is available, we have made arrangements to coordinate access to academic regalia and portrait photography across the region.

2. For graduands who fall outside of this category, they will be provided with instructions on submitting their photo to participate in the virtual ceremonies. 

In accordance with the arrangements outlined, specific details will be provided once a graduand registers to participate in the ceremonies, which is the first step in the process. 

Graduation is a significant milestone for all UWI students. It is the highlight of the academic year for staff, current students and the wider community of alumni, family, friends and campus partners. A tremendous amount of consideration and thought across the UWI-17 went into designing a University and Campus Graduation Framework that would afford the graduating cohort a safe ceremony. The framework was also guided by the national protocols which at this time allow for limited assembly and social distancing. The safety of both students and staff continues to be the number one priority of every decision taken with respect to outlining the graduation process.

Information is available on the Campus Graduation website at https://sta.uwi.edu/graduation which is being regularly updated. Members of the graduating class can also email the Examinations Section for assistance at graduation@sta.uwi.edu.

END

About The UWI 

For more than 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider world. The UWI 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 across five campuses: Cave Hill in Barbados; Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda; Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago; and an Open Campus. 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 2019. The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists.

As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa including the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development; the Canada-Caribbean Studies Institute with Brock University; the Strategic Alliance for Hemispheric Development with Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES); 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. 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”)  

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