News Releases

UWI Honorary Grads presented with academic mementos

For Release Upon Receipt - January 18, 2021

St. Augustine


In a brief ceremony hosted last Friday, January 15 at the Office of the Campus Principal at The UWI St. Augustine Campus, three of this year’s Honorary Graduates were presented with academic mementos to mark their achievement: a UWI ring, official Honorary Degree Certificate, Canister, Citation, and a PhD hood.

Honorary Graduates present at the ceremony included Professor Emeritus Edgar Julian Duncan, awarded for his contributions to Caribbean Science and Agriculture and to The UWI; Mr. Paul ‘Tim Tim’ Keens-Douglas, awarded for his contributions to Culture and the Arts and Mr. Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe for Steelpan Composition, Arrangement and Performance.

“Intuitive thinking, grounded in learned facts, often leads to the most brilliant designs, inventions, and innovations. These gentlemen are the proof…Together they represent the fusion of science, technology, and the arts so critical in our education if Trinidad and Tobago is to truly realise the full potential of our immense talent and creativity,” said Professor Brian Copeland, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal of the St. Augustine Campus. “This ceremony may not have the pomp and splendour associated with these events in previous years but these physical symbols of this University that you, Honorary Graduands, are about the receive, place you squarely in the fold of The University of the West Indies. You are UWI and part of our campus community,” Professor Copeland explained.

Also acknowledged at the ceremony were the 2020 Valedictorians who were presented with some tokens on behalf of the Campus. They included Ms. Chikara Mitchell, Valedictorian for the Faculty of Social Sciences and Dr. Shaquille O'Neal Trotman, Valedictorian for the Faculty of Medical Sciences.

Mr. Richard Ali, Valedictorian for the Faculties of Science & Technology and Food & Agriculture, Mr. Suraj Sakal, Valedictorian for the Faculties of Law and Engineering and Mr. Keitje Greaves, Valedictorian for the Faculty of Humanities and Education, who were unable to join their peers at the event were also acknowledged.

“These young people represent the best of this year’s graduating class and the qualities of the ideal UWI graduate. I am proud of each of their accomplishments and look forward to great things from them in the future,” added Professor Copeland.

 

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NOTES TO EDITOR

PHOTO 1:  2020 UWI St Augustine Graduates pose in regalia and with honorary certificates beginning with, Honorary Graduate, Faculties of Science and Technology and Food and Agriculture - Professor Emeritus Edgar Julian Duncan (DSc); Honorary Graduate, Faculty of Humanities and Education - Mr. Paul “Tim-Tim” Keens-Douglas (DLITT); and Honorary Graduate, Faculties of Engineering and Law - Mr. Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe (DLITT);

PHOTO 2 : All gathered for the camera (From L-R): Graduates and UWI St Augustine personnel stand together beginning with Valedictorian, Faculty of Medical Sciences - Dr. Shaquille Trotman; Honorary Graduate, Faculties of Science and Technology and Food and Agriculture - Professor Emeritus  Edgar Julian Duncan (DSc) who stands beside Campus Registrar, The UWI, St Augustine -Dr Dawn-Marie Defour-Gill; followed by Honorary Graduate, Faculties of Engineering and Law - Mr. Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe (DLITT); Honorary Graduate, Faculty of Humanities and Education - Mr. Paul “Tim-Tim” Keens-Douglas; Deputy Campus Principal, The UWI St Augustine - Professor Indar Ramnarine; and Valedictorian, Faculty of Social Sciences - Ms. Chikara Mitchell

PHOTO 3: Congratulations Honorary Graduate ‘Boogsie’ - Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, The UWI ST. Augustine Professor Brian Copeland presents Honorary Graduate, Faculties of Engineering and Law Mr. Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe (DLITT) with his citation written by Professor Christine Carrington of The UWI St. Augustine

PHOTO 4: Congratulations Honorary Graduate ‘Tim Tim’ - Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, The UWI ST. Augustine Professor Brian Copeland presents Honorary Graduate, Faculty of Humanities and Education - Mr. Paul “Tim-Tim” Keens-Douglas; with his honorary certificate

PHOTO 5: Proud moment - Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, The UWI St. Augustine Professor Brian Copeland presents Honorary Graduand, Faculties of Science and Technology and Food and Agriculture - Professor Emeritus Edgar Julian Duncan (DSc) with his honorary certificate

PHOTO 6: Deputy Campus Principal, The UWI St Augustine - Professor Indar Ramnarine presents a token to Valedictorian, Faculty of Medical Sciences - Dr. Shaquille Trotman

PHOTO 7: Deputy Campus Principal, The UWI St Augustine - Professor Indar Ramnarine presents a token to Valedictorian, Faculty of Social Sciences - Ms. Chikara Mitchell

 

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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