News Releases

Professor Brian Copeland Extended as St Augustine Campus Principal

For Release Upon Receipt - May 6, 2021

St. Augustine


The tenure of Professor Brian Copeland, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the St. Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI) has been extended for another year beyond his scheduled retirement in August. The decision was made at the annual meeting of the University Council on Friday, April 30, which was chaired by Chancellor Robert Bermudez, and held virtually for the second consecutive year. 

Professor Brian Copeland has served one term as Campus Principal, beginning July 2016.  He is an UWI alumnus, graduating from the St. Augustine Campus in 1978 with a BSc in Electrical Engineering, later earning an MSc in Electrical Engineering (Control Systems) from the University of Toronto in 1981; and then a PhD in Electrical Engineering (Control Systems) from the University of Southern California in 1990. He served as a Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at The UWI from 2007 to 2015. Prior to that, he was Head of the The UWI's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 1997 to 2007.

Professor Copeland was the first recipient of the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in 2008 and, in 2007, was joint recipient of the Chaconia Medal Gold as a member of the G-Pan development team. He received the Guardian Life Premium Teaching Award in 2002, the BP/AMOCO Fellowship Award for Senior Academic Staff at The UWI, 2001 and a LASPAU/Fulbright scholarship for Doctoral program at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 1987 among others. 

He was Coordinator of the Real Time Systems Group (RTSG), a UWI unit for developing university/industry liaison through impactful R&D Projects. At the RTSG, Professor Copeland was Project Leader for design and construction of the Electronic Scoreboard at the Queen’s Park Oval. He also co-ordinated the Steelpan Initiatives Project which saw the development and patenting of the G-Pan, a re-engineered form of the traditional steelpan, as well as the Percussive Harmonic instrument (P.H.I.), an electronic form of the traditional steelpan. Professor Copeland is Convener of the Steelpan Research Centre, UWI and is a former Member of the Board of Directors, CARIRI.

Professor Copeland currently serves on the Boards of Guardian Media Limited, UWI Ventures Limited, Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, and UWI Roytec.

Among other key decisions made by the University Council was the approval of the reappointment of Professor Sir Hilary Beckles as Vice-Chancellor of the regional university for a second, six-year term as well as the appointment of Professor Clive Landis, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Undergraduate Studies, as the new Principal of the Cave Hill Campus, succeeding Professor the Most Hon Violet Eudine Barriteau, who proceeds into retirement.

All appointments and reappointments take effect from August 1, 2021.

 

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About The UWI

The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region.

From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Open Campus, and 10 global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.

Ranked among the top universities in the world, by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists. In 2020, it earned ‘Triple 1st’ rankings—topping the Caribbean; and in the top in the tables for Latin America and the Caribbean, and global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old).  The UWI is also featured among the top universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.

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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