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UWI Leadership retreats to plan ‘Revenue Revolution’

For Release Upon Receipt - October 11, 2021

UWI


The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. Monday, October 11, 2021—Two weeks ago, from September 29 to 30, the leadership team of The University of the West Indies (The UWI) successfully completed part one of its business planning retreat. This weekend, it enters part two of the strategy to monetize its global reputation into sustainable revenue. An annual net revenue generation target of US$50 million was set by the University, to be divided among its five campuses and the Vice-Chancellery. The objective of the entrepreneurial engagement is to confront and remove its institutional operational deficit.

Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles leads the team this weekend to the Five Islands Campus, in Antigua and Barbuda—including the five Campus Principals and three Pro Vice-Chancellors—to build upon the campus specific targets set earlier in part 1 of the retreat. The major objective, however, is the roll out of a Global Online Campus initiative, using existing capabilities within the Open Campus system to upgrade to a next-generation digital institution.

A consultant’s business report indicates tremendous financial potential for income generation for The UWI by globally marketing its academic content. The findings of the report are expected to take centre-stage as a “One UWI” solution to its financial woes in an age of diminishing government funding.

Vice-Chancellor Beckles noted that “The UWI is determined to be aggressively entrepreneurial in securing its financial future as a top class university, and will be going to the regional and global online academic markets with its excellent courses and programmes. This moment is the first in its history of strategic planning that the institution is focused collectively and exclusively on its financial condition with a view to transformation and sustainability.”

Hosting and guiding the upcoming retreat is Principal of the Five Islands Campus, and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academic, Industry Partnerships and Planning, Professor Densil A. Williams.

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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.

The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). In the latest World University Rankings 2022, released in September 2021, The UWI moved up an impressive 94 places from last year. In the current global field of some 30,000 universities and elite research institutes, The UWI stands among the top 1.5%.

The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean, it is also in the top 20 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old).  The UWI is also featured among the leading 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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