News Releases

The UWI and University of Waterloo sign Student Mobility Agreement

For Release Upon Receipt - May 6, 2022

UWI


The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. Friday, May 6, 2022—The University of the West Indies (The UWI) and Canada’s University of Waterloo (UW) have renewed a landmark student mobility agreement. After finalising the details of the arrangement in 2021, officials of the two Universities met virtually on Thursday May 5 for the symbolic signing of the agreement.

The agreement strengthens opportunities for internationalizing educational programmes through student mobility initiatives, aimed at developing global citizenship, increasing adaptability, cultural sensitivity, and intercultural communication skills.

Dr. Stacy Richards-Kennedy, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Global Affairs, signed on behalf of The UWI, and Professor Charmaine Dean, Vice-President, Research and International penned the agreement on behalf of UW.

Through this partnership, undergraduate and graduate students from each university will have the opportunity to apply for an exchange experience for either one or two semesters, starting as early as the 2022/2023 academic year. The programme facilitates both student exchanges and study abroad opportunities, and applies to courses within the Faculties of Humanities and Education, Social Sciences, Law, Engineering, and Science and Technology at The UWI, and the Faculties of Arts, Environment, Health, Mathematics, and Science at UW.

In addition to a commitment to internationalization, The UWI and UW share several other outstanding partnership attributes, including being ranked among the top 100 Golden Age Universities by the prestigious Times Higher Education ranking agency.

Commenting on the initiative, Dr. Stacy Richards-Kennedy noted, “The signing of this agreement with the University of Waterloo is testament to our commitment to internationalization, to expanding global education opportunities for our students, and to deepening relations with leading university partners. We are also very proud that we are celebrating sixteen years of collaboration between The UWI and the University of Waterloo.”

Professor Charmaine Dean also notes that “The University of Waterloo is excited to work with international partners that offer opportunities for multifaceted relationships, which can grow over time and advance broad institutional goals.  For us, The University of the West Indies is one such partner, and we look forward to deepening our strategic relationship as we explore more meaningful collaborations in the years to come.”

END.

About the University of Waterloo

The University of Waterloo is a leading Canadian university and innovation hub that drives global prosperity.   The best and brightest are drawn to the University of Waterloo for its renowned academic programs, world-leading co-operative education, and teaching and research excellence. 

In 1957, the University of Waterloo opened its doors to 74 engineering students, with co-operative education as its cornerstone. Today, with more than 42,000 students attending annually, Waterloo is #1 in Canada for experiential learning and employer-student connections. 

A strategic integration of research and teaching excellence, the world’s largest co-operative education program, entrepreneurship-intensive programs, and a creator-owned intellectual property policy, has resulted in extensive industry collaboration, the generation of thousands of commercial and social enterprises, and a dynamic learning environment. 

With a global network spanning more than 220,000 alumni in 151 countries, Waterloo attracts world-class scholars including a Nobel Laureate, leads in providing work-integrated learning opportunities with 7,100+ active co-op employers and fosters an entrepreneurial spirit that’s created 5,000+ jobs through Velocity alone, Canada’s most productive start-up incubator by private investment. 

Waterloo is incredibly proud of the contributions that its faculty, students, alumni and partners make every day to solving some the world’s most complex challenges, which have fostered the following accolades: ranked within top 150 universities in the world (QS World Rankings 2022), #1 for employer-student connections (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020), #1 most innovative in Canada (Maclean’s 2022),

#2 in Canada for social and economic impact based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings 2020). 

At the forefront of innovation, Waterloo champions a culture of curiosity, exploration, risk-taking, entrepreneurship, global stewardship and leadership. Waterloo brings bold ideas and brilliant minds together — inspiring innovations with global impact today and in the future. 

For more, visit https://uwaterloo.ca/about/

 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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