News Releases

Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago hosts UWI for Haiti fundraising drive

For Release Upon Receipt - September 2, 2010

St. Augustine


ST AUGUSTINE, Trinidad And Tobago – Professor Clement Sankat, Pro Vice Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (UWI) and St Augustine Campus Principal, together with Mr Ewart Williams, Governor of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago and current Chair of the UWI St Augustine Campus Council, will host a press conference on Thursday September 2nd at 11a.m. at the Central Bank to launch an appeal to the public at large to support the university’s “UWI for Haiti” fundraising drive.

Mr Ewart Williams has been raising funds on behalf of the regional university to support the UWI for Haiti initiative. At tomorrow’s press conference, the amounts raised will be announced, and the University will call for a re-energised thrust of support for its UWI for Haiti, an initiative by the regional university to assist in the rebuilding efforts of the disaster-struck Caribbean island

Shortly after the devastating earthquake in Haiti earlier this year, The University of the West Indies (UWI) launched UWI for Haiti. One aspect of UWI for Haiti is the hosting of displaced Haitian University students to complete their studies at UWI Campuses in Jamaica (Mona), Barbados (Cave Hill) and Trinidad (St Augustine).

At the St. Augustine Campus, sixty-nine applications have been received via the UWI Vice Chancellor’s Office, from the State University of Haiti. Forty-one final year undergraduate Engineering students have applied to spend one semester completing their final projects. Twelve final year undergraduate Science and Agriculture students have applied to spend up to one year completing their final projects. Five Veterinary Medicine students have applied to spend two years completing Masters degrees (nominated by Chief Veterinary Officer of Haiti). And eleven final year Dental students have applied to spend up to one year completing their programme.

Engineering, Agriculture and the Medical Sciences were identified as disciplines in which the St Augustine Campus possesses strong expertise and experience and where it has been determined that there is need for urgent capacity building in Haiti. Final year students were preferred so that they may complete their studies and return to Haiti to contribute as quickly as possible.

For the latest UWI News, click http://sta.uwi.edu/news.

About UWI

Over the last six decades, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged University with over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with main campuses in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Centres in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Christopher (St Kitts) & Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. UWI recently launched its Open Campus, a virtual campus with over 50 physical site locations across the region, serving over 20 countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. UWI is an international university with faculty and students from over 40 countries and collaborative links with over 60 universities around the world. Through its seven Faculties, UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Pure & Applied Sciences, Science and Agriculture, and Social Sciences.

Contact