News Releases

UWI welcomes Bermuda as a member country

For Release Upon Receipt - September 17, 2010

St. Augustine


Bermuda is now the 16th country to officially join The University of the West Indies family. Bermuda’s status as an associate contributing country was approved by University Council in April 2010 and officially promulgated  with the ceremonial signing of the new Statute defining the  ‘Associate Contributing Country’ status for Bermuda by Vice Chancellor of The University of the West Indies, Professor E. Nigel Harris and Bermudan Premier Dr. the Honorable Ewart Brown. The ceremony took place on August 25, 2010 at the Premier’s official residence, Camden House, in Bermuda.  

Bermudan students will now – like other students of UWI contributing countries who are sponsored by their government – be eligible for a subsidy on tuition fees to study at any of The UWI’s four campuses. This will become effective for Bermudian nationals from the academic year 2011/2012.  

As he welcomed Bermuda into the UWI family, Vice Chancellor Harris noted that the process had been a long one, going back to the early 1990s when attempts were made to link Bermuda to the West Indies. He expressed his pleasure that at the initiative of the Government of Bermuda, the process was rekindled in 2008, culminating in the accession of Bermuda as an associate contributing country of The University of the West Indies. 

UWI’s University Registrar/Director of Administration, C. William Iton and Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of the UWI Open Campus, Professor Hazel Simmons-McDonald accompanied the Vice Chancellor to the signing. The ceremony was also attended by Bermuda’s Cabinet members, Bermuda College President, Duranda Greene and Bermuda Union of Teachers' General Secretary, Mike Charles.

 

About Bermuda’s Associate Membership

At the April 2010 Annual Business Meeting of The University of the West Indies’ Council, held at the Cave Hill Campus, the Statutes of the institution were modified with the creation of a new category of membership – Associate Contributing Country – to accommodate the accession of Bermuda. The Government of Bermuda’s application last year to be recognised as a full contributing country had been unanimously accepted by Council. However, it was found that because of a Bermudan law which prohibits ownership of property by non-Bermudans, its eligibility as a full contributing country could not be met. As an ‘Associate Contributing Country’, Bermuda would be entitled to be represented at its own expense as an Observer at meetings of the governing bodies of The UWI and could access the subsidised rate of tuition fees for its students. Bermuda will be a part of the Open Campus and be counted among the “UWI-12 countries” – that is, contributing countries which do not host a physical campus. 

 

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.  

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