News Releases

The UWI St. Augustine Campus Council meets to review Academic Year

For Release Upon Receipt - March 29, 2011

St. Augustine


On Tuesday March 29th 2011, The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus Council met to report and review activities undertaken over the previous academic year. Members of the Council met following the production of the 2009/2010 Campus Annual Report which had particular significance, as 2010 marked the 50th anniversary of the St. Augustine Campus.

The review of the academic year included the initiation of the Campus’ institutional accreditation process, the increased number in student enrolment, student achievements and improved student offerings. The meeting also reviewed the challenges and accomplishments of the Campus’ human resources which included sustained high output in the wake of restricted staff recruitment and the commencement of wage negotiations between the Administration and the West Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT), the body representing Academic and Senior Administrative and Professional (ASAP) staff. Members of the Campus staff were also recognized for their work and achieved awards of excellence within the previous academic year.    

During the relevant period, the Campus also improved its academic offerings, implementing four new programmes at the undergraduate level, including two new BA degrees in Geography and Dance, and 16 at the Postgraduate level, including new Diploma and MSc programmes in Sports Management, which are the result of partnerships with the world football governing body, FIFA and the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) based in Switzerland.

The meeting also reviewed the Campus’ research and innovation efforts, which included six professorial lectures and five Distinguished Open Lectures including one by Nobel Prize winner in Economics, Joseph Stiglitz. During the academic year, the Campus also produced 274 articles in peer-reviewed journal publications, 16 books, 27 chapters in books, and 258 conference presentations.  

In the academic year 2009/2010, the Campus pursued outreach activities that included opening its doors to 53 students from Haiti following the devastating earthquake the country experienced in January 2010. The St Augustine Campus also participated in the Mango Festival, and hosted the annual UWI SPEC International Half-Marathon and through the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA) became the official custodian of Trinidad and Tobago’s carnival traditions, hosting what was once Viey la Cou in what is now known as “the Old Yard”. The Campus also established significant partnerships over the past academic year. The Campus Principal signed Memoranda of Understanding with the Caribbean Interpreting and Translation Bureau (CITB), the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA), the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), and the Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute (THTI).

The Campus Council reviewed the financial standing of the Campus as stated in the 2009/2010 Annual Report, noting that the Campus continues to grapple with financial challenges caused by the sluggish world economy which has affected the University’s contributing countries. Overall, income increased by 13%, due to increases of over 30% in income generated under Special Project Funds and Other Income. On the Expenditure side, the Campus has succeeded in reining in costs and registered an almost 2% decline overall. The general decline in spending was the result of the uncertainty regarding cash flows during the year and the Campus Principal led an initiative to cut costs to conserve available funds.

View the Executive Summary of the St. Augustine Campus 2009/2010 Annual Report.

 

About The Campus Council 

Each Campus of The University of the West Indies has a Campus Council. The Campus Council is the governing and executive body of the Campus, with powers vested by the University Council, to manage all matters as prescribed in Statute 21 and subject to The UWI’s Charter. At each meeting of Campus Council, the Campus Principal reports to the membership all activities undertaken over the previous academic year, and these include inter alia academic and curriculum updates, changing statistics on students enrolment and graduate throughput, and staffing across all levels of the Campus; management and expansion of the physical Campus sites; and strategic initiatives that are being undertaken to enhance the delivery of all services provided by the Campus. Additionally, the Campus Bursar reports on the audited financial statements for the year in review, and beyond the balance sheet and income statements information is provided on cash flow, finances, accounts, and investments. 

For further information, please call 662-2002 ext. 3880, 3881 or 2612.

 

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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