News Releases

UWI Discovers India

For Release Upon Receipt - July 17, 2012

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago – A group of senior Faculty, Administrators and Alumni of The University of the West Indies (UWI), departed on Thursday July 12th for a three-week academic immersion in India.  The experience is the first of a new series started at the St. Augustine Campus titled ‘UWI Discovers,’ where groups of University students, staff and alumni will be led to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS countries), over the next four years.  

Organized by The UWI St. Augustine Office of Institutional Advancement & Internationalization, the group will be led by Prof. Kapil Kumar, a visiting lecturer holding the post of Chair of Contemporary Indian Studies, funded for The UWI by the Government of India.  The group will meet with a number of India’s leading academic institutions and will be hosted by various private and public organizations.  The group is also expected to be lectured by prominent Indian academics in a range of areas, while networking with Indian leaders interested in collaboration with the Caribbean and in particular, Trinidad and Tobago.   

After this inaugural visit to India in 2012, Brazil, South Africa and China will each be added over the next three years.  The purpose of the ‘UWI Discovers’ series is to further the internationalisation agenda of The University, an issue which is central to its new strategic plan for the period 2012-2017.  Participants will be immersed in all contemporary aspects of these global powers, with the aim of ensuring that cadres of present and future Caribbean leaders are not only sensitive to these countries, but are also versed in their uniqueness, cultures and customs. Most importantly, these leaders will be exposed to the opportunities for the Caribbean to engage in constructive partnerships. 

In preparation for ‘UWI Discovers India 2012,’ participants were prepared via three orientation sessions which included basic training in Hindi. The Indian High Commission in Trinidad & Tobago and the Trinidad & Tobago High Commission in India played critical roles in helping develop the programme and secure opportunities for the group whilst in India.  Participants will send a series of video blogs from India to chronicle their experience. These will be published on the ‘UWI Discovers India 2012’ website: http://sta.uwi.edu/discover/india2012/.  The website also provides an overview of the ‘UWI Discovers’ Series and contacts for further information. 

For further information, please contact Mr. Jules Sobion at 662 2002 ext. 83635, or via e-mail at jules.sobion@sta.uwi,edu.

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. 

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)

 

Contact