In 1989, during the tenure of Professor George Maxwell Richards as Campus Principal, he translated his love of Trinidad and Tobago and its culture into what is now a major annual fund-raiser of The UWI Development and Endowment Fund (UWIDEF). The ‘UWI Fete’, which took place on January 14, has been credited as one of his initiatives. At that time, the Caribbean and Latin America were in the midst of what was called the ‘Debt Crisis’ – incomes and imports dropped; economic growth stagnated; unemployment rose, and inflation reduced the buying power of the middle classes. Today, the economic downturn is compounded by the devastation wrought by climate change, resulting in increasingly severe storms in the Caribbean. Now, like then, the impact of the economic scenario has been tremendous on students.
The St. Augustine Campus records show that for more than two decades, thousands of students have benefitted from this signature event. In 1992, UWIDEF offered 19 bursaries; in 2017, that figure was 210. Among the many reasons for which the University and this region are grateful for the service of Professor George Maxwell Richards, this is surely a major one.
In 1989, during the tenure of Professor George Maxwell Richards as Campus Principal, he translated his love of Trinidad and Tobago and its culture into what is now a major annual fund-raiser of The UWI Development and Endowment Fund (UWIDEF). The ‘UWI Fete’, which took place on January 14, has been credited as one of his initiatives. At that time, the Caribbean and Latin America were in the midst of what was called the ‘Debt Crisis’ – incomes and imports dropped; economic growth stagnated; unemployment rose, and inflation reduced the buying power of the middle classes. Today, the economic downturn is compounded by the devastation wrought by climate change, resulting in increasingly severe storms in the Caribbean. Now, like then, the impact of the economic scenario has been tremendous on students.