Message from the Principal: June – A Time for Reflection and Renewal
 June is traditionally associated with weddings and new beginnings. However, it is also a fitting time for mid-year reflection.
As The UWI academic year comes to a close, there is much for which we must be grateful; just as there’s a lot to which we can look forward. This University has come of age in a period that tests its mettle on all fronts: strained economic circumstances nationally and regionally and a changing, highly competitive landscape for tertiary education institutions. These pose challenges that affect everything; sometimes in unexpected ways.
Against this background The UWI must continue to play a leadership role in driving the region’s development. Institutional excellence at The UWI is a core value and the foundation on which we have built our reputation for quality. Just as we seek to transform our society, so too must The UWI continue to transform itself if it is to survive. This means looking beyond and seizing new opportunities and forging new partnerships, as we are doing in the ACS countries and even further afield. For example, on June 1st we signed an historic MOU in Port of Spain with the Director-General of Hanban and Chief Executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters of the People’s Republic of China, Madame Xu Lin, in the presence of the Honourable Prime Minister, Mrs. Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the President of China, H.E. Mr. Xi Jinping, to establish a Confucius Institute at UWI St. Augustine. This Institute will create a focal point on our Campus in Trinidad &Tobago for those wishing to study Chinese language and culture as well as the political, economic and commercial issues of contemporary China.
Our commitment to transformation is reflected in the many new initiatives upon which we have embarked to enhance our efficiency and build a more enterprising academy. Our current Change Programme is illustrated by a cog motif - a series of interconnected wheels depicting motion, which have a critical component at the centre: ‘You’. We want all employees at every level to be a part of this process, to feel empowered and to contribute to our transformation efforts so that we can position our university for even greater success.
Our transformative change is focussed on human, financial, physical and academic matters. In the pages of this edition of UWI Today, our new Campus Registrar Richard Saunders highlights the use of ‘smart’ technology for the benefit of our staff and students. In tandem, our Projects Office and Division of Facilities Management are engaged in major capital projects to provide an environment that can meet international standards. Among the other features in this issue, there are stories of our Graduates who are doing tremendous work in Trinidad & Tobago and regionally. In 2013/2014 we expect to launch a series of new Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes in areas such as Alternative Energy Technology, Bio-Medical Physics, Agriculture, Local Government, to better prepare our graduates for a new environment.
My annual Campus Management Retreat took place this past week and we used the time to take stock of where we are, where we’d like to be and what needs to happen to enhance our financial sustainability and create an enterprising academy. We are aware that, as part of a regional university, we do not operate in a vacuum. In fact, the St. Augustine Campus is one component of the bigger regional UWI machinery that is focused on implementing our UWI Strategic Plan 2012-2017, which supports the holistic development of our region.
So beyond the reflection that June inevitably brings, it also brings the wherewithal to re-energise, re-engineer and renew our commitment to advancing tertiary education in Trinidad & Tobago and the Caribbean through excellence in teaching, research, innovation and public service.
Pro Vice Chancellor & Principal
EDITORIAL TEAM
Campus Principal: Professor Clement Sankat
Director of Marketing and Communications: Mrs. Dawn-Marie De
Four-Gill
Director of Marketing and Communications (Ag.): Mrs. Wynell Gregorio
Editor: Mrs. Maria Rivas-McMillan
Contact us:
The UWI Marketing and Communications Office
Tel: (868) 662-2002 exts. 82013, 82014
Email: uwitoday@sta.uwi.edu
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