SUNDAY 6TH JULY, 2014 – UWI TODAY
5
ENERGY
RESEARCH
The UWI was one of only
two Caribbean tertiary
level institutions represented at a higher education
conference staged by the British Council in Miami
in April.
The UWI team, led by Vice-Chancellor Professor
Nigel Harris, sought to strengthen its positioning in the
global landscape as an authority on small-island state
development and as an ideal international partner.
This was done by targeting potential partners,
based on The UWI’s pre-identified strategic projects,
and highlighting its uniqueness and major strengths,
notable programmes and accomplishments. The
UWI’s location through its three physical campuses
and accessibility via its virtual campus were important
selling points.
The UWI exhibition at the conference, “An
Engine of Regional Development,” was well located
in the centre of the exhibition hall and attracted many
visitors. University representatives from Colombia,
Mexico and Brazil, were very keen to explore English
languagemobility opportunities. A recent major thrust
withinTheUWI is the strengthening of links withHEIs
in Latin America.
Vice-Chancellor Harris was a lead presenter
in three well-attended sessions. The first was a
workshop organised by the International Association
of Universities to define the meaning of “Inclusive
Internationalisation” as ameans of ensuring a common
approach by universities.
His second presentation, “Beyond the Rhetoric
of Partnerships,” attracted a considerable crowd. He
discussed the criteria used byThe UWI in determining
its engagement with significant partners. The UWI, he
said, served theCommonwealthCaribbeanparticularly
through research, training and public service, and it
was an important source of technical expertise for the
public and private sectors, that it provided a gateway
to the wider Caribbean region in terms of the impact
of its work and that it engaged in the marketing of
its expertise. His third presentation derived from the
workshop, “Inclusive Internationalisation,” and elicited
much debate.
The UWI’s participation at Going Global 2014
was facilitated by the support of the Caribbean Export
Development Agency. This collaboration, Vice-
Chancellor Harris said, was an excellent case study
of how the private sector could support institutions
such as The UWI.
Some 1,000 delegates, presenters and exhibitors
from70 countries, including 500 heads of organisations
and 16 educationministers, met to share best practices,
The Engine of Regional Development
network and strategize about the future of higher
education.
In addition to universities from Europe, the
United States, Asia, Latin America, Africa and
Australia, there were representatives of international
development agencies, associations of higher education
administrators, companies in the fields of higher
education marketing, recruitment, and research
rankings. More than 3,400 people watched the
proceedings online. Nine pieces of research were
launched at the meeting, ranging from the role that
higher education can play in creating jobs in Africa to
trends in South East Asia.The conference proceedings
will be published in a book to be edited byMary Stiasny
and Tim Gore of the University of London.
