December 2008


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EDITORIAL

2008 has truly been a remarkable year – from the global credit crisis to the historic win of Barack Obama in the USA. For us at the St Augustine Campus, the year has been filled with challenges and achievements which we have been able to share with you in the pages of UWI Today. In our sixtieth year it is apparent that much has been achieved, but there is also much more to be done.

While our recent graduation ceremonies gave us the opportunity to reflect on our UWI Mission and Vision, it also gave us an opportunity to celebrate one of the largest graduating classes, including the largest group of graduate/research students at our Campus, nearly 800. As our founding fathers ascertained, the problems of the West Indies must be fully understood and investigated in the West Indies “by West Indians” if we are to move forward. This is why graduate studies, research and innovation are key initiatives in our strategic plan.

And so the research, shared through timely lectures by Professors Pantin and Leo Rhynie, as well as the presentations by our honorary graduates, help us to formulate answers to many compelling questions.

At this years’ graduation, we celebrated four outstanding individuals for their contributions to academia and society, Professor Kari Levitt (Doctor of Laws – LLD) for her work associated with economics and policy-making in the Caribbean; Mr. Kynaston McShine (Doctor of Letters – DLitt), a Trinidadian living in New York, for devoting his life to the visual arts. Most of Mr. McShine’s work has been recognized by awards including an Honorary Doctorate by the San Francisco Art Institute; His Excellency, the Hon. Arthur D. Hanna (Doctor of Laws- LLD), Governor General of the Bahamas, for being a champion of civil rights in the Bahamas and for influencing policy decisions in this regard; and our very own Mr. Leroy Calliste aka Black Stalin – (Doctor of Letters -DLitt) for his inspirational messages over the years through calypso.

The historic win of Barack Obama, President Elect of the USA, also signals winds of change, not just for America, but for children of migrants throughout the world. From all reports there are several lessons that can be learnt from the strategic public relations campaign led by David Axelrod and his team. From his comprehensive strategic plan, that was made available to a wide audience from those on Facebook to mobile phone users, to his timely networkaired documentary, narrated by non-other than the Democratic Party nominee – the communication strategy was key to his win. His campaign as described by one Newsweek reporter was “well-organised, well run” – compared to others often described as “chaotic”. His ability to gain financial support through large as well as seemingly small donations from “the masses” is something of an inspiration and one that we have also seen as key at UWI - just review the UWI Adopt-A-Student initiative.

But foremost is the Obama campaign’s focus on sharing his strategy and policies with a wide target audience using several channels and styles; a key rule known to any good communicator and one that we will continue to develop in the years ahead.

For instance, UWI Today is a newspaper designed to update you on the research, teaching and key events taking place at the Campus. For more in-depth information, you may review many research journals, books and other publications produced by staff on a range of issues, from the Haitian Revolution to Aluminium Smelting and Tropical Agriculture. We will share some of these publications which were also promoted at the recent Book Fair, with you in our next issue.

In closing, we must congratulate our editorial team, in particular, the Marketing and Communications Office for leading the way in revamping the newspaper. We must also thank our corporate sponsors for the continued support of the supplement. Last but certainly not least, to you our readers, thank you for your encouragement and advice as we look ahead to 2009.

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Campus Principal : Professor Clement Sankat
Director of Marketing and Comunications : Mrs. Dawn Marie De Four-Gill
Editor : Mrs. Anna Walcott-Hardy

Contact us:
The UWI Marketing and Communications Office
Tel: (868) 662-2002 exts. 2013, 2014
Email: uwitoday@sta.uwi.edu