February 2018


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2018 will be a good year. As with any new beginning, we have the chance to re-invent ourselves and to seize those opportunities that will present themselves in this new year.

2018 also marks the 70th anniversary of The UWI and its service and leadership in the Caribbean. We, the Staff, Faculty, Students, and our network of more than 120,000 alumni, can be justly proud of our accomplishments to date. UWI graduates are represented at the highest levels of the public and private sectors, and among all the professions. From one century to the next, The UWI has remained committed to advancing learning, creating knowledge, and fostering innovation for a sustainable Caribbean.

Six months ago, The UWI launched a Faculty of Sport which would oversee the development of a sport academy on each of our four campuses: Cave Hill, Mona, Open, and St. Augustine. The St. Augustine Campus is actively engaged in the process of establishing its academy, called the Academy of Sport and Physical Education (ASPE). The rationale for ASPE continues on our philosophy for national and regional sport programmes as evidenced by our very well-known Sport and Physical Education Centre (SPEC) over the years.

SPEC, a multifaceted academic sport and physical education tertiary level unit, was designed to be at the forefront of tertiary level sport development, sport academics and physical education in the Caribbean. Commissioned in 2003, it was then a different concept and a first in Trinidad and Tobago where people were more familiar with competitive stadia rather than a sport facility functioning like any other teaching and learning unit within a university.

After 14 years, it is time to reset the framework for the continued development of sport and physical education in a scenario where sport, sport academics, and physical education have even more relevance in our region.

The Academies of the Faculty of Sport are mandated to offer all types of programmes that will build physical literacy, primarily through physical education, for all citizens. Physical literacy, for those who are not aware, is defined as ‘the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life.’ (http://physicalliteracy.ca/physical-literacy/).

ASPE’s focus and mission will be on providing all-inclusive programmes that emphasize and promote physical literacy and on preparing exceptional sport and physical education professionals for successful sport careers. It will aim at inculcating a culture of personal responsibility for physical literacy so that individuals freely choose to be active on a regular basis. This involves prioritizing and sustaining involvement in a range of meaningful and personally challenging activities, as an integral part of one’s lifestyle. The Academy’s place should always be at the forefront of tertiary level Caribbean development in sport and physical education.

The community engagement plan of the St. Augustine Campus makes it an imperative that it hears, reaches out and assists national and Caricom governments in urgently addressing the current regional health crisis, characterized by a steady and continuous rise in lifestyle diseases. This crisis has a direct link to inactivity and unhealthy eating habits. Since 2007, Caricom governments have attempted to address the epidemic of chronic non‐communicable lifestyle diseases which account for more than half of the incidences of death and disease in the region. The major diseases are obesity, high cholesterol, coronary heart diseases and stroke, diabetes and some forms of cancer. In an environment where Trinidad and Tobago, like the rest of the Caribbean, is under siege, ASPE is certainly a timely initiative.

The St. Augustine Campus has often raised the notion of a revised national education system that is solely motivated by the need for citizens to survive in three possible scenarios: in catastrophic situations, such as in the aftermath of societal breakdown consequent to manmade or natural crises; in the “normal” state as defined primarily by the world of work, and in a future state with effective strategies for preparing the citizen of the future. This vision of an education system for sustainable development has driven the Campus’ contribution to curriculum and pedagogical reinvention and reform.

A key element at the core of the knowledge and skills of survival is the individual’s knowledge and understanding of their body. This is well exemplified in the concept of wellness and in the optimal use of citizens’ natural assets – in other words, the building of “physical competence” in a life-long “physical culture.” Think of it! Think of an education system that, from a very early age, develops and enhances our ability to walk, run, swim, jump, catch, kick, bowl, bat, do all of these things with our body and more in a manner that prolongs its utility while minimizing damage due to improper technique. Complement that with a sound knowledge of personal diet and exercise as well as mental stimulation and growth and we have a nation that is primed for long life, physically fit for times of physical hardship and, for those so inclined, fully prepared to escalate their physical competence to that of elite athlete.

Finally, this upgrade to an academy will allow for a much needed focus on teaching and learning of sustainable sports facility development and maintenance as well as the modernisation of existing sports facilities. This will align the Academy with international trends and widen access to quality tertiary level education in this much‐needed area of sport.

Obstacles, like change, are inevitable and a fact of life. However, in just seven decades, this regional University has time and again risen to challenges and pushed past perceived limits.

2018 has to be a year of change, of re-invention, and of innovation. Even as the economic uncertainty continues, it is already shaping up to be an exciting year for the St. Augustine Campus of The UWI. In treating with these uncertainties, campus management continues to systematically engage with stakeholders, including the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, which has always been very supportive of The UWI. This engagement is also with staff, recognized unions, contractors and students through the Guild of Students. In these conversations, the senior management team continues to share the economic reality with a call to be more efficient and innovative in operations. Campus management has shared some income generating and cost-cutting measures including curbing non-essential and travel expenditure, energy efficiency and leveraging digital technology solutions. We have also invited suggestions from the campus community and explained that the intention at this time is not layoffs but rather to focus on efficiencies and quality. Even as we take these measures, we plan to continue to strengthen our consulting activities with local and regional companies to improve their foreign exchange earning potential and to grow commercial entities from our R&D.

The current downturn is affecting higher education institutions worldwide. In fact, international rating agency Moody’s moved their rating of the global higher education industry from stable to negative, while Standard & Poor’s suggest a bleak outlook for higher education globally in 2018. Mindful of this disruption in higher education, we understand that it is not business as usual. We will continue to focus on innovating in all aspects of operations including academic programme restructuring and delivery, even as we put measures in place to treat with the economic downturn that all local organizations are grappling with.

I look forward to the support and commitment of all, on and off the Campus, as we collaboratively strive for true sustainable development for this region.

Professor Brian Copeland
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal

EDITORIAL TEAM

Campus Principal: Professor Brian Copeland
Director of Marketing and Communications: Dr. Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill
Editor: Vaneisa Baksh (Email: vaneisa.baksh@sta.uwi.edu )

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The UWI Marketing and Communications Office
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Email: uwitoday@sta.uwi.edu