UWI St Augustine Campus Principal Professor Brian Copeland has had his tenure extended for another year. The decision was made at the annual meeting of The University of the West Indies University Council on Friday, April 30.
The meeting, which was chaired by UWI Chancellor Robert Bermudez and held virtually for the second consecutive year, also approved the reappointment of Professor Sir Hilary Beckles as UWI Vice-Chancellor, and Professor Clive Landis (Pro Vice-Chancellor for Undergraduate Studies) as the new Principal of the Cave Hill Campus in Barbados.
In addition, Dr Mark Wuddivira, Head of the Department of Food Production and Senior Lecturer in Environmental Soil Physics, has been appointed Dean of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture (FFA). Dr Wuddivira succeeds Professor Wayne Ganpat, whose tenure as dean at FFA was a time of intensified focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, the implementation of new food production practises and technology, research, and advocacy for national and regional food security.
Dr Brian Cockburn has been reappointed Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology and Dr Akshai Mansingh has been reappointed Dean of the University’s Faculty of Sport, which serves the five campuses of The UWI through their Academies of Sport. All appointments and reappointments take effect from August 1, 2021.
Professor Copeland has served one term as Campus Principal, beginning July 2016. He is a UWI alumnus, graduating from the St Augustine Campus in 1978, and has as served as a Professor and Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, as well Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. Professor Copeland, who is the first recipient of the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in 2008 for his work in steelpan innovation, and who has successfully patented new developments in steelpan technology, was scheduled to retire in August of this year.
This year’s University Council meeting followed heightened interest in the leadership and functioning of The UWI after the release and region-wide debate over the Report of The UWI Chancellor’s Commission on Governance of The UWI. The report, released in July 2020, was very critical of the regional university and made several recommendations, including the raising of tuition fees for students.
The appointment of Professor Landis to Cave Hill Campus Principal follows the retirement of Professor Eudine Barriteau, one of the Caribbean’s most celebrated and accomplished feminist scholars and academic administrators.
The open session of the 2021 University Council meeting can be viewed at www.uwitv.org and the UWI TV Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UWITV.
