We continue to use our knowledge and research for the benefit of Trinidad and Tobago. From the last century to now, The UWI has always stepped up to lend support and guidance to Caribbean societies grappling with unprecedented challenges.
This year, 2020, is a significant year for The UWI St Augustine. It marks the 60th anniversary of this institution that has shaped the lives of so many of us. Ours is truly a great story. It’s a Trinbagonian story. In October 1960, Sir Solomon Hochoy was just about three months on the job as Governor of Trinidad and Tobago. Dr Eric Williams was our premier. Donkey carts could be seen in the city and not just in the country. Life was still complicated but at a slower pace.
On October 12, 1960, Patrick Buchan-Hepburn – Lord Hailes – who was first and last Governor-General of the soon to be defunct West Indies Federation, formally handed over the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture to the University College of the West Indies. At that historical moment, the St Augustine Campus became the second Campus of what would become The University of the West Indies, following the Mona Campus in 1948. Today, there are five Campuses, including Cave Hill, Five Islands, and the Open Campus.
The Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture was then 38 years old and internationally renowned for its research in tropical agriculture. Top scientists conducted research on cash crops such as cocoa and citrus, and the impact of their work was felt across the English Commonwealth and beyond. The St Augustine Faculty of Food and Agriculture, our oldest faculty, continues in that tradition.
Sixty years later, the St Augustine Campus now boasts of eight faculties, the newest being the Faculties of Law and Sport. It has grown from a handful of students to an annual enrolment of some 14,000, an annual graduation rate of about 3,500 students and an alumni family of roughly 90,000.
This campus has also grown far outside of its St Augustine home base. It encompasses the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex; the School of Nursing in El Dorado; the Department of Creative and Festival Arts on Cheesman Avenue; the Agricultural Innovation Park in Orange Grove, and most recently, the Penal-Debe home of our South Campus – earmarked to anchor the UWI Global School of Medicine. This milestone celebration, therefore, is one in which students, faculty, and staff, past and present, must share.
Over the decades, we have faced many challenges as part of our story, I dare say none worse than what 2020 has presented. Once again, our campus community hunkered down to ensure that students, faculty, and staff remain safe. We continue to use our knowledge and research for the benefit of Trinidad and Tobago. From the last century to now, The UWI has always stepped up to lend support and guidance to Caribbean societies grappling with unprecedented challenges. We have never shirked our responsibility to this Region. We are transforming to thrive in this new reality.
In just 70 years, The UWI is one of the world’s most globalised universities, with nine global centres spread across North and Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Times Higher Education ranks The UWI among the top 600 universities in the world for 2019 and 2020, and the 40 best universities in Latin America and the Caribbean for 2018 and 2019. The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to be on these prestigious lists.
Looking back, we can take pride in our St. Augustine story. Our pelican pride is embedded in our creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit. Our faculty, students, and alumni have achieved remarkable successes in developing new technologies, fighting for the rights of our Caribbean people, uniting in the fight against COVID-19, advocating and informing climate change policy, winning Paralympic medals – and so much more in our 60 years.
Now, we are writing a new story, one of resilience and accelerated advancement in the face of a global pandemic. We will not emerge financially unscathed from this period. But, be assured, your university and this campus will use all the qualities I mentioned to radically adapt and contribute to the revitalisation and development of Caribbea.
We are shaping the future of this country, this region, and our world through community engagement, research, outstanding teaching, and creative contributions. This is a time to celebrate but let us also reflect on the story we want to tell in the next 60 years.
Happy 60th anniversary, UWI St Augustine!
