On September 2, 2025, teaching officially began for the new academic year at UWI St Augustine. Once again, the campus is bustling with activity as new and returning students attend classes and take part in campus activities. And although the beginning of every academic year is poignant for the campus community, Academic Year 2025/2026 has so far been very special.
There is an enthusiasm and togetherness among the students that harkens back to pre-pandemic times. Who can forget the severe dislocation and isolation brought on by COVID-19 just a few years ago? At that time, and for some years after, there was great concern about campus life. Would The UWI recover its home-away-from-home atmosphere, where students not only learn and develop, but also create lasting friendships and warm memories, and enjoy the many benefits of our beautiful campus?
I am very pleased to see that many of our incoming students fully intend to take advantage of campus life, as they should. For most of them, higher education is part of their rite of passage into young adulthood. It should be educational and enriching, but also enjoyable. Yes, they will have to work very hard, but they will be working in a supportive environment, among their peers, with services and facilities created specifically to help them make the best of their time with us.
At The UWI, we want to develop the whole student: a student who is well-educated, prepared for professional life, mentally and emotionally healthy, connected to community, and civic- minded. Services and activities that support holistic development are crucial to the student experience and campus life.
This revitalised campus experience has not happened accidentally. There have been many people in the campus community working to recover what was lost during the pandemic. It has been one of our priorities, from academic and support staff at all levels, the Division of Student Services and Development (DSSD), and the Guild of Students have all contributed.
So far this month, students received an incredible campus welcome through events such as Matriculation, UWI Life and Guild Fest. Within the various faculties, they have been warmly received by their deans, department heads, lecturers, and technical and administrative staff. We understand that the transition to higher education can be overwhelming and sometimes frightening, so we have put many systems in place to make it easier for them. The most important system is our desire for their success and concern for their well-being.
However, the students themselves should be applauded for their willingness to jump in and embrace campus life. That dynamism will serve them well during their academic career and their professional life after. It has also always been a hallmark of UWI students, even from the beginning.
Sir Dudley Huggins, who served as Campus Principal from 1963 to 1969 called it “the exciting adventure” of being a part of a young university in a newly independent republic. In his time, the new academic year at UWI St Augustine introduced new students in the hundreds. Today, thousands take part in the exciting adventure. It is fitting in this 65th anniversary year of the campus that we recognise that spirit so succinctly put in the mantra “Pelicans, Get Ready to Soar!”
I look forward to sharing many updates of our activities in this new academic year. We have only just begun.
