SEPTEMBER 2015 – UWI TODAY
3
EDITORIAL TEAM
Campus Principal
Professor Clement Sankat
Director of Marketing and Communications
Dr Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill
(Ag) EDITOR
Maria Rivas-McMillan
CONTACT US
The UWI Marketing and Communications Office
Tel: (868) 662-2002, exts. 82013 / 83997 or email:
The Editor’s Notebook
Welcoming Our New Students
Arriving at a Time of Enormous Change and Expectation
FROM the Principal
It is with great enthusiasm
and expectation that I share
my excitement in welcoming
the new students and those
returning, to the unique
experience of being part of the
St. Augustine Campus of The
University of the West Indies
community. You are all arriving
at a very dynamic period of
the university’s history, as we
celebrate the 55th anniversary
of the St. Augustine Campus, and at the same time, breaking
new ground in creating a new and interesting future for all
of us here at The UWI.
Just last month, the St. Augustine Campus held a
Ceremonial Topping-Off and Deed Handover Ceremony of
its SouthCampus inPenal-Debewhich is themost significant
infrastructural development and expansion accomplished at
our Campus for 55 years and the Regional University for over
40 years. This grand affair was attended by many dignitaries
from around the region, with the commemorative plaque
being unveiled by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and
Tobago, the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar and our
Chancellor, Sir George Alleyne; and witnessed by our newly
appointed Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles,
the President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, His
Excellency Brigadier David A. Granger, the Minister of
Tertiary Education and Skills Training, theHonourable Fazal
Karim, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development,
the Honourable Dr. Roodal Moonilal, and of course, many
more of our stakeholders and benefactors.
The benefits to be derived from this new facility are
enormous, with the Faculty of Lawbeing the flagship Faculty.
Notwithstanding, this Campus will also be the site for the
delivery of other programs from our various faculties, as
well as UWI-ROYTEC, to begin with. While it is critical
that such state-of-the-art facilities are provided, it is even
more important that we attract students who are willing,
able, committed and dedicated to building on the great
legacy of the graduates ofThe University of theWest Indies.
In addition, you, our young students must also distinguish
yourselves through your commitment to upholding
high moral standards and values, while at the same time
demonstrating a solemn respect for the well-being of your
fellow students. The UWI will challenge you like you have
never been challenged before, to not only be very proficient
in the speciality of your subject, but to be critical and creative
thinkers and problem solvers. You will therefore need to
nurture a keen sense of individual and social responsibility,
become self-starters and learners, engage in teamwork and
exemplify strong communication skills. This will be a big
leap in your development as a young professional.
I wish to remind all of us (students and staff) that we
must demonstrate on an ongoing basis, our efforts to develop
the regional, social and cultural bond that naturally exists
in The UWI experience. As the leading regional higher
education institution, this is how we will espouse the unique
demographic makeup of Caribbean people represented at
our university, which has risen out of the diversities of our
West Indian heritage. It is incumbent upon us as Educators,
to deliberately incorporate this component (our rich regional
diversity) to form part of the ethos of our UWI educational
psyche. In so doing, we will be able to ensure that our
promotion of a Caribbean identity is fully realized, and that
the products of our system are not only academic, but are also
caring, cordial and bring about much needed harmonious
existence, in a world that seems threatened by divisions of
all kinds. To this end, your success as a graduating student of
The UWI manifests itself, not only by making our country,
region and the world a more efficient and prosperous place,
but also bymaking our societiesmore compassionate, peaceful
and caring.
The staff ofThe UWI St. Augustine Campus gives all first
year students the assurance that support throughmentorship
will be provided on an ongoing basis. It is our primary
objective to ensure that we make available all the resources
that would ultimately allow our students to be successful,
as they work towards graduating from this unique regional
institution. Paramount to this success is our university’s thrust
in developing students who are well rounded, with the ability
to balance their academic pursuits, while at the same time
participate in social activities among their peers. All students
enrolled in this upcoming semester will benefit from the
various new courses and programmes being offered, as well
as the many clubs, societies and sporting facilities that exist on
the grounds of our university.The UWI St. Augustine Campus
is always making every effort to meet the growing demands
of the workforce and the inevitable needs of our society. Your
tenure here as students must prepare you to immediately add
value and relevance as you progress through your years of
study and eventually move into the working world. We are
here to help you do just that.
In closing, I once again welcome you, and look forward
to offering you the very best in higher education, while at the
same time anticipate the level of excellence and dedication
that you will bring to our beloved regional University of the
West Indies.
Clement K. Sankat
Pro Vice-Chancellor & Principal
The above Latin phrase
is usually translated as
First among
Equals
and relates to a person or position that is ‘formally
equivalent to others in a group, but is superior in some
attribute’.
His Excellency Brigadier David A. Granger
, President
of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, at the ceremonial
‘topping off ’ ofThe University of theWest Indies, St. Augustine
South Campus at Penal Debe , reiterated what somany already
know:
The Anglophone Caribbean is a region of small states. This
highly-Balkanized area, with a population of just around five
million, however, has astonished the world by producing three
Nobel Laureates. Some larger states with populations measured
in millions are yet to produce a single Nobel Laureate.
Caribbean men and women have distinguished themselves
on the global stage. We have produced sons and daughters of
eminence and excellence who are to be found in almost all
professions in almost every country of the world. These persons
are products of a culture of struggle which has traditionally
attached great value to education
.
Thismonth’s issue of UWI Today salutes 8 suchCaribbean
notables:
Mr GérardA. Besson, MrHollis R. Charles, Justice
Ralph Narine, Madame Justice Jean Angela Permanand,
Mr Rajkumar “Krishna” Persad, Mr David Rudder, Mr
A. Norman Sabga, Dr Marjorie Thorpe
. All of them have
made immense contributions to Caribbean development and,
in recognition of which, will be conferred honorary degrees
by The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus.
We also welcome others who are embarking on another
kind of ‘first’ – new entrants into university life and living. First
year experience is one that should be remembered positively
and UWI Today is chockfull of key information that will assist
students (and their loved ones) to navigate seemingly choppy
waters with a degree (pun intended) of confidence.
In all that we achieve atThe University of theWest Indies,
there is reliance on partnerships – government, private sector,
global tertiary level institutions and people (faculty, students,
alumni, staff). Within these pages,
UWI Today
recognises
three such partnerships – with the Trinidad and Tobago
Government in the historic building of the St. Augustine South
Campus at Penal Debe; with Republic Bank Limited which has
been a part of the St. Augustine landscape for decades and is
now building a new branch at the northern end of the Campus;
and with the Guardian Group which has partnered with the
St. Augustine Campus since 1998 in the hosting of Premium
Teaching Awards and Premium Open Lectures.
With the support of all those mentioned above, this
regional institution will continue tomake strides; and, indeed,
the St. Augustine campus intends to always be
primus inter
pares.
Primus
inter pares
Caribbean men and women have
distinguished themselves on the global
stage. We have produced sons and
daughters of eminence and excellence who
are to be found in almost all professions in
almost every country of the world.
