SUNDAY 21ST FEBRUARY, 2016 – UWI TODAY
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more than a decade! We have tried. In this current circumstance,
with the Regional Governments providing the University lower
subventions, it would be beneficial to see more flexibility and
autonomy given to our institution, in setting and applying its fees.
It is our best way to earn income.
A viable approach, (already being adopted at the UWI),
resides with us building partnerships with the private sector, the
GOTT, our Alumni and other Regional / International institutions.
This helps to build our capacity and reputation and to facilitate
delivery of our services and win gifts and generate income. We
may have to rethink the model for delivering and even expanding
services like student and staff housing, IT, the Bookshop and the
Library, housekeeping, maintenance, security, shuttle/ mini bus
services, maintaining our green estate, our field / agricultural
stations etc. In advancing our cause, we must not be inhibited to
introducing new ways, alternative fee structures and even seeing
outsourcing as an efficient business model / best practice that
may be considered.
I envision a new role even for our students; one in which
theymay be more self-reliant, by seeking employment on Campus
and elsewhere, as a means to contribute to their own learning; by
becoming more self-financing and appreciative of the world of
work. We must impress upon all the stakeholders the financial
realities that we now face, as we work towards protecting our
establishment, while trying to retain and attract new talent where
necessary. An important component that is sometimes overlooked,
but leads to financial success, resides with the efficiency in which
we are able to market and promote our product and brand. This
too has to be ramped up.
In conclusion, in a recessionary period, we can still seize
opportunities where growth may be continued and achieved at
lower costs than normal. However, it requires consistent review of
the environment, with adequate strategies for treating with rapid
changes. Our response must be firm and embarked upon after
the risks are well considered and calculated. In a University, there
must always be a positive thrust towards continued development
of the Campus in all of its facets; with the anticipation that better
days are on the horizon and the University with its great brand
will be there for the long haul. But to do this, we will be forced to
take on a more business-like approach to our management and
financial sustainability. I am happy to report that we have begun
this task, but the imperative and urgency are now staring us in
the face. This environment presents a great opportunity to have
us all rally around to secure our University’s future.
CLEMENT K. SANKAT
Pro Vice-Chancellor & Principal
EDITORIAL TEAM
CAMPUS PRINCIPAL
Professor Clement Sankat
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Dr Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill
(Ag) EDITOR
Rebecca Robinson
CONTACT US
The UWI Marketing and Communications Office
Tel: (868) 662-2002, exts. 82013 / 83997 or email:
UWI Managing Costs while Maintaining
Quality, Access and Impact in Education
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Almost every time
that you open the
newspaper or turn on the radio or
television, you can’t help but hear the
resonance of cautions being conveyed
to citizens about being more mindful
about their personal spending, our
national austerity measures, as our
country and our region prepares to
face the economic challenges that
exist today.
Th e s e me s s a g e s t o Th e
University of theWest Indies, are very
salient, as they hit a chord of serious concern. As the needs of our
society changes, the UWI must make the necessary adjustments
to ensure that we remain in sync with delivering what is required
to drive social and economic development. Regardless of the
economic climate, it is Paramount that as a University we must
maintain our high standards, and deliver what is required of us in
no less efficient a manner, in spite of adjusting our costs.
This editorial comes at an important time in the calendar of
The UWI- a time when we prepare and have to defend our 2016/
2017 budget, in front of our national and regional Governments.
As some of you may be aware, the Trinidad and Tobago
government funds almost all of the Government subvention to
the St. Augustine Campus. In this regard, the financial challenges
in the country due to the steeply falling oil prices to around US$
30 per barrel from a high of over $US 100 just over a year ago,
demand a response by our Campus, which supports our national
efforts in mitigating this crisis.
In the media there has been many predictions, where some
experts believe this situation is not temporary but will be with us
for a few years. During periods of economic constraints, while
challenging and tough for all of us, we all need to make sacrifices.
Ironically as it may sound, situations like this, sometimes present
an opportunity to re-evaluate how we conduct our business,
encouraging us to re-engineer ourselves; in the longer term we
will be better off for this - more efficient, productive , impactful
and focused and a financially sustainable institution.
Pivotal to this discussion on the way forward for our
Campus, I refer to the speech by our Honourable Prime Minister,
Dr. Keith Rowley, on Dec 29th, 2015, where he asked effectively
for all institutions which depend on the State, to reduce their
expenditures by 7 per cent. Our Campus will respond positively
to this call, as the financial challenge here and in similar oil
and gas producing and dependent economies, are very real
and may get worse before getting better. Some of our strategies
in going forward will include: engaging in clear and ongoing
communication and being up front with staff on the challenges
ahead - now having to manage a government subvention cut of
nearly $50 million per year for 2016 / 2017; bringing us closer to
what was allocated in the 2012 / 2013 budget.
An ongoing mantra at this time would be to keep reminding
ourselves that our core business is ‘Teaching and Learning and
Research and Innovation’, along with a specific focus on enhancing
the experiences of our students and future graduates. We must
protect these as our core/essential tenets of our fundamental
existence. This must be our prime directive and if necessary, we
will curtail or remove completely, things that are useful but not
vital. Underpinning all our efforts, will be our deliberate approach
to strive for cost recovery, while at the same time ensuring a high
standard of service, not only to our internal publics but also to
our external stakeholders.
We must nowmake the clarion call to have all hands on deck,
to ensure the efficient administration of our duties, where each
employee must diligently embrace and share the responsibility,
fairly and even-handedly. If we are to adequately function
within the constraints of these circumstances, and where human
resources consumes 75% of our budget, it will be necessary to
critically address staffing. This exercise must be approached
with care, in an effort to protect our staffing configuration and
establishment, while delivering on our teaching and other services.
We must derive value for our money, as our spending on staffing,
on materials and on services must directly reflect tangible gains
to our institution. We must demonstrate astute human resource
management, as this aspect is extremely important, as it forms
an indelible part of the process to effectively deliver our services.
It is necessary to link compensation/rewards to performance,
as we adopt best practices and market driven realities, while at
the same time preserve some of our unique qualities like tenure
for academics.
The UWI has a history of attracting the best students from
Trinidad and Tobago and from the English speaking region, but
we must widen this to the larger Association of Caribbean States.
We must aggressively promote and expand the pool of full fee
paying students in programmes with global appeal; especially
in the Faculties of Medicine, Agriculture, Engineering and Law.
Quality and global programmatic and institutional accreditation
will support this, as will our ranking and standing as a leading
Institution. Foreign / Regional students bring value not only to the
University, but our communities and Country, but all our students
bring real income and diversity to our University.
A critical audit and review of all our courses and programmes
must be undertaken, to discard those with little appeal to our
students or relevance to societal needs. We may have to create
new programmes or revise old ones, at both Undergraduate
and Post Graduate levels. These programmes must correlate
with the needs of the world in which we live, such as: health
& wellness, entertainment and tourism, education, science
technology & engineering, IT, food & nutrition, agriculture and
the environment, sustainable energy, only to name a few. Our
approach to education must be innovative in its methodology;
for example, encouraging cross pollination of areas of study;
exposing students to a multiple of disciplines; mixing science
with humanities, business and engineering; the combinations
can be endless. Underpinning all our efforts, as higher education
providers, we must also be deliberate in fostering an environment
for the development of an entrepreneurial disposition in our
students. A functional model would be one that creates graduates
through formal and internship education, who are in demand
by the world of work, but all who are well rounded grads, with
characteristics of the humanities infused in their curriculum.
As a University we must accept and recognize the falling
output of numbers of qualified students from Secondary Schools
with upper level UWI matriculation, entry qualifications (CAPE)
and move to develop optional 4 year programmes for students
with lower level (CXC/CAPE level 1) and other qualifications.
Additionally, we must develop part-time programmes for
adults, and working students, in the fields of Engineering, Law,
Pharmacy, Teaching, Hotel and Tourism etc. In a recessionary
time all need to work. It will be also valuable to maximize the
use of blended and distance learning technologies - being able to
teach and engage our students anywhere, anytime! As a university
we are committed to human capital development, and ensuring
access to students who meet our requirements must always be
foremost in our thinking. We need to give students with potential
an opportunity for a UWI education!
It is understandable to anticipate a revisiting of our
students’ fees on a programmatic basis, bearing in mind costs of
delivery, earning potential of graduates, and the now competitive
environment of the ‘business’ of education. In the case of the UWI,
some fees at St Augustine have not being revised upwards for
