SUNDAY 5TH JULY, 2015 – UWI TODAY
3
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:
The Editor’s Notebook
The Profile of a Successful Student
and aWorld Class University
FROM the Principal
On many occasions
I have been
asked my opinion on what do I
believe to be the characteristics
and attributes of a good student.
Questions have also been posed
as to how have we at The UWI
contributed to ensuring that all
our students attain not only their
true potential, but also meet the
minimum threshold of being
considered good students; ones
who will eventually contribute to
the needs of the society.
Traditionally, The UWI has always benefitted from having
talented students, many of whom would have scored highly on
their CAPE examinations. This cadre of students will usually
bring with them specific characteristics, such as a history of
commitment to their studies, clear focus on the future, along
with a competitiveness that drives their enthusiasm to do well.
Important to note is that the entrance requirements at The UWI
St. Augustine depends on students excelling in these exams. Sadly
however, due to the competitiveness and limited space available
in some areas of study, some applicants have had to be denied,
or given deferred entry, like in the Faculty of Medical Sciences.
As many would be now aware, we are working to change this
situation, and there is tremendous expansion taking place at
The UWI-St. Augustine, with the primary objective of giving
deserving students a chance to pursue their dreams.
Over the recent years The UWI has broadened its intake
policy, now to include students whowould have pursuedAssociate
degrees, or Diploma and Certificate programmes subsequent to
taking their CSEC examinations. This policy inevitably presents
another type of student, many of whom may have chosen to be
part of the workforce for a few years, then going on to pursue
diploma or certificate paths, before applying to come toThe UWI.
There has been evidence that supports the fact that these mature
students coming to us from an alternate track, in many cases do
well at The UWI. Many are working students, registered in our
Evening University. They are extremely focused and demonstrate
a dedication and drive to go beyond the call of duty, with many
graduating with honours. We welcome such mature students to
our Campus.
Another area that should be viewed as an important
component of the educational development of students is,
adopting a deliberate approach to fostering their emotional and
social development. While we have no shortage of intelligent,
academically gifted students, there is an urgent need to combine
those qualities with characteristics that foster the acquisition of
fundamental qualities that reflect the caring, passionate, social
attributes that must guide our thoughts and actions as human
beings. With this being said, it is imperative that we have an
adaptable education system that caters for two important things;
the student’s ability and the changing needs of societies. All
learners in today’s society should be equipped with knowledge
and skills that would allow them to inculcated respect for
human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of
peace and non-violence. Students must be taught to accept
the reality that they form and must contribute also to a global
citizenship. As part of our curriculum we must insist on our
student body being appreciative and accepting to our cultural
diversity and its valid contribution to sustainable development
and overall social well-being.
Only last week I attended the 19th Conference of
Commonwealth Education Ministers held in the Bahamas,
where various ministers of governments were in attendance.
At that conference I witnessed the central thrust of many of the
participants, in adopting and realizing the term ‘humanizing
education’; in our educational development systems. To
borrow a quote from Haim G. Ginott, a concentration camp
survivor and an educator,
“help your students become more
human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters,
skilled psychopaths, or educated Eichmanns. Reading, writing,
and arithmetic are important only if they serve to make our
children more human.”
In essence, in keeping with the tenets enshrined
in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948),
education should be geared to the complete development
of the human personality and to the reinforcement and
strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms. It has now become more important to measure our
institutions adherence to such an important aspect of student
development, and equally as essential to manage the process
to ensure that it is accomplished.
The provisions now beingmade atThe UWI is in keeping
with this new approach, starting with the broadening of the
spectrumof the demographics fromwhich our students come.
The diversity of this student body brings tremendous value
to the overall student population at The UWI campus. The
UWI St. Augustine will continue to create new opportunities
to increase our enrolment, while at the same time provide
the best practices available to ensure that our diverse student
population is well prepared tomake a significant contribution
to our local and regional workforce, to the world as many do,
and at the same time strengthen the interwoven fabric of our
social diversity.
Clement K. Sankat
Pro Vice-Chancellor & Principal
The Heat
Continues
Before becoming known
as ‘the summer’ it was called
the ‘August vacation’ - this time of year was relished by
every person attending any type of school – and not so
much by all others like parents, grandparents or other
care-givers, as ‘summer school’ and vacation camps
were not as plentiful as they are now. Regardless, of its
label, the time between the end of one school year and
the beginning of another was special.
The aura of the ‘August vacation’ largely persists
at the university level as faculty and students all look
forward to the June-August long break as a time to
refresh and regroup, pursue alternative interests and
work or pick up projects that could not have been
facilitated during the semesters that seemed to have
whizzed by. The generally slower pace in those months
are a thing of the past though. With growing frequency
and even after ‘summer’ school ends, The UWI campus
in particular, has remained a bevy of activity that simply
rolls into the new academic year in September.
June has already delivered on keeping that said
frenetic pace going and July promises more of the same
– so if you are no longer moved by having that time to
lounge, but rather, exciting and engaging events are
needed to keep your vacation months lively, a guide
to the happenings on The UWI St Augustine campus
should be your companion. Incidentally, this guide to
upcoming events is provided on the back page of this
publication, but here is a round of what happened in
June and a look at some of the other attractive events
that are to come in July.
Starting today and lasting for a week (so there will
be numerous opportunities) is the 2015 International
Breadfruit Conference, and one of the many interesting
events taking place within this event is the first ever
breadfruit exhibition and festival on 10 July. Every kind
of use for the breadfruit the human imagination can
design will be displayed, in addition to new versions
of uses like cooking it and lesser explored ones like
breadfruit ice cream. Serah Acham provides the
full run-down on the uses and potentialities of this
wonderfully versatile and indigenously plentiful fruit
on page 8.
A round-up of open day takes the centre spread of
the paper this month as secondary school students and
anyone thinking of higher education got the chance to
ask questions and get access to assistance for filing their
entrance applications.This initiative was complemented
by the Campus Principal hosting secondary school
principals that week – some highlights of that event
are on page 7. Other campus happenings from June
are featured in the second part of the paper as well
as a couple of interesting interviews with people who
visited Campus to share their work and perspectives
or enlightened audiences – Judge Helen Whitener,
Author Karen Lord, MixedMethods research proponent
Anthony Onwuegbuzie – just to list a few.
Between all that has just past in June and all there
is to come in July, we at UWI Today wish not only to
showcase the hive of exciting and engaging activities
that make The UWI St Augustine campus the place to
be even in the long vacation period, but to point to and
invite you, to come out and connect with our campus,
benefit from participating in these events.
Hope we see you soon.
Rebecca.
