SUNDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER, 2014 – UWI TODAY
3
First Lady of Japan
, Mrs Akie Abe, paid
a courtesy call to The UWI St Augustine
campus on July 28. She was accompanied
byMrs. Chizuru Tezuka, wife of the Japanese
Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago and
Mrs. Shirley Dookeran, wife of the Minister
of Foreign Affairs.
The First Lady donated “The Akie
Collection,” a compilation of books
for Japanese language learning on the
environment, Japanese culture and the
Japanese automobile industry, written in
Japanese and English.
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus
Principal, Professor Clement Sankat
remarked that this was an historic first visit of
a JapaneseHeadof State to theCaribbean, and
hoped it was the beginning of collaborations
between The UWI and Japanese higher
education institutions. He announced that
in September, a Japanese research team in
Agricultural Technology from Yamaguchi
University will visit the Campus. He made
reference to the longstanding friendship of
Japan and the Caribbean during this ‘Japan-
CARICOM Friendship Year 2014,’ adding
that two decades would have passed by since
the first Japan-CARICOMConsultation was
held in 1993.
The year of 2014 has been designated
as the Japan-CARICOM Friendship
Year to enhance the Japan-CARICOM
relationship in diverse fields such as culture,
trade and tourism. Throughout the year,
commemorative events will be held in Japan
and CARICOM member countries.
During her visit, Mrs. Abe was given
the opportunity to interact with students
participating in the UWI Japanese language
course and was treated to a musical
presentation by the UWI Steel Ensemble
of the Department of Creative and Festival
Arts. She also viewed a display from The
UWI’s Cocoa Research Centre, which
houses the International Cocoa Gene bank
and produces its very own special chocolate
from this unique collection of cocoa. Mrs.
Abe’s father was the CEO of one of Japan’s
leading confectionary companies which
sells, amongst other items, chocolates.
EDITORIAL TEAM
Campus Principal
Professor Clement Sankat
Director of Marketing and Communications
Mrs. Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill
EDITOR
Ms. Vaneisa Baksh
CONTACT US
The UWI Marketing and Communications Office
Tel: (868) 662-2002, exts. 82013 / 83997 Or email:
Values in Education:
Welcoming Our New Students
FROM the Principal
Each year during our
Matriculation Ceremony,
we welcome 5,000 new students, joining the
90,000 alumni who can boast of having attended
The UWI. From its beginnings in Jamaica
more than 60 years ago as a college with only
33 students, to its current status as the premier
regional tertiary level institution with 40,000
students, this university has helped to build the
Caribbean.
As we welcome the new members of our
family, we try to instill a sense of our traditions, culture and the responsibility
that comes with the privilege of reading for an undergraduate or graduate
degree. It sometimes means trying to shift prevailing views about the role
of education and institutions of higher learning.
While some may think that education is principally about attaining an
academic qualification or certification, it is in fact muchmore than that. It is
also about inculcating a set of core values that will help to shape responsible
and exemplary citizens. Of course, high quality academic training is also
extremely important to develop the intellectual and technical skills needed
to succeed in a dynamic knowledge-driven world. But intellectual skills
will not be enough; they must be complemented by values such as honesty,
integrity, fairness, caring, discipline, resolve, diligence, humility, respect for
the rule of law and for diversity. We must ensure that our graduates and
students understand that what truly counts in life is not the title one holds,
but the contribution one makes to society.
As we prepare for our next Matriculation ceremony on September 18,
we are placing a renewed focus on developing those qualities in our new
UWI family members; remembering that it is within the bosom of family
that core values are truly nurtured.
Positive values and attitudes are considered intangible assets, which
cannot be easily measured. However, nurturing these values within families
and institutions like our UWI, is an important contribution to development
and nation building and a responsibility that our university takes very
seriously.
Clement K. Sankat
Pro Vice Chancellor & Principal
OUR CAMPUS
The First Lady is treated to a musical presentation by the UWI Steel Ensemble of
the Department of Creative and Festival Arts, under the direction of Jessel Murray,
Department Head, while the St Augustine Campus Principal Professor Clement
Sankat looks on.
The Spirit of
friendship
The year of 2014 has been designated
as the Japan-CARICOM Friendship Year
to enhance the Japan-CARICOM
relationship in diverse fields such as
culture, trade and tourism.
