UWI Connect March 2019

The UWI Selected to Lead Climate-Smart World Vice-Chancellor’s Sportswoman & Sportsman of the Year Named Donat & Cecille Grant Scholarship Established

August 2018 - March 2019

CoNTENTS NEWS FRoM ThE UWI RhQ

UWI Chancellor Appoints a Commission on Governance ................................................. 4 Vice-Chancellor Beckles Elected President of “Universities Caribbean” ...........................5 The UWI Announces Sharon Christopher as new St. Augustine Campus Council Chair .. 6 Signing of Memoranda of Understandings .........................................................................7 The UWI Celebrates “70” in London ................................................................................... 9

EDITORIAL TEAM Celia Davidson Francis (Editor-in-Chief), Dr. Suzanne Francis-Brown, Allison Fung, Marcia Erskine, Yvonne Graham and Nicole Nation.

SOURCES IAD - UWI Regional Headquarters, Campus and University Marketing and Communications Offices, Faculties, Departments, UWIAA, UWIMAA, Office of Administration, UWI STAT Corps, alumni and others.

UWI PEoPLE

UWI Climate Change Expert Receives 2019 ANSA Caribbean Award for Excellence .....10 2019 Regional Virtual UWI STAT Climate Change Youth Forum Targets Solutions .........11 National Recognition for new Mona Campus Principal .................................................... 11 Professors of Practice Appointed at The UWI .......................................…………….........12 Seventeen Influencers Honoured at 2018 Graduation Ceremonies ..………...……......... 13

oPEN CAMPUS hIGhLIGhTS

The UWI Open Campus Enters Partnership With the Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants .................................................................14 The UWI Open Campus and IDB Partner for Increased Online Education ......................15 The UWI Open Campus to Re-establish Site in the Turks and Caicos Islands ................16

SPoRTS

Vice-Chancellor’s Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year Awards ……................…... 17 CCC Takes Winner’s Trophy .................................................................................................19

hAPPENINGS AT ThE UWI

The UWI Museum: Confrontations Exhibition …………........................................…….… 20 The AFUWI Gala …………..............................……...….................................................... 21 The UWI Class of 1967 Pays Forward ……….................................................................. 22 UWI and SUNY Students Volunteer to Rebuild Dominican Pre-School ...........................23 Graduating With Their Mum ............................................................................................. 24 The UWI Masters of Industry ........................................................................................... 25

UWIAA MATTERS ..............................................……………............……......…. 26 V.I.P. - VERY IMPoRTANT PELICANS…………………………........................... 33 PELICANS SoARING ………………………………..........……............………..... 34 BooK CoRNER .................................................…....………...............………....37 PELICAN PERKS .......………………………………………..................…............ 38 SoME FINANCIAL SENSE .......…………………………………............……....... 40 SPECIAL TRIBUTE .......……............…………………………............………....... 41 IN CELEBRATIoN oF ThEIR LIVES ……………………………...........….......... 42 2

PHOTOGRAPHY Campus photographers PUBLISHING Stratcom Marketing Services Ltd. UWI Connect is The University of the West Indies magazine, published for Alumni, Parents and Friends of The UWI by the Institutional Advancement Division, The UWI Regional Headquarters.

Reproduction, republication or redistribution of content is strictly prohibited without prior written permission from the Editor.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The University of the West Indies.

Enjoy Great with Pelican Perks!

Page 38

EDITORIAL Fellow Pelicans, Happily, Caribbean countries are already working to break their dependence on fossil fuels because the stronger and more frequent storms, extreme droughts and coastal flooding will be hitting our region as a result of rising global temperatures, but the USA, China, India and Europe are still burning fossil fuels for their energy needs. The Caribbean has a tiny carbon footprint in comparison to these global superpowers, but their continued use of fossil fuels will affect the entire world and will hit our island nations hardest. The global aim should be to make electricity emission-free, through a combination of renewables (wind, solar, hydro).

This issue of UWI Connect looks back at some of the activities and achievements of the Institution between August 2018 and March 2019.

You will see that The UWI continues to enlarge its global footprint with new agreements and collaborations as we focus on news from the Regional Headquarters. As always, we will share news of the accomplishments of our UWI Pelicans in the Very Important Pelican (V.I.P.) and Pelicans Soaring sections and of course we bring you news from each of the four UWI campuses.

Climate Change is our region’s greatest challenge as it is home to some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. The International Association of Universities (IAU) selected The UWI as its global leader in the mobilisation of research and advocacy for the achievement of a climate-smart world. The IAU designated The UWI in recognition of the University’s decades of world-class research on climate change and sustainable development.

According to Vice-Chancellor Beckles, “The scientists of The University of the West Indies recognised decades ago that climate change, rising sea levels and ocean temperatures, were an existential threat to the Caribbean small island states, and the world, and to this end provided a body of scientific knowledge to prove and promote the case”.

I am proud to note that the UWI STAT Ambassadorial Corps hosted their 2019 Youth Forum with the theme, “Climate Change impacts to the Caribbean and the attainment of the SDGs: The importance of involving youth”, on February 7, 2019. It focused on solutions and many were forthcoming.

These recommendations have been sent to the CARICOM Secretary General to share with the Heads of Government as Caribbean youth wish to be involved as the region faces this imminent challenge. The edition ends as usual with our salute to members of The UWI family who have passed but have left their own indelible positive mark on our planet.

I leave you with an inspirational quote from Bob Marley: “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively”.

Vice-Chancellor Beckles commended all members of The UWI’s Climate Change Research Cluster currently led by Professors John Agard, Michael Taylor and David Smith, and coordinated by his advisor, Jeremy Collymore, Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Development, and Resilience Consultant to the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for the global impact of their research and teaching.

Celia Davidson Francis Director of Alumni Relations for The UWI Editor-in-Chief

“Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort. There must be the will to produce a superior thing.”

- John Ruskin 3

NEWS FROM THE UWI REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS UWI Chancellor appoints a Commission on Governance The UWI Chancellor, Robert Bermudez has appointed nine distinguished persons from across the region to serve on a Commission on Governance for the regional University. The Commission, which is chaired by former President of the Caribbean Court of Justice, Sir Charles Michael Dennis Byron, includes a multidisciplinary team with expertise in law, people, finance and corporate governance. The Chancellor is traditionally responsible for establishing this high level committee with overall duties to streamline and review the administration of The UWI. The first Commission was convened in November 1993, and has been conventionally instituted in 10-year cycles.

At the University Council’s last Annual Business Meeting held on April 27, 2018, it was agreed that a Commission be established to review current governance arrangements. The terms of reference for the Commission are: “to examine the performance of The UWI, including its management practices, features of transparency and accountability within the University system, and to make recommendations to the Chancellor”. On January 11, 2019, as he presented instruments of appointment to the commissioners, he grounded the significance of their work in this era of global higher education competitiveness and the commitment of The UWI to continuous improvement in its delivery of service to the Caribbean. He noted that our University has had an illustrious past and that this Commission’s work is to ensure that its success and relevance continues into the future.

Former Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Emeritus E. Nigel Harris Director General, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, His Excellency Dr. Didacus Jules Attorney-at-Law, Sir Elliott Mottley Representative of The UWI Intercampus Guild Council and President, Guild of Students, The UWI St. Augustine, Mr. Darrion Narine Director, Coffee Traders Ltd. and President, The UWI Alumni Association, Jamaica Chapter, Mrs. Jacqueline Sharp The Chancellor has advised that the Chairman of the Commission, Sir Dennis Byron, has already articulated an aggressive work-plan for the Commission, which is expected to deliver its final report by the end of September 2019. The Chancellor is requesting and anticipating the full support of alumni as the Commission begins its stakeholder engagement and information gathering exercises. As key members of our academy, the alumni voice and input will be vital to their work.

He encourages alumni to be part of the process.

The complete list of persons that he selected to serve on The UWI’s Commission on Governance follows: Former President, Caribbean Court of Justice, Sir Charles Michael Dennis Byron (Chairman) Attorney-at-Law, Ms. Judith Bowen Chairman, Sagicor Group Jamaica, Mr. Richard Byles Human Resources Practitioner, Ms. Angela Hamel-Smith

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UWI RHQ

Vice-Chancellor Beckles elected President of “Universities CaribbeaN” Vice-Chancellors, Presidents, and Rectors of dozens of Caribbean-based universities and research institutes, convened under the leadership of Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of The UWI in order to strategically plan the regional university sector for the coming decade from November 12-13, 2018. The academic leaders from CARICOM, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Colombia, the French and Dutch-speaking Antilles - who comprised the independent, voluntary organisation known as the Association of Caribbean Universities and Research Institutes - voted to abolish the traditional association which existed since 1967 and to create in its place a new organisation, “Universities Caribbean” with the mandate to revitalise, energise, and effectively integrate the regional university sector and to enhance its quality and regional impact.

Solution”, Universities Caribbean also approved key projects for implementation, among them, the promotion of student mobility across the region, and creation of joint research projects around important regional challenges. Recognising that no one university can find answers to regional problems such as climate-smart actions, Blue Economy innovation, poverty and security, the university leaders pledged to create a One Caribbean University System.

Professor Sir Hilary Beckles is the first president of the newly launched Universities Caribbean. The executive committee comprises leaders of universities in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, French Antilles, and the Dutch Antilles. He assured colleagues that, “Universities Caribbean will be the region’s voice in the areas of quality, globalisation, resilience, and financial sustainability”.

Officials from UNESCO and other UN development agencies who were invited as strategic partners welcomed the launch of Universities Caribbean and pledged commitment to the objectives of promoting greater integration and partnership across the region’s universities.

The approved strategic plan of the new entity is built upon three pillars: to improve the reputation of the sector; to enhance the resilience of the member universities; and to increase the revenue position of members and the sector.

Guided by the organising principle of “One Caribbean

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UWI RHQ

The UWI announces Sharon Christopher as new St. Augustine Campus Council Chair Ms. Sharon Christopher has been appointed Chair of the St. Augustine Campus Council for the five-year period, November 16, 2018 to July 31, 2023.

She is an alumna of The UWI, an Attorney-at-Law, Leadership Development Coach and Motivational Speaker.

She is the founder and CEO of Sharon Christopher and Associates, which provides services throughout the Caribbean and North America. A highly experienced Board Director and holder of the designation of Accredited Director, Ms. Christopher has served on numerous boards in various sectors, locally, regionally and internationally.

She is a known advocate for women’s empowerment, rights, equality and social justice and was the founding Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at The UWI. Ms. Christopher is the holder of a Bachelor of Laws degree (Upper Second Class Honours) from the Cave Hill Campus of The UWI, a Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School, from which she graduated as the Most Outstanding Student, and a Master of Laws degree from the London School of Economics (University of London).

The UWI selected to lead Climate-Smart World The International Association of Universities (IAU) selected The University of the West Indies (The UWI) as its global leader in the mobilisation of research and advocacy for the achievement of a climate-smart world. The IAU designated The UWI in recognition of the University’s decades of world class research on climate change and sustainable development at its meeting at UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris, France from January 28-30, 2019.

Professor Michael Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the Mona Campus was one of the lead authors of the IPCC 1.5 Report released by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in October 2018. Now widely referred to as ‘1.5 to Stay Alive’, the Caribbean push for this global warming target was in part informed by The UWI Climate Studies Group, and has sparked a global campaign calling on world leaders to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees in order to prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change.

L-R: Dr. Hilligje van't Land, Secretary General of the IAU, Professor Pam Fredmam, President of the IAU and Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles at UNESCO’s Headquarters on January 30, 2019.

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UWI RHQ

Signing of Memoranda of Understandings

the uwi and the Caribbean Development Bank The UWI and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on October 19, 2018, which supports a stronger partnership between the Bank and the University on programmes and projects, and is focused on promoting institutional strengthening and evidence-based decision making for economic and social policy issues relevant to the Caribbean region. At the signing ceremony in Barbados, Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles described the CDB as a valued partner in advancing the development of the region, which is the primary mandate of the University. CDB President, Dr. William Warren Smith, hailed the agreement as a vital step, which will allow for deeper collaboration and

cooperation on critical issues facing the region. The MoU covers shared priorities such as promoting youth development and community inclusion through sport, improving implementation capacity and developing joint training and educational programmes. CDB and The UWI have ongoing partnerships that support the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, including projects in areas such as climate adaptation and mitigation and gender equality. The UWI is intent on fostering Caribbean-focused partnerships like this one with the CDB as it seeks to maintain its leadership role in supporting the development of competitive Caribbean economies.

The University of Ghana Students from the leading University in West Africa will have the opportunity to study in Barbados. The UWI and the University of Ghana renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop and deliver a Preclinical

programme to students from the University of Ghana at the Cave Hill Campus. An Articulation Agreement is to be signed and thereafter Ghanaian students may come to Barbados for three years and complete the Preclinical Programme in Medicine and return to the University of Ghana to complete the clinical years. The UWI’s medical programme has double accreditation from the Caribbean Accreditation Body and the National Accreditation Body of the United States. Professor Eudine Barriteau, Principal of the Cave Hill Campus noted, “We have capacity in the preclinical programme and hence we are advancing through our internationalisation agenda and deepening relations with countries and universities like Ghana to bring students to Barbados”. For Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, The UWI Vice-Chancellor, “This MOU is an act of responsibility for all of us who know our past and who are planning for our future to come together as one community to do what is necessary, and to be able to host students from the University of Ghana, in the medical faculty, where we are doing some remarkable research that is of significance to all of us”. Professor Ebenezer Owusu, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana stated, “This partnership is an important one, not only for us, but for The UWI. It’s going to be a win-win partnership”.

L-R: Professor Ebenezer Owusu, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana; Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of The UWI sign the Memorandum of Understanding which focuses on research, teaching and educational collaborations between the two institutions, while Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The UWI, Cave Hill Campus Professor V. Eudine Barriteau looks on.

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UWI RHQ

The UWI and University of Johannesburg launch Institute for Global African Affairs The Master’s degree in Global African Studies is the flagship academic programme for the Institute. This programme is envisaged as a joint or double degree programme, utilising the academic resources of both universities. It will focus on the current and future role of Africa and Africans in a global context, with Africa and Africans defined as the African Continent and its diaspora, with particular reference to the African diaspora in the Caribbean.

A joint master's degree programme in Global African Studies is one of the major initiatives which will be offered by the new Institute for Global African Affairs - a collaborative effort between The University of the West Indies (The UWI) and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in South Africa. The Institute was launched on November 26, 2018 at The UWI Cave Hill Campus, with a press conference and plaque unveiling. Both Vice-Chancellor of the UJ, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala and Deputy ViceChancellor, Professor Angina Parekh were present for the occasion, alongside The UWI Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Cave Hill Campus Principal, Professor V. Eudine Barriteau and Pro ViceChancellor and Chair, Board for Undergraduate Studies, Professor Alan Cobley. A similar event was held on November 5, 2018 in Johannesburg.

The Cave Hill Campus will host the headquarters for The UWI site. Principal Barriteau noted that this, “enables the Cave Hill Campus to be strategically involved in the Global Africa network enterprise and to participate in the unfolding Global Africa narrative”.

The programme will be delivered jointly using face-to-face, online and blended modalities. Plans are also in the works for an annual summer school module to be offered alternately between Barbados and South Africa. This will deepen the students’ experience of ‘Global Africa’ by allowing cohorts from both universities to interact face-to-face.

Commenting on the initiative, Vice-Chancellor Beckles stated, “The Caribbean has played a critical role in the defeat of apartheid and colonialism in South Africa, and other parts of Africa. In many respects, the diplomacy of CARICOM and the deploying of Cuban soldiers into Southern Africa were critical forces that secured the final liberation of the continent. It was an enormous Caribbean investment in intellectual labour, morality and life. Nelson Mandela made his first overseas visit to the region in celebration of this recognition. The 21st century will require the consolidation of these 20th century relationships and the forging of even closer development bonds between the Caribbean and Africa. These relationships will require strong institutional arrangements. To this end The University of the West Indies and the University of Johannesburg have come together to establish The UWI-UJ Institute for Global African Affairs”.

In addition to the master’s programme, there are plans for the Institute to develop initiatives for scholarly and student exchange between the two universities, as well as promote seminars and conferences, and produce joint publications.

Professor Sir Hilary Beckles lauded the achievement as one which would sustain the intimate relationship the Caribbean region developed with Africa during the twentieth century.

L-R: Professor Angina Parekh, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, the UJ; Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor, The UWI; Professor V. Eudine Barriteau, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, The UWI Cave Hill; Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Vice-Chancellor of the UJ; Dr. Bongani Ngqulunga and Dr. Nolitha Vukuza, Senior Executives from the UJ, and Professor Alan Cobley, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chair, Board for Undergraduate Studies, The UWI.

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UWI RHQ

The UWI celebrates “70” in London On November 28, 2018, Professor Peter Kopelman, ViceChancellor of the University of London, in association with The Rt. Hon. Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary General of the Commonwealth, hosted a reception celebrating The UWI, bringing together the leadership of the two institutions after 70 years, to reflect upon and celebrate their common legacy. Vice-Chancellor Kopelman expressed the University of London’s pride in its umbilical link with The UWI. Recalling The UWI’s beginning in 1948 as a college of the University of London, and specifically as a medical faculty - his own academic discipline, he spoke proudly of The UWI’s legendary achievements in the areas of public health and community medicine. “I am honoured,” he said, “to host this gathering as a proud representative of The UWI-London legacy.” The UWI Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles commended Kopelman and his senior colleagues who were also in attendance, for their

steadfast loyalty to the enterprise that is The UWI, and declared his commitment to fostering even greater “family intimacy”.

This UWI 70th Anniversary event was organised by Susan Belgrave, BFUWI Trustee at special request of the Vice-Chancellor with assistance from Deidre Herbert the office administrator. It was with real pleasure that it was announced that Baroness Floella Benjamin was joining The UWI family in the UK as BFUWI’s newest patron. Baroness Benjamin has served as the first Black woman Chancellor of a university in the UK when she was appointed in that capacity by the University of Exeter. She has a long life interest in education and is now Chair of the government’s Windrush Commemoration Committee. In an inspiring speech she spoke of her journey to the UK, like ViceChancellor Beckles, as a child of the Windrush. In the presence of many UK Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors, she called upon The UWI “to become even more active in the UK, developing strategic partnerships with UK universities”. She joins fellow Trinidadian Professor Andrew Ramroop and Sir Sir Shridath Ramphal as BFUWI patrons. The occasion was also used to launch The UWI’s Windrush Scholarship Fund to encourage UK students from the Caribbean diaspora to study for part of their course at The UWI campuses.

Baroness Scotland, an honorary graduate of The UWI, in turn, spoke of her intense pleasure in reading of The UWI’s ranking amongst the top five percent of the best global universities. “The Commonwealth,” she stressed, “looks forward to the continued committed support of The UWI, especially in the area of climate smart studies and policies where the University has already demonstrated its expertise.”

The reception was supported by luminaries of the Caribbean diaspora and the diplomatic community.

Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles and Vice-Chancellor of the University of London, Professor Peter Kopelman.

Pelican Pride was evident at the BFUWI 70th Anniversary event, with the announcement of a Windrush Scholarship Fund adding to the celebratory mood.

9

UWI PEOPLE UWI Climate Change expert receives 2019 ANSA Caribbean Award for Excellence Climate Scientist Professor Michael Taylor of The University of the West Indies’ Mona Campus was awarded the 2019 Ansa Caribbean Award for Excellence in Science and Technology on March 30, 2019.

A UWI alumnus, Professor Taylor has done outstanding work in the area of climate change. He has been the Director of the Climate Studies Group, Mona (CSGM) since 2007 and has successfully positioned the CSGM as a centre of regional thought and expertise with respect to climate change science and the leading centre for coordinating regional climate modelling efforts. He is a member of the Climate Change Advisory Board in Jamaica’s Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation and served as a member of the Advisory Panel on Climate Change for the Ministry of Land, Water, Environment and Climate Change from 2012-2016.

Professor Taylor’s research has produced over 100 publications and garnered over US$20 million in research grants and funding for The UWI. His work has been invaluable in shaping the understanding of the region’s vulnerability to climate change; building Caribbean climate databases; developing climate tools and improving our ability to predict Caribbean climate on seasonal timescales.

The UWI recognised Professor Michael Taylor’s valuable work when he was awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in 2013. This year, he was also among the Climate

Studies Group at the Mona Campus which received the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in International Collaboration (Globalisation Award) for the Regional Climate Science Initiative (RCSI) project.

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Achievements

NEWS

National recognition for new Mona Campus Principal

2019 Regional Virtual UWI STAT Climate Change Youth Forum Targets Solutions The theme of this year's Virtual Climate Change Youth Forum was, "Climate change impacts to the Caribbean and the attainment of the SDGs: the importance of involving youth". It was primarily interactive and took the form of a virtual forum for the region’s youth to discuss SOLUTIONS & ACTIONS as to how to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an increasingly climate change impacted Caribbean, given that estimates show an augmentation in detrimental effects in the region by as early as 2030 if global superpowers do not drastically reduce their carbon emissions.

All ideas and recommendations from this forum were sent by the regional UWI STAT Corps to the Secretary General of CARICOM, to be shared with the Heads of Government in order to emphasise the importance and value of youth contributions in combating climate change.

Discussants and contributors attended either in person at the campus locations or virtually from home or office. The climate change discussants and contributors each had valuable experience in a particular aspect of climate change and gave their views, answered questions and invited ideas and recommendations. The Moderator: Dr. David C. Smith, (Director, Centre for Environmental Management and Coordinator, Institute for Sustainable Development) at The UWI guided the discussion.

The link between the science of climate change, the social sciences (for developing the policies and legislative processes to guide governments), the humanities (for providing the communications to promote awareness, understanding and behavior change as well as the educators to implement programmes from the primary level, etc.) was highlighted – in order to inform and sensitise Caribbean youth so that they see how all sectors will be affected by climate change and understand that all individuals will need to be involved, as well as their role as future leaders across all sectors.

The conference was organised by the Coordinator and Regional Director for the UWI STAT Ambassadorial Corps, Mrs. Celia Davidson Francis.

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The Mona Campus Principal Professor Dale Webber CD, distinguished marine scientist, environmentalist, educator, researcher, administrator and public servant, received the Jamaican National Honour, the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander for outstanding contribution to environmental conservation on October 15, 2018. His stellar career in coastal ecology and environmental management is being recognised and The UWI community celebrates with him.

Professor Webber’s award was met with approval from the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, where he is Chairman of the Board. His work in the environmental field is well known, including his groundbreaking work on coastal ecology in the Kingston Harbour and his efforts to define a boundary for the bioversity-rich and ecologically sensitive Cockpit Country. His voluntary work, research and teaching prowess is renowned as he has produced five book chapters, 35 publications in peer-reviewed journals and supervised the graduate work of countless students.

UWI People

Professors of Practice appointed at The UWI In an effort to deepen academic-industry partnerships and to connect the University’s teaching and research to relevant issues impacting industry in the region, The UWI approved the introduction of the position of ‘Professor of Practice’.

The Professor of Practice is a non-tenured position in the University system where subject matter experts - either practising or retired - are selected for an honorary professorship based on their professional competence, distinguished practice, notable teaching or service contributions.

The opportunity to host such experts in fixed-term teaching positions helps make practical knowledge and real-world situations part of the students’ educational experience.

These appointees are also eligible to use the title “Professor” for as long as they remain in active association with The UWI. The distinguished Professors of Practice appointed, effective November 1, 2018 include:

Cave Hill Campus Professor of Practice – Economics of Development

St. Augustine Campus Professor of Practice – Petroleum Engineering Professor Andrew Jupiter, former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, Trinidad and Tobago

Professor of Practice – International Diplomacy Mr. Winston Dookeran, former Senior Economist, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and former Governor of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago

Professor of Practice – Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Right Honourable Owen Arthur, former Prime Minister of Barbados

Mr. Gerry Brooks, Chairman of the National Gas Company (NGC) Group of Companies, and former Group Chief Operating Officer and Sector Head - Manufacturing, ANSA McAL

Professor of Practice – Public Policy and Health Care Administration

Vice-Chancellery Professor of Practice – Global Affairs

Dr. Dexter James, Chief Executive Officer, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados

Ambassador Dr. Richard Bernal, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Global Affairs and former member of the Board of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank, Jamaica

Open Campus Professor of Practice – Academic Programming and Delivery Division

“Ignorance is the ground of suspicion.”The UWI

Dr. Paul Bacsich, Director of Matic Media Limited and Senior Associate with Sero Consulting Limited, UK.

- Edward Gibbon 12

sign at Mona

UWI People

Seventeen Influencers honoured at 2018 Graduation Ceremonies Seventeen influencers who have made outstanding contributions regionally and internationally within their respective fields were awarded honorary degrees by The UWI this year. As is tradition, the honorary graduands represent a cross-section of eminent persons in the arts, sciences and other fields of intellectual endeavour. Their degrees which were approved by the University Council, were conferred at The UWI’s 2018 graduation ceremonies and presented by Chancellor Robert Bermudez.

Dr. Shirley J. Thompson from Jamaica for her contributions as an artistic director and educator - DLitt Ms. Grace B. Jones from Jamaica for her achievements as an entertainer, model and global trendsetter – DLitt Dr. Karl Wellington from Jamaica for his contributions as an Agricultural Scientist – DSc Mr. Lloyd A. Williams from Jamaica for his contributions in leadership – LLD Mr. Montgomery Bernard “Monty” Alexander from Jamaica for his achievements as a Musician - DLitt

Each ceremony was streamed live allowing friends, family and well-wishers to view the proceedings. The list of 2018 honorary graduates follows:

Open Campus

Cave Hill Campus

The Honourable Dame Janice Mesadis Pereira DBE from the British Virgin Islands for her work in Law – LLD Mr. Larry Quinlan from St. Kitts and Nevis for his work in Leadership – LLD

The Honourable Justice Adrian Dudley Saunders from St. Vincent and the Grenadines for his work in Law – LLD Professor Ebenezer Oduru Owusu from Ghana for his contribution as an Agricultural Scientist – DSc

St. Augustine Campus Mrs. Paula Lucie-Smith from Trinidad and Tobago for her contributions as a teacher, advocate and pioneer – LLD The Honourable Hubert Ingraham from The Bahamas for his work as a Politician – LLD Mr. Shivnarine Chanderpaul from Guyana for his achievements in the sport of cricket – LLD Mr. Winston A. Bailey, OBE (Mighty Shadow) from Trinidad and Tobago for his contributions as a Musical Composer – DLitt

Mona Campus Mr. Michael Anthony Holding from Jamaica for his achievements in the sport of cricket – LLD The Honourable Kenneth S. Benjamin, OJ, CD from Jamaica for his leadership in the field of Security – LLD Mrs. Donette St. M. Chin-Loy Chang from Jamaica for her philanthropy – LLD Mr. H. Carl McCall from Jamaica for his leadership in Public Service – DLitt

Dr. Shirley J. Thompson

Dr. Donette Chin-Loy Chang

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Dr. Michael Holding

OPEN CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS The UWI Open Campus enters partnership with the Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants The UWI Open Campus and the Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants (CICMC), signed a Memorandum of Understanding on August 14, 2018. The agreement was signed by the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The UWI Open Campus, Dr. Luz Longsworth and President of the CICMC Mr. Donald Demeritte. It provides for collaboration in areas such as regional capacity building utilising the skills of management consultants to assist with specialised projects and joint ventures, organisational development initiatives, public education workshops, webinars and technical assistance in harnessing the experience and resources of both organisations. The Open Campus is committed to capacity development in the Caribbean and, in partnership with CICMC, advancing The UWI’s vision for regional viability in economic development, relevance and sustainability. Both entities are pleased and excited about the pooling of institutional capacity development that this partnership will offer.

Dr. Luz Longsworth, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The UWI Open Campus and Mr. Donald Demeritte, President, CICMC (The Bahamas) sealing the agreement with a handshake after the signing ceremony.

Dr. Luz Longsworth, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The UWI Open Campus and Mr. Donald Demeritte, President, CICMC - The Bahamas (centre) pictured with other members of the CICMC. L-R: Ms. Juliette Feliciano, Administrator - CICMC Secretariat (Barbados), Mrs. Norma Shorey-Bryan, President - CICMC (Barbados) Chapter and Mr. Olson Robertson, Regional Director - CICMC (Barbados) after the signing ceremony.

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Open Campus Highlights

The UWI Open Campus and The IDB partner for increased online education speaking during a presentation on how MOOCs are impacting learners in Latin America and the Caribbean, at The UWI Regional Headquarters in Mona, Jamaica, on November 5, 2018.

The UWI and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) are partnering to bring more online learning to citizens across the Caribbean region and the world. IDB data shows a significant demand in the English-speaking Caribbean for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) content. Previous Caribbean-focused MOOCs offered through the IDB’s delivery platform, EdX, recorded a total enrolment of over 11,000 students over the period 2014-2018, with highest participation from countries including Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica, Belize, Barbados, and The Bahamas. The UWI IDB partnership explores opportunities to cooperate on the development of joint MOOCs; translation of existing Bank MOOCs from Spanish to English with Caribbean content and assessment of selected Bank or joint MOOCs, training courses and/or educational programmes for academic credit and certification by The UWI. According to Edgar Gonzalez, Learning and Knowledge Management Lead Specialist from the IDB, “MOOCs are positively impacting the academic, professional and social life of learners in Latin America and the Caribbean. In fact, MOOCs are generating benefits in the region, especially in less developed countries where access to formal education and information and communication technology are more limited”. Gonzalez was

The University also took the opportunity to present a special collection of UWI Press publications to the IDB covering socio-economic development and history of the Englishspeaking Caribbean. During the handover, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal of The UWI Open Campus, and Chair of the Board of The UWI Press, Dr. Luz Longsworth said, “The UWI Press is delighted that the excellent scholarly work out of The UWI and the Caribbean will now be available in the IDB’s Library. This will be an invaluable resource for cutting edge research that will help in the formulation of policy and support for our region”. Ms. Therese Turner-Jones, General Manager, IDB Caribbean Group said, “We are certain that this collaboration between The UWI and the IDB would not only serve to increase the leverage of the knowledge created and disseminated by our institutions but will also allow students worldwide to access these courses, learn more about the Caribbean and receive academic credit for it”.

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Open Campus Highlights

The UWI Open Campus Has re-established Site in the Turks and Caicos Islands education has inherent value beyond the economic function, it is essential for an individual to have a productive and meaningful career. This depends on the opportunities created in the economy. The more vibrant and sophisticated the economy, the more individuals can fulfil their aspirations, and the more governments will have the resources to invest further in education. This partnership between the Turks and Caicos Islands’ Government and The UWI Open Campus will permit every native of the Turks and Caicos Islands an opportunity to obtain a degree through access to online studies”.

The UWI Open Campus has partnered with the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) to re-establish a physical presence in the territory. The re-launch of The UWI Open Campus Turks and Caicos site is an initiative of the TCI Ministry of Education and responds to the increasing number of TCI residents in The UWI’s online programmes.

The partnership has seen the re-opening of The UWI Open Campus TCI in Providenciales following the closure of the Grand Turk site some years ago. The re-introduction of the site will allow for ease of access to the University’s online degree programmes, as well as its Continuing and Professional Education programmes. It will also serve to strengthen the University’s longstanding bond with the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College. The initiative is part of the Government’s plan to ensure that Turks and Caicos Islanders who may be constrained by economic or social responsibilities can access tertiary education through online/face-to-face modalities within the borders of the country. The Government strongly believes that the partnership with The UWI in the re-establishment of the Open Campus site in the Turks and Caicos Islands will achieve this goal.

Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The UWI Open Campus, Dr. Luz Longsworth said that, “The University is pleased to collaborate with the Government of the TCI to re-launch the local site. As the fourth campus of The UWI we are charged with meeting the needs of The UWI-14 countries. We are therefore delighted to re-establish our physical presence in the Turks and Caicos Islands to meet the growing needs of our current and potential TCI students, as well as the society at large”.

The discussions prior to the re-opening included virtual meetings with the Honourable Minister and other education officials, as well as a site visit by the Manager for The UWI Open Campus British Overseas Territories, Dr. Phyllis Fleming-Banks.

According to the Honourable Minister of Education, Youth, Culture and Library Services, Mrs. Karen Malcolm, “While

The Honourable Minister of Education in the TCI, Mrs. Karen Malcolm (centre) and Permanent Secretary, Mr. Wesley Clerveaux with The UWI Open Campus British Overseas Territories Manager, Dr. Phyllis Fleming-Banks during a site visit.

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SPORTS Vice-Chancellor’s Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year Awards Ms. Brittany Joseph from the The UWI St. Augustine Campus and Mr. Fedrick Dacres from Mona Campus took the top prizes for the Vice-Chancellor’s Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year Awards which took place at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex, The UWI Cave Hill on October 19, 2018. Exceptional athletes from across the institution were nominated by their Directors of Sports, coaches and staff from the Faculty of Sport. The Vice-Chancellor emphasised that The UWI is able to prepare individuals to become leaders in sport as well as sport related fields such as sports medicine, sports psychology and sports management and research, coaching, conditioning experts and sports physiotherapists. Awardees are selected from a field of UWI student athletes who exemplify not only excellence in their chosen athletic disciplines, but also fulfil stringent academic criteria while personifying the spirit of the University through volunteerism and participation in campus life. This year’s Awards saw 10 nominees from across all four campuses. The 2018 nominees were:

L-R: Sportswoman of the Year Awardee, Ms. Brittany Joseph, Dean of The UWI Faculty of Sport, Dr. Akshai Mansingh and Sportsman of the Year Awardee, Mr. Fedrick Dacres.

Cave Hill Open

Mr. Kavem Hodge – Cricket (Faculty of Social Sciences) Mr. Orlando Husbands – Chess (Faculty of Social Sciences) Ms. Cadijah Mars – Football (Faculty of Social Sciences)

Mr. Theron Francis – Basketball (Faculty of Social Sciences) Mr. Jamal James – Cricket (Faculty of Humanities and Education)

Mona St. Augustine

Mr. Fedrick Dacres – Discus event (Faculty of Social Sciences) Ms. Jodean Williams – Track and Field (Faculty of Humanities and Education)

Amir Jangoo – Cricket (Faculty of Food and Agriculture) Jordon Reynos – Hockey (Faculty of Social Sciences) Brittany Joseph – Table Tennis (Faculty of Social Sciences)

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Sports At the Awards Ceremony, Head of the Academy of Sports, The UWI Cave Hill, Mrs. Amanda Reifer, spoke of recent developments intended to enhance student life and performance, such as the introduction of a student athlete mentorship programme and peer counselling, which fosters a better balance between their academic and sporting commitments. Deputy Principal, The UWI Cave Hill, Professor R. Clive Landis, expressed his pride in the achievements of The UWI athletics programmes, pointing out that students and alumni have performed creditably at the highest international levels, including the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. Professor Landis was supported by Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Akshai Mansingh, as both reflected on the unifying aspect of sport among West Indian people, and its role in creating a regional cultural identity. “Sports,” observed Dr. Mansingh, “is also a way in which we gain the respect and admiration of the world.

Sport is one area in which we consistently punch above our weight,” he said, “and we do so with style, grace and humility”. The Director of Alumni Relations for The UWI, Celia Davidson Francis, noted that, “Students are our future alumni and sports is one of the pillars that bind both students and alumni alike in support of their Alma Mater. This special event is one which bonds both students and graduates through sports and fosters Pelican Pride”. She also noted that she is looking forward to increased alumni engagement in all areas of The UWI Faculty of Sport.

UWI Sportswoman of the Year, Brittany Joseph A true Pelican, Brittany Joseph is determined to leave a legacy. She has represented Trinidad and Tobago at the

international level, and led the T&T table tennis team that shattered their opponents at The UWI Games in Cave Hill in 2017. She beat some of the top athletes at the World University Games in Taiwan, and was nominated for the First Citizens Youth Award in 2017. Her number one ranking in the under-21 and senior categories qualified her for the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in 2018.

Through her passion for volunteerism, she teaches her beloved game to children at the San Juan Boys’ and Girls’ Government Primary School. She is currently pursuing a degree in Management Studies with a minor in Sports Management, and holds an excellent Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.72.

UWI Sportsman of the Year, Fedrick Dacres Fedrick Dacres represents The UWI, Mona and Jamaica regionally, nationally and internationally in the Discus event.

In 2017, he broke the national record, creating a new mark of 69.67 metres. In 2017, he became the first Jamaican to win the Diamond League Discus event and to win an international throwing event. He continued his outstanding performances in 2017 by placing fourth at the World Championship, missing the podium by only a minute distance. He was named Jamaica National Champion in Discus at the 2017 Sports Awards. He is now the World Number One Commonwealth Champion and the World Continental Cup Champion. His major is Sociology, with a minor in Social Psychology in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

He gives back by visiting and motivating students of his high school, Calabar, and is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Kingston, and an Advisor of Irvine Hall at Mona.

L-R: PVC Luz Longsworth, Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Brittany Joseph, Sir Bertram Weekes, Fedrick Dacres, Celia Davidson Francis, PVC Dale Webber and Amanda Reifer.

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Sports

CCC takes winner’s trophy at first ever UWI World Universities T20 Tournament Just three months after their regional title, the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) team have copped another, carving their name in history as winners of the first ever UWI World Universities T20 Tournament. The student players defeated the Oxford Marylebone Cricket Club (Oxford MCCU) in a rousing final that brought out families and cricket fans to the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Ground at UWI SPEC in St. Augustine on January 20, 2019.

now go on to participate in pre-tournament camps hosted by the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), gaining exposure and training and creating a direct route for university students to transition into professional cricket.

Speaking on the initiative, Michael Hall, Tournament Operations Director of the CPL, who also serves as Chairman of The UWI Tournament’s Cricket Committee, said: “We are pleased that this opportunity for outstanding performances in the tournament forms part of our sanctioning agreement with The UWI Faculty of Sport, and look forward to working out the details of implementing it ahead of the start of the 2019 Hero CPL”.

CCC’s innings started strong with a 57-run partnership between openers Kjorn Ottley and Kyle Corbin. Kjorn Ottley departed with a top score of 36 and later, Yannick Ottley scored 31 off 30 balls. Oxford MCCU’s top bowler, Will Heathfield, took three wickets for 17 runs from three overs. In reply, Oxford MCCU’s innings got off to a shaky start with Christopher McBride being caught behind by Wicket Keeper Amir Jangoo for no score. Zaman Akhter was their top scorer, making 27 runs off 29 balls. In the end, Oxford MCCU’s chase fell short by 20 runs with Michail Powell’s bowling of three wickets for 17 runs, which earned him “Man of the Match”.

In addition to CPL, the tournament was supported by a range of stakeholders including: Cricket West Indies; the Office of the Prime Minister, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Sport and Culture Fund; Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board; Tertiary Sport Association of Trinidad and Tobago (TSATT); Caribbean Lifestyle Communications; Newsday; Flow/Flow Sports; UWItv; the Chalak Mitra Group; Golden Key Real Estate; Marshall Arts Solutions, Angostura Limited and Superb Caterers.

The inaugural tournament, led by The UWI’s Faculty of Sport, ran from January 10-20 and featured top student cricketers from The UWI itself, a combined colleges team from the US, the Tertiary Sport Association of Trinidad and Tobago (TSATT) along with the CCC and Oxford MCCU teams.

Dr. Akshai Mansingh, Dean of The UWI Faculty of Sport said, “The response to this first tournament has exceeded our expectations. This is just one example of the kind of experience and opportunities the Faculty is focused on creating for its student athletes towards building their skills and exposure. We look forward to continuing this programme and exploring how we can use the model across other sports throughout the University”.

The top five players of the tournament will

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HAPPENINGS AT THE UWI The UWI Museum: CONFRONTATIONS Exhibition Student protest over issues on campus or in the wider society, has been a staple at The University of the West Indies for decades. So in 2018, 50 years after a UWI student demonstration morphed into the iconic ‘Rodney Riot’, The UWI Museum focused on Confrontations: UWI Student Protest and the Rodney Disturbance of 1968.

The exhibition ran through March 2019. Revolutionary Guyanese intellectual Dr. Walter Rodney worked at The UWI Mona Campus in Jamaica for some ten months in 1968, before the Government of Jamaica declared him persona non grata. Documents charging subversive activity were handed to the lecturer on October 15, 1968 when he attempted to return to Jamaica from Montreal, Canada, where he had attended a Black Writers’ Conference. On October 16, a resultant student protest – which also drew persons who had been exposed to Rodney’s messages of Black Consciousness and Black Power as well as others dissatisfied with the state of Jamaica – morphed into a riot. While the government blamed Rodney and his activities, many pointed to the ‘downpression’ affecting many Jamaicans and a sense of failure to realise the promise of Independence.

‘Confrontations’ emerged as a collaboration between The UWI Museum and the Department of History & Archaeology, including an October 19-20 conference,

supported through The UWI Mona, and the exhibition which was supported by the Office of the Vice-Chancellor as part of the University’s 70th Anniversary celebrations.

Elements of the exhibition included a timeline of student protests between 1960 and the mid-2010s; as well as material specific to Walter Rodney’s 1968 sojourn in Jamaica, and the global context. Rodney’s various locations of action – be it meetings, ‘groundings’ or lectures – are mapped, and there was also a timeline of his Jamaican activity – albeit as a work in progress. The student demonstration of October 16, 1968 was told through the recollections of students, one youth activist and lecturers of the time; and there was audio-visual material bringing the voices of a wide range of Jamaicans who were affected by the events of the day. The Oral History component was led by Hon. Research Fellow Mark Figueroa. A film, Disturbance 1968, was produced by Co-Curator Professor Matthew Smith of the Department of History & Archaeology, with assistance from postgraduate student Samantha Campbell. A digital mapping of the demonstration route was produced through the assistance of Mona GeoInformatix Institute, and Curator Dr. Suzanne Francis-Brown thanked these and many other collaborators at the launch on October 18, 2018.

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Happenings

Gala American film director, writer and producer, Malcolm D. Lee, Dr. the Hon. Hubert Alexander Minnis, Prime Minister of The Bahamas, The Hon. Sherice Cartwright Robinson, Premier of the Turks & Caicos Islands, Jamaican Hotelier, Kevin Hendrickson and Banker Anya Schnoor, are the recipients of the American Foundation for The University of the West Indies (AFUWI) 2019 awards. The two heads of state are alumni of The UWI. The AFUWI 22nd Annual Legacy Awards Gala at the Pierre Hotel, New York on February 27, 2019 was a wonderful affair! Her Excellency Pennelope Beckles, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations (UN) and President of UN Women received The University of the West Indies Alumni Association (UWIAA) New York Chapter's Pelican Award. This award is presented by the Association to graduates of The UWI who have excelled in their chosen fields and have made significant national, regional or international impact.

American film maker, writer and producer Malcolm D. Lee received the Pinnacle Pathfinder Award. He directed

movies like UNDERCOVER BROTHER (with Eddie Griffin, Dave Chappelle and Neil Patrick Harris) and WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS (with Martin Lawrence). He is currently developing film and television projects for NBCUniversal and Universal Pictures.

Dr. the Hon. Hubert Alexander Minnis, Prime Minister of The Bahamas who obtained an MBBS degree from The UWI in 1980 and in 1985 completed specialised studies in Jamaica in obstetrics and gynaecology, received the AFUWI Legacy Award. He is a member of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. A former Minister of Health and Leader of the Opposition, he was elected Prime Minister of The Bahamas in 2017.

The Hon. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, the other Legacy Award recipient, is the first female Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands. A graduate of The UWI with an LLB., she previously operated the law firm Cartwright and Co., and worked as a law tutor at the TCI Community College. She is the first female to have served her party as Vice Chairman, Secretary General, National Chairman, Deputy Leader and now Leader and she

Scenes from the glittering gala affair

led her People’s Democratic Movement to victory in the 2016 general elections, beating 52 other candidates for the premiership.

The AFUWI 2019 Chancellor’s Award of Excellence in Business Leadership was presented to Kevin Hendrickson, the Managing Director of The Courtleigh Hotel Group. He is currently guiding a massive multibillion dollar redevelopment and integration of his hotel holdings on Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston, Jamaica – the former Wyndham Hotel; the Courtleigh Hotel & Suites and the Jamaica Pegasus. He also owns and operates Kingston’s Courtleigh Corporate Centre as well as three bakeries - Dr. Lushus in Old Harbour; Yummy in Kingston and Holsum in Manchester.

The Caribbean Luminary Award was presented to Anya Schnoor, Executive Vice President, Retail Products for Canadian Banking at Scotiabank since November 2017. She and her her team are responsible for designing and delivering financial solutions that drive growth through Scotiabank’s Canadian network. The Executive Director of the AFUWI, Ms. Ann-Marie Grant highlighted the importance of this event as it impacts the lives and potential of young Caribbean scholars in an important way, allowing over fifty scholarships annually.

The AFUWI is a registered US Charity and is proud to host the Legacy Awards Gala and other events in New York, to raise funds for student scholarships to The UWI.

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Happenings

The UWI Class of 1967 pays forward The UWI Class of 1967 has given its first recipient its Award for Excellence in Leadership and Innovation for the Faculty of Engineering, Mona. They are using this award to increase attention to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) agenda at Mona, by recognising student excellence within the undergraduate body in the Faculty of Engineering, and selected leadership and innovation as key competencies necessary for creating technological solutions to the developmental issues that impede growth in national and regional productivity. They will continue to identify awardees whose achievements would be inspirational and who would be at the forefront of a movement to attract and grow greater participation and enrolment in STEM programmes and activities.

L-R: Professor Neville Ying and Mr. Jachin Mulllings.

Mr. Jachin Mulllings, the awardee, displayed the requisite qualities of leadership and innovation. He is a second year student in Electronic Engineering and is a ViceChancellor’s UWI STAT Ambassador; the Off-Campus Representative for Chancellor Hall; The UWI Mona Faculty of Engineering Deputy Representative on The UWI Mona Guild of Students 2018/19; The UWI Mona 1st Vice President for the Faculty of Engineering Student Committee – Outreach and Promotions 2018/19; the Public Relations Officer for The UWI arm of the Student Chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers as well as a Member of the Student Chapter of the Jamaica Institution of Engineers; and was instrumental in lobbying for Faculty of Engineering representation on the Guild of Students, Mona, as soon as the Faculty was established. Jachin was selected to represent The UWI and Jamaica in the Huawei’s Seed for the Future Internship Programme which was hosted in China in October 2018. The UWI Class of 1967 Award for Excellence in Leadership and Innovation for 2017/2018 is valued at J$100,000.

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Happenings

UWI and SUNY students volunteer to rebuild Dominican Pre-school The University of the West Indies (The UWI) and the State University of New York (SUNY) recently joined hands and hearts in a charitable initiative to rebuild a pre-school in hurricane ravaged Dominica. The project was spearheaded by the SUNY UWI Centre for Leadership and Sustainable Development. It is the first initiative of this type undertaken by the Centre, reflecting the work which so closely aligns with its goal of facilitating student advocacy toward sustainable development in the region.

Fourteen students; seven from The UWI and seven from SUNY – New Paltz and a faculty member from each institution travelled to the island of Dominica to assist with rebuilding the Morne Prosper Pre-School and restoring the attached Primary School. The rebuilding work is being managed by the non-profit organisation, All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response, which provides immediate and long-term assistance to communities affected by natural disasters. At the centre of the NGO’s approach to rebuilding are notably sustainable ‘build back better’ techniques which ensure homes, schools and other community infrastructure are resistant against future hurricanes and earthquakes and can also serve as evacuation shelters in emergencies.

Funding for the project was supported by a donation of US$3,000 from the New York Chapter of the Jamaica Ex-Soldiers Association through the American Foundation for The University of the West Indies (AFUWI) as well as from a number of corporate entities in Trinidad and Tobago.

Commenting on the project Dr. Luz Longsworth, Pro ViceChancellor and Principal of The UWI Open Campus and

Co-Chair of the SUNY UWI Centre for Leadership and Sustainable Development said, “When we launched the SUNY UWI Centre for Leadership and Sustainable Development in 2016, one of our stated goals was to encourage and facilitate student advocacy. We were so pleased to see the buy-in from our students; they paid their own way to and from Dominica in an economic climate that is very challenging. At The UWI this says to us ‘service to the region’ is not just rhetoric but is a living, breathing aspect of our culture that is permeating one of our largest stakeholder groups – our students. We are also positive that the choice to partner with All Hands and Hearts was definitely the right one given their sustainable approach to disaster relief which is in keeping with our values at the Centre”.

Other project leaders, Ms. Sally Crimmins Villela – Associate Vice-Chancellor for Global Affairs, SUNY and Dr. Robert Balkin – Director of Latin America and Caribbean Collaboration, SUNY, have also expressed satisfaction with the level of student participation.

The SUNY UWI Centre for Leadership and Development was formally established in September 2016 with the aim of contributing to the pool of innovative solutions to specific problems that constrain the achievement of the United Nation’s sustainable development goals. One year later in September 2017, the island of Dominica was devastated by Hurricane Maria which damaged 90% of its structures. This presented an opportunity for the SUNY UWI Centre to deliver the kind of support it was set up to provide.

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Happenings

Graduating with THEIR mum Judith Chase and her daughters, Sonja and Siobhan Chase, graduated on the same day in October 2018 from The UWI Faculty of Social Sciences.

that this is what would have happened,” she said.

Siobhan did her undergraduate degree in sociology, with a double minor in international relations and criminology, which she completed in 2009. Immediately after, she began her master's studies. However, her work then took her overseas and she took a leave of absence. After she enrolled again, there were other hiccups which added additional time to her studies.

Judith graduated with a Master's degree in Public Sector Management, Siobhan also earned a Master's degree but in Criminology and Criminal Justice and Sonja has a Bachelor's degree in International Relations.

For Judith the educational push and drive began with her mother, Yvonne Bruce. While, at times, the process was gruelling, she remembered how her mother, a retired teacher, always spoke about the importance of an education.

“She always used to say that one thing people can’t take from you is your education,” Judith said.

Sonja was scheduled to complete her degree in 2017 but had an additional course to do and so her graduation coincided with her mother's and sister's.

As graduates of the Faculty of Social Sciences their ceremonies were on the same day with Sonja’s in the morning and Judith’s and Siobhan’s in the afternoon.

Judith, who works in the public service, felt she needed to attain a tertiary education too. Although it happened later than planned, she still reached her goal.

Judith felt a sense of “achievement, joy and pride” for not only graduating but also being able to do so with her daughters. She thanked God because, “For it to end up like that, it is really amazing”.

Judith’s opportunity came through the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses programme which allowed her to study for her undergraduate degree in political science and then her master's degree.

Judith added that many people congratulated them when they heard, saying, ‘Oh that is great, that is a big feat’. All three were extremely happy and grateful to share their graduation day - it was truly special!

Siobhan said graduating together was purely coincidental.

“We only realised that it might happen that way on the home stretch. We all started at different points in time and our journeys were different as well. There was no way to foresee

Source: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Siobhan Chase (left) stands with mother, Judith Chase and sisters, Suraya and Sonja Chase.

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Happenings

The UWI Masters of Industry Planting Seeds for the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs The Fundraising and Alumni Affairs Unit and Entrepreneurial Training Institute & Incubation Centre (ETIIC) of The UWI, in collaboration with the National Entrepreneurship Development Company (NEDCO) and Planting Seeds, partnered to present The UWI Masters of Industry episode of the Planting Seeds TV show. The Planting Seeds TV series is a Television Pre-Broadcast series, which showcases interactions between venture capitalist and entrepreneurs who are seeking financing in exchange for an equity stake in their business.

Ah-Grow!

Founded by Nikita Legall is a social enterprise which was created in order to educate persons and encourage them to grow their own produce.

Trinibon Founded by Matthew Escalante produces the MattE Tempered Chocolate. It is a 100% Trinbago handcrafted cocoa experience.

The candidate with the most creative and innovative idea will be deemed the winner and presented with the top cash prize. Each candidate will also benefit from continued mentorship so as to ensure their investments are appropriately allocated.

The UWI remains committed to providing a holistic educational experience for our students as we respond to the call to develop entrepreneurial minds and provide them with skills and tools required to face the real life challenges of successful entrepreneurs. It also equipped participants with essential business plan writing skills in a dynamic and interactive environment for harnessing their ideas to become commercially viable. The end result was an expectation that participants would see entrepreneurship as a viable option and give them the impetus to start their own business with investments to the value of $55,000 being allocated as winnings sponsored by NEDCO Boot Camp.

Look out for more information on season three of Planting Seeds at http://plantingseedscaribbean.com. Special thanks is extended to our partners and the investor panel which comprised of Mr. Jody White, alumnus and Owner of Slimdown 360, Maria Daniel, Partner EY, Lisa Maria Alexander, CMO JMMB and Dr. Mahindra Ramdeen, CEO TTMA.

The five ventures pitched were as follows: Weecreate Concepts Ltd. Founded by: Marsha Trepte and Chenelle Etienne is an art and design company which produces a range of upcycled products such as tote bags, pencil cases, organisers, backpacks, etc. from billboard banners. These products make up the Green Line Collection.

Dear Diet Founded by: Shanice Charles and Shenee Winchester is a food delivery service being done by registered dietitians to help combat lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Their aim is to provide delicious, nutritionally balanced personalised meals to meet their customers’ nutritional needs and goals.

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UWIAA MATTERS The UWI Open Campus Alumni recognise their peers!

The Open Campus UWIAA St. Lucia Chapter hosted the Chancellor’s Forum and Pelican Awards in St. Lucia on October 13, 2018 and it was a great success. The 10 Awardees were overjoyed and their “journeys” which have contributed so much to our nations and region - were truly inspirational. The Awardees were nominated by the collective UWIAA Open Campus Chapters and the exceptional winners received their Pelican Awards from the individual UWIAA Open Campus Chapters: Dr. Jillia Bird: For her sterling contribution to Health and excellence in Optometry in Antigua and Barbuda Reginald Alford Walwyn: For his sterling contribution to Medicine and Leadership and excellence in Ophthalmology in Antigua and Barbuda Dancia Penn Sallah: For her sterling contribution in the field of Politics and excellence in Law in the British Virgin Islands Dr. Haskith Vanterpool For his sterling contribution to Health and excellence in Gastroenterology in the British Virgin Islands

Mr. Gerard Farara: For his sterling contribution to Law in the British Virgin Islands, the Caribbean and beyond (USA and Hong Kong) Dr. Beverley Steele: For her sterling contribution to Education in Grenada and the Caribbean H.E. Dame Pearlette Louisy For her sterling contribution to Education and Leadership in St. Lucia H.E. Dr. Didacus Jules: For his sterling contribution to Education in St. Lucia

The Awardees and UWI dignitaries revel in the Pelican Pride of the special moment.

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Dr. Veronica Simon: For her sterling contribution to Education in St. Lucia Ms. Renee Baptist: For her sterling contribution to Law and Politics in St. Vincent and the Grenadines Extra special thanks to Lydia Dariah and her team for all their hard work, as well as Dr. Phyllis Fleming-Banks for the wonderful citations and her enthralling delivery; Mrs. Lesley Crane Mitchell, Dr. Veronica Simon and the Open Campus St. Lucia team, and Mrs. Sandra Griffith Carrington, the Open Campus Alumni Officer. It was a fabulous night!

UWIMAA Toronto Chapter’s Founder celebrated!

The regional inaugural Alumni Career Link Up went extremely well. Four alumni from Boston, New York and New Jersey shared real-world current career advice virtually for over an hour using the OC Blackbaud Collaborate system. Subject areas included business law, negotiation, biochemistry and biotechnology, etc. The alumni who gave freely of their time and expertise were Howard Goode, Victor Brown, Rayon Ward and Donovan Rodriques.

Over 80 students and young alumni from across the Caribbean joined the session which was very favourably received. The guest panelists were inspired by the student’s excitement to learn about their careers, articles or videos they recommended, and tips on being successful.

Dr. Karl Alleyne Massiah received the prestigious Pelican Award at The UWI’s 70th Anniversary Pelican Awards Ceremony. He is recognised for his central role in establishing and fostering the success of The UWI Medical Alumni Association, (UWIMAA) and its Canadian Chapter, bonding together the diaspora of The UWI medical graduates in Canada, giving back to The UWI Faculty of Medicine and contributing to the specialty of Orthopaedic Surgery in Toronto, Canada. Massiah, a Barbadian, Latin scholar and gold medallist, graduated Honours MBBS ’65. He has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to The UWI with the 2008 Distinguished Medical Alumnus Award and 2011 Vice-Chancellor’s Award. The UWIMAA Toronto salutes an exceptional Pelican! Oriens Ex Occidente Lux

UWI Pelicans... the total headcount of UWI graduates from senate approved programmes between 1952 to 2018 is

Positive feedback was received, as students shared with their peers and lecturers their new or newly reinforced ideas about university life, career choices and the key ingredients for success in the world of work. In fact, the feedback was so positive that a series of these events will be organised annually. If you are interested in taking part and talking about your career and professional experiences, please contact: celia.davidson-francis@alumni.uwi.edu

UWI Alumni in Anguilla now on track for increased engagement The Anguilla UWI Alumni Association Chapter now has an Executive Team in place. They are looking forward to engaging alumni with The UWI Open Campus site in Anguilla and can be contacted at uwiaa.anguilla@alumni.uwi.edu

237,991.

This comprises: 164,206 first degree graduates 36,654 higher degree graduates 29,632 certificates/diplomas/associate degree graduates 7,699 postgraduate diploma graduates.

L- R: Verrelyne Bruno Mason, Marica Brooks, Vanish Proctor, Yvette Wallace, Michael Skellekie and Alina Richardson.

Absent from photo – Colwayne Pickering.

Information provided by the Senior Planning Officer, University Office of Planning - Anand Dass.

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UWIAA Jamaica Chapter gives scholarships The UWIAA Jamaica Chapter has awarded five scholarships/bursaries to students of the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science and Technology. The selection committee comprised personnel from the Office of Student Services, the Director of Alumni Relations, Campus Alumni Officer for Mona and a former member of the UWIAA Jamaica Chapter.

Peta-Gay Watson (Banking and Finance), Melissa Foster (Economics and Statistics) and Christopher Brown (Social Work Special) received scholarships of $100,000 each for the 2018/2019 academic year while Rayon Campbell (Economics and Statistics) and Ricallia Thomas (Biochemistry) were awarded $50.000 each for the same period. The recipients expressed their gratutude to the UWIAA Jamaica Chapter and pledged their commitment to academic excellence.

Peta-Gay Watson

Melissa Foster

Christopher Brown

Rayon Cameron

Ricallia Thomas

Florida UWIAA Scholarships DONAT & CECILLE GRANT ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP Mahatma Gandhi said, “The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others”; Mohammed Ali noted that, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth”; and the American author Carol Ryrie Brink wrote, “The most truly generous persons are those who give silently without hope of praise or reward”. These three quotations can be used to describe Donat and Cecille Grant, benefactors of the Florida Chapter of The University of the West Indies Alumni Association, “DONAT & CECILLE GRANT ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP”. The scholarship will provide tuition assistance for gifted, needy full-time students pursuing an undergraduate degree on any campus at The UWI and in any faculty.

The monetary award is US$1,000 and preference will be given to full-time matriculated students who attended Excelsior High School in Jamaica.

L-R: Dr. Carmen Nicholas is all smiles as she receives the cheque from Cecile and Donat Grant.

UWIAA Florida Chapter members share the moment.

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THE RONALD AND MIRIAM WHITE SCHOLARSHIP DETAILS ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP

Financial needs - Preference will be given to students who have not secured other bursaries or scholarships that assist with tuition costs.

Record of community involvement and volunteerism including more than membership in high school alumni association.

Objectives: To honour the outstanding contribution of Ronald and Miriam White to the Florida Chapter of The University of the West Indies Alumni Association.

To assist with the financial needs of a full-time student who is pursuing an undergraduate degree in the Faculty of Social Sciences on the Mona Campus of The University of the West Indies.

Method of Selection: Selection will be made by the Institutional Advancement Division (Director of Alumni Relations), in consultation with a committee of evaluators from the Florida Chapter of The University of the West Indies Alumni Association. Selection will be based on the criteria above.

Application deadline: October 31 Number of awards: One Value of the award: US$1,000

How to Apply:

Maximum Tenure:

Email the following information and documents to: florida@alumni.uwi.edu

One year with renewal for up to two years depending on financial needs and satisfactory academic performance – minimum GPA 3.0. Eenewal is not automatic and the scholarship holder is expected to reapply.

Your full name, address, telephone number, email address date of birth, faculty, Major/Minor A one to two-page essay on your educational and professional goals A certified copy of your birth certificate Two (2) letters of recommendation (one character and the other academic) UWI transcript that indicates that you are in good standing OR a high school transcript along with CAPE and CXC results and letter of acceptance if you are newly admitted.

Eligibility: The award is available to a full-time student who is: Registered in the Faculty of Social Sciences Pursuing a 3-year undergraduate degree Criteria: The award will be based on the following: Academic performance that reflects an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher

This scholarship has been awarded annually since 2017.

THE MARGARET BARRETT SCHOLARSHIP Margaret Barrett, Past President and Secretary of The University of the West Indies Alumni Association - Florida Chapter died on October 13, 2017. She was also the former Chief Administrator of the Jamaica National Building Society's office in Tamarac, Florida. Margaret was very active in the community and was a stalwart of UWIAA-FL. She is greatly missed.

A scholarship fund to support talented but needy UWI students was established in her name by the Chapter. If you wish to make a contribution, you may write a cheque to UWIAA FL Chapter, with Margaret Barrett Scholarship Fund in the memo section and mail to: UWI ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (FLORIDA CHAPTER), P.O. Box 970313, Coconut Creek, FL 33097.

The UWIAA Florida Chapter now offers three scholarships annually with a total value of US$3,000.

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UWIAA Florida Chapter Pelican Awards Luncheon UWIAA Florida Chapter Pelican Awards Luncheon took place on September 22, 2018 at the Diecke Auditorium in Plantation Florida. As UWI alumnus and featured speaker Dr. Clive Bailey noted, “Our noble institution currently headed by a Trinidadian giant as Chancellor, is not satisfied or contented to sit on its laurels…. This anniversary gives us the gateway through which alumni all over the globe and particularly those of us here in South Florida, get an opportunity to enter, to join the conversation on regional development and take our seats at the table of pedagogical interplay, and become partners with faculty members and the bureaucratic machinery of the academy. Let us get involved. Long live The University of the West Indies”. Awardees were: Professor Emerita Jean D’Costa (Jamaican) - Children’s Author, Poet; Dr. Sandra Schrouder (Jamaican) – Educator, Economist, Researcher; Dr. Dwight Benjamin (Jamaican) - Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and Justin Vincent (Grenadian) – Institution Builder, Advisor.

The Awardees were all visibly thrilled and honoured. The event was slated for 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. but lasted until after 4:00 p.m. as the over 150 persons attending were having such a good time catching up and reminiscing that they didn’t want to leave!

UWIAA Florida Wine Tasting The UWIAA Florida Chapter started off 2019 with a bang, holding their first get-together at Total Wine & More in Plantation, Florida. After a short business meeting, the podium was turned over to a “wine aficionado” from Total Wine & More who spoke about wines around the world. He also gave the members an opportunity to sample different types of wine. It was a very informative and enjoyable networking and social event - ideal for further building the Chapter's "Pelican Spirit".

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Bahamas Back to The UWI Weekend The UWIAA Bahamas Chapter hosted a successful “BACK TO THE UWI WEEKEND” to mark the 70th Anniversary of The UWI from November 16-18, 2018. The UWI Chancellor Mr. Robert Bermudez and his wife attended.

The President of the Chapter, Ambassador A. Missouri Sherman-Peter, the Permanent Observer of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to the United Nations was very pleased that participants in the activities included The UWI Chancellor, Mr. Robert Bermudez; H.E. Mr. Reuben Rahming, Member of Parliament (MP) of The Bahamas and Ambassador to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); Professor Verene Shepherd, Director, The UWI Centre for Reparation Research and member and past Chair of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Working Group on People of African Descent; and Dr. Sheila Walker, Cultural Anthropologist and Executive Director of Afrodiaspora, Inc. in Washington, DC. The weekend began with an audience for the Chancellor and distinguished participants with the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Dr. the Most Honourable Hubert Minnis who is a graduate of The UWI. The featured events of the weekend were the staging of the Remember Slavery Programme’s exhibit: “A Legacy of Black Achievement”; a lecture entitled “Climb Over That Wall! The UWI Historian as Scholar Activist 70 Years On” delivered by Professor Verene Shepherd; a UWIAA-Community “Legacy of Black Achievement” walk-a-thon led off by Mrs. Patricia Minnis, wife of the Prime Minister of The Bahamas; and the viewing and discussion of Dr. Sheila Walker’s documentary film “Familiar Faces, Unexpected Places”.

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Agri Class of ‘94 Reunion Alumni of the 1994 Faculty of Agriculture graduating class travelled from Antigua, Florida, and Jamaica for a 25th anniversary reunion celebration with their batchmates in Trinidad and Tobago. The reunion took place February 1-3, 2019 and began with a trip to The UWI St. Augustine Campus, where they met up with lecturers Mr. Cicero Lallo and Dr. Gary Garcia and viewed old stomping grounds, including Freedom (Milner) Hall.

Agriculture faculty members Ms. Lynda Wickham, Mrs. Laura Roberts Nkrumah, Mr. Cicero Lallo, as well as a representative of the Trinidad and Tobago UWI Alumni Association, Mr. Cheridan Woodruff, took time to meet the 1994 Class Alumni during cocktail hour at the Hilton Hotel on February 1, 2019 to kick off the reunion.

On February 2, 2019, alumni took to the scenic north coast for a picnic at St. Martin Beach, stopping at Maracas Beach for bake and shark (a must). The highlight of the reunion was a dinner at Rasam Restaurant in Grand Bazaar, central Trinidad.

Lots of fun was had by all! Kudos to alumna Julie-Ann Laudat for conceptualising and planning this reunion.

Enjoying the camaraderie.

Front row left to right: Dr. Lynda Wickham, Julie-Ann Laudat, Candace Braithwaite, Marguerite (Muir) Beckford, Laura Roberts Nkrumah, Ian Gomez, Cicero Lallo. Back row left to right: Richard Glasgow, Sheldon Mclean, Mark Wiggans, Gordon Alert, Marjorie (McNish) Fullerton, Richard Campbell, and Austin Thompson.

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V.I.P.

– Very Important Pelicans UWI Graduates cop 2019 Rhodes scholarships Chevano Baker won the Jamaican Rhodes Scholarship and Zubin Deyal won the Commonwealth Caribbean Rhodes Scholarship. They both topped the field of a number of young people who vied for the prestigious award this year. Both will be studying at the University of Oxford, U.K. Jamaican Chevano Baker is a Financial Economist and a UWI STAT Alumni Ambassador. He previously won The UWI Open Scholarship, with which he pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science; and the Jamaica National Foundation/University of Birmingham Legacy Scholarship, with which he did a Master’s degree in Financial Economics.

He will be pursuing a PhD in Financial Economics.

Identifying as a Trinbagonian, Zubin Deyal was born to a Trinidadian father and a Guyanese mother in Barbados. He studied Economics and Finance at The UWI Cave Hill Campus and will pursue an MSc. in Economics for Development. Both wish to see Caribbean countries having economies that function well, which will enable sustainable growth within the individual countries, as well as the region.

Chevano Baker Zubin Deyal

Congratulations on your achievements!

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PELICANS SOARING UWI alumna Professor Rosemary Moodie CD has been appointed to the Senate of Canada by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. As a senator, she will help to revise legislation, investigate national issues, and represent regional and minority issues. She is an Associate Professor of Paediatrics in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and a distinguished neonatologist – helping pre-term babies to survive and thrive. A Jamaican by birth, she is an advocate for women and girls, and for her work to reduce social inequity in health care. She has published research on breastfeeding and neonatal issues. She graduated from The UWI before obtaining postgraduate training in pediatric medicine and neonatology at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). She also holds an MBA and Masters of Public Administration. She is a past Medical Director and Corporate Chief of Paediatrics of the Regional Maternal Child Programme Rouge Valley Health System; Lead for Maternal, Child, Youth and Gynaecology of the Central East LHIN; and served on regional and provincial committees advocating to improve health equity and expand quality health-care access for children.

She has worked extensively in underrepresented parts of Toronto such as the Jane-Finch community. She has advocated improving health equity and expanding quality health-care access for women and children. She has received numerous awards and honours from governments and academic organisations for her work in paediatrics. She is a winner of the University of Toronto Alumni Association’s Carl Mitchell Award for Community Engagement, and was a torchbearer in the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. She was recognised by the Government of Jamaica in 2017 and awarded the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander for her outstanding contribution in Philanthropy, Community Development and Medicine in the Jamaican Diaspora in Canada.

Dr. Robin Roberts OBE graduated as a medical doctor from The University of the West Indies and returned home to The Bahamas, to the Princess Margaret Hospital {PMH} in 1980 as a Junior Physician. He became the first certified urologist practicing in The Bahamas in 1987. As a Consultant Urological Surgeon he introduced numerous urological procedures never done in The Bahamas before, inclusive of minimal access endoscopic procedures. In 1996, he

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performed the first kidney transplant in The Bahamas and introduced the multi-organ donor transplant with the University of Miami Health Systems’ Miami Transplant Institute. He has pioneered the advance of medical education in The Bahamas. He was instrumental in establishing the PMH as a formal teaching hospital for The UWI. In 2009, Dr. Roberts was appointed a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine of The UWI. In 2010 he became the first Bahamian Director of The UWI School of Clinical Medicine & Research, The Bahamas. During his active professional career in the government and community, he pursued and completed an MBA with a major in Health Care Policy and Administration. In 2000, he was instrumental in the establishment of the first Male Support Cancer US TOO group in the Cancer Society of The Bahamas. He is one of the founding members of Physician Alliance Limited.

At the 40th Anniversary celebrations of the Independence of The Bahamas, he was honoured as one of the nation’s 40 Outstanding Fathers. In 2017, he was honoured by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, Scotland. He was also designated formally as the international advisor to the Royal College in the Caribbean. In October 2017, the Caribbean Urological Association presented him with the Distinguished Career Award and in December, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, gave orders for Dr. Robin Roberts to be appointed to the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George: Order of the British Empire (Civil Division) for services to medicine.

Pelicans Soaring

Dr. The Hon. Hubert Alexander Minnis, the fourth Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, was recently honoured and received The Order of the Nation. The Prime Minister will now be addressed as Dr. the Most Honourable Hubert Alexander Minnis, O.N, M.P.

The Bahamas, member of the Medical Council, Chairman of the Hotel Corporation of The Bahamas and an Associate Lecturer at The University of West Indies in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He has a special interest and dedication to the promotion of Bahamian ownership in the economy and for the redevelopment of traditional Over-the-Hill communities.

He became the fourth Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas on May 12, 2017.

The Prime Minister is also affectionately known as “Doc,” as he is a medical doctor by profession, a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and boasts delivery of more than 5,000 babies. He was born on April 16, 1954 in humble beginnings in Bain Town, The Bahamas.

He attended the University of Minnesota, USA, from 1971–1975 and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree with a concentration in Biology. That same year, he entered the Faculty of Medical Sciences at The UWI, Mona, where he obtained the MBBS degree. He obtained the MRCOG from London in 1985 and returned to The Bahamas and began working as a physician at the Princess Margaret Hospital where he served as a Consultant and Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and also as Deputy Chief of Staff.

As part of his commitment to the wider community, Dr. Minnis served as President of the Medical Association of

Elizabeth Montano, 67-year-old mother of soca star Machel Montano, has received her UWI Master’s degree in Cultural Studies. The amazing Lady, as she is known by her friends and family, has hinted at an upcoming book of memoirs. Her graduation was another special moment in her journey.

She plans to publish her thesis as a book. It is based on her famous son with the title, “The Making of Monk Monte: Creativity and Commodification in Trinidad and Tobago’s popular culture”.

Cathy Lyn has received one of five Society Of Actuaries (SOA) Presidential Awards for Volunteer work to the Actuarial Profession in Nashville, USA. She is the Past Chair of the International Association of Consulting Actuaries (IACA), a Past Editor of the SOA International Section Newsletter and a Past President of the Caribbean Actuarial Association. She has served on the SOA International Section Council as well as on the IAA Executive Committee among others. She is the SOA Ambassador for Jamaica.

Over the years, her objective has been to strengthen international links between associations with actuaries and to forge links with related professionals in a leadership role worldwide. Now she focuses on Diversity of Thought as a driver to create more actuarial jobs to engage younger actuaries.

“Thank you Mike Lombardi and the SOA for this recognition. This is indeed a special day for me, as special as the day I received my Fellowship. My volunteer work has been exciting and inspiring. The landscape for actuaries is pushing us to raise the bar and this reward is uplifting to move to new heights in thought leadership, creativity and innovation for actuaries to be relevant and convincing to communities we serve.” Cathy Lyn

“The supreme vice is shallowness.”

- Oscar Wilde Poui trees in bloom on the Mona Campus.

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Pelican Soaring

Annual Ancestral Heritage Award On February 28, 2019 at the Annual Ancestral Heritage Award at Medgar Evers College, City University of New York, the President of the UWIAA New York Chapter, Dr. Gerald White-Davis received an award to recognise his community work, which also includes work he does in association with the UWIAA-NY, to promote Caribbean pride and unity and The UWI. The Awards function was sponsored by the Sons and Daughters of Jamaica organisation.

Mr. Jose Richards, President of the Sons and Daughters of Jamaica presented him with the award. Dr. White-Davis also spoke at the event on the topic, "The Only Protection Against Injustice in Man is Power - Physical, Financial and Scientific� - Marcus Garvey.

Captain (Naval) Antonette WemyssGorman created history in the Jamaica Defence Force by being promoted to Commodore. She joined the JDF in 1992, immediately after leaving Knox College. She is the Commander of the Maritime, Air and Cyber Command, with oversight responsibility for the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard, the JDF Air Wing and the Military Cyber Corps.

In her previous appointments, Wemyss-Gorman served as Commanding Officer of the JDF Coast Guard, where she has spent the majority of her career, becoming the first sea-going female officer to serve in the JDF, and served as Navigating Officer onboard HMJS Paul Bogle from 1994 to 1997. In 1998, she was seconded to the Ministry of Transport and Works, where she was appointed Deputy Director of Marine Transport.

Upon her return to the Coast Guard, Wemyss-Gorman was appointed to command an 82ft point class vessel in July 2002 and later, a 42m county class vessel (HMJS Surrey).

Later in her career, she was appointed Second in Command of the JDF Air Wing, and has also served as Commandant of the Caribbean Military Maritime Training Centre. In 2014, she became the first female in the JDF to attain the rank of Commander and later Captain (N) in May 2018. She holds a Master of Science degree with distinction in National Security and Strategic Studies from The UWI.

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BOOK CORNER Voices of the Pelican

“The publication of Sir George’s remarkable Graduation addresses over his 14 years of leadership and service to his Alma Mater, is most appropriate in the year in which The UWI celebrates its 70th Anniversary”. − PVC Professor Eudine Barriteau, Principal of the Cave Hill Campus “The birth of the Open Campus is heralded in the Chancellor’s address “No End to Beginnings” in 2009, and signals the optimism and faith by a true Son of the Pelican in the continued growth and relevance of his beloved University.” − PVC Dr. Luz Longsworth, Principal of the Open Campus.

“Voices of the Pelican is significant not only for its erudition and as a valuable memento for 14 graduating classes, it also serves as a useful guidepost in the evolution of The University of the West Indies.” – PVC Professor Brian Copeland, Principal of the St. Augustine Campus.

“He who does not increase his knowledge - decreases it.”

- hillel 37

The Talking Trees Literary Fiesta is organised in collaboration with the Department of Literatures in English (DLIE) at the Mona Campus of The UWI and the Gloria Lyn Memorial Fund (GLMF). The Fiesta is being held in collaboration with the DLIE and the GLMF that was established in honour of a former lecturer in the department to recognise and support students who have excelled in literature at Mona.

The collaboration is seen as one of the avenues for the DLIE to take its activities beyond the campus, and to share and encourage the appreciation for literature, which has long been considered to be a foundation for visionary leadership, and can be a catalyst to inspire the youth, and encourage today’s greatest thinkers.

The GLMF and the School of Education at The UWI Mona Campus in association with the DLIE will be running literary competitions in the schools to unearth and encourage talent, with a view to the winners appearing on the Talking Trees stage.

Pelican Perks

BARBADOS

Welcome to Access All , your source for sales, service and installation of high quality Amarr doors and openers in St. Michael, Barbados and surrounding areas. Thank you for shopping local.

Contact us with any of your door needs!

Tel: 246-537-5776

5% discount

Pelican Perks are designed to benefit both our over 46,000 STUDENTS - our future alumni and our over 230,000 GRADUATES! Discounts and concessions (Pelican Perks) are available for students through a valid UWI Student ID and for graduates through their UWI Alumni Association (UWIAA) membership card. Alumni are encouraged to join a UWIAA Chapter nearby in order to benefit from this discount programme. It does not matter which UWIAA Chapter you join – benefits are available anywhere Pelican Perks exist - so be sure to travel with your cards!

We are pleased to partner with UWI graduates who have businesses and companies who employ UWI graduates, as well as other companies, in order to offer discounts and special offers through this programme.

Barbados Lumber Company

12.5% discount on all

purchases except specially priced items

Amaryllis Beach Resort

20% on some rates.

CANADA

ANGUILLA

StickerYou.com, a custom sticker and label company, provides

5%

11% discount code for every product on their

A discount of will be given to UWI alumni and students. The discounts will be given on all full price items in the store. Sale items will be excluded.

website. StickerYou allows you to create custom stickers, decals, tattoos, badges, etc.

CHINA THE BAHAMAS

Supwatch Online Supwatch Online provides new Apple watch series 4 3 2 1 bands, cool iphone cases, bags, watches and watch straps for all occasions.

We are happy to offer

Must be booked directly with the hotel reservationsmanager.bahamas@superclubs.com for reservations - or call 242-327-5356

25% off all our watches.

JAMAICA Eco Smart Sip

10% discount

An eco-friendly company which provides 100% eco friendly, biodegradable, reusable straws.

5% discount 38

UNITED KINGDOM

JAMAICA

Digita Global Marketing Ltd.

15% discount on services for UWI alumni and faculty in Jamaica

The Office Providers Globally regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors we provide a completely free and impartial service to alumni seeking office space and lease advisory services.

25% discount

ST. LUCIA

An additional 10% off our ongoing Caribcation rates applicable to CARICOM nationals ONLY. Proof of nationality must be presented to take advantage of this special offer.

10% discount

TURKS & CAICOS

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Montem Outdoor Gear Coco Palm is pleased to partner with The UWI and will offer a Preferred Pelican Perk Daily Rate Run of House Room at US$135.00 per night + 10% service charge and 10% vat.

Montem's mission is to bring you the highest quality outdoor gear, for the best prices, with a touch of style, and a whole lot of ingenuity.

10% discount

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Hrank.com

Available via salescaribbean@rexresorts.com

UWI alumni, students, faculty/staff and retirees are offered a US$100 resort credit for any stay of 3 nights or more at The Somerset on Grace Bay.

10% refund on the purchase of a web hosting.

To get the refund choose the best provider via Hrank.com and then request the refund.

10% off published rates to staff, alumni and students at all campuses

Plantain Ltd.

We are an award-winning company that makes it easy for you to create memoirs and heirlooms from your life stories.

Simply include "UWI Alumni" when you send us an email via our website.

10% discount

For the complete list of Perks visit: https://www.uwi.edu/alumnionline/membership/pelican-perks 39

Some Financial Sense Judy M. McCutcheon, UWI Alumna based in Grenada, shares her thoughts on “Financial Sense … Keeping Scores.... why it is so important yet so hard!!”

When we hear the term performance review, we think about an annual review where the employee gets beaten over the head for one year of misgivings or managers get all anxious about having to conduct the review. Conducting performance reviews, is by far, in my experience one of the most feared tasks to be performed by managers or supervisors. In my earlier times as, supervisor and then as a manager, it was the only part of my job I did not enjoy, and I would put it off until I couldn’t put it off anymore.

Sounds familiar? However, managing employee performance is more than just annual reviews; it’s a nonstop year-round process of keeping scores. It involves the manager/supervisor and the employee working together to improve both the individual as well as the company’s overall performance.

A good performance system combines a number of key elements – appraisal practices, performance rating matrix, reward and recognition systems, performance plans as well as coaching and mentoring programmes. Doing this is not

rocket science, but it requires careful thought and the right people in place with the requisite training. Too often employers hire or promote individuals into positions who are not qualified, sometimes due to cost constraints or simply because they don’t give priority to their employees’ experience. Employers need to start paying attention to what this action is costing them.

Effectively managing employee performance is a critical management activity, and organisations that get it right are usually way ahead of the competition. In our Caribbean context, many companies are beginning to appreciate that performance management is not some kind of HR shenanigan. There has been progress, but our performance management systems are still weak and wobbly.

Some might even still be completely broken. When this happens, it means that companies are not operating at their maximum thus, if there is a shift in competitive market conditions they cannot be nimble and responsive. Top performing companies understand that to be agile, they must have the people resources in place that gives the organisation the capacity and resilience it needs to achieve its strategic goals and objectives.

A well-structured performance management system must be well designed.

What method are you using? What are your targets? Are you setting targets that are too hard to achieve thereby frustrating your employees or are you setting targets that are too easy, so there are no performance improvements?

Your employees must feel that their contribution towards the achievement of the company’s overall goal is meaningful, therefore the link between individual effort and the larger organisation’s goals must be evident. Performance management systems work best with open, honest, two-way communication on a continuous basis. How often are you meeting with the staff in your department to talk about performance? One company I worked for had a daily shift line-up, so we knew our department’s performance as well as the company’s overall performance daily. This helped to keep us focused on what mattered most – staying or getting on track to achieve the organisation’s strategic objectives. In the best of performance management systems, the entire organisation operates on a single principle, where each employee understands

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both the company’s overall performance and their contribution to that performance. Do your employees know your position or is it hidden from them? How can they tell what they are contributing to?

Good performance management rests on the premise that what gets measured gets done. An organisation, therefore, must create matrices and set targets that are effectively monitored to ensure that both the employee and the organisation’s needs are being met.

This way you can help your employees reach their full potential by identifying training needs and exposing them to developmental programmes that build upon their existing skills and knowledge. To do this requires constant engagement, a good performance management system does not wait until the end of a cycle to give employees feedback but employs a constant feedback loop, designed to monitor progress. A strong

performance management system helps you to not only retain your best talent but aids in attracting top talent to your organisation. Robust

performance management systems empower employees by allowing them to have better control over their progress, which contributes to greater employee satisfaction and engagement. When employees are supported in the achievement of their personal goals, they feel a strong sense of commitment and bond to the organisation, they feel part of something that is dynamic and bigger than themselves, so they work harder to help the organisation achieve its strategic imperatives. © All Rights Reserved

SPECIAL TRIBUTE Mbeki in the presidency and Nelson Mandela in diplomatic retreat, Kofi fought to convince the world that this was its moment to rise, as if from a baptismal cleansing. He believed it to be the ‘Mandela moment’, and that the international community could be convinced to embrace a new, even if surreal, appetite for tolerance with justice.

Honorary Graduate Kofi Annan: Philosopher Prince

The dapper diplomat went to work knowing full well that the test of his talent would be on display. Blood was running in Rwanda and the West was preparing to end traditional leadership in Libya. He stood as a lonely man, seeking to save the world from itself, to extract the toxins of colonial legacies, and to bring an imagined biblical peace to the Middle East. Every land with an angst that wished for relief from pain and grief called for Annan. Peace was his passion. But he knew the limits of the letter and positioned his person at the centre of the stage to be settled. This was the signature of his commitment. Where he did not succeed he had tried hardest.

The following editorial on the passing of Kofi Annan—Ghanaian diplomat and seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations— was issued by the Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Professor Sir Hilary Beckles. Mr. Annan was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree by The UWI, Mona in 1998.

Africa’s long tradition of producing a timely philosopher prince remained in place despite Europe’s modern global holocaust against its people. The capacity to reason as if above the canopy of chaos, while feet remained rooted in the turbulent turf has remained a legacy. A mantle of Mandela’s humanist mission fell onto the gifted Ghanaian son, Kofi [born on a Friday], who rose to become the continent’s first black Prince of the United Nations in 1997 before returning to ancestors on Saturday, August 18, 2018.

The Durban discourse was dying at the outset. The USA pulled out citing the need to protect Israel from unfounded allegations.

Yasser Arafat was unmoved. The EU threatened to pull out feeling shame and guilt for its committed crimes against humanity within colonial empires. There was to be neither dialogue nor diplomacy on reparations.

The UWI, an academy he respected, conferred on him an honorary doctorate in a special convocation in 1998, two days before his 60th birthday. Claiming and naming him a UWI man, Professor Baugh, the Mona Campus’ orator of excellence, framed him as the Asante from Kumasi who crossed the Atlantic with an African agenda to address its middle passage, evil deeds and to heal the world’s deepest wound.

Kofi stepped in. Compromises were struck. The conference proceeded. Delegates proceeded to give the world what it needed. The approved resolution stated that slavery, slave trading, and colonialism were crimes against humanity. Annan secured for Africa’s global diasporas what was long pursued.

From then it has been said that reparatory justice for these crimes will constitute the greatest global political movement of the 21st century.

While it has been said that he ruled ‘best for the West’, it cannot be claimed that he did not remain embedded within the intellectual power of the African cosmology and sensibility that captured the global imagination, dedicated as it was to the peace and reconciliation that sought to uproot the rue as recognised and reasoned by Bishop Tutu.

“Diplomacy,” the master craftsman once said, “is the art of enabling the other side to celebrate your victory as their own”.

The subtlety of success is today rarely celebrated. We will now be living in the post Annan diplomatic world that in many places, rejects the decency of diplomatic dialogue. Annan was the ‘light as a feather’ African sage, a universal peace soldier, and a UWI, Caribbean supporter. And so, as we hear the distant drum, we say unto him, rest, rise, turn and come again.

To this end, he took the United Nations in 2001 to Durban, South Africa, for a global reasoning in the form of a conference on race, xenophobia and other related intolerances. With Thabo

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IN CELEBRATION OF THEIR LIVES Patricia Worrell of the Faculty of Humanities and Education began working as Assistant Registrar, Public Relations at The UWI, St. Augustine on December 15, 1981. She resigned in April 1982 to become a Secondary School Teacher. In 1996, she returned to the Campus as Lecturer in the Teaching of English Language. In 2003 she became a Lecturer in Curriculum Studies. During her tenure at the School of Education (SOE) she was responsible for the design and redesign of many of its courses including the development of the Certificate in Journalism which she coordinated from 2011. In 2000, she was a recipient of the International Reading Association’s (IRA) Elva Knight Research Grant for research in reading and literacy. She was Deputy Dean, Planning and Development from 2009 to 2012 and Coordinator, Practicum, Certificate in Education for School Librarians. She worked with The UWI Open Campus as instructional designer for their Education courses. In July 2012, she retired from the University but continued to work with the School of Education, especially in her capacity as a curriculum specialist.

awarded the Hummingbird Medal (Silver) for his innovation in pan making. He also received a Chaconia Medal (Silver) for his outstanding contribution to culture in 2000 and his UWI Honorary Doctorate that same year.

Marcia Dolor-Lashley was the Vice President of the UWIAA St. Lucia Chapter. She made a significant impact by infusing greater drive and passion among the members through her bubbly personality and her passionate and strong commitment to The UWI. The UWIAA St. Lucia Chapter will miss her invaluable contribution to the University, the Guild of Students and the Alumni Association. “Marcia will be dearly missed by the members of The UWI Alumni Association whose lives she touched in various ways. Her commitment to The UWI and its alumni was unquestionable”. Lydia Dariah, President.

Cheryl Theodore of the Centre for Health Economics began working at The UWI St. Augustine Campus in 1998.

She made an invaluable contribution to the work and success of the Centre. She was experienced in administering projects (research and consultancy-based) and provided administrative support on technical reports. She also had extensive experience in office supervision/management and provided administrative oversight for conferences, seminars/workshops. She was the sister of Professor Emeritus Karl Theodore, Director of the HEU, Centre for Health Economics.

Mangroo Sookraj worked with The UWI for 45 years, making him the longest serving of the 249 employees who were recognised and celebrated on November 15, 2018 for 25 years and more of service. From age 15, Sookraj worked privately for the manager at The UWI’s Works Department for five years, who then recommended him as a power-mower operator at The UWI. He then worked to maintain the grounds as part of a steady group of staff whose job it was to handle all aspects of maintenance. He was proud to spend decades loyally giving his gardening skills to the famous grounds of the St Augustine Campus, where everyone knew him as ‘Bal’.

Dr. Compton Eustus Seaforth of the Faculty of Science and Technology, The UWI St. Augustine, more affectionately known as “CES” by his academic colleagues, joined The UWI in 1963 as a Lecturer in Chemistry. He came from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka with a BSc degree in Chemistry (First Class Honours) London UCWI and a PhD in Organic Chemistry (Wales). He was responsible for introducing Part II BSc Advanced Chemistry to the St. Augustine Campus in consultation with the Chemistry Department at Mona. He was the chief planner for the planning and construction of the first Chemistry building on Campus. In 1970, he was promoted to Senior Lecturer. Dr. Seaforth was Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences from 1971 to 1973 and University Dean from 1973 to 1975. He retired in 1999.

UWI Honorary Graduate Dr. Elliott (Ellie) Mannette, pan pioneer, was considered the father of the modern steel pan.

He is reputed as being the first person to use a discarded oil drum, sinking the top to make a concave-shaped steel pan. He honed his skills while performing with Oval Boys. He later migrated to the United States in early 1960s. Knowledge of his craft spread throughout the U.S., leading to an invitation from the West Virginia University in 1991, to lecture students in the art of making and playing steel pans. In 1969 he was

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In Celebration of Their Lives Professor Selwyn H. H. Carrington lectured at the St. Augustine Campus from 1986 to 1994, where he was a Senior Lecturer in Caribbean Economic and United States History. He was known for his student centredness, his lively debates and his proud Tobagonian identity. His areas of specialisation were Caribbean history, the Black Diaspora and the history of the United States. His research and publications include: Early Building in Winnipeg. Manuscript Report No. 389, 7 Vols.; The British West Indies During the American Revolution (Leiden: Brill, 1988); Capitalism and Slavery Fifty Years Later: Eric Eustace Williams - A Reassessment of the Man and His Work.

As a historian, he also contributed immensely to the establishment of the African Burial Ground Project.

Marcus Foster was a prominent attorney in St. Lucia and was also known as Harry and Olay (Ole). After being a partner in Foster, Foster & Foster from 1990-1993, Marcus formed his own firm Marcus-Peter Foster & Associates. He studied at Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago and at The UWI, Cave Hill, Barbados. Many of his colleagues remember him for his professionalism, advocacy and legal skills.

Marilyn Victoria Gordon (née Edgar) was a 1962 graduate from the University Hospital School of Nursing, Mona. She worked as a Registered Nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital, in Kingston, Jamaica and at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, as well as in the Cardiac Care Unit of the Ottawa Civic Hospital. After her retirement from Nursing in 1996, she studied at the Ottawa School of Art, from which she graduated in 2000. Both the land of her birth Jamaica - and her second home - Canada - can be justly proud of a life well lived that positively impacted many patients.

UWI graduate Dr. Nadia Dominique Morgan, a 35-year-old Johns Hopkins rheumatologist died tragically in a hit-and-run crash in the United States. She was the Jamaican-born recipient of the 2016 American College of Rheumatology Distinguished Fellow Award and a faculty member at Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Centre. She received her doctoral degree from The UWI Mona and completed an internal medicine residency at the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Centre, serving an additional year as chief resident. While completing her fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University, she also earned a Master of Health Science in Clinical Investigation from the university’s Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her death is an enormous loss to Medicine and to the many patients and colleagues who benefited from and who would have benefited from her skills and commitment in the future.

Excerpts from the statement on the passing of Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad (V.S.) Naipaul by The UWI Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles.

“V.S. Naipaul, our phenomenal West Indian son, has resigned leaving behind a substantial space in our society, that we can only hope would one day be filled again. The passages detailing his passing have been marked with sadness on all sides of the discursive divide of the subject he centred with

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sensational success—the naked and hidden truths of the postcolonial world. West Indian society was blessed to have produced and unleashed him upon a world much in need of self-liberation. For over half a century the master scribe was magisterial in pursuit of his mission. All who read and heard him, marvelled at his intellectual insights, though his panache for pinching the raw nerve extracted fury from a few. The mega-narrative of the literary icon was the primary inner theme of our times—freedom. Imagining a legitimate literary ‘West Indianness’, as a celebration of cultural creolity, was for him, at times, nothing more than frivolity; more meaningful were the possibilities embedded in the ontologies of ancestry….. We bid farewell and send blessings to accompany him to his ancestors. Here resides the great V.S. Naipaul, in a special way, the St. Paul of Caribbean civilization.”

Jospeh Sampson was a renowned historian educated at the Mona Campus of The UWI. He was also a University of Belize lecturer, politician and political analyst. His teaching career began at Ecumenical Junior College where he lectured from 1991 to 2000. In 2003 he moved on to the Community Policing Unit, and after a three-year stint, he became a member of the University of Belize faculty where he spent the last 10 years of his life. He also lectured at Galen University and appeared regularly on various talk shows speaking about Belize’s history and Independence. In his younger days he served as the Mayor of Dangriga.

Richard Saunders was the Campus Registrar at The UWI St. Augustine Campus from March 1, 2013 and served until his recent retirement on July 31, 2018. A Senior Executive with over 40 years’ experience in Project Development, Project Implementation, Real Estate Sales and Marketing, he led cross-functional, multi-level management teams to enhance stakeholder value. His professional experiences bridged the industrial, public and private enterprises and academic institutions. He was an Honours graduate of The UWI and also attained his MSc in Electronic Instrumentation at the University of Wales, Swansea and a Diploma in Public Enterprise Management at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA). Throughout his career, he had been very active in Professional Associations and was Vice-President of the Trinidad and Tobago Group of Professional Associations.

Sir Fenton Harcourt Wilworth Ramsahoye was recognised by the University for his contribution to regional development when it conferred an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) on him at the St. Augustine Campus in 2011. He was an eminent Senior Council and a member of the Bar of countries across the Caribbean. He was also Queen’s Counsel, knighted by the Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth, and Guyana’s first attorney general. He was one of the pioneers of legal development in the Region. His name is synonymous with excellence and his legacy in the courts, scholarly output, legal policy and commentary on the law, will remain. The Guyana Bar Association, describes him as “one of the greatest legal luminaries ever produced by Guyana”.