UWI Connect June 2011

www.alumnionline.uwi.edu/donatenow 00

“One UWI, One Alumni Family”

Volume 6, Issue 4 June - August 2011Website: www.alumnionline.uwi.edu

www.alumnionline.uwi.edu/donatenow

UWI Connect: For Alumni, Donors, Parents and Friends

Editorial

The UWI Alumni Association (UWIAA)encourages all graduates to sendarticles/information to UWI Connect([email protected]).

The last four months have featured the London Riots, a deepening global recession andausterity measures that are impacting on all areas of our lives. Although we findourselves in challenging times, I believe that UWI’s core values and commitmentto excellence in teaching, research and engaging with the outside world willensure that we continue to offer strong and sustainable tertiary educationthus ensuring the success of our graduates.

It was John F. Kennedy who said, “Change is the law of life ... and those who look onlyto the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” Twenty-first century life is oneof constant change, however UWI graduates are not making the mistake of looking onlyto the past or present to find ways to cope. They are not “missing the future”, in fact inmany instances as illustrated in the Global and Regional Impact sections, they innovateand create the future. The French Philosopher Montaigne stated, “It is the journey, notthe arrival that matters” and it behoves us, as we devote our energies to planning forthe future that we remember to experience every day to the fullest as we work towardsour goals .. and you will see how alumni have been involving and enjoying themselvesacross the world in the UWI Grads on the Move and the UWIAA features.

You will find the Vice Chancellor’s perspective regarding the UWI strategic plan forwardthinking and will be impressed by the events that have taken place across the fourcampuses of our institution. In looking at this snapshot of UWI life and the lives of itsgraduates from June – August 2011, you can see why I feel positive about what thefuture holds for UWI and why you, the UWI alumni family, can feel proud of your peersand their achievements as well as your University’s progress. I encourage you tocontinuously show your Pelican Pride!

Celia Davidson Francis Editor-in-Chief

It behoves us, as we devote our

energies to planning for the future

that we remember to experience

every day to the fullest as we work

towards our goals.

2


UWI ConnectEditorial Team: Celia Davidson Francis (Editor-in-Chief), Elizabeth Buchanan-Hind,Lacey-Ann Bartley, Marcia Erskine, Aileen Standard-Goldson, BeverleyPereira, Stephanie Alleyne-Bishop, Kellie Magnus and Candice York.

Sources:Student and Campus Newsletters, News Items and Announcements,Campus Communications and Public Relations Offices, Faculties,Departments, UWIAA, Campus Electronic Messaging Centres, the Open

A publication of the Institutional Advancement Division, Vice Chancellery

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher or agent.

CONTENTS

3

Campus, UWIMAA, UWI Medical Alumni Secretariat, Campus AlumniOffices, Office of Administration, UWI STAT Corps and others.

Photography: UWI STAT Corps, Campus Photographers, Graduates and Friends of UWI

Publishing Services: Stratcom Marketing Services LimitedYvonne Graham, graduate, Mona School of Business, UWI

UWI STAT receives UN

accreditation

Fulbright Scholarship Awardees

UWI GradsOntheMove

GLOBAL IMPACT

Rappin’with

alumni

Very Important Pelican

News from the UWI Centre 5Increasing

food

production

and improving

nutrition

Ramphal urges

Caribbean integration

11

16

23

30

7

8

14


Prof. E. Nigel Harris

Perhaps the most daring venture of thecurrent Plan was to launch the OpenCampus designed to better meet theneeds of the UWI-12 countries withoutcampuses and to expand distanceeducation capacity.

The upgrading of the University’sPlanning and Development Office (OPD)in 2008 and the decision to appoint aPro-Vice-Chancellor to lead this officerecognised the critical importance ofnot only constructing a Plan, butdeveloping measurable indices tomonitor its progress and to coordinatethe work of leaders charged withachievement of the Plan’s goals.During the period 2008-2011, the OPDwas ably led by Pro-Vice-ChancellorBhoendradatt Tewarie, former Principalof the St. Augustine Campus.Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Planning andDevelopment Professor Andrew S.Downes has assumed responsibility asof May 2011 and has thrown himselfenthusiastically into the 2012-2017planning effort reaching out quickly tothe broad community in an effort toensure input, buy-in and support fromthe start.

The Balanced Score Card System willbe used for planning and execution ofthe next Plan to better ensurecommunity buy-in, sustainedcommitment and targeted financing of

Embarking on a New Strategic Plan

2012-2017

In the past 62 years, the

Caribbean people have created

a UWI that can be an enduring

legacy that can drive our

growth and development. >>> 5

assess progress and identify gaps thatmust be addressed.

Thanks to these plans, we have madeunquestionable gains in the pastdecade. The most dramatic has beenthe greater than doubling of studentnumbers on all campuses so that UWI’stotal student numbers increased from20,000 in 2001 to greater than 46,000today. There has been markedexpansion and upgrading of facilities onall three residential campuses and thishas included the introduction ofadvanced technologies to meet theexpanded teaching and research needsof the institution’s students andacademic staff. Thanks to the currentPlan (2007-2012), there has beenbroad revision of the curricula ofmost programmes to ensuregraduates are better able to meetthe needs of the global marketplace. To upgrade teaching skills,all new academics are required toget a certificate in teaching and ithas been rewarding to see that asizeable number of long-standingacademics have availed themselvesof this opportunity – it is unusual inmost universities to find sizeablenumbers of their academics being“taught to teach”. Efforts to improveservice to students enact substantialchanges to our postgraduateprogrammes – particularly with respectto supervision and quality control - andto expand research, have allrepresented gains in the current plan.

There is nothing more lacking in “sexappeal” than talking about StrategicPlanning. In many organisations theplanning process is undertaken only by its leaders usually with the aid ofhighly compensated consultants whocome up with thick, hard to readdocuments that are promptly put in thedesk drawers of employees on receipt.There exists considerable evidence thatorganisations with a clear vision,mission, and well executed plan (inwhich employees are actively engaged)are likeliest to prevail in an increasinglycompetitive global market place. In theworld of higher education, universities,particularly in the Caribbean, are facingmore intense competition even asfinancial support from governments isdeclining. Achieving unity of purposeand sustained commitment broadly hasbeen challenging in a University servingsixteen different countries, each withtheir own needs and in a region whereregionalism and integration is underthreat. This requires great resolve bothby leaders and constituents.

Despite the above challenges, the UWIhas prepared and to varying degreesenacted three Strategic Plans, thecurrent one being the 2007-2012 Plan.The process of preparing our next2012-2017 Plan has begun, the“kick-off” happening at an annualretreat in August at St. Augustine.The conduct of annual retreats hasbeen a feature of our 2007-2012 Plan,where the broad leadership has met to


the Plan. Simultaneous with the currentplanning effort are a series ofworkshops and other activities toimprove leadership at all levels of theinstitution.

While there will certainly be new goalsin the new Plan, we shall continue towork on current areas.

As the world remains gripped in thethroes of the worst financial crisis sincethe great depression of the 1930s,Caribbean government are increasinglyembattled and finding it difficult tofinance tertiary education.Re-positioning the University to be lessdependent on government fundingmust be a central goal as we moveforward. Strengthening our regionalcohesion and building more robustinternational links and visibility areother areas likely to receive muchattention.

In planning for the future, tenets of our2012 vision enunciated in our currentPlan must continue to drive us forward.“The UWI will be an innovative,internationally competitive,contemporary university deeplyrooted in the Caribbean, committedto creating the best possible futurefor all our stakeholders. It will bethe university of first choice for theregion’s students and talentedacademics. It will provide a trulysupportive environment thatrewards excellence and it will beagile enough to thrive in a dynamicglobal environment.”

Great universities of the world havewithstood wars, famine, pestilence andother tribulations, because their peoplewere imbued with a sense thatknowledge, learning, discovery, andtheir history and traditions needed tobe preserved, celebrated andcontinually developed. In the past 62years, the Caribbean people havecreated a UWI that can be an enduringlegacy that can drive our growth anddevelopment – it is our responsibility asa people to ensure that this institutionnot only survives but thrives.

...New Strategic Plan

UWI Vice Chancellery Building progressing

Work is progressing on the new UWI Vice Chancellery administrative complex whichis being funded with a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank. Prime Ministerof Jamaica, the Hon. Bruce Golding; UWI Vice Chancellor, Professor E. Nigel Harris;UWI Mona Principal, Professor Gordon Shirley and UWI Open Campus Principal,Prof. Hazel Simmons-McDonald, participated in the symbolic turning of the soil forconstructionactivities for thebuilding which isopposite the mainentrance of the UWIMona Campus. TheVice Chancellery,commonly referredto as the “Centre” isthe UWI’s centraladministrative armand is largelystrategic with afocus on areas likepolicy, planning anddevelopment,interface withgovernments,quality assurance,generating of funding and maintenance of the UWI’s international linkages.

At the ground breaking ceremony, it was noted that the UWI is responding to theexponential growth in demand for tertiary education - and providing more expertiseand technical support for governments. The need for a new UWI Vice Chancellerywas noted as far back as 1984 in the UWI Chancellor’s Governance Review. Thenew building will house the units of the Vice Chancellery currently located invarious overcrowded buildings across the Mona Campus and elsewhere and isexpected to facilitate more cohesive administration and management of the UWIagainst a background of ongoing expansion in academic and research programmesand the institution’s critical role in national, regional and global development. Theprojected completion date is March 2012.

News from the UWI Centre

5

The University of the West Indies Open Campus Principal, Prof. Hazel

Simmons-McDonald (right) greets Jamaica’s Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce

Golding at the ground breaking ceremony for the new UWI Vice Chancellery

complex. Looking on are UWI Vice Chancellor Prof. E. Nigel Harris (left) and

Principal, UWI (Mona), Prof. Gordon Shirley.

UWI Vice Chancellor Professor E. Nigel Harris, wasconferred with Guyana’s third highest nationalaward – the Cacique Crown of Honour (CCH) for hiscontribution in the sphere of education. PresidentBharrat Jagdeo, made the appointment to mark the country’s45th anniversary of independence. Born in Guyana, ProfessorHarris has been UWI Vice Chancellor since 2004 and is thecurrent Chairman of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC),the Council of the Caribbean Epidemiology Research Centre(CAREC) and the UWI Institute of International Relations as wellas the Chairman of the London-based Association ofCommonwealth Universities.

UWI Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Principal ClementSankat was also conferred with the Cacique Crownfor his contribution to Education. He was born in Guyanaand has been engaged in Departmental, Faculty and Universityadministration and leadership at the UWI for more than thirtyyears.

XåvxÄÄxÇvxCave Hill wins Caribbean Case Study Analysis

The UWI Cave Hill Campus celebrated its first victory in the Caribbean Case Study Analysis Competition by dethroning the previously unbeaten Mona Campuson the Cave Hill Campus recently. This year, three teams from the Cave Hill, Mona and St. Augustine campuses, took part, putting their business case analysisand presentation skills to the test in analysing the Richard Ivey School ofBusiness-produced Coral Divers Resort case study. The Cave Hill team became thefirst to break the consecutive run of the Mona team which had won the threeprevious competitions. St. Augustine was second while Mona was third. Cave Hillreceived the challenge trophy as well as US$1,500 cash. St. Augustine received ateam prize of US$750, while Mona received a team cash prize of US$500. The CIBCFirstCaribbean International Bank Chairman’s prizes each valued at US$500 werealso awarded with the Cave Hill team winning the prize for the Most OriginalPresentation.

A joint initiative by CIBC FirstCaribbean and the UWI, the annual competition isfunded by CIBC FirstCaribbean which recently contributed US$75,000 over a periodof three years. The competition is open to universities across the region andpromotes the use of the CIBC FirstCaribbean business cases, as well as otherCaribbean business cases, as a teaching device in University classrooms, enablingstudents to examine classroom theory in practical business realities.

CARICOMTriennialAward forWomen

The UWI Cave Hill Deputy Principal and

Gender Professor, Dr. Violet Eudine

Barriteau received the 10th Caribbean

Community (CARICOM) Triennial Award

for Women. She was honoured for her

remarkable contribution to the field of

gender and development and her role

as a powerful exemplar of self-respect,

self-discipline, vision and leadership.

The award was presented to Barriteau

at the opening ceremony of the

CARICOM Summit in St. Kitts and

Nevis. The Grenadian-born Barbadian

citizen has served both the regional

and national education sector with

distinction for nearly 40 years.

She is considered a strong advocate of

gender and development and has

made a phenomenal contribution to

the advancement of women’s

empowerment and gender equality,

through her advocacy, teaching,

research and publications. Barriteau

joins persons such as the late Dame

Nita Barrow of Barbados, another

Grenadian, Dr. Peggy Antrobus,

Guyanese nationals Justice Desiree

Bernard; Professor Joycelin Massiah

and Magda Pollard, Jamaicans Dr.

Lucille Mair and Dr. Barbara Bailey, and

Trinidadian Professor Rhoda Reddock,

who have received the award in the

past.


UWI Students

Excel at World

University

Games 2011Hansle Parchment and Jason Young won medalsfor UWI at the recently concluded World University Games held in Shenzhen, China fromAugust 12th - 23rd. Hansle, a third yearstudent in the Faculty of Pure and AppliedSciences at UWI (Mona), won Jamaica’s sixth gold medal in the men’s 110mhurdles and ran a personal best of 13.24 seconds. Parchment is now Jamaica’sthird fastest sprint hurdler in the event. He is also the Gibson Relay record holderin the event.

Young, a second year student in the Faculty of Social Sciences placed joint secondin the 200 metres event. Both are recipients of UWI Mona Sports Scholarships.

Hansle Parchment

Celebrating


UWI graduate Dr. Gary F. Fraser became the President of the University of Belizeon August 1, 2011. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in History from theUniversity of Guyana, his Diploma and M.Sc. in International Relations at theInstitute of International Relations at The University of the West Indies, St.Augustine, and his Ph.D. at the Graduate Institute of International Studies of theUniversity of Geneva, Switzerland. He has held fellowships from the SwissFederal Government, Cornell University, the Social Science Research Council inNew York, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation of Chicago, theUniversity of Rochester, and has been a Visiting Fellow at the University ofMaryland and Princeton University. The University of Belize is a national institutionestablished to foster Belize’s development by producing graduates who are sociallyand ecologically responsible, analytical, self-confident, disciplined, ethical,entrepreneurial, and skilled communicators and who are committed to using theseskills and values for Belize’s enrichment.

Dr. Fraser was born in Guyana and has pursued a multi-faceted career as a highschool teacher, a researcher on indigenous and other populations in the Mazaruniarea of Guyana, and as a project officer for the Caribbean Conference ofChurches working in both Guyana and Suriname. He has also served as aHuman Rights Observer for the Organization of American States(O.A.S.) in Haiti. His previous post was at the Pennsylvania StateUniversity where he was a faculty member in the Departments ofAfrican and African American Studies and History. From 2002-2003, hewas the Director of the Penn State Africana Research Center. Heauthored Ambivalent Anti-Colonialism: the United States and theGenesis of West Indian Independence, 1940-64 (Greenwood,1994) among other works. We salute this proud UWI graduate.

For VIP contact: [email protected]

Very Important Pelican

UWI Shines at Commonwealth Summer SchoolDr. John Kirkland, Deputy Secretary General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities(ACU) was so delighted with the performance of UWI student Crystal Powell at the first everCommonwealth Summer School that he wrote the UWI Vice Chancellor Professor E. Nigel Harris inorder to highlight it.

Member universities were asked to give bursary nominations and as a result Crystal ChristinaPowell attended. Crystal was an extraordinary ambassador for both UWI and the region generally,taking a lead role in several activities over the week organised as a means of encouraging futurestudents to apply.

The school was a huge success, attracting some 70 participants drawn from all regions of theCommonwealth. Financially, the ACU managed to secure sufficient sponsorship to hold the ACUcontribution within budget. The Senior Management Team is keen to try to make this an annualevent, although this will of course be subject to funding.

Dr. Kirkland noted: “It is hoped that should the opportunity arise, UWI will be able to provide uswith candidates as good as Crystal in the future.”


Ramphal urgesCaribbean integrationSir Shridath Ramphal’s central theme for the inaugural G.Arthur Brown public lecture in July 2011, was “Vision andLeadership: The Infinite Unity of Caribbean Needs’’. In it hewarned against the endangering of our CaribbeanCommunity by a “crippling separatism’’ and argued that theleaders of the 15-member regional economic integrationmovement, now in its 38th year, should resist the “oldentrancement of local control’’. He urged the leaders not toslow down as the severe Caribbean situation and the currentglobal environment require a targeted, mature and unifiedregionalism.

His regional overview and assessment of these needs, encompassed the vision that led to theestablishment of the 15-member high-level WestIndian Commission that produced the seminal 1992Time for Action Report, and extended to the recent32nd CARICOM Summit in St. Kitts.

A significant study recently conducted by the St.Augustine-based Institute of International Relationsof The University of the West Indies and entitledCaribbean Regional Integration is viewed byRamphal as the most authoritative contemporary commentary on the issue of Caribbean integration and veryspecially, of the challenges facing it. In its executive summary, the study highlights that there is a sense thatthe optimistic era of Caribbean integration may well have passed just at the time when it is most desperatelyneeded. The difficulties facing the region are no longer simply about competing in a globalising economy. Hepointed out that the study noted, “they are existential threats which bring into question the fundamentalvisibility of Caribbean society itself — climate change; transnational crime; the decline of regional industries;food security; governance challenges; international diplomacy and so on, which can only be effectivelyaddressed by co-ordinated regional responses.’’

The study stated it cannot be stressed just how critical the present juncture is, adding that this may well bethe last chance to save the formal integration process in the Caribbean as we know it, to set the region on anew development path, and another opportunity might not present itself in the future.

Ramphal warned against the CARICOM leaders’ decision in St. Kitts to slow down the integration pace. SirShridath is anxious about the future of CARICOM and is urging the region’s leaders to pick up the pacetowards regional integration.

Regional Feature

Sir Shridath Ramphal


Farmers:theauthorityonClimateChange?This article written by Karla LeFevre,won the FPAS Principal’s Award for BestResearch Publication. (Edited)

Caribbean farmers have noticed theimpact of climate change and thearticle we share in this issue highlightsa study in Jamaica that could provideuseful information for food security innot only the Caribbean but other areasof the world.

In scorching heat and dry wind,geographer Donovan Campbell worksalongside farmers in St. Elizabeth,Jamaica. It is June and the perennialmid-summer drought has alreadyarrived, as evident by wilted scallionsand deflated watermelons dotting thehillside. As farmers dip mason jars intobuckets of water to carry to each plant,Campbell presses the record button onhis video camera. He interviews themas they spread dried guinea grass overtheir fields to retain precious soilmoisture, and reminisce about theyears when rainfall was more reliable.He wants to learn how they manage togrow food during a drought.

Hoping to bring science to bear on theirsituation, Campbell relocated from The

GLOBAL IMPACT

University of the West Indies inKingston to St. Elizabeth in 2007. Anative Jamaican from a rural family,Campbell focused on farmers who tendthree acres or less. Their small-scalefarms are the backbone of domesticfood production. But their farms are indanger of disappearing, pummeled byyears of drought, water costs thatdoubled in just two years, plus higherprices for supplies, like mulch andfertilizer. Such problems all but blottedout Jamaican onion farms in threeyears, with 800 hectares [2,000 acres]dwindling to a handful by 1999.

Of all these problems, drought is thehardest to solve. To make mattersworse, the farmers have noticed themid-summer drought arriving earlierand sticking around longer. What onceseemed extreme, has become thenorm. If scientific measurements alsopointed to changing climate patterns, itmight help shape solutions or evenbring government attention to thesituation. So he set about to learn whatthe farmers experienced, and to findout if there were data to support theirintuitions.

Though their tools and methods aresimple, the farmers have a complexunderstanding of local climate patterns.

Jamaica’s breadbasket is nestled in thesouthern section of St. Elizabeth parish,where over seventy percent of peopledepend on farming for their livelihood.Fresh scallion, sweet peppers, melons,and cassava - a root tuber ground intoflour and used for making bammies, orflatbread - have fed Jamaicans forgenerations. Steep farmlands run southfrom the slopes of the Santa CruzMountains to the rocky coast of theCaribbean Sea.

Ironically, this breadbasket sits in a rainshadow and receives less rainfall thanthe rest of the island. When prevailingwinds flow northeast from the Atlanticacross Jamaica, they bring moist, warmair necessary for forming rain clouds.But the Santa Cruz Mountains block thepassage of the prevailing winds and therain systems they bring, leavingSouthern St. Elizabeth on the dry sideof the mountains.

Talking to the farmers, Campbelllearned that they have honed acomplex crop schedule over manydecades to fit the local climate. Two dryseasons, one in July and one from

A hearty 75-year old farmer in Southern St. Elizabeth, Jamaica prepares his field for

planting his next crop of potatoes. Small-scale farmers in the region have honed a

complex crop schedule to fit the local climate, which has long cycled between

torrential rainfall and dry spells. (Courtesy D. Campbell)

>>> 10


December through March, interrupt thegrowing season. So they plantquick-growing crops from April throughJune, and this early-season harvestfinances their late-season cash crops,which they grow from August throughNovember. The cash crop season alsocoincides with the main hurricaneseason, which can bring cripplingstorms and floods.

Even so, drought poses a greaterchallenge, particularly for small-scalefarmers who lack running water andirrigation systems. So when the dryseason arrives, they must tap intolimited reserves of water stored inshared stone water tanks, calledcatchments, and eventually into limitedreserves of cash to have thesecatchments refilled. They also have topay for more guinea grass mulch in anattempt to lock in soil moisture, and formore fertilizer to coax their ailing cropsalong. A farmer will expend a lot of hisresources during a drought. And whenbelow-average rainfall turns the dryseason into an extended drought,Jamaica’s shallow aquifers quickly dryup too, leaving everyone’s buckets andmason jars empty.

Campbell needed a long series ofrainfall records to show that patternshad truly changed. He worked withclimatologists Doug Gamble at theUniversity North Carolina, Wilmingtonand Scott Curtis at East CarolinaUniversity to obtain satellite data.

First the team studied average monthlyrainfall maps online for the entireisland, then focused in on St. Elizabethin 25 kilometre (16 mile) chunks. Theresearchers found that drought eventshave indeed become more frequent andsevere over the past twenty years.

The team made a breakthrough whenthey looked at the data through thefarmers’ eyes. If they hadn’t talked tothe farmers and realised how importantthe early season is, they wouldn’t havebroken it into an early season and alate season. Most previous work hadfocused on the intensity and length ofdrought as the most threatening factors

to crops. But for farmers, timing iscritical. Misjudging a season by oneweek can undermine their ability tobring a mature crop to market, and tofinance their next growing season. Itmade them look at the data in adifferent way and they found somethingvery important, that drought is muchmore prevalent at the beginning of theyear.

The Jamaican government or relieforganisations could help these farmers.When should they step in? The data ondrought timing provided the answer. Itgives a way to not only addressdrought, but to address the earlydrought as compared to the laterdrought. Supplemental water deliveryto farmers during this critical time, for

example, could provide substantialrelief.

Yet larger questions still loom. What arethe best options for helping farmersadapt? Will drought get even worse inthe future? To build a clear picture,Campbell continues to work withfarmers and is expanding the studyarea to other agricultural regions inJamaica. Meanwhile, Gamble and Curtisare busy analysing satellite vegetationdata to understand how drought affectslocal crops. The team plans to outfitfields with rain gauges and involvefarmers in active climate monitoring.They hope that, by strengthening theview from space with what the farmerssee in their fields, these questions toowill be answered.

A boy in Southern St. Elizabeth, Jamaica manually waters each of his family’s cabbage plants, a techniquelocally known as hand-wetting. Without running water and irrigation systems, small-scale farmers in the regionrely on shared water catchments and, if they can afford the steep prices, water delivered by truck. Years offrequent and severe droughts in the region have made it critical for scientists to understand how farmers copewith drought. (Courtesy D. Campbell)

Farmers: the authority on Climate Change? (cont’d)

Keep connected to UWIfacebook.com/uwialumnionline


How can the Caribbean’s food import bill be cut, food production be increasedand nutrition improved? The University of the West Indies, McGill University inCanada and Guyana are coming together to find out.

In early August, CDN$5 million was approved for a forty-month study toaddress food and nutrition insecurity mainly in vulnerable areas. TheCaribbean’s food import bill is estimated to be approximately US$4 billion peryear and this project would find ways to assist the region to reduce itsdependence on imported food. Guyana and other countries in the Caribbeanwith immense food-producing potential and capabilities are to be targeted toshow leadership in the CARICOM Agriculture Initiative. Other areas to beaddressed include irrigation and water management, effects of climatechange, post-harvest technology, development of improved fertilizer systemssuch as drip-irrigation and nutrition education.

Funding is being provided by the International Research Development Centreof Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), inkeeping with a two-year old recommendation by the Group of 8 industrialisednations - France, Italy, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, United States,Canada and Russia - in response to the global food crisis.

McGill University’s involvement stems from a Canadian initiative for academicinstitutions to invest in research projects in developing countries. The Jagdeoinitiative stresses the importance of food security in the CARICOM region andthe proposal was submitted in conjunction with The University of the WestIndies and the International Agricultural Research and Extension Institute.

Prime Minister the Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar ofTrinidad and Tobago signed the agreement for theestablishment of the Caribbean Public Health Agencyon July 1, 2011 at the CARICOM Heads ofGovernment Conference in Basseterre, St. Kitts. Thiswas witnessed by the Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, PrimeMinister of St. Kitts and Nevis, host of theconference; Professor George Alleyne, UWIChancellor; the Hon. Dr. Surujrattan Rambachan,Foreign Affairs and Communication Minister (Trinidadand Tobago) and the Hon. Stephen Cadiz, Trade andIndustry Minister (Trinidad and Tobago).

CARPHA brings the Caribbean’s public healthknowledge and expertise together, preventingduplication of effort and resources. This integrationand collaboration will allow a coordinated approach topublic health issues and disease outbreaks.

CARIBBEAN PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCY (CARPHA)

Increasingfood

productionand

improvingnutrition

GLOBAL IMPACT

The Hon. Kamla Persad-BissessarPrime Minister, Trinidad and Tobago


The University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk InsuranceFacility (CCRIF) have initiated their joint Scholarship Programme. In its first year,the UWI-CCRIF programme provided scholarships worth US$66,000 to six studentsat the University pursuing studies in areas related to disaster management.

University Registrar Mr. C. Will Iton has noted the University’s appreciation to CCRIFfor the assistance in building the region’s capacity for effective disastermanagement. Increased collaboration will result in the further development offorward-looking solutions geared towards reducing the risks created by thepronounced regional natural hazard landscape.

CCRIF hopes to be able to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with UWI to workin other areas that support disaster risk reduction – for example, by providingCCRIF’s catastrophe (CAT) modelling tools to the University as a means of buildingtechnical capacity in the region in the areas of catastrophe modelling and riskmanagement.

The UWI is pleased to work with CCRIF to enhance regional capacity in disastermanagement. The students receiving CCRIF scholarships for the 2010/2011 yearinclude three graduate students in the MSc Disaster Management programme at theMona Campus (Jamaica): Ms. Gerarda Ramcharansingh, Mr. Kevin Douglas, and Mr.Dorlan Burrell; and three undergraduate students: Ms. Odene Baker, in theDepartment of Geography & Geology (Mona Campus); and Ms. Wanda Monrose andMr. Rhon-Paul Soltau, both in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering,St. Augustine Campus (Trinidad). The students will increase the Caribbean’s corpsof disaster management experts.

The UWI-CCRIF Scholarship Programme is part of CCRIF’s Technical AssistanceProgramme designed to help Caribbean countries deepen their understanding ofnatural hazards and catastrophe risk, and the potential impacts of climate changeon the region.

12

GLOBAL IMPACT

Biosciences andcommercialresearch

The UWI and BioJet International Ltd. have partnered in commercial andbiosciences research. As a part of the agreement, BioJet a leading global supplychain integrator for aviation and transport industry products including renewable jetfuel, Green diesel, feedstock oil, and feedstock co-products, will fund research atUWI’s Cave Hill Campus leading to discoveries and commercialisation of biofuelsand other renewable energy. BioJet will also finance the creation of the UWI/BiojetInternational Biofuel Research Institute.

The partnership is intended to develop UWI’s capacity for research into renewableenergy technologies, whether from plant, waste biomass or algae, as well as newgraduate careers in energy biosciences, and those pertinent to the logistics andsupply chain management of biofuel distribution. An equitable sharing of intellectualproperty outcomes from research into microalgae for the production of biofuels andderivatives is part of the agreement.

According to Sir Hilary Beckles, Principal of the UWI’s Cave Hill Campus, “thisagreement is one of the cornerstone science and technology projects that willundergird the transformation of our campus and the region with new career options,and serve as a knowledge based platform for the creation of wealth throughbioenergy research”. Mitch Hawkins, CEO of BioJet stated, “We operate throughoutthe entire biofuel value chain and research is key to all aspects of our globalcompetitiveness. The Caribbean is a major area of interest for our Company and wesee UWI (Cave Hill) as a valuable partner in the future success of our operations.The July 1st approval of ASTM International allowing 50 percent blends of aviationbiofuel derived from feedstocks such as camelina, jatropha and microalgae, is agame changing decision for the worldwide transportation industry and opens uptremendous opportunities for both UWI and Biojet International”.

US$ 66,000 inCCRIF DisasterManagementScholarshipswill help theregion in thefuture


CHILDREN with mental disorders, developmentalabnormalities, and congenital heart disease are amongthose expected to benefit from a new cutting-edgegenetics research facility: the Cytogenetics Laboratory,UWI (Mona), which is the only such facility in theEnglish-speaking Caribbean.

The UWI Department of Pathology officially opened its new lab in late July 2011with J$20 million in financial assistance from the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports andEducation (CHASE) Fund. Children with certain inherited medical conditions, suchas seizure disorders, will benefit. Geneticists will focus on the detection ofchromosomal abnormalities. The chromosome analysis done there should alsohelp guide treatment of infertile couples and some women experiencing recurrentmiscarriages, eliminating the need to access this service outside of the Caribbean.This is not the first time such a facility is being established at the University. Inthe 1960s and 1970s, there was a similar lab where cytogenetic analysis wasbeing performed, founded by Dr. Marigold Thorburn, a British-born naturalisedJamaican. Much work was done on chromosomal studies by this extremely activeresearcher who produced seminal and distinguished publications. Unfortunatelyfunding from the Wellcome Trust ceased in the 1970s causing the laboratory toclose and forcing Caribbean patients to seek cytogenetic service outside theregion. On July 29, 2011, at the opening of the new cytogenetics facility, Dr.Thorburn was able to see a “state-of-the-art” version of her lab open, with thehelp of the CHASE Fund. Chromosomal abnormalities are responsible for manycancers, and recurrent abnormalities are seen in many leukaemias, lymphomas

and soft tissue tumours. Theidentification of chromosomalabnormalities allows for more accurateclassification and prognosis. It also helpsdetermine the type of therapy that thepatient should receive. Cytogenetics isthat branch of genetics that involves thestudy of chromosomes in order to detectabnormalities which may cause disease,for example, an extra chromosome 21causes Down’s Syndrome in children. Thecurrent standard of care in the majorityof obstetric services worldwide dictatesthat pregnant women deemed at high riskfor chromosomal abnormalities shouldhave cytogenetic testing of the foetus inutero.

UWI’s involvement in an Energy and Climate Partnership While visiting Jamaica, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, announced progress on existing programmesand new initiatives between the United States and the Caribbean as part of the Energy and Climate Partnership of theAmericas (ECPA) on June 23, 2011. Delivering remarks at the high-level Caribbean-U.S. Conference in Montego Bay,Jamaica, Clinton announced a new Caribbean Climate Change Adaptation Initiative. She invited all Caribbeancountries to join the new ECPA initiative to build permanent, regional capacity in the area of climate changeadaptation. The initiative will focus on acquiring and modeling Caribbean-specific data for use in planning and policydecisions.

The University of the West Indies has agreed to partner with American universities to expand research onproblems and solutions specific to the Caribbean and to serve as a hub to connect scientists from across theCaribbean and from the United States with policy-makers. Through a grant to Higher Education for Development, theECPA Caribbean Adaptation Initiative will partner U.S. higher education institutions with The University of the WestIndies in order to enhance research, expand higher education programmes, and promote outreach to policy-makers.Clinton announced that six Caribbean governments will receive technical assistance grants to accelerate renewableenergy development: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, and St. Vincentand the Grenadines. Launched by President Barack Obama, ECPA now consists of 40 different projects throughout theAmericas focusing on everything from developing renewable energy sources to mitigating and adapting to the effectsof climate change. Clinton also announced that the Caribbean had been chosen as the first region to join the recentlylaunched International Diaspora Engagement Alliance (IDEA) Marketplace. The alliance brings togethergovernments, corporations, and non-profit organisations to make it easier for diaspora communities topromote trade and investment, to start businesses, or develop other projects that will benefit theircountries of origin.

Genetic Research


UWI graduate Howard G. Hamilton entered the

Faculty of Natural Sciences at UWI (Mona) in

1957. He is married to the first female

Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the UWI, Professor

Emerita Marlene Hamilton. They have two

daughters, Tracey (UWI graduate) and Michele

and two granddaughters Ashley and Zoe.

When asked about his first memory of UWI he says, “It wasawesome with all that space and beautiful landscaped gardens. Iwas fascinated with all the foreigners and their strange accents”. Hefound the opportunity to learn about the customs and lifestyles ofother Caribbean countries invaluable. His favourite lecturer was Dr.Michael Locke “because he took a personal interest and invited us tohis house for tutorials every week”.

What was your hall name and how did you get it? "Would you believe Irvine? - Irvine was not like other halls .. itshared space with girls ... interesting ..”, he says with a smile.

What is your most memorable occasion at UWI?1. Going to lectures in a red gown and formal dinner every night. 2. Placing a fiesty medical student’s (Benjamin now deceased) car

on a table in the dining room.

Rappin’with

alumni

For “Rappin” contact [email protected]

What is your leastmemorable occasion at UWI? Being summoned to the Registrar’s office (Hector Wynter)and being threatened to have my scholarship taken awayfor not attending lectures. I buckled down after that.

If you could do it all again what would you do thesame and what would you change?I would become more involved in extra curricularactivities. University should be a place to activelyparticipate in major sporting activities. I would haveinstituted a work-related programme to supplement costs.

If you could give a few words of advice to incomingstudents what would you say to them?Treat the transition from adolescence to adulthood as aperiod to mold character and equip yourself for being selfsufficient. Be an active participant, be questioning andopen-minded because this is a whole new world as youlearn to be independent.

He remains a proud UWI graduate and is alwaysinterested to hear about developments at his Alma Mater.

ALUMNI ONLINE GETS EVENBETTER!

New Google Service improves UWI Email for Life:We are pleased to advise all our UWI Email for Life holders that Google is transitioning all Google Apps emailto full Google Email Accounts; providing users with the full services of a GMAIL account.

What this means for you: This change will open many more Google services to you. No longer will youneed your own personal accounts to use these products. For example, you will be able to share projectimages with Picasa Web Albums, track industry news in Google Reader, advertise online with Adwords, andmuch more — all with your UWI Email for Life accounts.

Important – Your security and privacy: Neither the UWI Email for Life Administrator, nor the InstitutionalAdvancement Division (IAD) have access to the email content of UWI Email for Life members at ANY time.Your login credentials are private and there is no breach with the integrity of these accounts. The soleresponsibility of the IAD is to provide the value added service to Alumni, i.e. the provisioning of the newrelated services through Google. Your UWI Email for Life service is like any other Google/Gmail service andas such follows the same security requirements as any other. Your privacy and confidentially is maintained atall times. With the new upgrade, your account will behave like a typical Full Google Account.

We hope you enjoy these new services.


Point ofViewS

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PointofViewG

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Youth leadingthe way toregionalintegration Caribbean Regionalism is high on theagenda of the Student Guilds of the fourcampuses of the UWI. The Inter CampusGuild Conference of The University ofthe West Indies met at the Cave HillCampus in late July to discuss the issue.President of the Cave Hill CampusStudent Guild, Odwin Trenton, notedthat they are trying to create a cultureof regionalism so future Universitystudents wil build on the work they havestarted. “The division we see amongstourselves is an affront to that regionaleffort that our founding fathers believedin, and we want to revitalise and ignitethat spirit again in our people that as aregional block we are worth so much

UWI graduate and UWI STAT Alumni Ambassador Rene Gayle excelled this year andreceived three scholarships: one to do a summer course at the Hague Academy ofInternational Law; one to pursue her Masters in Law at the Queen Mary Universityand the AECID Scholarship. The AECID Scholarship is a development scholarshipissued by the Spanish government to persons living in developing countries who wishto pursue studies in Spain. She has been studying Spanish and knew that the benefitto enable her to improve her fluency in the language would be enormous. After hercourse in International Law in Holland she left for Barcelona on July 24, 2011 tobegin a month-long summer course in Spanish at the University of Barcelona. Thevalue of the scholarship was 1200 euros and covered the cost of the course. Shenotes that the scholarship provided her with an opportunity that she has alwayswanted. “My desire to become fluent in Spanish was rekindled when I participated ina trilingual competition dealing with human rights under the Inter-American system.All of the Spanish and Portuguese speakers were fluent in English and their nativelanguage, while the English speakers mainly spoke English only. I realised that thisput us at a grave disadvantage because it was a requirement of all the organs of theInter-American Court of Human Rights, that employees had a working knowledge ofat least two languages of the Court. I decided then to improve my Spanish so that Icould have the opportunity of working with the Inter-American Court or Commission.A second-language does equal a competitive global advantage and I urge allUWI graduates to ensure that they have both a good command of theEnglish language as well as a second language in order to be fully preparedfor their professional careers.”

A SecondLanguageequals aglobaladvantage

Presidents of the Student Guilds of The University of the West Indies (left to right) Odwin Trenton,

Stephanie Abrahams and Amilcar Sanatan.

more than individual islands,” he said. The Presidents recognised that the averageCaribbean person has not been engaged in the process and they need to understandthe benefits of regional integration. They feel that this achievement cannot be doneonly by Caribbean leaders or by the so-called intellectuals, but has to be a collectiveeffort where there is movement at every single level. President of the Mona CampusStudent Guild, Stephanie Abrahams agreed and believes that there is strengthin numbers and as a region of many small states it is important to sticktogether to reach one common goal. She explained that the various Guilds werenot just identifying problems but were looking at where other people had gonewrong and seeking to find solutions so some form of regionalism could take place.She feels that they, the Guilds have to start the movement and that they must takeit to the youth so that when they are growing up they will express it to everyoneelse in order for us to have continuity and for it to have a long-lasting time frame.The Student Guilds plan to host public lectures which would be open to all and notjust the campus community, in order to publicise this important regionalismmessage. Note: All UWI Guild Presidents are UWI STAT Ambassadors.

For SPOV and GPOV contact [email protected]


States and the United Nations system.

It is responsible for:promoting higher standards of living, full employment,and economic and social progress;identifying solutions to international economic, social andhealth problems;facilitating international cultural and educationalcooperation; andencouraging universal respect for human rights andfundamental freedoms.

It has the power to make or initiate studies and reports onthese issues. It also has the power to assist the preparationsand organisation of major international conferences in theeconomic and social and related fields and to facilitate acoordinated follow-up to these conferences. With its broadmandate the Council’s purview extends to over 70 per cent ofthe human and financial resources of the entire UN system.

The University of the West Indies Students Today, AlumniTomorrow Ambassador Corps, has been accepted in theUnited Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs’Civil Society database and as a result is accredited with theUnited Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). As aregional corps, UWI STAT will have access to CSO Net — theCivil Society Network, where UWI STAT can take part andregister for conferences and meetings related to economicand social development, share projects, add news stories,events, and more.

About United Nations Economic and Social Council It was established under the United Nations Charter as theprincipal organ to coordinate economic, social, and relatedwork of the 14 UN specialised agencies, functionalcommissions and five regional commissions. The Council alsoreceives reports from 11 UN funds and programmes. TheEconomic and Social Council serves as the central forum fordiscussing international economic and social issues, and forformulating policy recommendations addressed to Member

UWI STAT Ambassadors (Mona) attended the Caribbean Diaspora

Conference in Ocho Rios and participated in the Youth Sessions. They will

be working with the Diaspora Future Leaders.

UWI STAT receives UN Accreditation

L-R: Kerri-Ann Mew, Vice President, CARICOM Relations (UWI STAT), HisExcellency Anthony Johnson, Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom,Celia Grandison-Markey, UK Diaspora and Timar Jackson, President, UWISTAT (Mona Corps).

UWI Professor Dr. Trevor Monroe (L) meeting the UWI STAT team (L-R) Timar

Jackson, Paul McFarlane and Kerri-Ann Mew.

UWI STAT Regional MeetingThe four presidents of the UWI STAT Corps met at

Mona in August 2011 and developed regional

programmes and strategies for action in the

upcoming year.

L-R: Timar Jackson (Mona Corps), Monique Long (Cave Hill Corps), Prunella

Mungroo (St. Augustine Corps) and Peter Dunn (Open Campus Corps).


youth exchanges, sports and culture”.

Speaking in Antigua and Barbuda at a conference to markthe end of a two-year project designed to familiarisestudents with opportunities which reside in the CARICOMSingle Market and Economy (CSME), Ambassador IrwinLaRocque, Secretary General of CARICOM, said that theRegion’s flagship programme could not be successful withoutthe “full participation” of youth, particularly given thatresearch had shown that young people under 30 represented63% of the Region’s population.

Ambassador LaRocque noted that the project was necessaryin light of the fact the CSME was “widely unknown,misunderstood and under appreciated among youth,according to research done by the CARICOM Commission onYouth Development (CCYD). In this context, he said that theCARICOM Secretariat was “committed to undertaking a seriesof initiatives aimed at empowering and positioning youngpeople to take advantage of and contribute to regionalintegration and the CSME.” Contrary to perceptions that theCMSE was put on hold, the Ambassador said, “CSME is aliveand functioning although its implementation has not been ata pace some would have hoped to see.” He told theparticipants that the work done over the past two years waspertinent in consolidating gains achieved so far. A significantoutcome of the project will be a publication detailing theexperiences of the students during the field study of theCSME.

UWI STAT Participation in CSME

UWI STAT in

Washington DC

Current and Alumni UWI STAT

Ambassadors keep in touch

wherever they are in the world.

Here (L-R) J'elle, Rachel and

Melissa enjoy dinner together in

DC, June 2011.

Representation at Project SteeringCommittee (PSC) meeting

Rashad Brathwaite represented UWI STAT atthe first Project Steering Committee (PSC)meeting of the UNDP project “YouthInnovation (Youth-In): A Caribbean Networkfor Youth Development which strategicallyaddresses human development throughlinked environmental, economic and socialinputs to optimise youth potential in thecontext of mitigating Caribbean Small IslandDeveloping States’ vulnerabilities. This washeld in Barbados

Advisors, Student Delegates and UWI STAT Ambassadors

forge friendships and professional alliances.

Increased youth involvement in the CARICOM Single Marketand Economy (CSME) was the focus of a two-day conference inAntigua from June 16-18, 2011. It marked the conclusion of theproject, ‘Students Engaging the CSME through FieldPromotion’, which began in 2008 and mobilised 283 tertiarystudents to experience the CSME in a practical way. Under theinitiative, students from member states participating in thesingle market and economy travelled to another CARICOM stateto study the CSME in action, receive training and identifyresponses to CSME opportunities. UWI STAT has beenparticipating since the inception and two Ambassadors wereasked to participate in this final key component. The conferencein Antigua thus brought together representatives from thestudent groups who participated in the project, for workingsessions with technical staff of the CARICOM Secretariat,National CSME Focal Points, and other public and privatestakeholders. The findings and recommendations from theProject’s 12 Country Mission Reports were discussed and aGuide Book was developed that will serve as a tool to furtherpromote youth involvement in the CSME. The two-dayConference was organised by the CARICOM Secretariat withfunding by the 9th European Development Fund (EDF),Caribbean Integration Support Programme (CISP).

The Heads of Government further expressed their commitment:“to initiatives to create a mass movement of young people insupport of regional integration and to shape a sense of commonidentity and destiny through mechanisms and strategies suchas ICT, youth-led advocacy and peer sensitisation networks,


The participants for the day actively engaged by the keynote speaker Dr. the Hon. Kenneth Baugh.

Participants in the forum enjoying a cultural performance.UWI STAT Ambassadors and Ambassadors Designate present at the forum.

18

CARICOM Youth Forum

On Saturday, July 9, 2011, UWI STAT in partnership with the National Youth Council of Jamaica

(NYCJ) and the National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD) hosted a youth forum at the UWI

Mona Faculty of Law building to commemorate CARICOM’s 38th Anniversary. The forum included a

keynote address by Dr. the Hon. Kenneth Baugh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs

and Foreign Trade and an address by Vice Chancellor of the UWI Professor E. Nigel Harris. The day’s

activities were geared at enabling youth who are actively involved in their communities to learn about

the CSME and CARICOM’s role and function in the region.

The collaboration with the NYCJ and NCYD resulted in a great session. Many UWI STAT Ambassadors

came out to support. The "Welcome" Kerri-Ann Mew gave was excellent and Timar Jackson, UWI STAT

President (Mona), introduced the Deputy Prime Minister. Dr. Baugh's message was thought-provoking

and laid the background for the discussions. The room was full! UWI STAT was pleased to be a part of

an initiative to encourage Caribbean integration.


UWIAA NEWSUWI Alumni Association (UWIAA)Washington DC

19

Professor Franklin Knight, Past President of UWIAA Washington DC and acurrent member of UWIAA DC’s board gave the opening keynote lectureat the tenth congress of the Association of Historians of Latin Americaand the Caribbean (ADHILAC) in the Dominican Republic, on June 14,2011, and was given the prestigious ADHILAC honorary award at thisevent. The association has elevated six scholars, including GonzaloAguirre Beltran of Mexico, to the rank of Honorary Member.

Professor Knight is the Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Professor ofHistory, Latin American and Caribbean social and economic history atJohns Hopkins University. He is a graduate of the University College ofthe West Indies - London [B.A. (Hons.) 1964]. He gained the M.A.(1965) and Ph.D. (1969) degrees from theUniversity of Wisconsin in Madison.

He has served on committees of the SocialScience Research Council, the NationalEndowment for the Humanities, theInter-American Foundation, the National ResearchCouncil, the American Historical Association, theConference of Latin American History, The LatinAmerican Studies Association, The AmericanCouncil of Learned Societies, The HistoricalSociety, and the Association of CaribbeanHistorians. He has lectured across the Americas aswell as Australia, Japan and Europe. In 2001 hewas elected a Corresponding Member of theAcademy of Letters of Bahia, Brazil.

ADHILAC is the Spanish acronym for theAssociation of Historians of Latin America and theCaribbean. It was formed in Mexico in 1974 andholds a variety of themed congresses, workshopsand meetings across Latin America, the Caribbeanand Europe. It has several hundred members andan international directorate.

Professor Franklin Knight


UWIAA Washington DC

Alumni networks at work!

Members of the UWIAA

Washington DC Chapter

secured donations of

US$50,000.00 for

scholarships to the School of Nursing at Mona.

Sha-Shana Crichton, the UWIAA Washington DC

President noted the donor wishes to remain

anonymous. According to Ms. Crichton, “Nursing

students were specifically selected because we

hope that the financial support given to these

students to achieve their goal of becoming

nurses will create a domino effect and they in

turn will enhance many lives.”

Alumni Relations (IAD) expresses sincere and

grateful thanks to the donor and the

Washington DC Chapter.

20

The UWIAA Jamaica Chapter gave full support to the Mona Alumni Throughthe Decades Reunion. This was put on by the Office of the Principal andthe UWI STAT Mona Corps also assisted in making sure that this week wasa success. The principal planning officer, Mr. Richard Bailey, noted withsatisfaction that over 3,000 alumni “came home” to Mona during theperiod. The week of activities was dubbed ‘Through the Decades AlumniReunion 2011’ and were a part of the celebration of the 63rd anniversaryof The University of the West Indies. The week began on August 10, withan opening ceremony and cocktail reception at the Olde Still House Ruins,with entertainment by some exceptional student talents, supported by theUniversity Singers, and a special performance by Joan Andrea Hutchinson.

Roy Bailey, the first person granted a degree from what was then theUniversity College of the West Indies was honoured and the UWIAAJamaica Chapter presented Professor Maureen Samms-Vaughn with their2011 Pelican Award. On August 11th there was a campus expo and toursof new facilities, followed by a ‘Blast From the Past’ cultural entertainmentpackage at the Students Union. Friday saw over 700 graduates attendinga grand reunion dinner and show with the theme “Under the Stars”. It wasquite an affair, with performances from Tanya Stephens, Freddie McGregor,Ernie Smith and LUST and amusing “remembrances” from graduates ofhalls of residence. Taylor Hall also hosted its well known final fete.

Respected Canadian organist Olukola Owolabi gave a special performance

Alumni Reunion

Pro-Vice-Chancellor Shirley giving special recognition to UWI’s first

graduate Roy Bailey.

Alumni in theNews

Show your

Pelican Pride

and join the

UWIAA Chapter

nearest you

today!

Pelican Pride


Gilbert Bellamy (centre) with Mary Seacole’s CaribvibeDance Troup.

"Pelican Pride and great camaraderie.”

Reconnecting with classmates was what made it

special.

Men’s volleyball was exciting.Conversations with the Principal.

Alumni listen keenly to the exchange.

L-R: Director, Alumni Relations, Celia

Davidson Francis; President and

Country Head, RBC Royal Bank Jamaica,

Minna Israel and UWI graduate and

Attorney-at-Law, Kalean Mills-Bellamy.

The limbo entertainer was well received.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Gordon

Shirley and organist Olukola Owolabi.

Mr. A. Gilbert Bellamy, UWIAA President JamaicaChapter presents the prestigious Pelican Award toProfessor Maureen Samms Vaughn for her work in

the field of Child Health and Child Development.

UWI graduate SenatorMarlene Mallaloo Fortesmiles for the camera.

Mona Pelicans Paula-Ann Porter Jonesand Richard Bailey.

on Sunday, August 14th at the UWI Chapel culminating the series of reunioncelebrations. An appreciative audience was entertained by the celebratedcomposer utilising the chapel’s newly refurbished organ. The organ, which wasinstalled at the chapel in 1966, was originally made by British company J WWalker and Sons Limited. It fell into disrepair a few years ago, and was recentlyrefurbished by German company, Klais. The Toronto-born Owolabi is the son of aNigerian father and Trinidadian mother. He holds degrees from McGill and YaleUniversities as well as the Eastman School of Music where he earned a Ph.D. inorgan performance. He is currently organist and Assistant Professor of Music atSyracuse University in New York.

21

Reigns Supreme


Triple P 2011 was also part of the Mona Reunion Week andthe UWI STAT Mona Corps helped to organise and assistthis fun-filled day. Former West Indies Cricket TeamCaptain and UWI graduate Dr. the Hon. CourtneyWalsh led a strong Cuddyz XI against the UWI(Mona) Principal’s XI captained by Professor GordonShirley in a Twenty20 encounter on Saturday,August 13, 2011 at the UWI Mona Bowl. Walsh’steam triumphed but the Principal’s team says they willget their revenge next year. The ‘Triple P’ sports day waspart of wider alumni activities which saw UWI graduates(Pelicans) taking part in various sporting disciplines,including football, basketball, and volleyball with teamsfeaturing pre-2000 graduates going up againstpost-2000 graduates. The cricket match, featuredplayers such as West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels,Simon Jackson and Neurologist Dr. Carl Bruce, turning outfor the Cuddyz XI. Professor Gordon Shirley had in hisranks West Indies wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton, who alsorepresented the Combined Colleges and Campuses team inthe WICB regional four-day tournament. Other members ofthe UWI administrative staff, well-known Jamaicanpersonalities and celebrities, as well as alumni and presentstudents turned out for the match.

Triple P 2011

22

Cuddyz XI

PVC Shirley’s XI

UWI STAT Founding Member Floyd Green (right) gave excellent

commentary along with other team members, full of hilarious

wise cracks. Here he gives Professor Shirley “mic time”.

UWI graduate Dr. the Hon. Courtney Walsh (left)

and PVC and Principal, Professor Gordon Shirley

engage in friendly banter before the match.

Alumni Reunion (Mona)


UWI Grads

She is a co-founder of the Faculty of Law’s UWI RightsAdvocacy Project (U-RAP) whose objective it is to promotehuman rights and social justice in the Caribbean byundertaking and participating in human rights litigation incollaboration with human rights lawyers and human rightsorganisations. Her expertise on gender-based violence, sexwork and the law, sexual harassment, sexual andreproductive rights, same-sex sexuality and the law, childrights and human rights law in general is utilised byintergovernmental organisations, Caribbean governments,civil society organisations and increasingly in judicial training.

Dr. Leo-Rey Gordon, UWI alumnus,graduated from UWI (Mona) with a

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. He hasnow received his Doctor of Philosophy inEconomics from the University of

Delaware. He graduated from the UWI in2003 and did his Masters and Ph.D. inEconomics at the University of Delaware,

Lerner College of Business and Economics. At present he isAssistant Professor, College of Business at WilmingtonUniversity. His specialties include Economics, Finance andQuantitative Research Methods and he is a member of theNational Scholars Honor Society, Magna cum Laude and theWorld Network of Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs. He isthe son of Ms. Joy Dickenson, Manager of the Office ofStudent Services, UWI (Mona).

Professor Newton D. Duncan has beenappointed as the Head of the UWIDepartment of Surgery, Radiology,Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at the UWI

Mona. This department is the largestclinical department in the Faculty ofMedical Sciences. His appointment tookeffect on August 1, 2011. He did

undergraduate and postgraduate training in surgery at theUWI, Mona and received specialist training in paediatricsurgery at Booth Hall and Royal Manchester Children’sHospital, University of Manchester, while on a CommonwealthScholarship. He has published widely on subjects such as,surgery in sickle cell disease and newborn surgicalemergencies, and was a co-investigator in the Jamaica armof the Merck’s rotavirus study, which culminated in thedevelopment of a rotavirus vaccine. Rotaviruses are theleading cause of infantile gastroenteritis and account formore than 500,000 deaths per year in developing countries.His research led to his receiving the American College ofSurgeons International Guest Scholar Award, 1996. Heinitiated specialist training in paediatric surgery at the UWI,Mona in 1998, and was elevated to the Chair in Paediatric

OntheMove

Two senior academics in the Faculty of Law at The Universityof the West Indies (Cave Hill Campus) have been selected asCommissioners on the Inter American Commission on HumanRights (IACHR). Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine andMs. Tracy Robinson were elected as members of IACHR atthe 41st Regular Session of the Organization of AmericanStates (OAS) General Assembly, held in San Salvador fromJune 5-7, 2011. Both will serve a four-year termcommencing January 1, 2012. Trinidadian Antoine andJamaica-born Robinson make history as the first Caribbeanwomen to have ever been elected to the Washington-basedhuman rights body which serves the US, Canada, LatinAmerica and the Caribbean. It is also the first time that twoCARICOM nationals have been elected to the Commission atthe same time.

Professor Antoine, UWI Professor ofLabour Law & Offshore FinancialLaw at UWI (Cave Hill), is anOxford Commonwealth Scholar anda Cambridge Pegasus Scholar. She

holds a doctorate from OxfordUniversity (Balliol College), an LLM from

Cambridge, an LLB from The University ofthe West Indies and diplomas and

certificates with distinction in international human rightsfrom the International Institute of Human Rights inStrasbourg, France. Her specialist subject areas areDiscrimination Law, Public Law, Labour Law, OffshoreFinancial Law and Legal Systems. Antoine won the covetedUWI Vice-Chancellor’s Regional Award for Excellence inResearch, the only person from the Law Faculty to have doneso, the UK Emerald Literati Prize and was honoured by theCommonwealth Foundation as an ‘eminent scholar’. She hasbeen described as the “foremost labour law expert in theregion” and the “leading” expert in the region in OffshoreFinancial Law, Labour Law Rights and the law on HIV.

Fellow Commissioner Ms. Tracy Robinsonis one of the principal teachers ofCaribbean Public Law at the UWI Cave Hill

Campus, directing the undergraduatecourse Constitutional Law, co-directingCommonwealth Caribbean Human Rights Law and lecturing in Gender,Family Law and Constitutional Law. She

graduated from The University of the West Indies in 1991with a First Class Honours Degree in Law. In 1996, thisRhodes Scholar joined The UWI Faculty of Law as a lecturer,having completed postgraduate degrees at the University ofOxford and Yale Law School.


OntheMove

Surgery in 2007. He was appointed Deputy Dean (clinical) in2008, and chairs the faculty’s Hospital AccreditationCommittee. Professor Duncan is a member of the MBBSCurriculum Management Team, Student Tracking Committeeand the Faculty of Medical Sciences Ethics Committee. Theannual William Dennis Memorial Lecture, which showcaseslocal and international academics, was initiated by him andhad its 10th anniversary this year.

The new Chief Justice of Belize is UWI graduateMr. Kenneth Benjamin, who will take up hisappointment on September 15, 2011.Benjamin has worked as a Chief Magistrate inAntigua and Barbuda and he is a former High

Court Judge of the Eastern CaribbeanSupreme Court. More recently, he wasemployed as a Judge in St. Lucia, a posthe will leave to take up his new position in

Belize. Benjamin graduated from Hugh Wooding Law Schoolin 1977 and practiced law in Guyana before moving toAntigua in 1991.

Mr. O’Neil Grant, (EMBA Student, Cohort 21) MonaSchool of Business has been elected as President of theJamaica Civil Service Association. Mr. Grant also serves

on the Board of Directors of the GSB Co-operative CreditUnion as the Vice President.

Dr. Robert Parris, a board-certified InvasiveCardiologist, studied medicine at The University of theWest Indies – Faculty of Medical Sciences in Jamaica, andreceived his fellowship training in cardiovascular diseasesfrom a Columbia University affiliate at the Harlem Hospitalin New York. He has recently joined the Sparks HealthSystem in the Fort Smith Region, USA. (July 2th – TheCity Wire)

Dr. Tasha Cooke is a Consultant Urologist at theCornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Shealso has a private practice at the Montego Bay Hospitaland Urology Centre. Dr. Cooke was born in Jamaica, andreceived her medical degree, as well as specialisedtraining in urology at The University of the West Indiesand the University of Miami. She did a fellowship inUrologic Reconstruction, Female Urology and Incontinenceat the University of Miami. She took part in the AntiguaLions Club’s 4th Annual Free Prostate Screening Clinicover the summer, showing her service/volunteerismorientation.

The latest publication by George Lamming, one of the best known authors, essayists and social commentators of the Caribbean isa collection of his thoughts, released by Ian Randle Publishers (IRP). Edited by Anthony Bogues, a well-known Jamaica-born WestIndian intellectual and thinker, The George Lamming Reader has been released by IRP as a new series on ‘CaribbeanReasonings’.

The Lamming Reader is focused on the aesthetics of decolonisation while other titles in the series include MG Smith’s SocialTheory and Anthropology in the Caribbean and Beyond (edited by Professor Brian Meeks). The other series editor is thehistorian and writer, Professor Rupert Lewis. It was launched at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination and this coincidedwith the Inaugural George Lamming Distinguished Lecture delivered by Professor Bogues on the theme, ‘The radical imaginationand the Caribbean intellectual tradition — from the Haitian revolution to the sovereignty of the imagination’.

It is dedicated to the memory of the late distinguished Caribbean citizen and UWI Vice Chancellor Emeritus Rex Nettleford (a friendof Lamming). This publication on his works examines the history of the Caribbean and the categories which continue to shape andinfluence Caribbean identity in our contemporary world.

BOOK CO

RN

ER

Lamming in CaribbeanReasonings

UWI Grads

For UWI Grads On The Move contact: [email protected]


Lecture on "The Caribbean in aChanging Global Environment"Sir Hilary Beckles excites packed audience

Picture of Group who handled promotionsat the recently held Beres HammondConcert put on in association with theAFUWI. They received the promisedscholarship amount of US$3000 from thepromoters Jammins Entertainment for ascholarship for a UWI student for2011/2012.

The American Foundation for TheUniversity of the West Indies in action!

The AFUWI Team made up of volunteers: S. Khan, B. Ramos(back), G. Ramos, Executive Assistant, AFUWI, D. Thomas(back), Ann-Marie Grant, Executive Director, AFUWI, A. Taylor,UWI graduate.

There was a capacity audience of about 500 persons at theLondon School of Economics on July 3, 2011 who all cameout to hear Sir Hilary Beckles’ lecture on "The Caribbean in aChanging Global Environment". Thanks to the suggestion ofKaren Carter, BFUWI Coordinator and the assistance of theDeputy Barbados High Commissioner, BFUWI VolunteersKaren Carter and Anya Medina were able to set up a BFUWIbooth outside the lecture hall, to help raise awarenessabout this relatively new UWI Foundation. Sir Hilarymentioned the BFUWI at the end of his question andanswer session and invited the audience to go to thebooth and get information about the BFUWI and in lessthan 30 minutes all the brochures and informationalmaterials were gone.

Mrs. Susan Belgrave, who is a Trustee of the BFUWI wasable to talk to fellow Barbadian Sir Hilary. She said, “Iwas pleased to note the number of queries aboutstudying and working at UWI as well as partnershipswith organisations in the UK at the booth. The eventalso enabled the BFUWI database to be expanded. SirHilary was enthusiastically invited to return at theearliest possible time as the content and delivery ofhis lecture was as usual, world class.” The BFUWIcongratulates the High Commissioners for CARICOMMember States on this wonderful initiative.


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Professor of Moral and IntellectualPhilosophy, Northwestern University,USA. He authored the seminal TheRacial Contract and three collections ofpapers. He will deliver a public lecture,entitled “Racial Justice”. Contactpersons for this symposium are Dr.Frederick Ochieng’-Odhiambo:[email protected] and Prof. EdBrandon: [email protected]

IASL ConferenceThe 40th annual conference of theInternational Association of SchoolLibrarianship (IASL) was held fromAugust 7 to 11, 2011, under thetheme: ‘School Libraries: Empoweringthe 21st Century Learner’.

Edward BaughDistinguished Lecture One of the leading scholars in the areaof post-colonial theory and literarystudies, Professor Helen Tiffin deliveredthe Fourth Edward Baugh DistinguishedLecture on Sunday, June 5, 2011 atMona. She spoke on the topic ‘SmallIslands, Strong Currents: TheSignificance of West Indian Literature’.The Edward Baugh DistinguishedLecture is an annual event organised bythe Department of Literatures inEnglish, UWI, in honour of poet EdwardBaugh who is Professor Emeritus ofEnglish at UWI, Mona. This year thelecture was staged in association withthe West Indian Association forCommonwealth Language andLiterature Studies. Professor EdwardBaugh has an international reputationas an authority on AnglophoneCaribbean poetry in general and on thework of Derek Walcott in particular.


HAPPENINGS ON THE CAMPUSYOU ATTENDED

CAVEHILL

MONA

27

Professorial AppointmentMay 18, 2011: ProfessorOchieng’-Odhaimbo is now aProfessor in Philosophy and Head of theDepartment of History and Philosophyat the UWI Cave Hill Campus. A nativeof Kenya, he received his Ph.D. fromthe University of Nairobi, Kenya.Professor Ochieng’-Odhiambo’sresearch interest is African Philosophywith a focus on Philosophic Sagacity aconcept introduced into internationalphilosophical circles in the 1970s. He isone of the best known researchers andleading exponents of this approach.

Philosophy SymposiumThe seventh Cave Hill PhilosophySymposium (CHiPS) will have as ageneral them social and politicalphilosophy. CHiPS VII will be held in the third week of November 2011 tocoincide with UNESCO World PhilosophyDay (November 17, 2011) fromNovember 16th - 18th. It aims to bring together thinkers operating in and across different cultural andphilosophical traditions as well as otherdisciplines that share a boundary withphilosophy. Papers are expected tocover issues such as equality, justice,and liberty through political ideologiessuch as anarchism, Confucianism,conservatism, Marxism, and socialismand issues related to the distinctiveproblems of studying human society.Papers on themes such as the nature ofpolitical authority, individual rights andresponsibilities within society; racism,ethnicity, and gender discrimination;war and terrorism; crime andpunishment; development and socialprogress; social agency, the relevanceof Darwinian theory in the socialsciences, etc. are also encouraged. Thekeynote speaker will be ProfessorCharles W. Mills who is the John Evans

International Reggae Day June 30, 2011: International ReggaeDay 2011 is officially celebrated onFriday, July 1, however UWI (Mona)started early with a symposium entitled‘Saluting Reggae Vanguards’, whichhighlighted the musical legacies of theundisputed reggae vanguards - BurningSpear, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs,Sugar Minott and Bob Marley.Presenters were Dr. Michael Barnett,Professor Carolyn Cooper, Ibo Cooper,Mutabaruka and Evah Gordon.

my.uwi.edu Mona students are being encouraged toswitch to my.uwi.edu and say goodbyeto the Campus Pipeline. They will have asingle sign-on password, which will givethem access to online services andresources like email, VLE and financialinformation.

Professorial AppointmentMay 18, 2011: Professor John Bewaji isnow a Professor in Philosophy in theDepartment of Language, Linguisticsand Philosophy at the UWI MonaCampus and also serves as Coordinatorof the Philosophy section. ProfessorBewaji has a Doctor of Philosophydegree from the University of Ibadanand a Master of Arts from the Universityof Ife. His research interests include thePhilosophical Analysis of Leadership inAfrican and African Diaspora and itsrelation to Society and Development aswell as the Economics of Religion.

Open Campus CourseThe UWI Open Campus Belize, hasstarted a certificate course inEducational Planning and Sport(Principles and Practices of Coaching).The 8-week course is the first of its kind to be offered in Belize.

OPEN



“Change Agents”June 2011: Newly inducted graduatesof the UWI School of Clinical Medicineand Research (Bahamas Campus) wereaddressed by The Bahamas, Minister ofHealth Dr. the Hon. Hubert A. Minnis.He said he saw the new physicians as“change agents” who can transformhealthcare, to make it more accessibleand affordable for all patients within theCommonwealth of The Bahamas.” Twenty doctors graduated from theprogramme bringing the total numberof graduates to 200 since theestablishment of The Bahamas Campus14 years ago.

The Health Minister applauded theProgramme Director Dr. Robin Robertsfor what Dr. Minnis called his“dedication to medical academia” andfor his contribution to medicaleducation within The Bahamas and theregion. The collaboration between theGovernment of The Bahamas and TheUniversity of the West Indies has alsoallowed for more Bahamians tograduate as medical practitioners fromthe programme. Clinical training wasmade a reality in The Bahamas forUWI-educated physicians based uponthat partnership between theGovernment of The Bahamas and TheUniversity of the West Indies. Theestablishment of the UWI School ofClinical Medicine and Research was agreat milestone in Bahamian history asit had great economic impact on

IIR SeminarThe UWI Institute of InternationalRelations (IIR) put on a seminar, ‘TheFuture of Caribbean RegionalIntegration’ on Thursday June 30,2011. It highlighted key findings fromthe recent Caribbean RegionalIntegration study conducted by IIRstaff, which analysed the Caribbeanregional integration process, to helpidentify options for moving it forwardby helping to inform future strategicengagement by different stakeholders,with a view to facilitating and assistingin the development of the regionalintegration agenda.

Road SafetyThe Department of Chemistry hosted aseminar on “Road Traffic Crashes inTrinidad and Tobago,” on Thursday June 16, 2011 organised by theDepartment’s OccupationalEnvironmental Safety and Health(OESH) programme. Road safetycontinues to be a major public healthand social issue in Trinidad and Tobago.

Publication and FilmLaunchThe Office of the Campus Principal atUWI, St. Augustine held a publicationand film launch on June 28, 2011, as apart of the 50th anniversarycelebrations of the St. AugustineCampus. The publication, “Decades ofResearch: UWI St. Augustine at 50”was launched. The screening of thefilm, “An Oasis of Ideas, Leadership andLearning UWI St. Augustine at 50,”followed. This film was directed byProfessor Patricia Mohammed, UWIProfessor of Gender and CulturalStudies and Francesca Hawkins,television and radio broadcaster.

ST.AUGUSTINE

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students who would have otherwise hadto travel abroad to complete theirstudies.

New Open CampusRegistrar Mrs. Karen Ford-Warner, who recentlyserved as Open Campus AlumniRelations Consultant, brings to this newpost a rich and broad range of expertiseand experience both nationally andregionally in the fields of education,law, public sector management andtourism. She holds graduate degreesfrom Columbia University Teachers’College (MA in InternationalEducational Development), and HarvardUniversity’s John F. Kennedy School ofGovernment (Masters in PublicAdministration) as well as an LLBdegree from The University of the WestIndies and a Certificate of LegalEducation from the Norman Manley LawSchool.

She worked in the Tourism Sectorserving in various high-level positions. A Certified Mediator, she is also anAttorney-at-Law. Mrs. Ford-Warner sitson various boards, including the EarlWarner Trust, a foundation dedicated tothe memory of her late husband,Barbadian writer and theatre director,Earl Warner. She will continue toadvocate for alumni engagement in her new position.



Conference onSustainable DevelopmentThe Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Socialand Economic Studies (SALISES), atUWI St. Augustine hosted a conferencetitled, “Sustainable Development ofCoastal Communities, Challenges andSolutions,” from June 1-3, 2011, at theHyatt Regency Trinidad in Port of Spain.It was a forum for the exchange ofideas on critical issues related toclimate change and coastalcommunities, biodiversity, turtleconservation, ecotourism, sustainablecommunity development and theenvironment.

CTLPA ConferenceThe 14th Annual Conference of theCaribbean Tertiary Level PersonnelAssociation (CTLPA), was held fromJune 30th to July 2nd, 2011, at theLearning Resource Centre, UWI St.Augustine. The CTLPA is a professionalorganisation that seeks primarily tofoster the timely development of astudent-centred culture in tertiary leveleducational institutions across theCaribbean. Under the theme “CTLPA:Bringing More to Student Learning and

Professional Development in HigherEducation,” this conference fosteredstudent learning and development,examined related theories andshowcased best practices.

Professorial AppointmentEffective May 18, 2011, Gary Garciawas promoted to Professor in AnimalScience at the UWI St. AugustineCampus. Professor Garcia obtainedboth his BSc and PhD degrees at UWIand now lectures in the Faculty ofScience and Agriculture, teachingcourses in Lifestyle Products Technologyand Tropical Animal Science. ProfessorGarcia’s main areas of research includeProduction of Cattle and WildlifeManagement.

Professorial AppointmentSurendra Arjoon is now Professor ofBusiness Ethics and QuantitativeAnalysis. He is a member of theDepartment of Management Studies atUWI St. Augustine. Professor Arjoon’sresearch interest lies in areas of theapplication of natural law ethics toeducation, business and the economywith a specific focus on Corporate

Governance, Corporate SocialResponsibility and Reporting and theNature and Purpose of Business. Hisappointment became effective May 18,2011

SALISES ForumThe Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Socialand Economic Studies (SALISES)hosted a forum on the topic, “TheCurrent State of West Indies Cricket”on Friday June 3, 2011. Panellists atthe forum were: Mr. Deryck Murray -Former West Indies cricketer andVice-Captain; former President of theTrinidad and Tobago Cricket and WestIndies Cricket Boards, Mr. Tony Gray -Cricket Coach at the University ofTrinidad and Tobago and former WestIndies cricketer, Professor BaldwinMootoo - Professor Emeritus ofChemistry, UWI; First Vice Presidentof the Trinidad and Tobago CricketBoard and member of the West IndiesCricket Board and Mr. DinanathRamnarine - Former West Indiescricketer and President of the WestIndies Players’ Association. The sessionwas chaired by Mr. Fazeer Mohammed,television host and sports journalist.

The Centre for Language Learning showcases foreign culture

The Centre for Language Learning (CLL) at UWI (St. Augustine), hosted its second triennial Open House. It was attended bysecondary school students, members of the public and UWI staff and students.

The two-day event consisted of an opening ceremony which screened a re-edit of the Languages and Leaders documentaryproduced for the Open House, entitled Chirren go to School and Learn Well, as well as a Japanese skit performed by studentsof Japanese language at the CLL. There was also a panel discussion themed – Higher Education in a Globalising World.

The first day of the Open House was especially student-friendly. There were team games with French and Spanish rules whichallowed students to receive prizes of foreign language movies and a foreign language dictionary. Other highlights includedbreakfast rituals from Chinese, Portuguese, French and Arabic-speaking cultures, meringue, salsa, samba and forró dancingclasses, martial arts displays from Brazil, Japan and China, movies, mini classes as well as vocal performances representativeof the spectrum of CLL languages.

The second day had an even bigger crowd. The day began with performances by Spanish students from the Liberal ArtsDepartment at UWI as well as performances from the teachers and students from the Mahatma Ghandi Institute for CulturalCooperation. Finally, attendees of the CLL Open House were exposed to cooking recipes, technology demonstrations and artand cultural displays from around the world.


The Public Affairs Section of the U.S.

Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica, recently

announced the newest group of

Fulbright and Humphrey Fellowship

grantees, who will pursue various

programs of study in the United States

and many have connections to the UWI.

The Fulbright Program is the largest

and one of the most prestigious

educational exchange programs of the

U.S. State Department. It includes the

following programs: The Hubert H.

Humphrey Fellowship; the

Fulbright/LASPAU (Latin American

Scholarship Program of American

Universities) Faculty Development

Program; the Fulbright Graduate

Student Program; the Fulbright Visiting

Research Scholar Program; and the

Fulbright NEXUS Scholar Program for

the Western Hemisphere.

Dr. Kevin Harvey, graduate of UWI,

Executive Director of the National

HIV/STI Program at the Ministry of

Fulbright Scholarship Recipients

Health, has been awarded the

prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey

Fellowship to study HIV/AIDS

Policy and Prevention in the United

States. Dr. Harvey will take up his

fellowship at Emory University in

Atlanta Georgia beginning this summer.

He is well known for his dedication to

the fight against HIV/AIDS.

UWI graduate Ricardo Sandcroft,

Legal Officer at the Child

Development Agency in the

Ministry of Health has also been

awarded the Hubert Humphrey

Fellowship; he will pursue studies in

Law and Human Rights at the

University of Minnesota.

Fulbright Research grants have

been awarded to Dr. Loraine Cook,

Lecturer in Educational Psychology

and Dr. Nadine McCloud, who

lectures in Economics, both at The

University of the West Indies. Dr.

Cook will conduct her research in

Educational Psychology at New York

University while Dr. McCloud will do her

research in Economics at Cornell

University.

Pauline Milwood, Hospitality

Manager at Mona Visitor’s Lodge,

The University of the West Indies,

will pursue a PhD in Business

Administration with a focus in

Hospitality and Tourism at Temple

University, while UWI graduate

Gillian Jackson of the Jamaica

National Building Society will study

Actuarial Science at the University

of Nebraska.

Ms. Hanan Ghannoum, Deputy

Public Affairs Officer of the United

States Embassy encouraged the

scholars to commit themselves to

nation-building as their training will

prepare them to be shapers of policy

and implementers of a broad array of

development enhancing ideas and

projects.

Hanan Ghannoum (centre), Deputy Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica, with the 2011/2012 batch of Fulbright grantees (from left) Dr. KevinHarvey, Gillian Jackson, Claudine Anderson, Dr. Loraine Cook, Haeni Young, Pauline Milwood, Gaunette Sinclair-Maragh, Tanya Beckford, and Ricardo Sandcroft. Missingfrom the picture is Dr. Nadine McCloud.


TRIBUTES

In Celebrationof their Lives

31

His Excellency Dr. Joseph R. Christmas was formerAmbassador of St. Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations andGlobal Chief (Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation) atthe UNICEF, United Nations Headquarters in New York. Bornon February 7, 1940, Dr. Christmas was a school teacherfrom 1956 to 1965 as an employee of the Government of St.Kitts-Nevis and Anguilla. He obtained the Certificate ofEducation (Teacher Training), Erdiston College, Barbados,with endorsement by The University of the West Indies,1964; a B.Sc. (Special Honours) in Geology with ancillaryChemistry, The University of the West Indies, Jamaica, 1969;an M.Sc. in hydrogeology (groundwater resourcesdevelopment), London University (UCL), U.K.; a Diploma inSanitary Engineering, University of North Carolina, ChapelHill, U.S.A., and a Ph.D. in Hydrogeology, The University ofthe West Indies, (with the University of Waterloo, Canada).Dr. Christmas then served as Manager/Water Engineer, WaterDepartment, St. Kitts and Nevis. From 1978 to 1983, heserved as Senior Project Officer UNICEF, United Nations,based in Mozambique, Africa. He served as SeniorProgramme Officer, UNICEF, United Nations Headquarters inNew York and was appointed Global Chief, UNICEF at UNHeadquarters in New York from January 1989 to 1992. Dr.Christmas managed the sector globally. He served as UNICEF(Resident) Representative from January 1993 to December1995 and carried out specific assignments in Angola andKenya. Dr. Christmas took early retirement from UNICEF andthe United Nations on January 1, 1996. He served as St. Kittsand Nevis’ Permanent Representative to the United Nationsfrom August 1, 2000 to November 20, 2006. His contributionin the field of Water and Environmental Sanitation at thehighest level was invaluable.

Dr. Sandra Morgan was a marketing professional, pastor,mother and wife. She was a graduate in Management Studiesof The University of the West Indies, Mona. Dr. Morgan wasinvolved with Christian ministry on the University’s MonaCampus. She worked at Nestle Jamaica as a Product Managerand more recently at Victoria Mutual Building Society as aCustomer Service Specialist. She joined her husband Henleyas Co-Pastor at Praise City International Church in theinner-city community of Trench Town. Dr. Morgan achievedher first doctoral degree from Trinity University in Florida,USA. She enrolled in the Caribbean Graduate School ofTheology through which she was pursuing her seconddoctorate at Bakke Graduate University in Washington in2010.

Professor Julian Kenny, who was a zoologist by training,taught at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine,for three decades. He was the former Head of theEnvironmental Management Authority (EMA), anenvironmentalist, scientist, senator, writer and gentleman.He was an inspiring teacher, imbuing his students with hisown love of his subject. But teaching, for him, was notsimply a matter of transmitting the knowledge he hadacquired from books. He also pursued field research in anumber of areas, which included enthusiastically diving inpursuit of fish, exploring the habitat of numerous species ofbats in the Tamana Caves, and hunting for rare orchids inthe Aripo Savannahs. Increasing the pool of scientificinformation on the local environment was one of hispassions; sharing that knowledge was equally important tohim. Kenny was a member of the UWI campus communityuntil his retirement in 1990. He began as Zoology Lecturerin the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, andthrough his ground-breaking work and research, rose to theranks of Professor and Head of Department. He was anactive member of the campus community, sitting on severalcommittees and being supervisor of many M.Phil. and Ph.D.students. Professor Kenny recorded the results of hisresearch and passed them on, in the form of academicpapers, in books on local and regional flora and fauna. Heserved as an Independent Senator in Trinidad and Tobagofrom 1995-2001 and was a respected and popularnewspaper columnist. Kenny was awarded the ChaconiaMedal (Gold) for environmental conservation at the 2010National Awards on Independence Day. He himself set andadhered to the highest principles, which were exemplified inhis own conduct in public service. As an independentsenator he earned the respect of his colleagues across thepolitical spectrum for the reasonableness of his outspokenbut fair and well-informed views. He was an ardent andeloquent advocate for the preservation of theenvironment. He will be remembered as ascholar and a gentleman, a manof intellect and integrity, ateacher and an exemplar, whocontributed to nationaldevelopment innumerous ways until thevery end of his 81 yearlong and well-lived life.

FEATURE

OoooooooooooooooThe University of the West IndiesVice Chancellor’s Presidents Club

Barbados Belize

British Virgin Islands Cayman

Commonwealth of The BahamasDominicaFloridaGuyanaJamaica

Montserrat New York

St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia

St. Vincent and The GrenadinesToronto

Trinidad and Tobago United KingdomWashington D.C.

UWIAA Alumni ContactsAntigua & Barbuda

GrenadaGuangdong

OttawaSuriname

Turks & Caicos Islands

Campus Alumni Offices

Cave Hill CampusTel: 246-417-4544

[email protected]: Mrs. Roseanne Maxwell

Mona CampusTel: 876-927-1583

[email protected]: Mrs. Charmaine Wright

Open CampusTel: 876-927-2478 Ext. 2482

[email protected]: Open Campus Registrar

St. Augustine CampusTel: 868-663-1579,

868-662-2002, Ext: [email protected]: Ms. Charmain Subero

Mr. James Richardson - Trinidad & TobagoMr. Jerry Medford - Trinidad & TobagoMr. Frederick Bowen - Trinidad & TobagoMr. Ulric Warner - Trinidad & TobagoMr. Daniel Sankar - Trinidad & TobagoProf. Franklin Knight - Washington DC

UWIMAA - PresidentsDr. Michael Charles - BarbadosDr. Karl Massiah - Canada Dr. Homer Bloomfield - Commonwealthof The Bahamas Dr. Victor Boodhoo - Florida (Central)Dr. Aileen Standard-Goldson - Jamaica Dr. Deo Singh - Trinidad & TobagoDr. Gerry Groves - USA Tri-State

UWIMAA - Past PresidentsDr. Jeff Massay - Barbados Dr. Michael Hoyos - BarbadosDr. Robin Roberts - Commonwealth of The BahamasDr. Cecil Aird - Florida (Central)Dr. Novelle Kirwan - Florida (Central)Dr. Anna Matthews - JamaicaDr. Peter Fletcher - Jamaica Dr. Sonia Henry-Heywood - JamaicaDr. Richard Whitelocke - JamaicaDr. Nadia Williams - Jamaica Dr. Wendel Guthrie - JamaicaDr. R. E. David Thwaites - JamaicaDr. Vijay Naraynsingh - Trinidad & TobagoDr. Godfrey Rajkuma - Trinidad & TobagoDr. Winston Mitchell - USA Tri-State Dr. Hardat Sukhdeo - USA Tri-State Dr. Kathleen Watson - USA Tri-State

UWIGNA (Canada) - PresidentMs. Millicent Robb

UWIGNA (Canada) - Past PresidentMs. Sybil Bent

UWIEA - Regional ContactEng. Dr. David Smith

UWIEA - Former RepresentativesEng. Hopeton Heron - JamaicaEng. Clyde Phillip - Trinidad & Tobago

UWIAA - PresidentsMr. Ricardo Knight - BarbadosMr. Frank Paco Smith - BelizeDr. Marcia Potter - British Virgin Islands Mrs. Leonora Wynter - Cayman IslandsMrs. A. Missouri Sherman-Peter - Commonwealth of The BahamasMrs. Yvanette Baron-George - DominicaDr. Rupert Rhodd - Florida Mr. A. Gilbert Bellamy - Jamaica Mrs. Delmaude Ryan - MontserratDr. Gerald White-Davis - New York Mrs. Cicely Jacobs (Acting) - St. Kitts & NevisMs. Daisy Rose (Acting) - St. LuciaPresident to be elected - St. Vincent & theGrenadines Mr. Ferdinand Fortune and Mr Michael Henville - TorontoMr. Mark Regis - Trinidad & TobagoPresident to be elected - United KingdomMs. Sha-Shana Crichton - Washington DC

UWIAA - Past PresidentsMs. Maxine McClean - BarbadosProf. Frank Alleyne - BarbadosMs. Cheryl Williams - Barbados Dr. Lisa Johnson - BelizeMr. Frederick Sandiford - BelizeDr. Kedrick Pickering - British Virgin IslandsMrs. Deborah Ann Chambers - Cayman Ms. Irma Edwards - DominicaMr. Anthony Williams - Florida Mr. Ronald White - Florida Prof. Marcia Magnus - FloridaMrs. Margaret Barrett - Florida Ms. Claudia Halley - GrenadaMrs. Nadine Marriott - Jamaica Mrs. Patricia Sutherland - JamaicaProf. Neville Ying - JamaicaMrs. Beverley Pereira - JamaicaMrs. Brenda Skeffrey - Jamaica Dr. Cameron Wilkinson - St. Kitts & NevisMrs. Candia Williams - MontserratMs. Laurine Fenton - MontserratMs. Sheree Jemmotte - MontserratDr. Hazel Carter - New York Dr. Caroline Lawrence - St. Kitts & NevisMr. Nkrumah Lucien - St. LuciaMr. Randy Boucher - St. Vincent & theGrenadinesMs. Maud Fuller - Toronto

Alumnus and Council Representatives

For Aug 1, 2011 - July 31, 2013 Alumnus Representative

Mr. A. Gilbert Bellamy (Jamaica)

For Aug 1, 2011 - July 31, 2012Council Representative

Mr. Frank Paco Smith Jr. (Belize)

Coordinating Office

Institutional Advancement [email protected]

UWI Connect June 2011

Documents

Transcript of UWI Connect June 2011