St. Kitts and Nevis will once again celebrate the achievements of graduands of The University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus, in a grand Presentation of Graduates Ceremony to be held on Saturday, October 08, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort, Frigate Bay, Basseterre.
This 8th Presentation of Graduates Ceremony of The UWI Open Campus will see six hundred and ninety eight (698) students (593 undergraduates and 105 postgraduates) officially graduate from the Open Campus with Master’s, Bachelor’s and Associate degrees, as well as Certificates and Diplomas in a wide range of subject areas. As in past years, graduands from across the Caribbean will gather together in the presence of Heads of State and Government, the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, members of the University’s Executive Management, other highly placed University and local government officials, as well as family and friends, to receive their formal academic qualifications.
The official ceremony will begin at precisely 10:00 a.m., preceded by the Graduands, Academic and Chancellor’s processions. The public is invited to share in the momentous occasion via live online streaming on the Open Campus’s website at www.open.uwi.edu.
This year, The UWI Open Campus will confer an Honorary Doctorate of Science on a citizen from Antigua and Barbuda, Dr. Sir Prince Ramsey. A Family Physician in private practice, Sir Prince received his formative education in Antigua & Barbuda and Oxford and London, England. His education culminated with a medical degree received from The University of the West Indies.
For the past twenty-five years, Sir Prince has lectured in over twenty Caribbean countries, the USA and Canada, mainly on the subjects: Family Planning, STDs, Sexual Disorders and HIV/AIDS. He has received many local, regional and international awards for his philanthropic contribution to health - especially in the field of HIV/AIDS. These include awards from the Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation 1993, the Ministry of Health in Antigua, 2002, and UNICEF in 2003.
The Valedictorian for this year is Ms. Rone Alexis, who will be graduating with First Class Honours from the Open Campus’s BEd Early Childhood Development and Family Studies programme. A graduate of the Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School and the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) in Saint. Lucia, Rone subsequently gained valuable work experience from attachments to various government ministries, including the Early Childhood Education Unit. In 2006, Rone joined the teaching profession at The Lady Gordon Opportunity Centre - a Special Education school in Saint Lucia. After two years of teaching, she pursued further studies at the Division of Teacher Education and Educational Administration of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, graduating two years later with a 4.0 grade point average.
In 2012, not satisfied with an Associate Degree, Rone enrolled with The UWI Open Campus to read for a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Development and Family Studies. True to form, Rone continued on her path of excellence, and will on October 08, 2016, graduate from The University of the West Indies, Open Campus with a 4.03 grade point average. As is customary, Rone will deliver the Valedictory Speech on behalf of her colleagues from across the region.
After the official Presentation Ceremony, the new graduates and their guests will celebrate their academic achievements at an official reception hosted by the Government and People of St. Kitts and Nevis.
About The UWI
Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a fully-fledged, regional University with over 50,000 students. Today, The UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with three physical campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and an Open Campus. The UWI serves 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, The British Virgin Islands, The Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos. The UWI’s faculty and students come from more than 40 countries and The University has collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. The UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation.
(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)
Websites: www.uwi.edu and www.open.uwi.edu
