Vice-Chancellor Beckles meets with UWI staff
in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. W.I. Thursday, May 20, 2021. — On Friday, May 14, immediately following the Government’s lowering of La Soufrière’s volcanic alert level, Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles paid a visit to UWI staff in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
He met them face-to-face to better understand their current circumstances in the aftermath of the recent devastating eruptions of the La Soufrière volcano and thank them for their resilience in such challenging times. He applauded their commitment to effecting their professional responsibilities, managing their personal and families’ safety and security, and coping with day-to-day life, even while bolstering the University’s response efforts as its local, in-country representatives.
In expressing his appreciation to the team, Vice-Chancellor Beckles underscored that in a time of great stress and uncertainty, the staff had risen to a unique moment in time to undertake critical work in service to country and community.
His official visit included a courtesy call to The UWI Open Campus site in the capital city, Kingstown. Meeting with the Head of Site, Deborah Dalrymple, and her team, Vice-Chancellor Beckles shared that he was mindful that the national community, including UWI staff had confronted a double catastrophe—the fall out of COVID-19 and the disruptive volcanic activity and consequential ash fall.
Under the leadership of Mrs Dalrymple a support group at the Open Campus in Saint Vincent was mobilised to engage the immediate relief efforts in close coordination with Deputy Principal of The UWI Open Campus, Dr Francis Severin, allowing the University to respond with agility to the crisis and areas of greatest need. The Site has been a focal point for collecting and distributing aid and support primarily to UWI students and their families in SVG during the crisis which has been collected from alumni, staff and other well-wishers regionally and internationally.
In addition to his one-on-one engagement with staff, Vice-Chancellor Beckles took the opportunity to tour the newly expanded facilities for the Open Campus in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The upgraded accommodations, which were funded by a CDB loan to the Open Campus of over US$6 million, were earmarked for re-opening in March 2020, but this was thwarted by the global pandemic. The significant investment by the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is intended to bolster the capacity of the Open Campus in its delivery of online and blended educational opportunities. The site will provide support for the over 800 students in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines pursuing degree and continuing and professional programmes and enable even greater growth in numbers over the next few years.
End.
Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles meets with Head, Open Campus Country Site, Mrs. Deborah Dalrymple and staff of the Open Campus in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on May 14, 2021.
The refurbished Open Campus Site in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is set to provide the local support as needed as the islands continue to recover.
About The UWI
The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region.
From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Open Campus, and 10 global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.
The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.
Ranked among the top universities in the world, by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists. In 2020, it earned ‘Triple 1st’ rankings—topping the Caribbean; and in the top in the tables for Latin America and the Caribbean, and global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old). The UWI is also featured among the top universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.
For more, visit www.uwi.edu.
(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)
