Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal. Friday, August 13, 2021—The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Open Campus is pleased to announce the appointment of the following Senior Managers effective August 1, 2021. These Managers have been serving The UWI and the Open Campus in various capacities over several years.
Dr Denise Gaspard-Richards, Director, (Ag.) Graduate Studies and Research
Dr Denise Gaspard-Richards has been appointed Director, (Ag.) Graduate Studies and Research. She served previously as the Director, Academic Programming and Delivery Division (APAD), since 2018 and along with her responsibilities for oversight of the design, development and delivery of the online courses and programmes offered by the Campus, has since January 2019, also served as Chief Editor for the International Journal of Education and Development using ICT (IJEDICT). In 2011 she was appointed Head of the Course Development Department in APAD, where she managed staff and spearheaded course design and development under the Strengthening Distance Education in the Caribbean (SDEC) Project.
Dr Gaspard-Richards is an educator with over twenty-five years’ experience, having worked in capacities that span teaching in the face-to-face mode at the Montserrat Technical College and The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus and later online when she served the former UWI Distance Education Centre (UWIDEC) as a Course Developer and Course Coordinator. She also served in part-time teaching capacities while completing her doctoral degree, until eventually joining the former UWI Distance Education Centre (UWIDEC) in February 2008 as a full-time member of staff in the role of Programme Coordinator, in the then Undergraduate Programmes Department, APAD. Dr Gaspard-Richards has also served at the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT) in the capacity of Head, Institutional Research and Strategic Planning.
Dr Gaspard-Richards holds a Doctorate in Social Policy from The UWI St. Augustine Campus; a MSc in Sociology/Demography (Mona Campus) and a BSc in Social Sciences (St. Augustine Campus). She is a lifelong learner who has successfully completed professional certification in online and distance education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and leadership in online learning at the Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning, Online Learning Consortium.
In addition to the knowledge and experience she has gained from her roles, she has conducted scholarly research and presented at international conferences on topics that seamlessly blend her experience in higher education with her knowledge and passion for Sociology and the social impact of barriers to academic development.
She is a strong advocate for education for all and empowering individuals to positively enhance their lives. She is passionate about further advances in the development and delivery of higher education products and services to meet the needs of our regional stakeholders. Open Campus Interim Principal, Dr Francis O. Severin welcomes this acting appointment, asserting that “Dr Gaspard-Richards brings a wealth of experience as a consummate educator, and in particular, her expertise in the design, development and delivery of the online courses and programmes at the undergraduate level to the graduate level. This is the sort of job enrichment and enlargement that will add value to our Open Campus and I am truly pleased that Dr Gaspard-Richards has embraced this opportunity to make a positive impact in another area of the Campus.”
Dr Susan Sarah Owen, Director (Ag.) Academic Programming and Delivery Division
Dr Susan Sarah Owen has been appointed Director (Ag), Academic Programming and Delivery Division (APAD). In her substantive position she served as Director of the Centre for Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) from March 1, 2019. In this role she oversaw the coordination of CPE activities and the development of policies and frameworks to guide the Campus’ commitment to lifelong learning. Prior to this she served as Deputy Director (Ag.) of Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) in The UWI Open Campus Country Sites from February 2016 subsequent to assuming the position of Head, The UWI Open Campus St. Kitts and Nevis in November 2010.
Before joining the Open Campus, Dr Owen worked as an Instructor in the Foundation Language Programme in the Faculty of Humanities and Education at The UWI Cave Hill Campus. She holds an EdD in Educational Leadership in Higher Education from The UWI Open Campus; a MA in English (Cave Hill Campus); and a BA in Literatures in English (St. Augustine Campus).
Her research interests include education, culture, leadership and film and she serves on a number of community, campus and University boards and committees. Her MA thesis was a qualitative study entitled ‘Film as a Tool of Popular Culture: A Case Study of Banyan Productions 1974-2003’ and her EdD research report presented the quantitative research study entitled ‘The Impact of Performing Arts Professional Development Interventions on the Socio-Emotional Skills of Leaders in Higher Education’. Interim Principal Dr Francis O. Severin observes: “Dr Sarah Owen’s advancement within the Open Campus is one of the very satisfying occurrences for me in my own journey. Her dedication, diligence, perspicacity, integrity and respect for her colleagues, have really highlighted the fact that positive attributes are a boon for both the person who possesses them as well as the organization which is fortunate enough to have such an employee. Even in her relative youth, Dr Owen has shown an inclination to hone future leaders. I suspect her motivation is, inter alia, her desire to see this rich Caribbean treasure, The UWI, prevail.”
Ms Jamie Rocke, Officer-in-Charge, Continuing and Professional Education Centre
Ms Jamie Rocke has been appointed as Officer-in-Charge of the Open Campus Continuing and Professional Education Centre (CPEC). She is a Belizean who has lived and worked in the Caribbean, the UK and the US. Ms Rocke started her professional journey at the Open Campus as a graduate intern and joined the team officially as a Research Assistant in the Planning and Institutional Research (PAIR) Unit in January 2018.
In November of that same year, she transitioned to the Business Development Unit as a Programme Coordinator and subsequently as Business Development Officer. In November 2019, she was transfer to the Continuing and Professional Education Centre as its first Programme Manager (Special Projects).
Before joining the Open Campus in 2017, Ms Rocke worked in the Public and Private sectors for over 10 years in the fields of education, youth development, law and media. A proud graduate of The University of the West Indies, she completed a BSc with double major in Political Science and Law, with the Cave Hill Campus and a MSc in Public Sector Management with the Open Campus. She accredits the opportunities that she has had to her access to training and exposure while at The UWI.
An accomplished writer, for over 7 years, Ms Rocke has written various chapters and developed materials in Christian education for the Caribbean Christian Publication based in Jamaica. These materials have been used in over 25 countries around the world.
An empath at heart, Ms Rocke has volunteered with numerous NGOs, religious and charitable organizations around the world, including Variety, the Children’s Charity, Barbados Chapter, the YMCA, Chicago USA chapter, The Hackney Independent Living Team, UK and the Belize Audubon Society to name a few.
Ms Rocke’s personal and professional passions reside in bringing about development to vulnerable communities, innovation in education and sustainable practices for a better, healthier environment. She is a musician who plays the tenor and guitar pans with the Pantempters Steel Orchestra; a creative who enjoys painting, gardening and cooking; and a dog mom to her puppy Ivy. Interim Principal of the Open Campus Dr Francis O. Severin is pleased by the appointment of Ms. Rocke as Officer-in-Charge, CPEC. According to him, “Ms Rocke has shown excellent promise in every role she has hitherto been asked to undertake at the Open Campus. She has done so with efficiency, constancy of purpose and professionalism. I say with much conviction that young colleagues like Ms Rocke make me very hopeful about the future of the Campus and the University. I warmly congratulate her.”
The UWI Open Campus wishes these Managers success in their new role as they continue to serve the people of the region on behalf of The UWI.
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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.)
