Rowley and Gonsalves: UWI Sciences battle with them.
The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. Wednesday, April 21, 2021. The following statement is issued by the Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles.
As The University of the West Indies (The UWI) stands in active solidarity with the people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, urging them to remain defiant in the fury of La Soufrière, it also continues to reach out to Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Rowley as he battles with that other subversive force of nature, COVID-19.
Indeed, by linking these narratives we also pay tribute to Prime Minister Rowley, who before his advanced political career served as a lead scientist at The UWI Seismic Research Centre. It might not be generally known that during the 1979 eruption of the volcano, Dr Rowley was a lead investigator on the ground in Saint Vincent, providing policy advice to the government in respect of disaster management and other relevant security measures. The UWI, then, would have created the inescapable context for Prime Ministers Dr Gonsalves and Dr Rowley to be joined by the hip in the ballad of La Soufrière.
Both brilliant graduates of the Mona Campus, the former became a distinguished social scientist at Cave Hill, before returning home for politics, while the latter also gave up a distinguished career at St Augustine for public leadership. History is filled with many examples of universities creating such alumni co-joining.
I am in contact with both leaders and I have informed them that their alma mater stands with them, our two distinguished graduates and former scholars, as they fight the good fight.
We wish for Prime Minister Dr Rowley the restoration of good health and for Prime Minister Dr Gonsalves his resilience and energy building of his nation. The UWI’s Medical Sciences and Natural Sciences are alongside them in the trenches. This is what they deserve and would expect.
End
Photo Caption: Dr. Keith Rowley as a Geologist at The UWI Seismic Research Unit (now Centre) at the Belmont Observatory in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines during one of his tours of duty while managing the 1979 volcanic crisis. (Photo: The UWI Seismic Research Centre Archive)
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.)
