Towards a Strategic Plan for Outreach to the Non-Campus Countries, 1998-2002

Executive Summary

The University belongs to the contributing countries that sit on Council. This Plan is at root an attempt to move towards a more equitable response on our part to all these countries.

The University's recent Strategic Plan sees the UWI's future as the centre of a tight network of tertiary institutions in the region. This Plan is an attempt to spell out in greater detail what will be required for the University to function in that way.

The main areas of need we hope to address are:

Access by students from the NCCs both to on-campus programmes and to University programmes in their home territories;
Networking after graduation;
Libraries/Information services in the NCCs;
Research relating to the NCCs;
Technical assistance to public and private sectors in the NCCs;
The University's physical plant for outreach (a matter under active consideration within the SCS).

We are constrained by the University's commitment not to seek significant increases in real funding from the contributing governments, by the intricacy of the task of co-ordinating the various players in the region's tertiary education sector, and by the need to provide resources to support any additional tasks that we undertake.

We propose to seek funding for specific items from donor agencies, and to urge affirmative action in the use of some of the University's existing resources, but the major costs of these plans will need to come from a follow-up to the current CDB Outreach Project.

We propose a strengthening of the ACTI secretariat and closer comparatively informal links with CARICOM and other regional bodies. We propose also that the University promulgate a comprehensive statement of its responsibilities (those of the faculties, departments, and individual academic and administrative staff) for the development of the region's tertiary sector.

In addressing the major areas of need, we propose to provide greater access to our programmes through:

Expansion of the "access" and remedial courses and programmes conducted by the School of Continuing Studies to cover the entire region, using a mix of distance and on-the-spot teaching modalities;
Targetted distance education programmes, inviting greater participation in all aspects by the national TLIs;
Affirmative action with respect to undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships within the University and new efforts to secure funding for externally funded scholarships for NCC students;
Easing the situation of non-sponsored NCC students through a different basis for their tuition fees;
Increasing franchising and full divestment of University programmes to TLIs, with a complementary role for distance education provision;
Staff development programmes for TLIs using two-way staff attachments and targetted postgraduate programmes to facilitate this greater involvement in our programmes;
A special focus on the situation in the North-West Caribbean.

To facilitate networking among graduates through:

Resuscitating the Guild of Graduates and provision at the University Centre of a facility to maintain links and provide regular activity in the NCCs;
Using graduates as mentors for prospective and existing students;
Providing more extensive and co-ordinated continuing education by the professional Faculties/Schools via the SCS;
The identification of Honorary Associates throughout the region;
Giving a greater role to Resident Tutors/Representatives as nodes in a communication network between the University and local governments and NGOs.

To strengthen a University presence in the NCCs through:

A scheme of scholars/artists in residence;
A series of Country Conferences;
Having the UWI Press commission series on NCC history, culture, etc.;
Setting up websites maintained by each University Centre to diffuse information and archive material with special relevance to the particular territory.

To strengthen library/information resources through:

Exploring and having the University reconsider its acquisitions policy to reflect the growing importance of computer dissemination and holding of information;

To strengthen research related to the NCCs by:

Treating postgraduate students working in an NCC rather in the way we are proposing to do for scholars or artists in residence;
Encouraging collaborative projects with TLIs and NGOs;
Encouraging micro-research through the use of TLI staff in distance education course teams;
Providing incentives through the allocation of internal research funds for projects involving an NCC.

To find ways of providing technical assistance more efficiently through:

Regular dialogue with faculties and campus business offices;
More consistent representation at meetings of relevant regional bodies;
Greater informal electronic communication with all interested parties.

The full plan document provides country-by-country and disciplinary break-downs of possible action. The Office intends to discuss the full plan with all interested parties in the University in order to arrive at priorities and a set of feasible operational plans in each of the major areas of concern.

Go to Background

Present situation and constraints

Addressing needs

Country and faculty breakdown of proposals

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Office of the Board for NCC/DE

May 29, 1998. HTML prepared June 4th, 1998.

http://www.uwichill.edu.bb/bnccde/docs/sponsum.html