UWI LINKSUWI LINKS Vol. 4, # 2. May 1997
This newsletter attempts primarily to keep the university community informed of the various formal academic cooperative links and agreements that exist between the University of the West Indies and other tertiary institutions and of the activity that is a consequence of these agreements.
This second issue of Links for 1996/97 reports on a number of significant developments which occurred since the November 1996 issue.
Central Connecticut State University
University of Florida Gainesville
University of North Carolina, Wilmington
International Visitor Programme
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On the 21st March the UWI, Cave Hill Campus and Bucknell University, situated in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA signed a Study Abroad agreement. Under the terms of the agreement Bucknell University will, every spring semester beginning in spring 1997, send a group of about twelve undergraduate students to visit Barbados for a programme in Caribbean studies. The agreement is intended as a preliminary one as both the UWI and Bucknell University are committed to exploring possibilities of moving towards a fuller exchange of students, faculty and staff.
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A collaborative agreement was signed between the UWI and Central Connecticut State University in July 1996. The agreement, which is the result of a Mona initiative, covers joint research activities, including exchange of faculty members and research students; joint teaching or supervision of students; staging of joint seminars, conferences and academic meetings; special academic programmes; exchange of undergraduate and graduate students, including internships and practicums, and; exchange of academic materials and other information. This collaborative arrangement is for a period of five years, in the first instance.
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The Mona Institute of Business (IOB), UWI, the Department of Management Studies, University of Guyana, and the London Business School are now in the final stages of preparing a proposal for collaboration under the auspices of the Committee for International Cooperation in Higher Education (CICHE) scheme. The arrangement which is for the period April 1997 to April 2000, will allow access to the London School of Economics and Political Science /Institute of Management.
The main aims of the links are to:
The contact persons for the link institutions are:
Jamaica
Mr Cezley Sampson
Director, Mona
Institute of Business
UWI, Mona, Kingston 7,
Jamaica
Tel: 876-927-2775
Fax: 876-977-1605
E-mail: csampson@toj.com
United Kingdom
Dr Raymond Madden
Director, PhD
Programme
London Business School
Sussex Place, Regents
Park
London, NWW1-4SA,
England
Tel: 44-0171-262-5050
Fax: 44-0171-724-7875
E-mail: rmadden@lbs.lon.ac.uk
Guyana
Dr Gem Fletcher
Deputy Vice Chancellor
University of Guyana
Turkeyen Campus
Greater Georgetown
Guyana
Tel: (592)-22-5407
Fax: (592)-22-3596
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Discussions are presently taking place between the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Mona Campus, and the Department of Health and Human Services, (Social Work Programme of the Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom. The talks, thus far, have focussed on collaboration in joint research services and social work student exchange at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
It is envisaged that five (5) graduate and five (5)
undergraduate students from each University will be involved in
the programme. The exchange would take place at the point in
their studies where students are required to undertake a major
practicum which is a requirement for all Social Work
programmes, at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
For students to be eligible to participate in this project they
should be final year undergraduates or be at the point of
commencing the major practicum if they are in the graduate
programme.
In addition to this emerging link with Nottingham Trent University, the Social Work Unit at the Mona Campus is also collaborating with the University of Connecticut School of Social Work. This link involves the exchange of Faculty members and graduate students who wish to undertake practicum in the United States. The link has already facilitated the exchange of two Faculty members and one student from the Mona campus, and another student and Faculty member are expected to go to Connecticut this academic year.
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On March 12, 1997 a meeting to discuss a Distance Education French Project was held on the Cave Hill Campus with officials from the French Mission for Co-operation and Cultural Affairs, St. Lucia; the UWI Department of Language, Linguistics and Literature, Universite des Antilles et de la Guyane (UAG) and the Distance Education Centre (DEC). This meeting was a follow up to an earlier one on February 5, 1997 between the UWI and UAG which focussed on deepening collaboration between the two institutions.
The meeting of March 12 was organized to discuss the conditions of the proposed collaboration to begin in September 1997, between the UWI and UAG within the framework of a project to lend support to the first year of university studies in French at UWI in the OECS countries. At the meeting the French Mission indicated that it was prepared to work towards September/October 1997 with an initial target of 20 students. The aims of the initiative include:
Both the UAG and the UWI are enthusiastic about the project and have committed themselves to begin implementation by the proposed September date.
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You may recall that in 1994 the UWI, CARDI and the University of Florida signed a cooperative agreement committing them, as a consortium, to pursuing educational and/or research activities in the socio-economic aspects relating to agriculture, student exchanges and training, among other things. The Consortium has now released its first in a series of reports highlighting its work and accomplishment since 1994. Among these accomplishments was the hosting of a (pre-agreement) Workshop entitled, Identification and Development of Methodologies for Technology Impact Assessment, held on November 17-19, 1993 at the Palm Tree Hotel in Tobago.
The main outcomes of the workshop were clarification of the role of the economists within a research and development institution; the outlining of a methodological framework within which projects undertaken by the Institution should be conceived, monitored and evaluated; hands-on exposure of CARDI economists and sociologists to techniques that could be utilized in evaluation of technology at the farm and sectoral levels.
Another successful workshop was also held 2-5 July 1995 on the Development of a Methodology for Evaluating the Economic Implications of the Association of Caribbean States, with respect to Trade, Agriculture and the Environment. Other activities undertaken by the consortium included the development of a new graduate level course entitled Contemporary Caribbean Agro-Economic Issues, and the exchange of staff.
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In our issue Vol. 4 #1. November 1996 we reported that the UWI and the University of Georgia (UGA) had signed a collaborative agreement covering student & faculty exchange, and incorporating a plan for a project focussing on the problems of agricultural diversification in the Caribbean region.
Subsequent to the signing of the agreement, the Vice-Chancellor held separate discussions with the Honourable Edison James, Prime Minister of Dominica and Ing. Carlos Aquino, Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and agreed:
The three collaborating institutions have formed a three-member team comprising Dr. F. Gumbs of the UWI, Dr. Harlan Davis of UGA, and Dr Reginald Pierre of IICA to spearhead the enterprise.
The team visited Dominica 11-15 September, 1996, and the University of Georgia 30 September to October 3, 1996. In Dominica they held discussions with the Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and representatives from OECS-ADCU, Dominica Banana Marketing Corporation (DBMC), Dominica Export/Import Agency (DEXIA), the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Agency (CARDI), and the Diversification Implementation Unit of the Ministry of Finance, Industry and Planning.
During the visit to the University of Georgia the team met the Vice-President for Services, the Executive Assistant to the President, the Director and the Programme Coordinator of International Agriculture, the Director of Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the Associate Director of the Institute of Ecology.
Based on these discussions and the deliberations of the team, a Strategy Document is being prepared which would inform the preparation of a model diversification programme for Dominica. This programme would also serve as a model for other countries in the OECS. The team proposes to seek the inputs and/or comments of relevant agencies in the Caribbean and Government of Dominica officials on the Strategy Document and the model diversification programme before the latter is finalized.
It is envisaged that the model project/ programme to accelerate agricultural diversification in Dominica will be completed by March 1997 and that a high level team from the principal collaborating agencies will visit Dominica to seek the approval of the Government of Dominica for the model project/programme by the end of March 1997. After the approval of the project, funding sources will be identified and a mechanism for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project will be put in place.
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At the invitation of the Chancellor of UNCW, Professors Woodville Marshall and Earle Newton recently (29 April - 2 May) spent three days at that university. This was essentially a follow-up to a visit made by UNCW's Chancellor, Dr. Leutze, to Cave Hill in June 1996.
Both visits were part of the USIA-funded Affiliation Programme which facilitated staff and student exchange as well as collaborative work in Linguistics and Archaeology, between the two universities in the period 1993-96. The visit by Marshall and Newton was an additional opportunity for discussion about Study Abroad arrangements and about collaboration especially in Nursing Education, Marine Sciences, and Distance Education.
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A joint UWI/University of Toronto conference was held at the St Augustine campus in January as part of the Institutional Strengthening Agreement negotiated between the two institutions under the auspices of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). That Agreement had as one of its objectives the expansion and development of the human resource capabilities of each university. As part of that objective there were to be structured dialogues between the faculty and staff of the two universities. The January conference was seen as part of that agenda.
The conference was attended by three professors from the University of Toronto--Professor Daniel Ondrack, professor of Human Resource Management in the Faculty of Management, Professor Keith McLeod, Faculty of Education, and Professor Wes Shera, Dean, Faculty of Social Work. Professor Frances Henry of York University, who was then on a visit to Trinidad and Tobago, also took part in the meetings. There were fifteen persons from the Caribbean representing the three campus territories and the University of Guyana.
The conference discussions took place under three thematic umbrellas, Trade and the Environment; Small Business and Job Creation in the Era of Jobless Growth; and Multiculturalism and National Unity. Fifteen papers were presented and discussed. There was general agreement that both the papers and the discussions were of a very high level, and that they contributed a great deal to an appreciation of the issues as they manifest themselves in Canada, the Caribbean and elsewhere.
At the conclusion of the proceedings, both teams acknowledged that they had learnt a great deal from each other and that the exchange was very worthwhile. It was also felt that the meeting represented the beginning of what might well emerge as a fruitful and productive long term relationship. Some of the papers will be published in Caribbean Dialogue, the policy journal of the Institute of Social and Economic Research.
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Discussions focussing on Summer School programmes and student exchanges are currently taking place between the UWI and Wilberforce University. A preliminary meeting was held on 24 October 1996 at the Cave Hill campus between representatives of both institutions. Present at the meeting were Dr Alan Cobley and Dr Richard Goodridge (representing the Cave Hill Summer School) and from Wilberforce University the following: John L. Henderson, President of Wilberforce University, Theresa Henderson, educational consultant and spouse of the President; Dr Emeka Morah, Vice-President of the Office of Continuing Education and Academic Affairs; and Dr Aaronette White, Director of International Affairs.
The Wilberforce delegation came to Barbados with the general aim of establishing international collaborative partnerships with educational, corporate, and non-governmental organizations. In the specific case of the UWI, the Wilberforce delegation indicated that they were particularly interested in creating an environment for study, through participation in the Cave Hill Campus's Summer School and to this end a few students from Wilberforce will be enrolled in the UWI's 1997 Summer School. The Wilberforce delegation were also enthusiastic about developing a student exchange programme and this matter is presently being explored by officials of both institutions.
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In our last issue we provided some information on the Annual
General Meeting of UNICA (Association of Caribbean Universities
and Research Institutes) which was held on September 12-13, 1996,
at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston, Jamaica, and hosted
by the UWI. In this issue we bring you some further details
especially on the following main resolutions adopted at the
UNICA Annual General Meeting.
Resolution 1: Resolution establishing a Task Force on Information
Technology and Distance Education with the following terms of
reference:
The members of the Task Force are: Dr. Jose Jaime Rivera, President, University of Sacred Heart, Puerto Rico (Coordinator); Prof. Woodville Marshall, Pro Vice Chancellor for Non-Campus Countries & Distance Education, UWI; one representative of the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico; one representative of the University of Puerto Rico; one representative of the University of the Virgin Islands; one representative of one university in the Dominican Republic.
Resolution 2: Resolution on the Creation of a Data Bank on the Universities and Research Institutes established in the Caribbean.
It is expected that ACURIL (The Association of Caribbean Universities and Institutional Libraries) will play a major role in the establishment of this Data Bank. ACURIL was established in 1969 by UNICA as a conference of librarians from university and research institutions in the region. It was later expanded to include all types of libraries, archives, library organizations and individuals operating or residing in the Caribbean, South and Central American countries, as well as the United States.
Resolution 3: Resolution on Collaborative Effort of UNICA members in the areas of developing common programmes, Curriculum Development and Joint Degree Programmes. In this regard the meeting agreed to:
The Task Force will be composed of, Prof Woodville Marshall, UWI; Dr Rupert Silberie, University of the Netherlands Antilles; One representative of Inter-American University of Puerto Rico; One representative of one University in the Dominican Republic.
Resolution 4: Resolution supporting the University of Puerto Rico's ATLANTEA Project as a model for Faculty/Students/ Administrators Exchange Programme.
The Project is an open initiative of the University of Puerto Rico designed to promote research, links between faculty and students, and academic exchange with an inter-disciplinary perspective for the Caribbean. The project existed for many years in a non-organized way but was formalized and the name ATLANTEA adopted during the summer of 1995. ATLANTEA is a rare kind of butterfly endemic to the Greater Antilles, and the name was adopted to symbolize the theory of geological sisterhood (common origin) of the Antilles.
The UNICA meeting also supported the Global Leadership programme developed at the University of the Virgin Islands during the last two summers and requested all UNICA members to support and participate actively in the programme.
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Professor Marshall represented the University at these meetings which were held at the University of Sains-Malaysia in Penang, Malaysia on 6 May - 10 May. The main business of the CUSAC Steering Meeting was to receive a Progress Report prepared by the Commonwealth Secretariat and to consider recommendations for a rationalization of operations proposed by a consultant.
Participants noted that, while membership had increased from 28 to 45 since 1993 and that there had been a healthy increase in student exchanges, there had been negligible movement of students from universities in the developing countries. They agreed that inadequate funding was a principal cause of the skewed development and adopted those proposals in the consultant's report that offered a chance of removing this constraint. Therefore, participants, in supporting a fund-raising drive, agreed both to adopt a draft constitution which makes provision for an Executive Committee and to explore the possibilities of being incorporated into the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).
The workshop, which followed the Steering Meeting, was intended to offer guidance on the organization and management of international offices. This was a useful exercise, particularly for participants from universities which were in the process of establishing such offices and who could therefore benefit from the experience of universities like Guelph, Edith Cowan and Sains-Malaysia.
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During the period 3-11 February 1997 Dr Marlene A Hamilton, Pro Vice Chancellor (Undergraduate Studies), participated in a USIA-sponsored International Visitor Programme.
The aim of the visit was to examine quality and its assurance in higher education in the United States with a view to highlighting issues which might inform thinking at the UWI relative to quality assessment (audit & assurance); institutional effectiveness; quality and funding; and quality and student choice.
The visit was arranged to provide a multi-focal perspective on quality, targetting, for example, federal vs state concerns; a university system (composed of universities, liberal arts colleges and community colleges) vs a single-campus entity; (traditional) face-to-face teaching vs distance programmes; and a number of support structures such as staff development units, networking and professional associations. Dr Hamilton was able to collect relevant information from various educational departments and institutions in Washington, D.C, Philadelphia, PA, and Albany, NY.
Since her return to the UWI she has shared her experiences and information she collected with her staff, and participants at a Quality workshop arranged by her office soon after her return to the region.
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As you will recall, the Lome 1V-funded Cariforum University Level Programme features a set of taught bilingual (or trilingual) Master's degrees in the areas of Economic Development and Reform, Public Sector Management, International Business, Agricultural Diversification, Natural Resource Management, and Architecture (Tropical Architecture and Preservation and Conservation of Historical Monuments).
The degree programmes will be provided with infrastructural support, specifically in distance education, information technology, and language training. Approximately US$20m is likely to be made available for the preparation and establishment of this programme over a four year period, though the funding for the Master's degrees will last for only three years.
The following six institutions are involved in the programme: From the Dominican Republic, Pontifica Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Urena (UNPHU), and Universidad Catolica Santo Domingo; From Haiti, Universite Quisqueya; and from the Commonwealth Caribbean, University of the West Indies (UWI), and University of Technology, Jamaica.
The following are the main outcomes of a recently concluded meeting on the University Level Programmes held in Jamaica 28-29 April, 1997.
1. Needs Assessment in Information Technology: It was agreed that each participating university would identify its needs which would be assessed by a consultant with a view to making recommendations for the execution of the Information Technology component of the Programme.
2. Language Component: It was also agreed that there be a language component in each course. The meeting approved a three stage design UWI proposal involving preparation in territory of origin; immersion in territory of instruction prior to the beginning of the course; and reinforcement during course and remedial work.
3. Caribbean Regional Tourism Sector Programme: Detailed discussions were held on the UWI component of the Caribbean regional Tourism Sector Programme.
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We take this opportunity to wish those exchange students who spent the last semester at the campuses of the UWI a safe trip home. For the next academic year the UWI campuses are expecting to host students from the following universities: University of California, University of Calgary, York University, Brown University, University of Toronto, Bucknell University, Warwick University, Universite des Antilles et de la Guyane, University of North London, and Haverford College
UWI students will in turn be going to the University of Toronto, Central Connecticut State University, York University and Spelman College. During the last academic year six (6) St. Augustine students accompanied by Dr. Lancelot Cowie, (Exchange Co-ordinator) from the Faculty of Humanities and Education visited Venezuela to take part in a summer programme offered by the Simon Bolivar University.
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Please note that the West Indies Group of University Teachers, WIGUT (Barbados) has agreed in principle to provide some assistance to UWI students wishing to visit an overseas university for study purposes. We will provide further information once discussions on the funding proposal have been concluded.
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Office of the Board for NCCs & Distance Education
University of the West Indies
May 1997
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HTML version prepared May 23rd, 1997, updated November 10th, 1997.
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