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Editorial “One UWI, One Alumni Family” Volume 2, Issue 3 March 2007 Website: www.uwi.edu

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Page 1: UWI Connect March 2007

Editorial

“One UWI, One Alumni Family”

Volume 2, Issue 3 March 2007Website: www.uwi.edu

Page 2: UWI Connect March 2007

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Welcome to the March 2007 edition ofAlumni@UWI. I hope that you are aloyal reader and invite your commentsand suggestions. Our aim is to updatealumni, parents and friends of UWIabout how our graduate populationimpacts the Caribbean and the world.

Volunteering for something you believein can give one immense satisfaction.You can learn new skills, developimportant relationships and testassumptions and preconceived ideas.Volunteering for your alma mater cangreatly enrich your personal andprofessional life – after all, “there is noharm in doing well while doing good”.

Our alumni are our most valuable

Editorial

Members of the Vice Chancellor’s Presidents ClubUWIAA - PresidentsMs. Maxine McClean - BarbadosDr. Lisa Johnson - BelizeDr. Marcia Potter - British Virgin Islands Mrs. Deborah Ann Chambers - Cayman Mr. Ronald White - Florida Mrs. Nadine Marriott - Jamaica Ms. Sheree Jemmotte - MontserratDr. Hazel Carter - New York Dr. Cameron Wilkinson - St. Kitts & NevisMr. Nkrumah Lucien - St. LuciaMs. Maud Fuller - TorontoMr. Jerry Medford - Trinidad & TobagoMr. Vernon Barrett - United KingdomMs. Sha-Shana Crichton - Washington DCUWIAA- Past PresidentsProf. Frank Alleyne - Barbados Dr. Kedrick Pickering - British Virgin IslandsMrs. Beverley Pereira - JamaicaMrs. Brenda Skeffrey - Jamaica Mrs. Patricia Sutherland - JamaicaMr. Frederick Bowen - Trinidad & TobagoMr. Ulric Warner - Trinidad & TobagoMr. Daniel Sankar - Trinidad & TobagoProf. Franklin Knight - Washington DC

UWIEA - PresidentsEng. Hopeton Heron - JamaicaEng. Clyde Philip - Trinidad & Tobago

UWIMAA - PresidentsDr. Homer Bloomfield - Bahamas Dr. Mike Hoyos - BarbadosDr. Karl Massiah - Canada Dr. Victor Boodhoo - Florida (Central)Dr. Aileen Standard-Goldson - Jamaica Dr. Deo Singh - Trinidad & TobagoDr. Gerry Groves - USA Tri-State

UWIMAA - Past Presidents Dr. Robin Roberts - Bahamas Dr. Jeff Massay - Barbados Dr. Cecil Aird - Florida (Central)Dr. Novelle Kirwan - Florida (Central)Dr. Anna Matthews - JamaicaDr. Peter Fletcher - Jamaica Dr. Sonia Henry-Heywood - JamaicaDr. Aileen Standard-Goldson - Jamaica Dr. Richard Whitelocke - JamaicaDr. Nadia Williams - Jamaica Dr. Wendell Guthrie - JamaicaDr. R. E. David Thwaites - JamaicaDr. Vijay Naraynsingh - Trinidad & TobagoDr. Godfrey Rajkuma - Trinidad & TobagoDr. Winston Mitchell - USA Tri-State Dr. Hardat Sukhdeo - USA Tri-State Dr. Kathleen Watson - USA Tri-State

Editor: Celia Davidson FrancisDirector of Alumni RelationsOffice of the Vice ChancellorArticles: Campus Communications andPublic Relations Offices, Facilities

Departmental and Campus Newslettersand various contributors.Photography: Nathaniel Stewart - 2ndyear UWI student, Faculty of Pure &Applied Sciences; Campus photographers

Volunteer for Something you Believe In volunteers. However, I recognise thatit is hard to be an effective volunteer asit is difficult to juggle one’s volunteerduties as well as professional and domesticresponsibilities.

We thank alumni who volunteer andare connected to UWI throughmentorship and leadership activities orfinancial contributions. Continue to be“fans” of UWI. Volunteer and help tomake good things happen for yourUniversity.

Feel free to share this magazine withother graduates, friends andindividuals of Caribbean heritage.Enjoy!

SPOTLIGHTOurs to Nourish: Alumni and the University 3

HONOURS AND AWARDSProfessor Rex Nettleford Awarded Docteur Honoris Causa 4

FAREWELLUWI says Farewell to Professor Errol Morrison 6

PHILANTHROPYAFUWI Top Honours for Jimmy Cliff, Ruby DeeDavis 7

RECOGNISING EXCELLENCEVery Important Pelican 8

UWI-12/SCSLuz Longsworth Appointed Deputy Director SCS 9

THE PELICAN: A SYMBOL OFEXCELLENCE 10

CARIBBEAN FOCUSUWI Graduates in the CDB 11

UWI 60TH ANNIVERSARY 12

NEW PROGRAMMESNew Master of Arts in Teaching 13

COLLABORATIONLaunch of Distance Learning Programme forNursing with Ryerson University and UWI 14

UWIAA CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTSUWI Engineering Alumni (UWIEA) Formed 15NY Chapter Post Gala Reception 16Medical Alumni 17

UWI STAT AND CARIBBEANINTEGRATIONPrime Minister Gonsalves Praises CSMEAdvocacy 18

CAMPUS REPORTSCave Hill Student’s Big Accomplishment 19St. Augustine News Highlights 19Mona News Highlights 20

VIEWPOINTHow can Caribbean youth achieve sustainablelivelihoods? 24

SPORTSUWI Mona Campus Launches Sports Enhancement Project 26

Contents

Cover photo: Poui tree in bloom on the MonaCampus.

Page 3: UWI Connect March 2007

Spotlight

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proud of an institution if one does notknow what happens there, what areits plans, and the gaps that need to befilled. Every alumnus of The Universityof the West Indies must know that we can no longer depend on thecontributions of governments to bethe main source for the expansion anddiversification that we need to meetthe challenges of our Caribbean. Wehave to build the tradition of ouralumni, contributing to our growth and development. But we are on the right path and there are nowseveral high quality publications toinform alumni on what happens in the University, what is happening totheir erstwhile colleagues and howthey can contribute. To assist us inkeeping in touch and improving ourdatabase, I ask that all UWI graduatese-mail their contact information to [email protected] or call (876) 977-0054.

I am calling on alumni to help theUniversity expand by creating a‘tremendous fan base’. The UWI is aninstitution that concretises and pullstogether many of the other groups andaspirations of the Caribbean people.Let us all ponder on how the fan basecould be developed. How can wemanage such that West Indians allover the world, when they see thePelican (UWI symbol), feel that this issomething in which they can beproud, this is something which theywant to support.

Fans do not grow naturally and haveto be seeded in a sense. I urge alumnito seed this fan base throughout theworld. We have alumni, perhaps allover the world, and it is this fan basewe want to create. I appeal to alumnito find ways and means of acquiringUWI symbols so they can be seen asbeing a fan and can be aggressive inpromoting the fan base of thisinstitution.

I really do wish that all of us willseriously look at how we can ensurethat the fan base for this institutioncontinues for many generations intothe future.

Ours to Nourish: Alumni and the University

All great universities take pride in theiralumni and one measure of greatnessof universities is the extent to which itsalumni rally around and maintain it.

The word alumnus derives from theLatin word ‘alere’, meaning to nourishand it is this concept of nourishing thatis central to the role of alumni. Alumnihave always been nourished by theUniversity and this notion is present inthe designation of the place wherethey studied. We find reference to theUniversity of Bologna, established in1088 as the alma mater studiorum -caring mother of students.

The great universities trumpet theachievements of the graduates theyhave nourished.

NOURISHING ROLES

According to our Charter, theChancellor presides over the Guild ofGraduates which has become ourAlumni Association and this hascaused me to reflect often on thenourishing roles I see our alumniplaying. One of these roles is tostrengthen the bonds that bind thepast to the present to demonstrate the

continuity and permanence of ourUniversity.

As I speak with young peoplegenerally, as well as present and past students, I have found that there are two groups of personswhose thoughts bear on the need for institutions like ours. There are those who reminisce about the good old days and relate presentcircumstances to their rosy tintedperception of the past. It is almost asif they wish to have the comfort of aworld arrested in time and they see auniversity as an institution that guardsthe best of the traditions of their era and maintains some semblance ofpermanence.

Then there are others, especially theyounger ones, who recognise and areoften confused by the speed of thechange, which is really inevitable.They are instantly connected andconstantly wired. Cellphones are athird ear and their thumbs bearcalluses from video games and textmessaging. They have no fear ofmodern information technology.

I believe that the University has aspecial role to play in comforting both.It is very reassuring for the older andperhaps more traditionalist ones toknow that their institution is notchanging with every wind. Sometimesthat slowness of change is regardedwith disdain by some onlookers, butthat is a cross we bear and we canonly temper the charge by saying thatresponse to every passing whim andfashion is as sure a recipe fordestruction as is the stubbornnessand resistance to any change that is aharbinger of institutional dry rot anddeath.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The nourishment the alumni canprovide takes many forms. The mostobvious is by providing financialsupport. I know that the spirit of givingis one that also has to be nurtured andbuilt up steadily on the basis of regularcontact with alumni. One cannot feel

Sir George AlleyneChancellor, The University of the West Indies

Page 4: UWI Connect March 2007

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Honours and Awards

Professor Rex Nettleford Awarded Docteur Honoris Causa byUniversity of the French Antilles

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Professor the Hon. Rex Nettleford, a Vice Chancellor Emeritusof The University of the West Indies received a ‘Docteur HonorisCausa’ degree from the Universite des Antilles et de la Guyane(UAG) at its Guadelope campus along with three otherCaribbean awardees in what was the inaugural presentation ofsuch doctorates by the French West Indian University.

A release from the University states that ‘since its inception in1918, the title Docteur Honoris Causa has been one of the mostprestigious distinctions ever devised by French universities. It isa means of honouring personalities of foreign nationality foroutstanding services rendered to Science, Letters or the Arts, toFrance or to the university’. This solemn expression, still currenttoday underscores the importance of the conferral ceremonywhich took place for the first time at UAG on January 30, 2007.Guadelope, Martinique and Guyane are departments of France.

The citation from the UAG alluded to his academic work in thearts and culture which is recognised both regionally andinternationally.

Former Professor of Experimental Medicine and pioneering medical student atThe University of the West Indies, the late Pamela Rodgers-Johnson, washonoured by her Brazilian colleagues recently.

At the 9th International Symposium of the Human T-lymphotropic Virus (HTLV)in Brazil, the prizes for the best three presentations were named the 2nd PamelaRodgers-Johnson Prize. She was previously honoured in Salvador in 2000.

Professor Rodgers-Johnson is immortalised by her elegant description ofJamaican neuropathy (now called Human T-lymphotropic Virus, type 1associated myelopathy/Tropical Spastic Paraparesis (HAM/TSP). HAM/TSP is adegenerative disorder mainly affecting the spinal cord and is now recognised asbeing caused by HTLV-1. She was the first to report the presence of HTLV-1antibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients suffering from HAM/TSP(Jamaican neuropathy).

Pamela Rodgers, the youngest member of the first class of 33 medical studentswho started the Medical School at the University College of the West Indies(UCWI) in 1948, was adjudged the best clinical student at their graduation in1954. Since that time her research, teaching and clinical practice as aneurologist has earned her numerous awards, including the first CaribbeanWoman Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in 1992 and theVice Chancellor’s Award for Research Accomplishments in 1998. ProfessorRodgers-Johnson was Professor of Experimental Medicine in the Department ofMedicine, UWI from 1991 until her passing in 1999.

Brazilian Posthumous Award Honouring the Late ProfessorPamela Rodgers-JJohnson

Professor the Hon. Rex Nettleford

Professor Pamela Rodgers-JJohnson

Page 5: UWI Connect March 2007

Promotions/Appointments

Fellow, on attachment to the Schoolfor Graduate Studies and Research.

New Senior Appointments toVacant Positions:

Professor Martin Siepmann,Professor of Pharmacology, St.Augustine

Professor Paluri Murti, Director,School of Dentistry, St. Augustine

Professor Abiodun Adesiyun,Director, School of VeterinaryMedicine, St. Augustine

Professor Stephen Devadoss,Professor of Agricultural Economics/Agribusiness, St. Augustine

Dr. Bertel Kommonen, Professor ofVeterinary Surgery, St. Augustine

Dr. Joseph Lambiase, Professor, CLFinancial Duprey Chair in PetroleumGeology, St. Augustine

Dr. Anselm Hennis, Director, ChronicDisease Research Centre, the TropicalMedicine Research Institute, CaveHill

Extension of Appointments:

i. Professor Howard Spenceras Director of the ClinicalProgramme in the Bahamas, for afurther period of two years, fromNovember 1, 2006 toOctober 31, 2008.

ii. Professor DennisGayle, Interim ExecutiveDirector,

Institute of International Relationsat St. Augustine, from August 1to October 31, 2006.

iii. Professor P. R. Murti, ActingDirector, School of Dentistry at St.Augustine, from August 1, 2006 toOctober 31, 2006.

iv. Professor Terrence Forrester,Director, Tropical MedicineResearch Institute, re-appointedfor a further five-year period,retroactively from August 1, 2004to July 31, 2009.

v. Professor Ramananda Prabhu,for a period of one year (postretirement contract) with effectfrom August 1, 2007 in the Schoolof Dentistry, St. Augustine.

vi. Professor A. R. Carnegie,Faculty of Law at Cave Hill for twoyears (post retirement contract)with effect from October 1, 2006.

Professor Evan Duggan, Professorof Management Information Systems,was given a temporary appointment tothe Mona School of Businessfor two years, fromAugust 1, 2006.

Senior Lecturers Promoted to therank of Professor:

Dr. Simon Mitchell, Department ofGeography and Geology, Faculty ofPure and Applied Sciences, Mona;and Mr. Dennis Pantin, Departmentof Economics, Faculty of SocialSciences, St. Augustine.

Honorary Appointments:

The title Professor Emeritus wasconferred on Professor RameshDeosaran, Professor of Criminologyand Social Psychology and Director,Centre for Criminology and CriminalJustice, St. Augustine; ProfessorAlston Barrington Chevannes,Professor of Social Anthropology andAlister McIntyre Fellow, Mona Schoolof Business (Research and PolicyGroup); and Professor AlfredFrancis, Professor of AppliedEconomics and former holder of theGeorge Beckford Chair in CaribbeanEconomy, Mona Campus.

Visiting Professors Appointed:

Professor Carol Boyce-Davis,Professor of English and African NewWorld Studies, Florida InternationalUniversity, on attachment to theDepartment of Liberal Arts, Faculty of Humanities and Education, St.Augustine for the period January 1 toJuly 31, 2007.

Professor Richard Perryman,Director of Paediatric CardiacSurgery, Joe Dimaggio Children’sHospital, Hollywood, Florida, onattachment to the Department ofSurgery, Radiology, Anaesthesia andIntensive Care, Mona, from May 1,2006 to April 30, 2008.

Dr. Deanna Ashley, a well-knownfigure in Public Health andMedicine in Jamaica, wasmade Honorary Research

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Page 6: UWI Connect March 2007

Farewell

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The Chancellor’s review of UWI governance,initiated in 2004, has now reached the pre-implementation stage where a smallworking group, chaired by PVC Hamilton, willnow look at the agreed changes and reconcilethem with the existing statutory regulations (in

some instances, statutes and ordinances would need tobe amended and in others, new text drafted toincorporate the decisions). The major changes are concerned with the restructuringof the outreach sector, involving the establishment of a

virtual ‘fourth’ campus, to be known as the OpenCampus of The University of the West Indies; therestructuring of the governance of Graduate Studies andResearch, involving abolishment of the title Dean of theSchool of Graduate Studies and Research and a morepractical division of responsibilities between the PVCGraduate Studies and the PVC Research. Other changes have more to do with streamlining thecomposition of the University Council and various otherUniversity Committees, including the University Strategyand Planning Committee.

Governance Review Decisions

As an academic at The University of the West Indies,over a particularly prolific career Professor ErrolMorrison has produced over one hundred and fiftypeer reviewed papers, books, chapters, monographsand presentations. He is internationally recognised asthe originator of the Third Syndrome or Phasic InsulinDependence category of Diabetes Mellitus, related tomalnutrition. He launched and directed the UniversityDiabetes Outreach Project from which annualprestigious international conferences have beenhosted for the past fifteen years and he is co-founder and honorary life president of the DiabetesAssociation of Jamaica, with a current membership of more than 50,000persons.

As Chairman of theCouncil of VoluntarySocial Services from1998 to 2004, hebroadened his work toreorganise and raiselarge sums of moneyfor the entire voluntaryand non-governmentalcommunity. He hastaught and nurtured ageneration of youngerdoctors, many of whomhave now establishedtheir own impressivecareers. As Pro ViceChancellor for graduatestudies and researchhe presided over the growth and organisation of thegraduate school and attracted significant funding forCaribbean-wide graduate student and faculty research.

The University of the West Indies hails and congratulatesErrol York St. Aubyn Morrison, one of her most talentedand accomplished progeny and wishes him health andeven greater success as he proceeds on a new phase of

UWI says Farewell to Professor Errol Morrison

his sparkling career, as President of the University ofTechnology, Jamaica.

Excerpts from the Citation to Professor Morrisonby Professor Brian Meeks, Public Orator, UWI, Mona

Professor Morrison celebrates with members of hisfamily.

Professor E. Nigel Harris, Vice Chancellor, UWI

(left) presents Professor Morrison with his

citation.

Mr. WinstonBailey (left)Director ofFinance andUniversityBursar,congratulatesProfessorMorrison.

Page 7: UWI Connect March 2007

Philanthropy

AFUWI Top Honours for Jimmy Cliff, Ruby Dee Davis

Marley Award” at the event. Endorsed by Bob’s widow, Mrs.Rita Marley, O.D., and the Marley Foundation, the award ismade to an individual for outstanding achievements in theareas of art and culture.

A special award was presented to Mrs. Davis, star ofBroadway, television, radio and film, and a member of theNational Association for the Advancement of ColouredPeople (NAACP) and the Southern Christian LeadershipConference, in recognition of her work, which especiallybenefits minorities.

“Caribbean Luminary Awards” were also presented at theawards dinner to Jean Augustine; Irving Burgie; Samuel J.Daniel, M.D.; Geoffrey Frankson, M.D.; Malcolm Gladwell,Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy, Dancia Penn andElliott Mottley.

They were recognised as individuals who have left theirindelible mark on the Caribbean region and the world -persons who signify the progress made during the 20thcentury in particular some of the significant contributionsmade by the Caribbean diaspora.

Jamaican reggae artiste Dr. the Hon. James Chambers(Jimmy Cliff) and American actress and social activist RubyDee Davis, joined the prestigious ranks of “honourees” asproclaimed by the American Foundation for The Universityof the West Indies (AFUWI) at the 10th annual awardsdinner at the Waldorf Astoria, New York, on January 22,2007.

The gala, under the patronage of Dr. the Hon. HarryBelafonte, O.J., is a stellar event on the programme ofAFUWI which was established in 1956 to develop anendowment fund in the United States for The University ofthe West Indies.

The Foundation, which over the past decade has providedmany scholarships and grants and funded special projectsto foster the development of the UWI, has since 1998,recognised individuals and organisations linked to theCaribbean who have made exceptional contributions to theworld around them.

Jimmy Cliff, of “Wonderful World, Beautiful People”, “TheHarder They Come” and “I Can See Clearly Now” fame,was presented with “The University of the West Indies Bob

Dr. the Hon. JamesChambers (Jimmy

Cliff) after receiving theBob Marley Award.

L-R: Harry Belafonte, Patron ofAFUWI; Ruby Dee Davis, AFUWI

Awardee and Karl Rodney,Chairman of AFUWI.

L-R: Professor E. Nigel Harris, Vice Chancellor, UWI; Maurice Burke,UWI STAT President (St. Augustine); Jimmy Cliff, AFUWI Awardee; DaleJeffrey, Rex Nettleford Scholarship Winner; O’Neil Simpson, UWI STAT

Ambassador (Cave Hill), and Sir George Alleyne, Chancellor, UWI.

Cont’d. on page 8

From left: Glegg Watson, AFUWI Board Member; Professor E. Nigel Harris, ViceChancellor, UWI; Eric V. Eve, VC’s Award Recipient (VCAR); Michael Granger,VCAR; Wayne Seaton, VCAR; Lloyd W. Brown, VCAR; Wesley Wainwright, AFUWIBoard Member and Patrick G. Gaston, AFUWI Board Member.

From left: Ancell Harris, AFUWI Board Member,Richard P. Brown Jr., 10th Anniversary Awardee -founding member of the AFUWI Board and honouredfor almost three decades of commitment to theorganisation and to UWI; Professor Henry Fraser,Dean, School of Clinical Medicine and Research,Cave Hill Campus, Presenter of the Award.

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Page 8: UWI Connect March 2007

Recognising Excellence

Trinidadian national, Dr. Glenda Maynard, graduated from TheUniversity of the West Indies with a MB BS degree in 1971. Herinternship year was spent at the Port of Spain General Hospitalwhere for one year, she rotated through the major specialties.

During the subsequent years up to October 2006, Dr. Maynardworked in various capacities including Chief Medical Officer, inthe Trinidad and Tobago health sector. In this capacity, shefunctioned as the Chief Technical Advisor to the Government ofTrinidad and Tobago. Later she held the substantive position ofChronic Disease and Mental Health Advisor, Office of CaribbeanProgramme Coordination, Pan American Health Organization(PAHO), Barbados.

Dr. Maynard has represented the Government of Trinidadand Tobago at several international conferences includingthe Pan American Sanitary Conferences and PAHODirecting Council and World Health Assemblies. She alsoserved as a member and chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Women’s Health and Development.

She has engaged in consultancy on Primary Health Carefor the World Bank; consultancy on the Social andEconomic Analysis of Guyana for the Inter AmericanDevelopment Bank and done several consultancies forPAHO.

In October 2006, Dr. Maynard was appointed Director,Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC), Trinidad andTobago, reporting directly to the Director of the PanAmerican Health Organization. CAREC is a uniqueinstitution administered on behalf of twenty-one membercountries by PAHO, the World Health Organization’s(WHO) Regional Office of the Americas. Under aMultilateral Agreement, CAREC provides public healthconsulting, programme coordination, information andlaboratory, epidemiology and training services to twenty-one member countries (CMCs). CAREC enjoys aninternational reputation for its work in support of PublicHealth in the Caribbean and is a key promoter and agentof the initiative Caribbean Cooperation in Health (CCH).

Her writings include a chapter in the book “Social andEconomic Analysis of Guyana” and an article inCAJANUS 2002 on “Nutrition and Health Sector Reform”.Her academic pursuits in addition to her medical training include a Postgraduate Diploma in HealthAdministration (Leeds University) and a PostgraduateDiploma in Public Health (The University of the WestIndies, Mona). She has also obtained training in Project Formulation, Implementation and Evaluation(Organization of American States, 1978) as well asStrategic Planning and Team Building (Institute ofBusiness, Trinidad and Tobago, 1996).

Dr. Glenda E. Maynard

Very Important Pelican (VIP)

AFUWI Top Honours... (cont’d.)

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Receiving the Vice Chancellor’s Achievement Awards wereLloyd W. Brown II, Paul Campbell, Eric Eve, Michael Grangerand Wayne A. Seaton, deserving individuals of Caribbeanheritage who are ‘rising stars’ in their respective fields, orpersons who have made significant contributions to, or broughtto prominence, issues that affect the Caribbean.

UWI STAT and Cave Hill Campus Ambassador at Large, O’NeilSimpson, greeted the patrons on behalf of the student family ofthe UWI, and thanked them for their support for our institution.He congratulated AFUWI on its accomplishment of 50 years ofsupport of the UWI. “Allow me”, he said, “to take thisopportunity, on behalf of my fellow students across the region

whose gratitude I would wish to communicate, toencourage you all to continue and increase the levels oftechnical, logistical and financial support that are providedto the institution”.

“With your continued support”, he concluded, “we canensure that the UWI expands its luminary reach, as the‘light rising in the west’.”

Mrs. Elizabeth Buchanan Hind, Executive Director of theInstitutional Advancement Division and Ms. Ann-MarieGrant, Director of AFUWI were pleased with the evening’ssuccess which grossed over US$400,000.00.

Page 9: UWI Connect March 2007

UWI 12/SCS

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Luz Longsworth Appointed Deputy Director of the School ofContinuing Studies

Mrs. Luz Longsworth took up theposition of Deputy Director of theSchool of Continuing Studies (SCS)as of January 2007. She has beenseconded to this position for oneyear from her substantive position asthe Resident Tutor and Head of theUniversity Centre in Belize. Mrs.Longsworth is a UWI graduate with aBachelor of Arts and a Masters inBusiness Administration.

She has a history of service with TheUniversity of the West Indies (UWI)before her 2004 appointment asResident Tutor for Belize. Sheworked in the Office of the Principal

as Executive Assistant to the thenPrincipal of the Mona Campus,Professor Gerald Lalor from 1992 to1996. She also spent four years inthe Faculty of Arts and GeneralStudies as an Assistant Lecturer inSpanish and was also an AssistantRegistrar assigned to the Secretariatfor three years.

Mrs. Longsworth states that she isvery pleased to have been appointedDeputy Director of the SCS, andlooks forward to the challenges thatlie ahead for the University in respectof its strategic vision for the next five years especially for the UWI-12countries.

Courses offered by The University ofthe West Indies School of ContinuingStudies include:

Eight to twelve-week computer courses

One and two-year certificate courses

Fifteen-week courses with regionalAS Degree components

Ten-week business and professionalcourses

The School of Continuing Studies is

Mrs. Luz Longsworth

MOU Training Programme in collaboration with UWI SCS,Jamaica EasternOn Tuesday, February 27, over 300 civil servants whosuccessfully completed training in a wide cross-sectionof areas at the UWI School of Continuing Studies under the MOU Training Programme received theircertificates. The ceremony took place at the PhillipSherlock Centre for the Creative Arts on the UWI MonaCampus.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) betweenthe Government of Jamaica and the JamaicaConfederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) promotes thecountry’s sustainable development. Included in thevarious clauses of the agreement is a commitment ‘toimprove the quality of the labour force through training,

Marketing and SalesSpeech Writing and PublicSpeakingEvents ManagementEnglish Language forTertiary Studies

Computer FundamentalsComputer LiteracyComputer Applications for the OfficePC Support/MaintenanceNetworkingComputer Graphics

one of three outreach arms of The University of the West Indies that serve the UWI-12 and othercommunities that have no access to campuses. The others are TheUniversity of the West IndiesDistance Education Centre (UWIDEC)and the Tertiary Level InstitutionsUnit (TLIU).

SCS is the department that handlesthe country outreach, deliversprogrammes for credit and non-creditas well as coordinates theUniversity’s cultural and social remitin each country.

UWIDEC coordinates and deliversthe distance education programmesof the UWI e.g. BSc in ManagementStudies.

The TLIU is the unit that coordinatesthe official links with other tertiarylevel institutions in the 15 countriesincluding franchising and articulationof programmes.

The three arms all fall under theBoard for Non Campus Countriesand Distance Education.

In the campus countries UWIDEC isa separate operation from the SCS interms of the management.

retraining and education and the maintenance of corelabour standards in the public sector’. This training helpspublic sector employees to prepare for the needs of amodern labour market.

Training areas include::

Page 10: UWI Connect March 2007

The Pelican: A Symbol of Excellence

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Commemoration Celebrations andAlumni Week (Mona) honouredeminent historian Professor Sir RoyAugier and featured a week-longseries of activities organised by thePublic Relations Office and alumniorganisations. These included theOpening and Flag Raising Ceremony,Caribbean Day, a seminar by theSpecial Students Alumni and an After-Six-Mix by the Medical Alumni.

The 2007 Grand CommemorationConcert and Pelican Awards was a

success with UWI graduates andstudents showcasing their talents. TheUWIAA Jamaica Chapter gave PelicanAwards to Scientific Research CouncilHead, Dr. Audia Barnett and Dr. Andre Gordon, Managing Directorand Chief Executive Officer ofTechnological Solutions Ltd.

The UWIAA Jamaica Chapter alsohonoured longstanding ExecutiveCommittee Members Carol Grahamand Patricia Sutherland as well as

Life Member Celia Davidson Francisfor their contributions to the Chapter.Other Executive Members attendingincluded Gilbert Bellamy, SuwanneeCaine and Berletta Forrester. PastPelican Awardees in the audienceincluded Professor Gerald Lalor,Marjorie Whylie, Patricia Durrant andFather Louis Grenier. A moment ofsilence was observed to acknowledgePast Pelican Awardee Angella Kingwho died recently.

Dr. Andre Gordon (right) receives the Pelican Award fromProfessor the Hon. Gerald Lalor, Director General of theInternational Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences(ICENS) and Past Pelican Awardee. Dr. Gordon is the ManagingDirector and Chief Executive Officer, Technological Solutions Ltd.,the only private sector owned organisation of its kind in theEnglish-speaking Caribbean and the first private lab to be ISOcertified. He serves on several boards and is the currentPresident of the Jamaica Exporters’ Association.

Pelican Award recipient, Dr. Audia Barnett (right), is a former

Executive Director of the National Commission on Science and

Technology and the current Executive Director of the Scientific

Research Council. She serves on several boards and committees

locally and overseas. Professor the Hon. Gerald Lalor presents the

award to her.

L-R: Father Louis Grenier(UWIAA Executive Member), Dr. Audia Barnett (PelicanAwardee), Mrs. Carol Graham(UWIAA Executive Member),Mrs. Nadine Marriott (President,UWIAA Jamaica Chapter), Dr. Andre Gordon (PelicanAwardee) and Mrs. BerlettaForrester (UWIAA ExecutiveMember).

Page 11: UWI Connect March 2007

Caribbean Focus

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UWI Graduates in the CDBDr. Compton Bourne brings to his post as President,administrative experience garnered in the complexenvironment of university management. His appointment asPro Vice Chancellor and later Principal of the St. AugustineCampus of The University of the West Indies during one ofthe more challenging periods in its history attests to the highesteem his university colleagues placed on his leadershipand vision. His distinguished performance as a scholar andinternational consultant to governments, multilateral banksand organisations provides him with valuable insights.

Dr. Bourne’s experience as academic researcher andadvisor/consultant spans the fields of development banking,macroeconomic policy, human resource development, andhigher education policy and management.

He brings to CDB his recent experiences as a “Borrower”,having represented UWI in successful negotiations andimplementation of UWI’s expansion programme in all CDBcountries except Guyana. He is a Guyanese national whohas resided in Jamaica as well as Trinidad and Tobago formore than 20 years and is the CDB’s fourth president.

Other staff at the Caribbean Development Bank include UWIgraduates Mr. Marcellus Albertin, Ms. Valarie Pilgrim and Mr.Luther St. Ville.

Mr. Marcellus Albertin, a national of St. Lucia, assumedduty on September 1, 2006, in the post of Operations Officer,Project Financing Division in the Projects Department.

Mr. Albertin holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Economics from TheUniversity of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus and a M.A.in Development Administration from Carleton University,Canada. He also holds a Certificate in Teacher Educationfrom the School of Education, St. Lucia Teachers’ College.

Ms. Valarie Pilgrim, a national of Trinidad and Tobagoassumed duty on October l, 2006, in the post of OperationsOfficer (Technical Assistance), Project Supervision Divisionin the Projects Department.

Ms. Pilgrim holds a B.Sc. in Pure and Applied Physics(Hons.) from The University of the West Indies, St. AugustineCampus, a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) fromthe University of Bath, United Kingdom, and a PostgraduateDiploma in Project Appraisal and Management fromMaastricht School of Management, the Netherlands.

Mr. Luther St. Ville, a national of Dominica, assumed dutyon November 6, 2006, in the post of Operations Officer,Project Financing Division in the Projects Department.

Mr. St. Ville holds a B.Sc. in Management with Law from theLondon School of Economics and Politics, University ofLondon, and a M.Sc. in Agriculture and Rural Developmentfrom The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine.

My contribution of $............... will be paid as indicated:

CHEQUEPayable to The University of the West IndiesPayable to American Foundation for TheUniversity of the West Indies (donors in the USA)

CREDIT CARD:Visa American ExpressMasterCard Other

Card # .........................................Exp. Date: ......./.......

PERSONAL DATAName: ...........................................................................Address: ............................................................................................................................................................Home/Cell Telephone: ..................................................Home E-mail: ...............................................................UWI Graduate: Yes No Campus Attended: Mona St. Augustine

Cave Hill .........................UWI-12 Country

Graduation Year: ......................Faculty: ........................................................................

EMPLOYMENT DATAEmployer: .....................................................................Matching Gift Program: Yes NoWork Telephone: ..........................................................Work E-mail: ................................................................

Naming opportunities for individuals, corporations or inmemoriam at The University of the West Indies areavailable to contributors.For Donors in the USATax Status: AFUWI is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organisation and gifts are tax-deductible to the fullextent of state and federal laws in the USA.

To find out more about how you can give of your time, talent or resources to The University of the West Indies contact:

THE INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT DIVISIONOffice of the Vice ChancellorThe University of the West IndiesMona Campus, Kingston 7, Jamaica, West IndiesTel: (876) 977-0054 Fax: (876) 927-0264E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.uwi.edu

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Mona Campus

St. Augustine Campus

Cave Hill Campus

Ways to donate to the 60th Anniversary Fund:

Accounts that facilitate deposits of Sterling as well as United States and Jamaican currencyhave been set up. Please contact the InstitutionalAdvancement Division at: [email protected] more information.

We hope that you will plan on attending the events thatare planned all over the Caribbean to celebrate the60th Anniversary of The University of the West Indies.A complete calendar of events will be available in theJune 2007 issue of Alumni@UWI.

We also hope that you will purchase several itemsfrom the array of special 60th anniversarymerchandise that we are planning to have available, asproceeds from these items will go to the UWIRegional Endowment Fund which will be officiallylaunched in 2008. This special fund will allow thedevelopment of projects such as :

Commuting Students Facility (Mona)Student Accommodation for 800 - 1000 students (St. Augustine)Inter-faith Chapel (Cave Hill)Cultural Studies Institute (UWI-12)Commuting Students/Part-Time Students’Facility with Daycare Centre (Cave Hill)Sports Complex (Mona)Reading Diagnostic Literacy Project (UWI-12)

60th Anniversary of TheUniversity of the West Indies

Join our Vision:

“UWI - Caribbean Impact,Global Reach”

Page 13: UWI Connect March 2007

New Programmes

First Cohort of Distance Bachelor ofEducation Programme GraduatesThe University of the West Indies, Mona, recently conferred Bachelor ofEducation degrees on 62 secondary school teachers who are the pioneers ofa pilot programme which was launched by UWI and the Ministry of Educationand Youth in January 2003. The programme was delivered using a mix ofsummer, face to face and two semesters of online delivery. Fourteengraduates of this pioneering cohort received first class honours.

This special Distance Learning Programme enabled teachers to draw on theirdaily teaching experiences in the classroom and to apply new knowledge inthe subject content areas as well as new theories, philosophies and beliefs ineducation as encountered in the course of studies.

The emphasis of the programme is on subject content, enabling diplomagraduates from Teachers’ Colleges to be upgraded to the degree level and bebetter equipped to teach in the secondary school system.

New Master of Arts in TeachingCommencing in June 2007, the School of Education will be offering a self-financed Master of Arts (M.A.T.). The programme is expected to run forfive semesters and three summers and is offered on a part-time basis. Atthe end of the first year, students will have the option of exiting theprogramme and will receive a Postgraduate Diploma in Education, whilethose who complete the entire programme will be awarded the Master ofArts in Teaching. The programme is designed to cater to varying needs fortraining in the formal, non-formal, and private education sectors.

For further information regarding the programme please contact:Allison Montgomery, Graduate Studies Unit, School of Education at (876) 927-0221, 977-9811, or e-mail [email protected].

Four Month Course inthe Principles andPractice of Social WorkThe Social Welfare Training Centre ofthe School of Continuing Studies beganits four-month course in the Principlesand Practice of Social Work onWednesday, January 10. The course isa one of its kind in the region designedto meet the needs of persons workingin the broad area of social welfareeither as professionals or voluntaryworkers in recognised agencies whohave not had professional training insocial work. For this year fifty-fourindividuals from four countries namely:Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts andNevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadinesand Jamaica will participate.

The programme of lectures, seminars,discussions and practical work isdesigned to help participants to acquire elementary knowledge andunderstanding of human growth anddevelopment in the Caribbean context,an understanding of the role andfunction of social organisations andtraining in practical ways of meetingindividual and community needs. Thecourse will end in April with agraduation exercise.

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The three campuses of The University ofthe West Indies - Mona, Cave Hill and St.Augustine - will be implementing a new,state-of-the-art integrated online systemin their libraries in 2007. The MonaCampus launched the system onWednesday, January 3. This means thatthe users of the library will encounter acompletely new online catalogue that ismore user-friendly and providesimproved services.

The members of the library staff havebeen undergoing intensive training inpreparation for this newsystem. Various activitiesand training sessionshave also beenplanned in order tosensitise and trainusers.

New OnlineCatalogue System

World’s First Multimedia CD Compilationof Caribbean AscidiansThe Mona Institute of Applied Sciences (MIAS) launched the world’s firstmultimedia CD on the compilation of Caribbean Ascidians entitled“Caribbean Sea Squirts: The Goodbody Collection”. This compilation isauthored by the distinguished biologist, Ivan Goodbody.

The CD which is the first of its kind, was successfully compiled by MIASand Professor Ivan Goodbody, in collaboration with the EnvironmentalFoundation of Jamaica. It documents the Ascidians of the Caribbeanusing photographs, diagrams, voice and text by Professor Goodbody. Thiswork will be used in teaching and species identification by students,researchers, marine biologists and environmentalists locally andinternationally.

Professor Goodbody is one of the region’s iconic biologists, who hastrained generations of West Indian scientists at the UWI, Mona. He cameto Jamaica in 1955 and is currently Professor Emeritus in Zoology in theDepartment of Life Sciences. He is credited with pioneering research onenvironmental issues affecting the Kingston Harbour and the coastalareas and was awarded the Order of Distinction, Commander Class in1979 by the Government of Jamaica.

Page 14: UWI Connect March 2007

Collaboration

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Vice-Chancellor of Ryerson University and stated theirdelight about this collaboration.

Launch of the Distance Learning Programme for Nursing withRyerson University and UWIAccording to the Pan American HealthOrganization, approximately 35 percentof nursing positions in the Caribbeango unfilled partially because of the highcost of learning, inaccessible learninginstitutions and brain drain.

In response to this need, RyersonUniversity’s G. Raymond Chang Schoolof Continuing Education and TheUniversity of the West Indies (UWI)launched a state-of-the-art distanceeducation programme for nursesenrolled at UWI, which will enhancecapacity building and make learningmore innovative, efficient and costeffective. The launch took place onFriday, January 26 at the UWI.

Dr. G. Raymond Chang, Chancellor of RyersonUniversity and Mr. Sheldon Levy, President and

L-R: Professor E. Nigel Harris, Vice Chancellor, UWI; His Excellency the Most Hon.Professor Kenneth Hall, Governor-General, Jamaica; Dr. Raymond Chang, Chancellor,Ryerson University; Mr. Sheldon Levy, President, Ryerson University; Professor Elsa Leo-Rhynie, Principal of the UWI Mona Campus and Dr. Keith Hampson, Director ofDistance Education, Ryerson University.

UWI/UNESCO ProjectThe Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Educationof the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, CaribbeanUniversities Project for Integrated Distance Education(CUPIDE) and The University of the West Indies DistanceEducation Centre (UWIDEC) are proud to announce theirparticipation in the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyOpen Courseware in a Box programme. This mirror site isnow available to the people of the Caribbean at:http://ocw.cupide.org/.

CUPIDE (www.cupide.org) is a UWI-UNESCO projectfunded by the Japanese Funds-in-Trust for Capacity-

building. It is a collaborative initiative Involving UWI as theexecuting agency and the University of Guyana (UG),University Quisqueya (UniQ) in Haiti, Anton de KomUniversity of Suriname (AdeKUS), and the University ofTechnology, Jamaica (UTech) as co-beneficiaries. A ProjectAdvisory Committee (PAC), chaired by CARICOM,oversees the project. CUPIDE is intended to develop thehuman resources within the region through enabling eachof the five participating universities to develop and deliverquality distance education programmes using informationand communication technology (ICT).

Christine Marrett, Project Operations Manager

Mr. Jerry Medford is the currentPresident of the Trinidad and TobagoChapter of the UWI Alumni Association.He first served on the Executive as theFaculty of Engineering Representativefor the 2001-2002 term, and as theSecond Vice President for the 2003-2004 term. In 2003 he was elected FirstVice President and served in thatposition until 2005.

Mr. Medford holds a BSc. (Hons.) in Civil Engineering(1977), and a Diploma in Management Studies (1990)from The University of the West Indies. A registeredEngineer in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Lucia, Jerry is aFellow and Past President of the Association ofProfessional Engineers of Trinidad and Tobago, as well asa Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. In

his earlier years after graduation he worked extensivelyas a Consulting Design Engineer in Trinidad and theCaribbean before settling at Weldfab Limited as theTechnical and Support Services Director.

Mr. Medford is a Member of the Board of Trustees of TheCollege of Science, Technology and Applied Arts ofTrinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT), and the UWIDevelopment and Endowment Fund Committee. He alsoserves on the following Boards: Board of Engineering ofTrinidad and Tobago; the Board of the ContractorsAssociation of Trinidad and Tobago; Weldfab Limited andWeldfab (Barbados) Ltd. and the Board of Directors ofDesign and Environmental Services Limited (DESL), acommunity based organisation which is an extension ofthe Birdsong Steel Orchestra, founded by former UWIstudents.

UWIAA Trinidad and Tobago Chapter President

Mr. Jerry Medford

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UWI Engineering Alumni (UWIEA) FormedEngineering graduates of The University of the West Indies(UWI) are the latest professional grouping to join the UWIAlumni Association(UWIAA).

The UWI EngineeringAlumni will function asan autonomous regionalgroup under theumbrella of the UWIAA.They will partner with theUWI Alumni Associationin a number of activitiesand initiatives includingthe UWI’s 60thanniversary celebrationsnext year.

The UWIEA waslaunched at a JamaicaInstitution of Engineers (JIE) luncheon. Professor ClementSankat who was guest speaker noted that the faculty hashad 6,234 graduates in Engineering and Surveying sincebeing established in 1961.

The faculty delivers a range of undergraduate and post-graduate programmes across its five Departments - Civiland Environment, Chemical, Electrical and Computer,Mechanical and Manufacturing, Surveying and LandInformation. He noted that the faculty provides 340graduate engineers and surveyors as well as 130 mastersgraduates annually.

Professor Sankat noted that UWI “is not focused on simplygraduating technicians but is placing emphasis on well-

rounded professionals with skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, engineering managementand leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship.Engineers should not only be trained to accessjobs but also as employers of the future”, he said.

Professor Sankat said that the UWI was extremelyproud of its engineering graduates “who can beseen all over the region adding value in majorindustries such as Trinidad’s oil, gas and energysector, Barbados’ light and power industry

and Jamaica’s constructionsector.

His impressions of thesector were supported byDr. Rae Davis, formerPresident of the Universityof Technology, Jamaica,who was being honouredby the JIE. Dr. Davis saidthat he treasures his UWI experience, “as theengineering method hasproven valuable to me ineducation, management

and the various fields I have been involved in. Thecharacteristics of engineering enable one to maintainrelevance in our fast changing environment as the problemsolving method is the engineering method. I am proud to bepart of the engineering fraternity.”

Mrs. Leona Bobb-Semple, DeputyLibrarian (right) displays thecheque for J$15,000 which wasdonated to the Main Library, UWI Mona Campus by theUWIAA Jamaica Chapter and itsalumni partner, Ditto Limited. Ms.Joan Vacianna, Librarian (left)shows her appreciation which isacknowledged by Mrs. CharmaineWright, UWIAA Jamaica ChapterCampus Alumni Representativewho made the presentation.

UWIAA JamaicaChapterMakes Donation to Main Library

UWIAA Chapter Highlights

L-R: Engineer Peter Jervis andJoseph Aryee, Honorary Secretaryof the JIE, look at the programmeplanned.

L-R: Mr. Norman Anderson, JIEPresident, greets Dr. Rae Davis, JIEHonoree and Professor ClementSankat at the JIE Quarterly Luncheonand UWIEA launch.

Page 16: UWI Connect March 2007

UWIAA Chapter Highlights

2006 was a relatively successful inaugural year for theSt. Kitts and Nevis UWIAA Chapter. They had eightGeneral Meetings of which three had the following UWIalumni as guest speakers:

Dr. Cameron Wilkinson spoke on Crime/Trauma in the FederationAttorney at Law, Mr. Emile Ferdinand spoke onElectoral Reform IssuesMrs. Theresa Nisbett spoke on the Caricom SingleMarket and Economy.

The Chapter also had a successful walkathon which

raised EC$3,202.87 and in December and they endedthe year with a Fun/Games Evening that aptlyconcentrated on fellowship.

Elections were held in Feb 2007 and the new ExecutiveTeam comprises:

President (St. Kitts and Nevis): Dr. Caroline LawrenceVice President (St. Kitts): Mr. Osbert DeSouzaVice President (Nevis): To be electedSecretary: Mr. Floyd FrenchTreasurer: Ms. Icilma JeffersAssistant Secretary/Treasurer: Mrs. Cicely JacobsPublic Relations Officer: Ms. Carol Phillip

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Jimmy Cliff (second left) and his wife (left) greet a UWIAA New YorkChapter member at the Post Gala Reception. Other members andsupporters stand in background.Professor E. Nigel Harris addressing attendeesat the Post Gala Reception.

Sir George Alleyne makes his address at thePost Gala Reception hosted by the UWIAANew York Chapter.

Dr. Hazel Carter (centre), President of the UWIAA New York Chapter, surrounded

by members at the Post Gala Reception held in New York at the Trinidad and

Tobago Consulate.

NY Chapter Post Gala Reception

UWIAA St. Kitts and Nevis Chapter Highlights

Page 17: UWI Connect March 2007

Medical Alumni

Association of Consultant Physicians ofJamaica (ACPJ) Fourth Annual ScientificSymposium and BanquetThe Association of ConsultantPhysicians of Jamaica held its 4thAnnual Scientific Symposium andBanquet at the Jamaica PegasusHotel in September 2006. The themewas “Cancer in 2006: state-of-the-artand prospects for the future.”

The papers presented were of a high standard. Highlights were theWilbert Jeffrey-Smith Wilson MemorialLecture delivered by Dr. WycliffeLofters ‘68 on “Recent Advances intreatment of Her-2 neu positivedisease,” and a special lecture byProfessor Franklyn Prendergast ‘68on “The Future of Cancer Treatment.”Papers were also presented byProfessor Michael Lee ‘76, Drs. JeanWalters ‘81, Dingle Spence ‘87,Matthew Taylor ‘88 and GarfieldForbes ’90.

The Association, at a banquet

afterwards, honoured Dr. KarelDeCeulaer (Associate Lecturer inRheumatology, UWI, Mona), and Dr.Wycliffe Lofters (now AssociateProfessor, Queens University,Kingston, Ontario), for their manyyears of teaching and clinical serviceat the UHWI.

The large gathering of members of thehealth care profession, and theirfriends from the business community,were regaled by amusing anecdotesof medical student life at the UWI in the 60s given by ProfessorPrendergast in his after-dinnerspeech. Basing his comments on hisyears of experience at the Mayo Clinic, Professor Prendergast alsocommended the UWI Faculty ofMedical Sciences for its tradition ofexcellence: producing students of acalibre equal to any from NorthAmerica’s best medical schools.

The new graduates were warmly welcomed into the medical profession at amagnificent banquet hosted by the UWI Medical Alumni (Barbados Chapter), theBarbados Association of Medical Practitioners and the School of Clinical Medicineand Research.

Inspiring speeches were made by the co-hosts and the graduates, who werepresented with plaques and recited together a modern version of the HippocraticOath - the Pledge.

Alumni SupportThe UWI Medical Alumni (BahamasChapter) continues to provide supportfor the annual Cecil Bethel Award whichis presented at the induction ceremonyfor graduating students. Dr. Inga Smithis the 2006 awardee.

Raymond ChangFellowship

UWI Medical Alumni (Barbados Chapter)Banquet

Mr Raymond Chang prominentJama ican bo rn Canad ianbusinessman (recently installedChancellor of Ryerson University)has established the Raymond ChangFellowship in Sub-specialty InternalMedicine for Caribbean Trainees atthe University Health Network andUniversity of Toronto with a mainendowment to the Universal HealthNetwork Foundation.

Dr. Sheray Ward ‘99 is the firstrecipient of this fellowship and willstart training in Medical Oncology fortwo years at the Princess MargaretHospital and the University ofToronto. She completed the DM inMedicine in 2005 at UWI Mona.

Dr. Herbert Ho Ping Kong ‘65 forseveral years has been sponsoringtrainees for subspecialty training inMedicine at the University of Toronto.

Mr. Nkrumah Lucien President, UWIAA, St. Lucia Chapter

UWIAA St. Lucia Chapter HighlightsThe President of the UWIAA St. Lucia Chapter, Mr. Nkrumah Lucien reportedthat, as a part of their recent initiative the “UWI-Reasonings”, the St. LuciaChapter presented the first major lecture of the year: “The Course andSignificance of the Grenada Revolution”, on Saturday 17th March 2007 atthe CSA Centre in San Souci.

The presenter Dr. Didacus Jules, former Permanent Secretary in the Ministryof Education made use of visual media in his presentation and his lecture wasextremely enlightening. Dr. Jules served under the People’s RevolutionaryGovernment up to October 1984.

This lecture will be only the first of a series of efforts by the UWIAA St. LuciaChapter to encourage discourse and enlightenment in St. Lucia.

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Page 18: UWI Connect March 2007

UWI STAT and Caribbean Integration

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Prime Minister Gonsalves Praises CSME Advocacy by UWI STATAmbassadors

“The University of theWest Indies’ UWI STAT(Students Today, AlumniTomorrow) Ambassadorscan make a greatcontribution to theregion by helping topromote the CaribbeanSingle Market andEconomy (CSME)”,Prime Minister of St.Vincent and theGrenadines the Hon.Ralph Gonsalves said.

He made his commentsas he addressedstudents at PrestonHall, UWI Mona, onSunday, February 4,

2007 on the invitation of UWI STAT (Mona) who haveCSME advocacy as one of their mandates.

Prime Minister Gonsalves advised the students to“have a sense of the integration process, to trace theprocess from talks of Federation, through theCaribbean Free Trade Area (CARIFTA), through theestablishment of the Caribbean Community(CARICOM) and the Revised Treaty of Chaguramus,to the evolution of the CSME”.

The Prime Minister told the students that issues of tourism,technology, trade, transportation, security and production,among others, were all critical areas being addressed under

the CSME, for the collective benefit of the region.

He called on the region to “gaze outward a little more whilenot abandoning their individual responsibilities in order toovercome the insularity that is “slowing the process”.

“We must overcome our islandness while maintaining ourdistinctiveness. The best way to overcome poverty is bystrengthening our governing arrangements and being moreintegrated”, he said.

Extending an invitation to UWI STAT members to “come toSt. Vincent in the summer to speak to people incommunities about regional integration”, Prime MinisterGonsalves told the students, “Don’t forget the main purpose you are here. But, you can do well academically

and still allocate timeto do other importantthings that will helpyou grow.”

He praised the UWISTAT Ambassadorsfor CSME advocacy,noting that “underthe present ViceChancellor, UWI isproving far moresensitive to theneeds of non-campus territories

and programmes are being organised in a better way tofulfill these needs.”

Standing: UWI STAT Ambassadors (Mona) and seated (from left) Mrs. CeliaDavidson Francis, Director of Alumni Relations, Dr. Thelora Reynolds, Director

of Students Services; Dr. the Hon. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister, St. Vincentand the Grenadines and Professor E. Nigel Harris, Vice Chancellor, UWI.

Dr. the Hon. Ralph GonsalvesPrime Minister

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Professor E. Nigel Harris (right), discusses the role ofUWI STAT Ambassadors with Carlos Michel amember of the Corps.

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Campus Reports

Cave Hill Student’s Big AccomplishmentDale Destin, whograduated from theUWI’s Cave Hill Campuswith a Bachelor ofScience degree in anunprecedented triplemajor - informationtechnology, meteorologyand mathematics withFirst Class Honours -has created history.

While employed as ameteorological assistantwith the Antigua andBarbuda MeteorologicalOffice Destin applied tothe World MeteorologicalOrganisation for ascholarship to pursue aBachelor of Sciencedegree in meteorologyand, in 2003 he wasawarded that scholarship.

“I always knew that once I was granted the

scholarship, I would pursue studies in information technologyin addition to meteorology”, he said. But a triple major was thefarthest thing from his mind. In fact, he admitted he was a bitnervous just getting through the mathematics required for histwo initial majors - meteorology and information technology -far less considering it as a major.

He picked up a number of maths courses and, after his first year, realised he could do all the credits required for a

triple major which included mathematics.

He accumulated 143 credits - three more than is requiredfor a triple major - mainly by doing a lot of summercourses.

“Being told there is no such thing as a triple major by mostpersons I raised the matter with, I was going to settle for the joint major of information technology andmeteorology, but about three weeks leading up tograduation, I raised the matter with the Dean of Pure andApplied Sciences, Mr. Carrington”.

“I asked him if the University officially recognised it as atriple major and he told me that there was no such thingas a triple major,” Destin said.

Not long after that conversation, he received a letter fromthe dean that changed his life. “He wrote me and told methey had officially asked the University board to considerthe matter. And I guess the rest is history.”

Destin kept the good news a secret until it wasannounced at the graduation and if that wasn’t all - healso achieved First Class Honours.

“My friends and family are happy for me. It feels good tocreate history. I am proud and humbled at the same time.

He was also awarded the Dean’s Prize for hisaccomplishment and says, “My advice would be simplydon’t let the things around you make you feel hopeless orfeel you have to follow the crowd. Believe in yourself andlisten to the older ones around you.”

Source: The Sunday Sun, November 12, 2006Edited version of article written by Melissa Wickham

SStt.. AAuugguussttiinnee NNeewwss HHiigghhlliigghhttss

Caribbean scholars participate in the DevelopmentAlternatives with Women for a New EraMiss Suzanne M. Charles and Miss Georgia O. Brown bothbased at the Regional Coordinating Unit of The Centre forGender and Development Studies were selected as two offifteen female Caribbean scholars to participate in theDevelopment Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN)2006 schedule of training. DAWN, a network of womenscholars and activists, works globally and regionally in Africa,Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific on thethemes of the Political Economy of Globalization; PoliticalRestructuring and Social Transformation; SustainableLivelihoods; and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights,in partnership with other global NGOs and networks. TheWorkshop, which is intended to build capacity among youngfeminists in understanding linkages between different regional

and global issues and advocacy, was held in Trinidad andTobago from November 11 - 18, 2006.

Miss Charles, a Junior Research Fellow and MPhil/PhDcandidate with the Centre, manages the research project onGender Differentials at the Secondary and Tertiary Levels ofthe Education System in the Anglophone Caribbean, funded bythe Caribbean Development Bank and other regional donors.

Miss Brown, a graduate student of the Centre and a CUSOCooperant, assists with the research portfolio of the Centre.Both ladies were awarded full fellowships from the UnitedNations Development Fund for Women to attend theprogramme.

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Dale DestinUWI Cave Hill graduate

Page 20: UWI Connect March 2007

Campus Reports

MMoonnaa NNeewwss HHiigghhlliigghhttss

40 Anniversary of Barbados IndependenceBarbadian students at the Mona Campus celebrated the40th Anniversary of Barbados Independence withBarbadian residents in Jamaica and friends ofBarbados. There were several activities to mark theoccasion commencing with a Flag Raising Ceremony atthe A. Z. Preston Hall, which was held on November 30,2006. Members of the Barbados Students’ Association(BSA) and the Honorary Consul of Barbados, Mr.Winston Bayley, participated in the ceremony.

On December 1, 2006 Mr. Elombe Mottley, a formerDirector of the National Cultural Foundation in Barbadosgave a lecture on the 40th Anniversary theme, “A ProudPast: a World Class Future”, at the Main Library of theUWI. A display mounted by the students at the MainLibrary was viewed by the Rt. Honourable Owen Arthur,Prime Minister of Barbados. The Prime Minister also

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Research Day 2007The University of the West Indies, Mona hosted its annualResearch Day on January 25 and 26, 2007 under thetheme: “Higher Education: Pathway to Success.” The two-day event featured an exhibition showcasingresearch in which UWI is engaged. Special researchawards were also presented in the following categories:Best Research Publication, Research Project Attractingthe Most Research Funds, the Most OutstandingResearcher or Research Activity and the ResearchProject with the Greatest Business/Social/ DevelopmentalImpact across faculties and the Centre for Gender andDevelopment Studies.

As part of these activities the Department of Physicsofficially launched its new undergraduate major inAlternative Energy Studies on Thursday, January 25 inkeeping with the renewed research thrust of thedepartment in the field. There were four public forumsheld under the theme: “Higher Education: Pathway to Success” at the Social Sciences Lecture Theatre.Tours of the campus were conducted and variousfaculties hosted activities including: tours of facilities,seminars, demonstrations, poster displays and videopresentations.

Mona School of Business Awards CeremonyJust under a hundred and sixty graduates of TheUniversity of the West Indies in 2006 are from the MonaSchool of Business. The Mona School of Business alsoboasts an excellent Diploma Programme which seesapproximately 35 students graduating each year.

In order to highlight the successful completion of the

various programmes, the Mona School of Businesshosted an annual Graduation and Awards Ceremony.The guest speaker was Colm Delves, CEO of DigicelGroup. Students were given special awards at thisfunction for excellence in varied areas. Awards includedthe Principal’s Awards for Leadership and awards forOutstanding Performance.

had vibrant discussions with the students on a widerange of topics.

Students also attended a Service of Thanksgiving whichwas held at the UWI Chapel. The sermon was preachedby Reverend Frank Barker, a Barbadian Lecturer at theUnited Theological College of the West Indies.

On Monday, December 4, students attended a 40thAnniversary Reception, hosted by Prime Minister OwenArthur and Mr. Winston Bayley at the Jamaica PegasusHotel. Prime Minister Arthur addressed the group on theprogress and future plans for Barbados. Guests includedBarbadians residing in Jamaica, Barbadian studentsfrom tertiary institutions and friends of Barbados from thebusiness, education and other sectors of society.

Left photo: Students at the UWI Chapel on the morning of theService of Thanksgiving on December 3, 2007.

Right photo: The Rt. Hon. Owen Arthur, Prime Minister of Barbados anda UWI alumnus (in suit), poses with students at the reception held to

commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Barbados Independence.

Page 21: UWI Connect March 2007

Conference Highlights

having served for 21 years in NewZealand politics.

OAS Secretary General Makespresentation at UWI, MonaCampus

His Excellency José Miguel Insulza,Secretary General of theOrganization of American States (OAS)made a presentation on Tuesday,February 6, in the Undercroft, UWI,Mona.

The Secretary General’s briefpresentation focused on Latin Americaand the Caribbean: Year in Review:Opportunities and Challenges andaddressed issues such as scholarshipprogrammes.

Inaugural Dennis Irvine Lecture

The University Council of Jamaica(UCJ) staged the inaugural DennisIrvine Lecture on Friday, February 9 atthe Undercroft. The lecture wasdelivered by the Governor-General ofJamaica, His Excellency the MostHonourable Professor Kenneth Hall,himself a UWI alumnus.

11th Annual Derek Gordon Seminar

The Department of Sociology,Psychology and Social Work hostedthe 11th Annual Derek GordonSeminar on January 27 under the theme, Gender: CommunityOpportunities and Challenges in the21st Century. The event took place atthe Social Sciences Lecture Theatre.The keynote speaker was Dr. LeithDunn, Head of the Centre for Genderand Development Studies, Mona Unit.

Perinatal Conference 2007The Department of Obstetrics,Gynaecology and Child Health, UWI,Mona hosted its Perinatal Conference2007 under the theme “PerinatalNutrition” from February 9-10. Thekeynote address was given byProfessor Allan Jackson on ‘LongtermEffects of Impaired In-utero Nutrition’.Workshops covering several topicsincluding: Breastfeeding and MaternalNutrition by Caribbean Food andNutrition Institute (CFNI) and Obesityin Pregnancy were also hosted.

6th Annual PsychologyConferenceThe 6th Annual PsychologyConference, hosted by the PsychologyUnit, Department of Sociology,Psychology and Social Work, MonaCampus, with the theme: Impact ofPsychology in the Caribbean was heldFebruary 26-28, 2007.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Gives Lecture atUWI, MonaThe Rt. Honourable Don McKinnon,the Commonwealth Secretary-Generalgave a lecture entitled “Small Islands,Big Spirits - the Caribbean in theCommonwealth”, at the PhillipSherlock Centre for the Creative Arts(PSCCA) on Thursday, February 8. Hislecture was a part of the UWIDistinguished Lecture Series 2000 andBeyond, organised by the Office of theVice Chancellor.

The Rt. Honourable Don McKinnon isa New Zealander who has anextensive and distinguished career ininternational politics and diplomacy

The seminar sought to highlight thework of graduate students in theDepartment. This year’s programmeconsisted of three panels namely:Psycho Disparities Between Sexes, Perspectives from theCommunity and Crashing the GlassCeiling or Impervious Membrane.

5th Caribbean NeurosciencesSymposium

The Department of Surgery, Radiology,Anaesthesia and Intensive Care in theFaculty of Medical Sciences and theUniversity Hospital of the West Indieshosted the 5th CaribbeanNeurosciences Symposium fromJanuary 25-27, 2007. The honouree forthe Symposium is Dr. Kingsley Chin ofthe University of Pennsylvania whoalso delivered the keynote lecture onSaturday, January 27.

Science and Technology Lecture

A consortium of CARISCIENCE, theScientific Research Council, theJamaican Society for Scientists and Technologists, the NationalCommission for Science andTechnology, the University ofTechnology, and The University of theWest Indies, hosted a lecture by Dr.Khotso Mokhele on ‘Science andTechnology in South Africa Today’.

Dr. Mokhele, who is President andChief Executive Officer of the National Research Foundation of the Republic of South Africa, is a short term UNESCO consultantcontracted to make observations and recommendations on CARICOMcountries’ Science, Technology andInnovation (STI) efforts, correspondingstructures and private sector STI

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Cont’d. on page 22

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Conference Highlights (cont’d)

needs and how they can be met.

While in Jamaica Dr. Mokhele met withSTI stakeholders and governmentofficials serving STI portfolios.

Inaugural Professorial Lectures

The Faculty of Social Sciences, UWI,Mona hosted its inaugural publicProfessorial Lectures in November andDecember 2006. Professor BrianMeeks from the Department ofGovernment presented on the topic,“Imagining the Future: Rethinking thePolitical in Jamaica” on November 28at the Undercroft, UWI, Mona.Professor Patricia Anderson from theDepartment of Sociology Psychologyand Social Work presented on thetopic, ‘Jamaican Fathers: BetweenCulture and Economy’, on December5, 2006 at the Social Sciences LectureTheatre.

“Mary Seacole: Her Contribution and Legacies”

The Mary Seacole Hall held a Lectureon Tuesday, November 21 at theSenate Building of the Undercroft, UWI,Mona under the theme “Mary Seacole:Her Contribution and Legacies.”Deputy Dean of the Faculty ofHumanities and Education andLecturer in the Department of Historyand Archaeology, Professor PatrickBryan, made this address.

Reproductive Health Conference

The Advanced Training and Researchin Fertility Management Unit hosted aconference on Reproductive Healthfrom October 26-28, 2006. The aim ofthe conference was to bring togetherorganisations and individuals in thepublic, private, NGO and academicsectors involved in policy, planning,research and service delivery todiscuss pertinent issues in reproductivehealth.

The National Family Planning Board incelebration of its 40th anniversarycollaborated with the AdvancedTraining and Research in FertilityManagement Unit and gave a lectureon its work and achievements. Over150 participants attended among whichwere representatives from FogartyInternational Centre, University ofMiami; Stanford University, USA;Ministries of Health, Jamaica andNigeria and the Mona, Cave Hill and St.Augustine Campuses of the UWI.

CARIMAC’s Inaugural Cricket CoverageWorkshopThe more than 1.2 billion pairs of eyes and ears on the Caribbean for World CupCricket 2007 required regional reporters to go beyond the boundary to capture thesights and sounds of the game. The Caribbean Institute of Media andCommunication (CARIMAC) of The University of the West Indies helped reportersdo this through its “Covering Cricket” workshop which ran for three days, startingThursday, February 22, and delivered instructions and advice on reporting the sport.

CARIMAC’s “Covering Cricket” workshop provided a foundation for reporters toimprove the standard of their work and their approach to covering World CupCricket 2007.

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St. AugustineMarch 26-28, 2007 Eighth Annual SALISES Conferencethemed Crisis, Chaos and Change:Caribbean Development Challengesin the 21st Century, St. AugustineCampus

April 23-26, 2007School of Education, St. Augustine,Biennial Conference, Reconceptualisingthe Agenda for Education in theCaribbean.

MonaJune 27-30, 2007Fourth Caribbean PhilosophicalAssociation Conference at UWI(Mona). Theme: Shifting theGeography of Reason IV: IntellectualMovement. Deadline for Abstracts:March 30, 2007.

August 31 - September 2, 2007The Annual Mona AcademicConference. Theme: ‘Freedom:Retrospective and Prospective’.

Cave HillAugust 9-10, 2007Cave Hill Philosophy Symposium2007, Conversations III: Aspects of Freedom. Deadline forAbstracts: April 30, 2007. Contact:[email protected]

Upcoming Conferences

Professor Brian Meeks

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In Celebration of Their Lives

BYRON ROBERTSON

Mr. Byron Robertson, former University Registrar, passed on inNovember 2006. He joined the staff of the University in 1970 andworked as an Assistant Registrar until he was promoted to the post ofSenior Assistant Registrar in June 1971 and then to CampusSecretary (Mona) in August 1979. Consequent on the restructuring ofthe University in 1984, Mr. Robertson was named Campus Registrar.He was appointed to act as University Registrar in October 1985 onthe retirement of the University Registrar, Carl Jackman and wasappointed University Registrar in 1986.

As Registrar he had responsibility for the overall coordination andsupervision of the central registrarial functions of the three campusesof the University and the non-campus contributing territories. He wasalso responsible for ensuring that the decisions of the GoverningCouncil and Senate, and of their respective committees were carriedout.

A naturalised Jamaican, Byron Robertson was a former member ofthe British Institute of Management (MBIM), past member of theBoard of Directors, GSB Co-operative Credit Union; HonoraryMember, Jamaica College PTA Executive, Chairman of the UniversityHospital of the West Indies Board and President of the Mona PrimaryPTA where a house has been named in his honour. Second to hisadministrative achievements at the UWI he was an avid sportsmanserving as a Track Judge for the Jamaica Athletic Association andrepresenting the University in cricket for many years.

DR. ERROL KINGDr. Errol King was a founding member of the UWIAA New YorkChapter, and UWI Medical Alumni Association. A native of St.Vincent, Dr. King completed his medical degree at UWI Mona,specialising in surgery. He practised in Brooklyn and St. Vincent. Amemorial service was held for Dr. King on September 10, 2006 inBrooklyn and the Government of St. Vincent has announced that itwill name a scholarship in his honour.

PROFESSOR DAVID STEWARTProfessor David Stewart was the Foundation Professor ofObstetrics and Gynaecology at the UWI Faculty of Medicine atMona.

Professor Stewart joined the UWI when clinical teaching began atthe University Hospital, from the University of Aberdeen. He was arevered member of the faculty until he retired in 1990, when hereturned to the land of his birth, Canada, re-settling on family landin Southern Manitoba. His death, at the age of 90, followed a hipfracture.

Professor Stewart was the father of John Stewart (Class of ‘69), whountil 2004 was Professor of Neurology at the University of McGill.

ANGELA EVELYN KING CD

Dr. Angela E.V. King served as SpecialAdvisor on Gender Issues andAdvancement of Women, at the level ofAssistant Secretary-General of theUnited Nations (UN) since 1977. Ms.King chaired the Inter-Agency Networkon Women and Gender and Equality andsupervised the Division for theAdvancement of Women. She had along history of active work for theadvancement of women in the UNSecretariat: she was a founding memberof the ad hoc Group on Equal Rights forWomen and chaired the Secretariat’sHigh-level Steering Committee onImproving the Status of Women.

From 1992 – 1994, Ms. King was onassignment as Chief of Mission of theUN Observer Mission in South Africa,and was one of the first two women tohead a UN mission on preventivediplomacy and peace-building. Ms.King’s diplomacy and advocacy with theSecurity Council in cooperation withother UN entities and non-governmentalorganisations, led to the adoption of theCouncil’s resolution 1325 (2000) onWomen, Peace and Security.

Ms. King received a BA (Hons) in Historyfrom the University College of the WestIndies and was the first female Presidentof the Guild of Graduates (now the UWIAlumni Association). In November 1999,Ms. King received an Honorary Degreeof Doctor of Laws from The University ofthe West Indies. She received thePelican Award from the UWIAA JamaicaChapter in 2002 and was very pleasedto have been recognised in this way byher peers. She kept in touch with manyof her UWI friends up until her death andat the memorial services in New York,USA and Kingston, Jamaica, asked thata collection be taken up for TheUniversity of the West Indies. TheUniversity of the West Indies and theUWIAA pay tribute to a loyal andoutstanding graduate.

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How can Caribbean youth achieve sustainable livelihoods?service industries, tourism andfinancial services. Our economies aretherefore fragile and vulnerable. Justconsider all the things that negativelyimpact these industries: natural andman-made disasters, terrorism, war infar and near places and the cost ofenergy.

Our conservation efforts must not just concentrate on the physicalenvironment but also on our socialand cultural environments. Everyday,we must respond to the intrusion ofother cultures and norms. For us in theCaribbean, the US media and itsinfluences are omnipresent. Our youthare more conversant with “Fiftycent”than Bob Marley or David Rudder.West Indians have many things incommon but should also celebrate therichness of our diversity. We mustensure that generations to come areable to recognise and enjoy theindividual characteristics of each ofour countries. We must respect ournorms and traditions. We mustdocument them regularly in all mediaand be constantly vigilant that all ourpeople appreciate them. They will helpus to be sure of who we are as apeople and that will protect our socialfabric and in turn our livelihood.

Today, crime and person on personviolence challenge us. Too many ofour young people do not completeprimary and secondary education andtoo many of our youth are in prison.Too many of our youth do not havewhat is required to be gainfullyemployed. We are battling substanceabuse and lifestyle diseases such asHIV and AIDS while the so-calledchronic diseases high blood pressureand diabetes and cancer are fuelled byour diet and lack of physical exercise.These conditions pose an increasingthreat to our livelihood. In our globalvillage, we are not safe from anything.

Over 10 years ago, the term“sustainability” became the buzzwordat the United Nations’ Earth Summit inRio de Janeiro. Since then attentionhas been focused on attaining a‘sustainable world’!. Given the various interpretations of sustainabledevelopment and the need to ensureemphasis on human beings, thedialogue has evolved to a focus onsustainable livelihoods. A livelihood is much more than a job or an income gathering activity. “A livelihoodcomprises the capabilities, assets andactivities required for a means of living.A livelihood is sustainable when it cancope with and recover from stressesand shocks and maintain or enhanceits capabilities and assets both nowand in the future.” (DFID, UK)

How can Caribbean youth focus thisissue to safeguard the future? Somegovernments have taken fairly serious

action while others have not. Whatare the challenges faced in order toachieve sustainable livelihoods?How do you achieve a good qualityof life within the context of ourCaribbean realities, within thecontext of all the talk and no action?How do we deal with globalizationand the absence of a level playingfield in trade and economicactivities? How can we take thingsforward?

The Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) represent a globalpartnership that has grown from the commitments and targetsestablished at the world summits of the 1990s. Responding to the world’s main developmentchallenges and to the calls of civilsociety, the MDGs promote povertyreduction, education, maternalhealth, gender equality, and aim at

combating child mortality, AIDS andother diseases.

Development is often recognised byeconomic growth. It is assumed thatthe national wealth translates intobetter living conditions and economicparticipation for all citizens. In ourquest to catch up with the world and achieve development througheconomic growth, a number of factorsaffecting our societies as a whole areleft behind, lagging or untouched. Weoften forget the fundamental linkbetween the environment and ourlivelihoods. We often forget that at the centre of sustainability are peopleas a whole! The tension betweendevelopers and environmentalists is a constant feature of our landscape.Without sustainable environmentsthere can be no sustainable livelihood.

Many of our countries are not rich inminerals and other natural resources;our economies are dependent on

Dr. Marcia PotterResident Tutor, UWI Centre,

British Virgin Islands

Viewpoint

West Indians have many things in common but should also celebrate the richness of our diversity. Wemust ensure that generations to come are able to recognise and enjoy the individual characteristicsof each of our countries. We must respect our norms and traditions. We must document them regularlyin all media and be constantly vigilant that all our people appreciate them. They will help us to be sureof who we are as a people and that will protect our social fabric and in turn our livelihood.

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Viewpoint

Other challenges facing us include thelack of adequate natural resourcesthroughout our region and the threat ofoverpopulation in some areas. Further,we often seem focused on nationalisticattitudes and priorities rather thanhaving a focus on regionalism. Europehas decided that competitiveness andsustainable economies could beenhanced by the creation of theEuropean Union. Through the OECS,CARICOM and now CSME, we havereaped the benefit of working jointly onproblems and issues that affect ourregion. The realities of globalisationand interdependence are ever presentyet we still fail to come together as weshould. In addition religious extremismpervades the world and in most majorfaith blocs we find intolerance and aninability to compromise. Even whererights are enshrined in constitutions,we discriminate and our prejudicesinform our decisions and actions.

It used to be that all that was requiredto work was a strong back and awillingness to work, then a secondaryschool education. Today, the workrequirements and the work environmenthave changed. Work still requires thebasic skills of reading, writing andcomputation but a renewed emphasisis being placed on skills such asthinking/analysis and problem solvingalong with certain personal traits. Skillswe seem to have lost somewherealong the way. In the 1970s, thepersonal computer was unveiled to theworld and soon entered the workplace. Work and every facet of life hasnot been the same since then.

A well rounded education, the ability tolearn, the ability to apply knowledgeand being computer literate are basicrequirements. In the Caribbean, whilethere have been improvements ineducation, we are still lagging behindthe developed world in many facets.This gap is only growing wider in a global economy where literacy,

knowledge and specific skills are more crucial than ever to makingsustainable livelihoods. How then do we in the Caribbean prepare for contributing to or achievingsustainable livelihoods?

1. Education is key. Our youth must see their education asimportant and vital to theirexistence. Our societies must seeeducation as being more than thelearning of information. Accordingto The SCANs (The Secretary’sCommission on AchievingNecessary Skills) Report forAmerica 2000 – ‘What workrequires of Schools’ - the five criticalcompetencies needed are the:

- ability to identify, organise, plan,and allocate resources,

- ability to work with others, - ability to acquire and use

information,- ability to understand complex

inter-relationships and systems,and

- ability to work with a variety oftechnologies.

2. Begin to cultivate moderation in your behaviours and inconsumption of the goods that youcan afford. Pay attention to newdevelopments that can reduceenergy consumption and that cansave money and resources.Become serious about recyclingwaste.

3. Begin to practice conservation ofyour environment and property.Where the former generations andour leaders have failed you intaking the correct measures, youmust take up the baton andendeavour to make things right.Become advocates for theenvironment; demand that policiesand legislation be put in place andnot only put in place but monitoredand enforced.

4. Develop healthy lifestyles. Avoidthe lure of drugs and alcohol, eatbalanced meals, exercise regularly,do not underestimate the value ofsleep and recreation.

5. Cultivate maintenance habits todelay replacement of equipmentetc.

Changing behaviours and attitudes isno easy task. As individuals you maynot feel capable of doing many thingsto change the situation around you butyou are not helpless. Start with a smallgroup of persons in your home,community, school or workplace withsimilar views and ideas and build fromthere. You must decide to take charge of your destiny. Sustainablelivelihoods do not happen by chance.You set goals and work towardsrealising those goals. Nor is it the work of one individual; families,communities and nations must cometogether purposefully to ensuresustainable livelihoods for all.

Changing behaviours and attitudes is no easy task. As individuals you may not feel capable of doing manythings to change the situation around you but you are not helpless. Start with a small group of persons inyour home, community, school or workplace with similar views and ideas and build from there. You mustdecide to take charge of your destiny.

The five critical competencies needed are the:

ability to identify, organise, plan, and allocate resourcesability to work with others ability to acquire and use informationability to understand complex inter-relationships and systems ability to work with a variety of technologies

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Sports

UWI Mona Campus Launches Sports Enhancement ProjectEmphasizing “U” in UWI Sports!The official sports slogan is Emphasizing “U” in UWISports! This slogan calls for a united approach in thedelivery of sport at the Mona Campus from staff,combined with the full participation of all students withinthe campus.

On Thursday February 1, 2007, the Mona Campus of the UWI launched the Sports Enhancement Project at a function in the Undercroft, Senate Building. The participants heard from the Vice ChancellorProfessor E. Nigel Harris on the importance of sportwithin the University; the Campus Principal ProfessorElsa Leo-Rhynie on the approach of the campustowards student-centredness through sport; the DeputyPrincipal, Joseph Periera; Director of Sports (Mona)Grace Jackson and the Guild of Students.

The launch also saw the unveiling of the new UWI MonaSports Website: www.mona.uwi.edu/sports. The scopeof the project covers the enhancement of the currentathletic facilities in the Halls of Residence and at the

Mona Bowl; the offering of scholarships, grants andbursaries as well as emergency medical services attraining and competitions. The development of theCampus Master Plan proposes a new athletic facility forthe Mona Bowl which will have a multi-purpose athleticand ceremonial hall, courts for lawn tennis, basketball,netball and volleyball, practice and competitive fields forcricket and football, and a jogging trail for recreationalusers.

For further information please contact:Richard Toomer, Coordinator, Sport Enhancement ProjectTel: 876-977-0121; 512-3475; 927-1660-9, Ext: 3475Email: [email protected]

Website launch

The Sports Enhancement Project is located in the Officeof the Deputy Principal, and was formed to develop anew thrust in sports at The University of the West Indies,Mona Campus. The Project works in collaboration withthe UWI, Mona Sports Unit located in the Office ofStudent Services and Development, and has thefollowing terms of reference:

To facilitate a new thrust in sports with the involvement of all stakeholders To redouble the interest in UWI (Mona) sports from both student-athletes and supportersTo create and maintain a website for sports at UWI(Mona)To promote and award sports scholarships and grantsTo oversee the rehabilitation and development of the current athletic facilitiesTo review and update the design for the sporting facilities outlined in the Campus Master PlanTo assist in the development of new athletic facilities for UWI (Mona)To assist in the development of a new Strategic Plan for UWI (Mona) sports

In keeping with the Strategic Plan for the University, it isenvisaged that our students will not only be leaders inacademia, but also leaders in out of classroom learning.With this in mind, it is our intention to offer the student-athlete in Jamaica and the Caribbean internationallycompetitive athletic facilities and programmes whilereading for a quality UWI degree. This will present theenvironment for our students to show their sportingprowess while providing their fellow students andnumber one supporters with a spectacular show.

Meet “Pete the Pelican”The Sports Enhancement Project uses the official

campus mascot “Pete the Pelican”. The logobeing used by the Project captures

‘Pete’ as an academic as well as astudent athlete, who keeps his

book close to his heart, whileundertaking the challengeof combining studying with

training and competitions.The backdrop of the

Caribbean Sea shows‘Pete’ the true son of anintegrated region on his

island surrounded by hissports of choice. He awaits the

challenges of the world and encourages teamwork andsportsmanship among his fellow Pelicans.

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The University of the WestIndies is producing the futureprofessionals, leaders andacademics of the Caribbeanregion. Make the UWI yourfirst port of call for postgraduate education andrecommend its undergraduateprogrammes to your familyand friends.

Barbados

Belize

British Virgin Islands

Cayman

Florida

Jamaica

Montserrat

New York

St. Kitts and Nevis

St. Lucia

Toronto

Trinidad and Tobago

United Kingdom

Washington D.C.

UWIAA Chapters - 2006

BarbadosMrs. Roseanne Maxwell

Cave Hill CampusTel: 1-246-417-4544

[email protected]

JamaicaMrs. Charmaine Wright

Mona CampusTel: 1-876-927-1583

[email protected]

Trinidad and TobagoMs. Charmain SuberoSt. Augustine Campus

Tel: 1-868-662-2002, Ext: [email protected]

Campus AlumniRepresentatives

The University of the West IndiesOne University, Three Main Campuses, Twelve UWI Centres

Published by Alumni Relations, Institutional Advancement Division (IAD) in association with Stratcom Marketing Services.

MONA

Student Affairs(Admissions) SectionMona CampusJamaica, W.I.Tel: 1-876-927-2779, 927-2271Fax: [email protected]

CAVE HILL

Student Affairs(Admissions) SectionCave Hill CampusBarbados, W.I.Tel: 1-246-417-4119/20Fax: [email protected]

ST. AUGUSTINE

Student Affairs(Admissions) SectionSt. Augustine CampusTrinidad & Tobago, W.I.Tel: 1-868-663-1933Fax: [email protected]

UWI 12

Information on distance, face toface and mixed delivery coursesmay be accessed through:

1. School of Continuing [email protected]

2. Board for Non-CampusCountries and DistanceEducationwww.uwichill.edu.bb/bnccde

3. UWIDECwww.dec.uwi.edu

Alumni@UWI is accepting advertisements for upcoming issues. Pleasecontact the Institutional Advancement Division at (876) 977-0052/4 or e-mail: [email protected] for advertising rates and information.