Partnerships with several organisations also resulted in the Campus delivering special courses to stakeholders thus improving access to its programmes, another critical pillar of the Triple A strategy . Among these are partnerships with The UWI Mona Campus’ Institute of Caribbean Studies, which involved provision of services for offering the course “Culture of Rastafari;” Jamaica Promotions (JAMPRO) for the conversion of JAMPRO’s face-to-face course, “A Step-by-Step Guide to Exporting” into an online workshop; UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Area with whom the Campus successfully implemented the Needs Assessment for Safety and Justice for Children component of the agreement. In conjunction with the Caribbean Policy Development Centre, the Campus successfully implemented the NGO Professional Management Certificate programme during the 2018/2019 academic year. The programme, funded at a value of US$135,168, allowed for the granting of 86 scholarships to enable students to complete the course. The Campus is serious about both our alignment with industry and other partners as well as our diversification of revenue sources. I congratulate the Business Development Unit, the Continuing and Professional Education Centre and Academic Programming and Development Division for the pivotal roles that they are playing in this area. Response to Hurricane Dorian Once again the Campus and the entire UWI community were called upon to respond to another devastating onslaught of a hurricane. Hurricane Dorian, the most powerful hurricane on record, pounded Abaco Islands and Grand Bahamas in The Bahamas. The Campus
expeditiously responded with assistance to students and their families and lead the University’s response. A bank account was established for donations of funds at a regional bank and a collection point was set up at the Open Campus Mona office for donations of non- perishable items. At the earliest possible time, the Campus dispatched Dr. Cheryl Sloley, Deputy Director OCCS to Nassau to offer assistance to staff, students and their families. She held one-on-one meetings with students, the majority of whom requested and subsequently received leave of absence (LOA). She was also on hand to welcome Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles and other UWI team members. Dr. Sloley also represented the Open Campus at a forum entitled Hurricane Recovery in The Bahamas, hosted by the Vice-Chancellor on Friday, September 13, 2019, to provide an update on the post-Hurricane Dorian crisis. Hurricane Dorian not only proved once again that states in the region are susceptible to natural disasters, but also that the region needs to continue to build its resilience capacity to better respond to affected territories. The efforts of The UWI generally and the Open Campus in particular is evidence that the University is willing to be at the forefront of this effort in the region. Thank you to Global Affairs Canada The Global Affairs Canada’s Strengthening Distance Education in the Caribbean (SDEC) Project came to an end in 2019 after six years in operation. The project has made a major difference in the Campus, positively impacting all aspects of the Campus’ operations.
These figures represent an increase of 14.04% when compared with applications for 2018/2019; 18.52% when compared with 2017/2018 and 3.86% when compared to 2016/2017 respectively. We continue to strive for increased enrolment and retention as key elements of our Access strategy. Strategic Partnerships The year under review was marked by increased collaboration between the Open Campus and several partner organisations and institutions at the national, regional and international levels. These strategic partnerships were solidified with the signing of Memoranda of Understanding and Letters of Agreement and manifested in joint activities throughout the year. Partnerships the Campus entered into this academic year included the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers’ Association Inc. This MOU provides a framework for cooperation between the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers’ Association representing the regional rum industry and The University of the West Indies. The first planned collaboration involves an online certification offering in rum and spirits production. Such certification could be offered regionally and internationally, in several languages. The Campus collaborated with the Jamaica Defence Force to host a two-day Cybersecurity Workshop entitled “Cybersecurity: Pathways to Managing Cyber Vulnerabilities” on July 24 and 25, 2019. The workshop attracted speakers from North America and the Caribbean and attendees from throughout the region.
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