Brock University In April 2019, The UWI signed an agreement with Canada’s Brock University, opening discussions about the establishment of a Canada-Caribbean Institute . At the same time, two existing MOUs were renewed, to promote international and intercultural understanding and academic linkages and enrich the cultural understanding of both universities. Universidad de los Andes In April 2019, The UWI established its first physical presence in South America, hosted at the Universidad de los Andes (Uniandes) in Bogota, Colombia. After more than three decades of inactivity, the association between The UWI and Uniandes resumed in an exciting and promising sustainable relationship with the Strategic Partnership for Hemispheric Development . The agreement, brokered by the Latin American Caribbean Centre (LACC) Director, Ambassador Gillian Bristol, was signed on behalf of The UWI by Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Dr. Luz Longsworth and on behalf of Uniandes by then Rector, Dr. Pablo Navas Sanz de Santamaria. The administrative office of this strategic partnership will be housed at the Office for International Affairs at Uniandes, Bogota. Prior to the signing of the MOU, meetings were held to define areas of collaboration, particularly in the fields of medical sciences and cultural studies. The UWI Faculties of Medical Sciences (FMS) were represented by Dr. Tomlin Paul and Dr. Winston De La Haye, Dean and Deputy Dean respectively, at The UWI Mona Campus. Dr. Sonjah Stanley-Niaah, Director, Institute for Cultural Studies and Reggae Unit, also from UWI Mona, led the talks on cultural studies programmes. Areas of mutual interest identified included research related to zebra
University. The Board also consists of six senior persons from each university, including the co-chairs. The UWI directors are Pro Vice-Chancellors Stefan Gift and Clive Landis as well as Dr. Sonjah Stanley Niaah, Professor Verene Shepherd, and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles. At the inaugural meeting, which discussed the research and project development agenda for the Centre, it was agreed that the Centre’s activities in its first ten-year phase will focus on three pillars: 1. The public health crisis in the Caribbean, particularly the chronic disease pandemic. 2. The search for post-plantation economy development policies that are innovative and progressive in the struggle for economic growth in the global economy. 3. The recognition that slavery and colonialism drove deep wedges between Africa and its Caribbean family, and the funding of strategies for project implementation to tackle the cultural divide. It was also agreed that in addition to project development and applied research, funding would be available for relevant reparations-oriented teaching programmes. In establishing these new international collaborations, The UWI continues to make good on its promise to bring its superior academic offerings to a broad global audience. These partnerships are proudly added to those established in earlier reporting periods, such as the State University of NewYork (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development ; the UWI-China Institute of Information Technology ; the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies ; and the Institute for Global African Affairs with the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
fish, medical student internships, Spanish language immersion programmes, and comparative cultural studies. A master’s degree in Global Comparative Cultural Studies has been developed by Dr. Stanley- Niaah in consultation with the Institutes for Cultural Studies at the St. Augustine and Cave Hill campuses and is currently under review with a view to its launch in September 2020. University of Glasgow In July 2019, The UWI shaped history as it framed the first-ever Caribbean initiative in reparatory justice in partnership with the University of Glasgow (UoG). The universities agreed to establish the Glasgow- Caribbean Centre for Development Research , which, through reparatory-oriented policy research, will address the legacies of slavery and colonialism, such as persistent poverty and extreme inequality in economic relations, chronic disease proliferation, educational inadequacies, and related inhibiting factors adversely impacting economic growth and social justice in the region. The Centre is the first institution within British university history that is dedicated to the slavery reparations policy framework. It was initiated with £20 million to fund research to promote development initiatives to be jointly undertaken over the next two decades. The sum of £20 million represents the present day value of the amount paid to slave owners as reparations by the British government when it abolished slavery in 1834. The Centre’s Board of Directors is co-chaired by Professor Simon Anderson, distinguished Jamaican scientist and Director of the George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre at The UWI Cave Hill Campus; and the accomplished Professor William Cushley from Glasgow
25
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker