Vice-Chancellor’s Report
Adding to Our Field of Distinguished Professors of Practice
This collaboration between the regional organisation of universities and the development bank offered an exchange platform to economic, political and academic leaders across the Caribbean and Latin America to discuss their role in developing innovative entrepreneurship in the Caribbean and facilitating sustainable development in small nation states. The symposium allowed participants to discuss the concept of the Caribbean as one space with a focus on issues significant to the region: education and access to accreditation and recognition, cultural economy, the blue economy, regional security, public health, and entrepreneurship, among other relevant topics. Universities Caribbean, which is led by Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles as its President, aims to create more opportunities for academics to engage with practitioners to build strategies to implement One Caribbean solutions. IDB Sub-Regional Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation The Sub-Regional Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation in Kingston, Jamaica in June 2019 was organised in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Development Bank of Jamaica and sought to engage Caribbean policymakers, tertiary level educational institutions and private sector stakeholders in conversations on how to strengthen ecosystems that support dynamic entrepreneurship and innovation in the Caribbean and Latin America. It culminated in the symposium held at The UWI, themed “One Caribbean Solutions”, which further interrogated the role that universities play in advocacy for the region.
These engagements were spearheaded by the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Graduate Studies and Research, with sessions held in Port of Spain, Trinidad; Cave Hill, Barbados; and Kingston, Jamaica. A specific session also targeting the countries served by the Open Campus was earmarked for the new academic year. Arising out of the consultations were key agreements on areas such as the need for greater alignment between The UWI and industry; more industry-relevant projects; and greater research collaboration between industry and The UWI, where industry can influence the research agenda. A robust database of industry partners has also been established to assist in various development activities as The UWI’s entrepreneurial thrust continues and its ecosystem is built out. Partnering for Development Universities Caribbean: One Caribbean Solutions On Friday, June 14, 2019, The UWI Regional Headquarters was the venue for “One Caribbean Solutions”, a yearly symposium convened by Universities Caribbean , formerly the Association of Caribbean Universities and Research Institutes (UNICA). The main objective of this annual forum is to create awareness among rectors and presidents of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and other stakeholders of the important role that universities play in the advocacy for finding practical solutions to challenges faced by the Caribbean and Latin American region. The 2019 edition of the symposium, organised in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), sought to develop sub-regional policy dialogue on science, technology and innovation.
In the reporting period, The UWI continued to appoint subject matter experts to the distinguished position of Professor of Practice . In June 2019, Dr. Sterling Frost , a senior career banker and the Deputy CEO, Operations and Administration, First Citizens and a UWI alumnus, was appointed Professor of Practice in Management Studies, attached to the Faculty of Social Sciences at the St. Augustine Campus. In July 2019, Mr. Dodridge Miller , President and CEO, Sagicor Financial, one of the leading finance minds in the Caribbean, with more than 30 years’ experience in the banking, insurance and financial services industries, was assigned to the Vice-Chancellery, The UWI Regional Headquarters as Professor of Practice in Finance. Engaging the Private and Public Sectors Understanding that innovation is a key driver of economic growth, the University has embraced a leadership role in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship across the region to realise this growth. As it takes those necessary steps to become more entrepreneurial, consultations with Industry were held in the year under review in the areas of Research and Innovation; Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation; Teaching and Learning; and University and Industry Collaboration.
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