Vice-Chancellor’s Report
CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENTS, REMEMBERING GIANTS AND GREATS
The Honourable Justice Rolston Fitzherbert Nelson replaces Her Majesty the Queen of England as Visitor Since the inception of The UWI, Article 6 of its original Royal Charter has designated Her Majesty the Queen as “Visitor” of the University. This title confers the right or duty of occasionally inspecting and reporting on a college or other academic institution. As the University’s 70 th anniversary celebrations drew to a close, and following the precedent set by other Commonwealth universities, a recommendation was
Professor DaleWebber receives Jamaica’s Order of Distinction in the Rank of Commander For his outstanding career in coastal ecology and environmental management, together with years of influencing young minds through his career as an educator and researcher, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the Mona Campus, Professor Dale Webber received the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander (CD). The National Honours and Awards Ceremony was held at King’s House in St Andrew on October 15, 2018.
put forward for The UWI Charter to be amended to empower the University Council to name a new Visitor. In November 2018, Her Majesty endorsed it, and the Privy Council approved the amendment. In April 2019, the University Council accepted the recommendation to appoint Justice Nelson, an eminent retired jurist, as the first Visitor from the region, to serve for a period of five years in the first instance. A key role of the Visitor is to settle UWI disputes with staff and students, who have the right to appeal decisions of the University to the Visitor once all other internal remedies have been exhausted. The Visitor also has the authority to adjudicate on matters based on the interpretation and application of the University’s Charter, Statutes, Ordinances, Regulations and other governing instruments, and his decisions on such matters are considered final. In the past ten years, none of these appeals have been heard, thus the move to appoint a Visitor from within the region is a great stride towards ensuring that these petitions can be heard expeditiously.
Former UWI Vice-Chancellor Sir Alister McIntyre Passes On
In April 2019, the region and the UWI family lost an icon with the passing of former Vice- Chancellor Sir Alister McIntyre, OCC, OM, CCH who dedicated his life to regional development, and was described by Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness as “a foremost actor in our evolution as Caribbean people.” He served as Vice-Chancellor from 1988–1998. Among his many visionary and radical initiatives, he was keen on institutionalising a culture of formally rewarding academic, administrative and service efforts. The establishment of the annual Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence arose from this intention.
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