I salute you all and urge you to continue to keep the light from the west shining ever so brightly.
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES
KEEP THE LIGHT FROM THE WEST SHINING EVER SO BRIGHTLY
ROBERT BERMUDEZ CHANCELLOR, THE UWI
AS I END MY TENURE AS CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES, I WISH THE ENTIRE UWI COMMUNITY – STUDENTS, STAFF, ALUMNI AND OTHERS – THE VERY, VERY BEST.
Presiding over graduation ceremonies was an especial honour and pleasure for me. Witnessing the procession of graduates, greeting them and wishing them the best in the future was profound. Over the past few years, approximately 9,000 graduates in total have emerged from all the campuses each year, and it is a remarkable collective achievement – the graduates, their families and the academic and administrative staff who work with them to ensure that they complete their programmes. These graduation ceremonies require considerable planning and coordination and the University Registrar and his team of Campus Registrars and their dedicated teams are to be commended for the elegance and grandeur of the ceremonies. To the current student body, I wish you the best as you work through your academic programmes whether it is in hybrid mode, face-to-face or fully virtual. You are part of a diverse community that has served this region and the world well. Maintain the high standards that the institution has established over the years. Enjoy your student years! There is also tremendous support from external stakeholders – the Governments, private sector, philanthropic groups and individuals, regional and international development partners. I thank them all for their attentiveness to the needs of the institution as it seeks to meet the needs of the region it serves. These partnerships are important and deeply appreciated.
hese past seven years have been a fascinating journey for me and I have learned much about the institution and its inner workings. I have been most impressed by the passion and commitment of the staff at all levels who keep the institution going. You believe in what the institution represents. The UWI serves as a vehicle for
advancement for young and not so young people of the Caribbean – and indeed the world, as the key resource for technical expertise for governments of the region, and as a major player in Caribbean affairs. Your dedication and hard work is what The UWI’s reputation rests on and I salute you all and urge you to continue to keep the light from the west shining ever so brightly. Between my installation as the 6 th Chancellor in October 2017, to this moment in 2024, The UWI continued to evolve – as all progressive institutions should. Universities exist to serve the communities in which they are embedded and as the needs and demands of those societies changed, so did The UWI. During this period, the leadership of the institution established a new campus – the Five Islands Campus in Antigua and Barbuda, the Open Campus transformed to the Global Campus, all campuses became more entrepreneurial to support income from traditional sources. The COVID-19 pandemic provided The UWI with an opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to function in an almost virtual setting – including hosting graduation ceremonies! I applaud the collective leadership of the institution. They are dedicated and determined in equal measure as they are caring and courageous.
Robert Bermudez It has truly been an honour to serve this region and The UWI as the 6 th Chancellor. As I hand the baton to my successor, I thank you all for the graciousness you have extended to me. The thoughtfulness and kindness of so many of you over these past seven years is deeply appreciated. Thank you and best wishes to you all. Robert Bermudez Although I am not an alumnus of The UWI, the role of Chancellor encompassed being head of an amazing alumni community. The alumni are the most visible outputs of the university, and they function at all levels, in every discipline and across organisations of all types in every country and continent. I was highly impressed by the commitment of alumni around the world to their alma mater – certainly those who remain engaged with the institution. I encourage them all to continue to remain connected, not just as supporters of events, but as adjunct lecturers, mentors to current students, advisors on curricula, and as members of the various management and advisory committees. To each member of the alumni community, I ask that you encourage one other graduate to re-engage with The UWI.
IT HAS TRULY BEEN AN HONOUR TO SERVE THIS REGION AND THE UWI AS THE 6 TH CHANCELLOR
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