Simplify UWI, says former senior academic

A retired University of the West Indies  Pro-Vice Chancellor has suggested the abolition of some top posts at the regional university as part of his answer to streamlining its “costly and complicated” administrative structure.

Professor Emeritus of the Cave Hill Campus, Sir Woodville Marshall has said that the two-tier administrative structure of the regional institution needs to be simplified and streamlined to achieve a more cost-effective operation.

“I don’t have any estimate of how much would be saved from streamlining the structure, but it really means you would abolish a number of posts like University Registrar and University Bursar and all of those so-called central appointments,” Sir Woodville said in an interview with Barbados TODAY.

The scholar, who was Knighted by the Queen in 2011 for his exceptional contribution to education, was explaining the current management structure of the UWI against the backdrop of a recent petition sent to the governing body – the University Council – by a team of academics from universities around the world.

The more than 100 members of the international academic community warned that the UWI’s global reputation is in danger of being irreparably damaged if the term of office of the 66-year-old Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles is not renewed.

Most of the scholars who are professors from such higher educational institutions as Harvard University, Yale University, the University College of London and Rhodes University, are particularly worried that the renowned Barbadian historian’s contract may not be renewed because of his outspokenness on issues of justice, equity and ethics.

As the chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission Sir Hilary has spearheaded the region’s advocacy for the Caribbean’s former slave-holding and colonising European states to honour the historical debt owed to the Caribbean through slavery and colonialism.

While Sir Woodville is also backing the reappointment of Sir Hilary and a restructured institution, he has sought to make a case for a new approach to the way the regional body is administered.

“While the campus principals are responsible for running the affairs of the campuses, the Vice-Chancellor, on the other hand, coordinates what is happening and runs the University Centre at Mona in Jamaica. The centre is where major decisions are taken about the direction in which the university will go. The people who work directly under the Vice-Chancellor are the University Bursar, the University Registrar and one or two other appointments. So you see, we have a sort of dual system of administration. One is campus-based and one is university-based,” the former Professor of History and author told Barbados TODAY.

“Let me just say quickly that one might think that this is too complicated and perhaps too expensive for us to keep. We should move in the direction of streamlining the administration of the university. Because as it is, you can see from what I have just said, it is at least a two-tier system…what operates at the University Centre…university-wide in other words, and then what operates at the campus level,” the well-respected academic stated.

“What I have been thinking about for some time, is that we should simplify that structure in the direction of having a rotating of the Vice-Chancellorship between the Principals of the campuses, so that you don’t maintain two separate administrations.

“As it is, we have two. We have this thing called the Centre which is presided over by the Vice-Chancellor and then you have the various campuses and the others. I would say therefore simplify the process and it would certainly be cheaper as well as just having three campuses, four campuses or five campuses,” said Sir Woodville.

Turning specifically to the reappointment of Sir Hilary, he has given his support, but with some reservations.

“Yes. From what I know, yes, because I know that Hilary is an energetic individual, is a very able individual. I think therefore that he…whatever he is doing in terms of running the university, he is convinced that he is doing it for the good of the institution and for the good of our regional community. What I am saying is that I don’t have many reservations from where I sit about what he is doing in relation to running the university,” the retired Pro-Vice Chancellor declared.

He added: “If I might enter my small reservation, I would just say that he shouldn’t be so concerned to establish the university in every corner of the world. I don’t think that that is a priority. Secondly, I don’t think that so much emphasis should be placed on whether we rank first, second, 44th or otherwise in terms of the universities of the world.”

The fellow history professor has instead suggested that Sir Hilary should place more emphasis on performing in the best way possible service to “this community that we are supposed to serve”.

He believes that if that is done, then the ranking would reflect it.   

“I get the impression that he gets too concerned with our ranking internationally. I am saying that’s not the point. The ranking will take care of itself if we are doing the best job that we can do for our constituency.   I would just like to see him pay more attention to the constituency,” the retired UWI academic contended.

Asked if this meant the outgoing VC was not doing the best job he could, Sir Woodville replied: “That’s my position. He has emphases which I don’t really share.”

He explained that the Vice-Chancellor is appointed by the Council following recommendations of a Search Committee to vet the applicants.

Sir Woodville, who left the UWI some 20 years ago, told Barbados TODAY while he was not part of the renewal of contract process during his tenure, he assumes that a sub-committee of the Council also assesses the candidate for possible reappointment.

“In the university, for all the academics and senior administrative staff, the retirement age is 65. However, and this is since my time, I am told from good sources that a decision was made through the various university bodies that the Vice-Chancellor’s post can be held up to the age of 70. That is key. So there was variation for the holder of that particular post,” he said.

“Secondly, in recent times, even in my time, Vice-Chancellors were appointed for five-year contracts which were renewable. Beckles was appointed on a five-year contract and obviously this was renewable…and I think this is the real issue at the moment. That contract is coming to an end, and therefore renewal is under the rules of the university…renewal is possible because I believe Beckles is just 65 or about to be 65. So a decision has to be taken,” he said. (emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb)