The University of the West Indies (UWI) is seeking to transform into a “global educational powerhouse” through expanded international partnerships and research initiatives, Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles has declared.
And the renowned Caribbean historian has also announced the process has begun to completely “decolonise” the university which began life in the former British West Indies, and deepen its role as a key part of the regional integration movement.
He delivered a report titled Future Focus: 75 years Regional Transformation to Global Leadership to the UWI University Council, its highest decision-making body, highlighting the university’s progress and challenges over the past academic year as it celebrates its 75th anniversary.
“The University of the West Indies has been enormously successful,” Sir Hilary said. “This report argues that not only have we been a very successful institution over 75 years, but we are now in a position to serve our people even more fundamentally in terms of their transformation.”
The Vice-Chancellor credited strategic global partnerships, such as a recent agreement with Northwest University in Johannesburg, South Africa, as key to enhancing UWI’s international reputation and access to resources. He noted the university has evolved from a regional academic body to a “multinational university powerhouse” with campuses and centres across the Caribbean, North America, China, and Africa.
But the noted scholar acknowledged that UWI continues to face financial hurdles like unfunded pension liabilities and budget cuts, though he said the university is implementing reforms to address these issues.
“We continue to monitor at all costs within our university that are impacting our balance sheet in negative ways,” Sir Hilary remarked.
Other goals outlined in the report include completing the “decolonisation” of UWI by transitioning away from its current royal degree-granting model tied to the British monarchy to become a CARICOM institution under the Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the 15-nation community.
“Hopefully, when next we speak, we will be able to report that the stakeholders have approved this movement so we would be positioned to issue degrees from a regional sovereignty,” he said regarding this decolonisation process.
He said UWI’s global reputation and visibility are stronger than ever, with nations like Haiti and Colombia expressing interest in new partnerships with the university.
“Our reputation has never been higher. Our global visibility has never been greater,” he told the University Council.
Sir Hilary’s ambitious vision faces some significant financial and structural challenges that he acknowledged in his report. A key hurdle is UWI’s growing unfunded pension liability, which he said is an external force “impacting our balance sheet in negative ways”, though it is outside of the university’s direct control.
To mitigate this pension issue, Beckles said UWI has initiated comprehensive pension reforms “with the assistance of regional experts.” He did not provide further details on the specific reforms being pursued. (SM)
