New UWI Chancellor Installed

In a ceremony filled with pomp and circumstance, Dr Dodridge Miller was officially installed as the seventh chancellor of the University of the West Indies. He succeeds Robert Bermudez.

The chancellor is the highest office in The UWI system, and Dr Miller will serve a seven-year term.

The Caribbean luminary was heralded for his leadership during the ceremony held at the Cave Hill campus on Saturday evening.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Technological, and Vocational Training, Sandra Husbands, said Dr Miller has the “fullest backing” of the Barbados government.

“The new chancellor is a son of the soil in whom we are very pleased,” she said, speaking on behalf of the Barbados Prime Minister.

“He is well-placed and exceptionally well-suited to sit at the helm of The UWI to connect his financial and entrepreneurial accomplishments to the growth agenda of our region.

“Indeed, he comes at a most propitious time because we know that we are entering some turbulent waters. Certainly, the UWI system, governments, the private sector, and every aspect of Caribbean society must now work together to navigate some difficult and murky waters.”

An alumnus of The UWI and two universities in the United Kingdom, Dr Miller has over 30 years of leadership experience in the banking, insurance, and financial services sectors. Before retiring in 2023, he served as Group President and CEO of Sagicor Financial Company for more than two decades.

He is a recipient of the Order of Freedom of Barbados, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from The UWI among other honours.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, said Dr Miller was a perfect example of the hybridity that now informs the university’s management operations.

“He is, therefore, rooted in academia and knows well its value proposition and ethos,” he stated, adding that Dr Miller is a corporate visionary.

“We believe that in securing the services of Dr Miller, we have not only struck gold but oil, aluminium, and rare earth minerals,” Sir Hilary added.

Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the Cave Hill campus, Professor Clive Landis, touted the new chancellor’s “extraordinarily leadership.”

“We, at the Cave Hill campus, have no doubt that you are the ideal chancellor to lead the university during this period of transformation as we transition from being an academic powerhouse to becoming a truly entrepreneurial university,” he said.

The installation ceremony was interspersed with other speeches and entertainment, and attended by scores of diplomats, dignitaries, and officials from across the region. (BT)