Vice Chancellor of The University of the West Indies, Professor the Hon. Rex Nettleford will be honoured by the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus and its alumni during the institution’s annual Commemoration Celebrations and Alumni Week to be held over the period February 13 – 21, 2004 at Mona.

The annual celebrations commemorate the founding of the institution and are usually dedicated to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the institution. Professor Nettleford is being recognised for his contribution to cultural development, his overall contribution to the growth and development of the UWI, his pioneering work as an educator and in particular, for his outstanding intellectual leadership at the international level which led to his being one of only four Rhodes Scholars from among thousands worldwide to be awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Laws by Oxford University, in celebration of the centenary of the establishment of the Rhodes Scholarship

He joins other honorees who include former Vice Chancellors Sir Philip Sherlock and the Hon. Dr. Aston Preston as well as former Head of the Department of Social & Preventive Medicine (now Community Health and Psychiatry) and Community Health pioneer, Professor Sir Kenneth Standard.

The celebrations begin with a Flag Raising Ceremony and University Parade on Friday, February 13 in the Flag pole Area facing the Assembly Hall. Representatives of all the countries which contribute to the University will raise the flags of the individual territories and the Jamaica Military Band will provide music for a University Parade of Staff, Students and Alumni of the institution.

This activity will be followed by Caribbean Day, featuring displays from the various countries represented at the Mona Campus. Visitors to the booths will have the opportunity to sample a variety of national dishes, as well as learn about the culture of the islands in the region, which contribute to the UWI.

On Saturday, February 15, there will be a celebratory fete, “Then & Now 2K4” at the Students’ Union, featuring the Peter Phillips and Bass X-S disco.

The Annual Commemoration Service will take place at the University Chapel on Sunday, February 15 at 9.00 a.m. The service will be conducted by the Rev. Philip Robinson and UWI graduate Rev. Dr. Dave Hazle will deliver the sermon.

The Pelican Awards and Grand Commemoration Concert will be held on the evening of Sunday, February 15 at 6.00 p.m. in the Assembly Hall. The Pelican Awards are presented annually by the UWI Alumni Association (Jamaica Chapter) to an outstanding graduate of the institution. This year’s awardee is internationally acclaimed sociologist, Professor Orlando Patterson. The Grand Commemoration Concert features the talents of staff, students and graduates of the UWI. Headliner will be honorary graduate and outstanding jazz musician Ernie Ranglin while other performers include Kathy Brown, the University Chorale, the Dance Society, the Dramatic Arts Society, Paulette Bellamy and Carol Ball.

A number of other activities will take place during the week that follows, organised by the various alumni groupings at Mona. The activities include a conference hosted by the Medical Alumni, a seminar hosted by the Mona School of Business alumni and a conference mounted by the Mona Association of Postgraduate Studies in collaboration with the School of Graduate Studies and Research. There will also be the launch of a book on the history of the Mona Campus “Mona Past and Present” written by Suzanne Francis Brown.

A highpoint of the week will be a Dinner and Dance in honour of Professor Nettleford which takes place on Friday, February 20 at 7.00 p.m. at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge and Conference Centre.

For further information on the Commemoration Celebrations contact the Public Relations Office, The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, at Tel nos. 977-5941 or 935-8692 or the UWI Alumni Association (Jamaica Chapter) at Tel. nos.927-1583 or 927-2496 or visit the website at www.mona.uwi.edu/commemoration.