Establishment of Four New Centres
Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GPC), Mona at its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 agreed in principle to the establishment of four new Centres:
- The Caribbean Competitiveness Centre
- The Centre for Studies in Public Safety and Justice
- The Mona Ageing and Wellness Centre
- The Leadership and Governance Centre

The Caribbean Competitiveness Centre will improve Caribbean competitiveness by working at the firm and enterprise level to mitigate the region’s declining competitiveness; respond to the loss of talent because of social decline and help small and medium sized firms respond to global competition. The aim is to improve the effectiveness of Caribbean executives and the competitiveness of their enterprises by studying, discovering and disseminating insights, tools and knowledge relevant to them in an environment of rapid technological change and globalization.

The Centre for Studies in Public Safety and Justice will provide basic research, train research students, provide applied research with a view to formulating and influencing policy, provide specialized training for various levels of the security personnel and provide a source for advocacy and policy formation. The Centre will also expand and maintain an international network of scholars and other stakeholders, through conferencing and funded projects and also track, analyze and store data in collaboration with Libraries for use by scholars, students and security personnel.

The Mona Ageing and Wellness Centre will develop an interdisciplinary programme of ageing studies, work with Caribbean States and relevant agencies to develop policies and programmes to meet the challenge of population ageing, disseminate data and knowledge on age related issues, establish and maintain linkages with national, regional and international institutions concerned with and working on age related issues and provide a programme of pre-retirement seminars. The facility will be developed from the WHO Collaborating Centre in the Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, Action Ageing Jamaica and the Section of Community Health.

The Centre for Leadership and Good Governance aims to strengthen democratic governance in Jamaica by providing critical and sustainable policy research services together with `Think Tank’ support. The Centre will conduct research on annual agreed themes driven by prevailing national policy priorities; provide policy research services for parliamentarians in tandem with the annual parliamentary legislative agenda and develop a governance structure that would include an independent advisory committee with stakeholder representation.

Retaking the Initiative: The Jamaican Economy Since Independence
F&GPC, Mona has agreed to provide infrastructural and administrative support for the project “Retaking the Initiative: The Jamaican Economy Since Independence” This is an interdisciplinary inquiry into Jamaica’s economic performance, geared towards practical policy prescriptions going forward into the next decade. The project will facilitate partnership between the private sector, non-government sector, government and the research community to definitively assess the successes and failures of the post-independence Jamaica model. The project is guided by an Advisory Committee that is chaired by Dr. John Rapley, Department of Government.

Approval for Special Projects
F&GPC, Mona approved a number of special projects to be conducted in the Faculties of Humanities & Education, Medical Sciences, Pure & Applied Sciences and Social Sciences. Funds were also allocated for projects in the Library.

Hall Fees Approved
F&GPC, Mona approved new fees for the Halls of Residence for the 2005/2006 academic year.

Merger of Committees
F&GPC, Mona agreed that effective immediately, two of its sub-committees - Traffic and Parking and Security – should be merged, under the chairmanship of the Deputy Principal.

Third Party Sales Promotions
F&GPC, Mona approved a written policy governing Third Party Sales Promotions on the Campus. The Policy sets out the terms and conditions under which Third Party Sales Promotions may be held on the Campus; or off the Campus in association with a UWI entity. In addition to the Policy, are the Procedures for obtaining approval and the Fees for such promotional activity.

“Third Party Sales Promotions” as stated in the Policy refer to any activity or activities aimed at stimulating the demand of customers for a product or service that is carried out by a person, entity or group that is not connected to The University of the West Indies. The Policy applies whenever a Third Party is undertaking an activity in association with Academic and Administrative Departments/Units/Sections; Support Services; the Guild of Students; Halls of Residence; Commercial Entities and Commercial Tenants operating on the Campus and also to off campus events held by UWI entities. The Policy covers a range of activities including the distribution of samples, point-of-sale displays, demonstrations or exhibitions, offer of attractive prizes or gifts, competitions, outside broadcasts, the use of flyers, banners, posters, and advertising in UWI related material.

Under the terms of the Policy, any Third Party wishing to organize a promotional activity on the campus must make a written request to the Business Development Office (BDO) at least 15 working days prior to the proposed event. The BDO will evaluate the proposal, and if recommended, forward the request to the Campus Registrar for approval. This approval covers the terms and conditions under which parties to the agreement will operate and is separate and apart from other arrangements which may be negotiated between the UWI entity and the Third Party.

Further details on the Policy, Procedures, Licence and Fees may be viewed on the University’s website at http://www.mona.uwi.edu/administration/policies (or at the UWI Home Page www.mona.uwi.edu under “Administration” on the Menu Bar). Copies are also available at the Business Development Office Tel. No. 977-6797 or Ext Nos. 2257 or 2694.