Enhancement of Regional Nature of UWI, Mona
As part of an effort to enhance the academic development of students in the UWI 12, that is, the non-campus countries, as well as to bring together more students from across the region to study and interact together at a campus, Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GPC) Mona, at its monthly meeting on Monday, November 28, 2005 supported in principle a proposal to provide some 20 undergraduate scholarships for students wishing to study at Mona. At least one scholarship is to be provided for each of the countries which comprise the UWI 12.

The scholarships will not be available for Law, Medicine, Nursing or those programmes which are offered only at Mona, that is, Library and Information Studies; Media and Communication and Geography/Geology. In the case of those countries where UWI has a Level One delivery arrangement with a local institution, preference will be given to applicants who have completed the Level One at that institution.

Fee Payment Policy – Halls of Residence
F&GPC, Mona has accepted a proposal to amend the policy regarding the payment of fees for the Halls of Residence, to bring it in line with what obtains for the payment of all other fees at the Mona Campus. The policy will read:

Hall fees are due and payable at the start of the academic year. Students may opt to pay by semester in advance. However, permission may be sought from the Student Services Manager, to pay by the last working day of September, failing which, the student may be required to immediately surrender the room.

In exceptional and verifiable cases of financial difficulty the Student Services Manager may consider allowing payment beyond the last working day of September. Cases that are considered favourably will be given extension of payment based on a clear payment schedule approved by the Student Services Manager and the Billings section of the Bursary. Students must submit a written request to the Student Services Manager within the first two weeks of the semester in order to be eligible to access this facility.

Forensic DNA Laboratory
As part of the University’s strategic agenda to develop new commercial businesses, F&GPC, Mona has agreed to the establishment of a New Commercial Forensic DNA Laboratory – Caribbean Genetics (CARIGEN). CARIGEN will be an independent unit in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences – Biotechnology Section, providing a range of services at the local and regional level. The laboratory will provide comprehensive services for human, animal and plant DNA testing including forensic testing, genome sequencing, paternity testing, sequence analysis, genotyping, molecular diagnostics and molecular biology support services. CARIGEN will also provide services and training in forensic DNA science to the judiciary, law enforcement and the public. The facility will be housed in the Molecular Biology Building and will be further developed within the next three years as a company affiliated with the UWI with its own legal and regulatory framework.

Michael Manley Centre for Global Dialogue
F&GPC, Mona has approved in principle the establishment of the Michael Manley Centre for Global Dialogue in the Institute of Caribbean Studies, Mona, subject to the approval of the University F&GPC. The Centre is being named in recognition of “the distinguished contribution of Mr. Michael Manley to the radical transformation of unequal power relations in Jamaica between the haves and the have-nots; his commitment to Caribbean regional integration across linguistic and political borders; his visionary articulation of the politics of decolonisation across the globe; his advocacy of participatory democracy in post-colonial relations in the world at large; his support of the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement and his engagement with concepts of freedom manifested in the North-South dialogue, South-South relations and the positioning of the Non-Aligned ex-colonial countries in global economic and political affairs; his celebration of the multi-disciplinary arts of regional integration, in particular Caribbean cricket, music, dance and literature”.

The primary projects of the Centre in its initial stage of development include:
- The Michael Manley Scholar-in-Residence programme, analogous to the Fulbright Fellowship or the Rhodes Scholarship, that would attract to the Mona Campus for a one-year residency an outstanding academic working in any of the fields associated with Mr. Manley’s multifaceted career
- The Annual Michael Manley Lecture to be delivered by the Visiting Scholar or any distinguished academic, politician, artist or public intellectual who embodies the Manley legacy
- An inter-disciplinary undergraduate course, “The Michael Manley legacy” that would focus on the making of a post-colonial politician/intellectual
- A co-curricular programme of cultural activities named in honour of Mr. Manley, for example an annual debate, a cricket match and a community service project.