The University of the West Indies (UWI) has won the prestigious Gleaner Honour Award for Education, 2008.

The award was presented on Tuesday, November 11, 2008, by the Governor General, Most Hon. Sir Kenneth Hall (former principal of UWI) and Gleaner Managing Director, Oliver Clarke, to Professor  E. Nigel Harris, Vice Chancellor, UWI,  Professor Gordon Shirley, UWI, Mona, Principal  and Dr. Muriel Lowe, one of UWI Mona's first graduates.

Each year, the Gleaner newspaper invites nominations from readers for Honour Awards for outstanding achievements by Jamaican individuals or organizations.

The University of the West Indies was lauded for its "outstanding achievement in contributing professionals, research and other resources for Jamaica's national development".

The citation to UWI noted that over 60 years since it first opened its doors to 33 students who came from across the Anglophone Caribbean to receive a tertiary education, the Mona campus has produced more than 50,000 Jamaican graduates in a broad range of disciplines including Education, Medicine, Science and Technology, Tourism and Hospitality, Humanities, Management and Social Sciences.

The campus, the Gleaner noted "continues to produce research in a wide range of areas that is directly relevant to economic development and has deployed its academic and senior administrative staff in public service, community development and consultancy engagements that directly impact the national and international agenda."  The citation noted the achievement of UWI Mona's Professor Anthony Chen named earlier this year among two other UWI (Cave Hill and St. Augustine) and global researchers who received the Nobel Peace Prize for ground-breaking work on climate change.

Note was made also of UWI Mona's vote as "Government's first point of call for research into critical areas affecting Jamaica's development including agriculture, crime, security, health-related issues and Education" and its leadership in "applying technology to investigate and solve national development challenges and provide improvements in areas such as criminal investigation, housing development, malaria mapping and other challenges."

"Mona's graduates bring knowledge that has been informed by research activity and output in the relevant disciplines to the Jamaican work place.

Other awards were presented in the fields of Science & Technology, the public service, health and wellness, arts and culture, entertainment and voluntary service.