Bermuda’s petition to be recognised as a full contributing country of The University of the West Indies (UWI) was unanimously accepted at the recently concluded Annual Business Meeting of The University of the West Indies’ Council, which was held for the first time at the St Augustine Campus in Trinidad. This means that the Government of Bermuda will from here on contribute to the revenues of The UWI based on an agreed formula, and students from Bermuda will be charged tuition fees at the subsidised rate. Bermuda will be a part of the UWI’s Open Campus and what is now referred to as the UWI-12 countries – that is, contributing countries which do not host a physical campus – will now be known as the UWI-13.

The effective date of Bermuda’s recognition as a full contributing country of the UWI will be on completion of the legislative measures which that country needs to put in place to honour its obligation, but it is anticipated that this will be well before the start of the 2009/2010 academic year.

Bermuda’s Minister of Education, the Hon Elvin James, JP MP, welcomed the news that Bermuda’s application to become a Contributing Country of The University of the West Indies had been accepted by acclamation by the University Council. The Minister said, “Bermuda welcomes the opportunity to take a more active role in support of The University of the West Indies. Our students will now have more educational options than ever before, and this partnership can only have positive outcomes for everyone involved.”

The Minister noted that during his visit to the Cave Hill Campus he had been impressed by the facilities, the dedication of the faculty, and the interest of the student population.  “Having ready access to three physical campuses as well as the Open Campus will enable Bermudians to have access to education in ways that have never before been available,” said the Minister.

Minister James said that he looks forward to future meetings with the University Administration and anticipates, with pleasure, having Bermuda included as one of the “UWI 13”.