The University of the West Indies Council, at its May 31st – June 1st meeting approved a new Strategic Plan for the period 2007-2012. In introducing this Plan, Vice Chancellor, Professor E. Nigel Harris described it as transformative, seeking to re-position the University as “an innovative, contemporary international University, deeply rooted in the Caribbean and committed to creating the best possible future for all its stakeholders. The University will seek to produce graduates and postgraduates who are distinctive and well grounded in their discipline, articulate, possessing problem solving and critical thinking skills, and career ready”.

Major targeted areas will be Teaching and Learning, Research and Innovation, and Graduate Programmes. A fourth area will be creation of an “Open Campus” aimed primarily at providing pre-university, undergraduate, postgraduate and professional development programmes for students in the UWI-12 (the 12 contributing countries without campuses) as well as to students in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago who have no access to a campus.

To manage this far reaching plan at the regional level, The University of the West Indies has selected Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the St Augustine Campus, Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie. Dr Tewarie will become Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Planning and Development and Director of the V.S. Naipaul Institute of Critical Thinking. In presenting Dr Tewarie for approval by University Council, Professor Harris stated that given the sweeping nature of changes anticipated across the Regional University during the next five years, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Planning and Development needed to have senior administrative experience, a track record of excellent and productive management, a “thought leader” committed to coordinating achievement of the bold Vision that the University had set itself. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Tewarie has demonstrated all these attributes as Principal of St Augustine overseeing the growth and enhanced development of the Campus, which now has the largest full-time undergraduate enrolment of the three UWI Campuses. He has proven to be a valuable player in the Executive Management Team of the University and will be counted upon to provide insight, creativity, and networking skills to help drive the University’s Strategic Plan.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor Bhoendradatt Tewarie will assume his new position on August 1, 2007, and be succeeded by Professor Bridget Brereton who is a well respected academic and former Deputy Principal of St Augustine. She will serve as interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Principal of that Campus until a new Principal is found. The University will initiate an immediate regional and worldwide search for a new Principal of its St Augustine Campus with the expectation that this post will be filled in January 2008. Professor Brereton has indicated that she will not be a candidate. Professor G.S. Kochhar will remain as Deputy Principal.

The University Council also approved the appointment of Professor Clement O. Sankat as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Graduate Studies. Professor Sankat has been Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at St Augustine for 6 years and, two years ago, lead a University-wide Task Force to review and to propose a Plan for restructuring the University’s graduate programmes. This Plan has been largely incorporated into the University’s 2007-2012 Strategic Plan, where Graduate Programmes will be one of the four central themes.

Mr William Iton, former Registrar of the St Augustine Campus and who is currently resident in Trinidad and Tobago, has been selected and approved as University Registrar to replace Mrs Gloria Barrett-Sobers who will retire at the end of the current academic year. Dr Camille Bell-Hutchinson was approved as Campus Registrar for Mona to replace Mr G.E.A. Falloon. In addition to the above-named individuals, the new academic year will see a new Principal of the Mona Campus – Professor Gordon Shirley; a new Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Non-Campus Countries Board (to be renamed the “Open Campus”) – Professor Hazel Simmons-McDonald (currently Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education at the Cave Hill Campus); and a new Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Board for Undergraduate Studies – Professor Alvin Wint (a member of the Department of Management Studies and the Mona Campus leader of the University Strategy Planning Task Force).