Mr Ewart Williams, Governor of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago and current Chair of The UWI St Augustine Campus Council, hosted the news conference and launched an appeal to the public to support the University’s fund-raising drive. Mr Williams has approached several private sector organisations on behalf of the regional university, requesting support for “UWI for Haiti,” an initiative by The UWI to assist in the rebuilding efforts of the disaster-struck Caribbean island.
“We are aware that currently domestic economic conditions are challenging and that companies as well as individuals are facing competing requests. I am convinced, however, that this is an opportunity to make a unique contribution to help deserving Haitian students complete their education to return to contribute to the building of a new Haiti,” Williams said.
Professor Clement Sankat, a Pro Vice Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (UWI) and St Augustine Campus Principal, thanked all who had previously contributed to the fund, and joined Governor Williams in calling for a re-energised thrust of support for the UWI for Haiti initiative.
Shortly after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake devastated the island of Haiti on January 12, 2010, The UWI launched its campaign, UWI for Haiti. The earthquake and its aftershocks destroyed most of the state’s physical infrastructure and destroyed nine percent of its university buildings.
“His Excellency Max J.C. Alce, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti, reported in February that some 40 university professors, 1,300 teachers and 4,000 students had died. In addition, 13 university buildings had collapsed and 2,394 schools had been destroyed,” Sankat said.
The Haitian Student Fund, which is one aspect of UWI for Haiti, focuses on hosting displaced Haitian University students so they can complete their studies at UWI Campuses in Jamaica (Mona), Barbados (Cave Hill) and Trinidad (St Augustine). While tuition costs have been waived, accommodation and other costs have to be met, and the news conference signalled the start of a new wave of efforts to raise funds.
At the St. Augustine Campus, sixty-nine applications have been received via the UWI Vice Chancellor’s Office, from the State University of Haiti. The St Augustine Campus has agreed to waive the tuition costs for the students, but is actively raising funds to defray other associated costs, such as living expenses, study materials and return airfare. Forty-one final-year undergraduate Engineering students have applied to spend one semester completing their final projects. Twelve final-year undergraduate Science and Agriculture students have applied to spend up to one year completing their final projects. Five Veterinary Medicine students have applied to spend two years completing Master’s degrees (nominated by the Chief Veterinary Officer of Haiti). Eleven final-year Dental students have applied to spend up to one year completing their programme.
Engineering, Agriculture and the Medical Sciences were identified as disciplines in which the St Augustine Campus possesses strong expertise and experience and where it has been determined that there is need for urgent capacity building in Haiti. Final year students were preferred so that they could complete their studies and return to Haiti to contribute as quickly as possible.
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ABOUT UWI
Over the last six decades, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged University with over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with main campuses in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Centres in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Christopher (St Kitts) & Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. UWI recently launched its Open Campus, a virtual campus with over 50 physical site locations across the region, serving over 20 countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. UWI is an international university with faculty and students from over 40 countries and collaborative links with over 60 universities around the world. Through its seven Faculties, UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Pure & Applied Sciences, Science and Agriculture, and Social Sciences.
