Managing Director
Since being established in December 2016, UWItv continues to provide public information, services and education and training programmes which reflect the roles and responsibilities of The University of the West Indies (UWI) as the premier intellectual engine of the region. The primary objective of UWItv is to present critical analyses of the common issues, concerns and socio-economic priorities in our region and the wider Caribbean diaspora. During the period under review, August 1 2018 to July 31 2019, UWItv embarked on a series of objectives that are strategically synced with The UWI’s Triple A Strategy.
One of the foundational pillars of this Triple A Strategy is Access which sees The UWI aim “to increase participation in tertiary and higher education for all with the capacity and desire to learn”. UWItv continues to be at the forefront in providing access to higher education related content through its multi-media platforms. These platforms provide individuals and entities within and outside of the University community with a series of options for access to knowledge and information. Through these platforms, UWI-generated content, research and perspectives can be directly accessed by persons beyond The UWI spaces.
In 2016, UWItv established a partnership arrangement with the (CaribVision) Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), which catered for UWI-generated content to be aired for six hours daily. This partnership proved uniquely advantageous for The UWI as Cable tv platforms remain highly relevant as a means to access and capture a diverse audience that other media platforms may not sufficiently capture. The diverse suite of programmes include:
Through popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, UWItv facilitates ongoing dialogue with students, alumni and youth across the Caribbean and the world. The ‘One UWI News’ rolling ticker on the UWItv’s website, aggregates and integrates all of the daily announcements of events and activities on all five campuses. A complementary component to the website and social channels is a weekly electronic newsletter containing the tv broadcast schedule, programme descriptions, behind the scenes interviews with producers and hosts and a variety of UWItv factoids and vignettes.
UWItv has also ensured greater access through its social media platforms, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. Among its social media accounts, UWItv’s official Facebook page has the largest following with over 15,000 likes and is strategically utilised to enhance visibility and access to UWItv’s content.
UWItv capitalises on the diverse Facebook audience to widen the reach of the individual campus communities, by sharing numerous campus events and happenings.
Similarly, the UWItv’s website www.UWItv.org provides an additional and more comprehensive platform that enhances the regional and international access to UWI-generated content. This website facilitates broadcasting of livestreamed videos, recorded videos, public lectures, conferences, symposia, faculty interviews and other pertinent events and activities hosted across The UWI system. Some notable content aired during the 2018/2019 review period included coverage of:
An additional foundational pillar for The UWI’s Triple A strategy is Alignment. It “refers to building relevant and value-added relationships with alumni and the producers of wealth and promoting government and non-government sectors and international partners by ensuring that The UWI offerings are fulfilling the needs of the society it serves”. UWItv’s operational strategies are well aligned with developing relationships with alumni and producers of wealth by providing a multi-media platform to share their research, publications, public service, messages and perspectives with a wider audience. Similarly, UWItv services the needs of government, non-governmental and international actors through numerous strategic arrangements. This is evidenced by media partnerships with the following agencies that were built and/or maintained during the review period. They are:
These partnerships service the needs of these entities allowing them to more effectively engage in their public education and service mandates. The UWItv partnered for media service on the following projects:
The third pillar of the Triple A strategy is Agility. This strategic goal refers to “utilising resources (human and physical) and capabilities to respond to the needs of customers, including alumni, in a changing environment, creating an entrepreneurial university with a diversified revenue base, improving the global presence of the University ensuring economic sustainability through global expansion, operational efficiencies and financial profitability”.
In its daily operations, UWItv has worked closely with multiple stakeholders, incorporated an entrepreneurial approach and has improved the global presence of The UWI. UWItv’s international collaborations have enlarged the University’s global footprint. One of the most significant partnerships that has raised the profile of The UWI was the broadcast arrangement between UWItv and the United Nations (UN) in May 2019. Although The UWI and the UN have had various working agreements, this UWItv/UN partnership is uniquely advantageous as it allows for the use of UN broadcast material that includes free-to-air content for television broadcast across the region, the United States and Canada.
UWItv’s role in expanding The UWI’s international collaboration is also evidenced by the partnership with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in 2018. This partnership saw UWItv become a media partner for the CDB and provided an additional platform for UWItv, and by extension The UWI to expand its regional and international reach by capitalising on CDB extensive network.
UWItv has also worked closely with the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) to host a series entitled ECCB Connects, which is an outreach initiative for the group of eight island economies namely – Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Alumni engagement during the review period included:
Entrepreneurial engagements during the review period included:
UWItv’s coverage of these projects helped to increase The UWI’s global presence during the review period:
