Taking account of the challenges faced by The UWI, in April 2020, Vice-Chancellor Beckles appointed a committee to advise the university on "Imagining The UWI for the 2020/21 Academic Year". The expectation was not merely that The UWI survives the COVID-19 pandemic, but thrives despite the challenges posed.
The committee, co-chaired by Senator Lisa Cummins and Dr. Canute Thompson, and comprising a cross section of staff across multiple areas, provided its final report on June 30, 2020. Appreciating its mandate of"re-imagining"The UWI and that inevitably, its recommendations would impact not just the 2020/21 academic year, the committee focused on"Re-imagining The UWI beyond 2020/21" and proffered an overall view that the COVID-19 pandemic presented the university with an opportunity to fast track the embedding of online delivery in its teaching and learning enterprise and to adopt virtual platforms to support all areas of its operations.
Its final report presented under the theme "Engaging People, Enhancing Processes, Expanding Possibilities" offered sixty-five recommendations covering the areas of staff and student engagement; digital transformation; teaching and learning; management and administrative support services; halls of residence; financial stabilization; diversification strategy and the entrepreneurial university.
| Senator Lisa Cummins | Co-Chair |
| Dr Canute Thompson | Co-Chair |
| Dr Mairette Newman | Commonwealth of Learning |
| Mr Raymond Campbell | KPMG Advisory Services |
| Professor Justin Robinson | Cave Hill |
| Professor Opal Adisa | Centre |
| Mrs Brigitte Collins | Centre |
| Dr Rhonda Jaipaul-O'Garro | Centre |
| Dr Stacy Richards-Kennedy | Centre |
| Mr Hyram Forde | Five Islands |
| Professor Paul Brown | Mona |
| Dr Heather Ricketts | Mona |
| Mr Danny Roberts | Open Campus |
| Dr Cheryl Sloley | Open Campus |
| Mr Navneet Boodhai | St Augustine |
| Dr Hamid Ghany | St Augustine |
| Dr Katija Khan | St Augustine |
| Mr Troy Eustace | Student Representative, St Augustine |
| Mrs Marvette Facey-Thompson | Administrative Support |
University Marketing & Communications Office
The University of the West Indies
868 662-2002 ext 84246 or 82316
universitymktgcomms@sta.uwi.edu
