The Latin American-Caribbean Centre (LACC) has been advancing the strategic globalisation agenda of The UWI by building bridges, opening doors and fostering relations with institutions and networks of higher education throughout the Americas and across the Atlantic to Europe. The Centre has created new avenues for joint research, mobility and targeted collaborations.
Prime among its accomplishments in increasing The UWI's inter-institutional engagement at the highest level, stands the establishment of two unprecedented partnerships for sustainable development with top universities in Latin America: University of Los Andes, Colombia and University of Havana, Cuba. Similarly, LACC spearheaded the formalisation of relations with the University of Miami (UM) and played a pivotal role in promoting The UWI's participation in the novel Hemispheric University Consortium (HUC).
LACC has fostered these new relationships by hosting discussions between academics and scientists, coordinating operationalization efforts for the Havana and Bogota centres, and ensuring UWI participation in regional HE networks.
Notwithstanding the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 on HEIs worldwide, limitations on resources and the new dynamic for international engagement, LACC remained focussed on its mandate to enhance the Agility of The UWI, while also contributing to the realisation of The UWI's increased Access and improved Alignment.
The UWI signed a collaborative agreement with the University of los Andes (Uniandes) in Bogota, Colombia in April 2019, establishing The UWI's first physical centre in continental Latin America under the “Strategic Alliance for Hemispheric Sustainable Development”. This centre will enable the two institutions to jointly contribute “to public policy and citizen empowerment for sustainable development through academic study, research and intellectual engagement”, with a focus on “areas and issues of development concern and relevance to Latin America and the Caribbean.”
The UWI Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, met with his counterpart, Dr. Alejandro Gaviria Uribe, Rector of Uniandes, in October 2019 and the two Heads reiterated their commitment to this new framework for joint research and teaching in Global Comparative Cultural Studies, Medical Sciences, Biotechnology and Biomedicine.
Also in October 2019, LACC developed an operational plan and presented it to Uniandes. Consultations are ongoing.
In 2019, the LACC Director negotiated a new arrangement with the University of Havana (UH), advancing The UWI's engagement with UH from one of general cooperation to the creation of a unique joint endeavour that would bring their scientific knowledge, scholarship and expertise to bear on the Caribbean's sustainable development.
The result was the establishment of a collaborative Centre in December 2019 geared towards utilising the capacities and resources of The UWI and UH to strengthen their impact on social and economic development, sustainability, and transformation in the Caribbean. Vice-Chancellor Beckles and UH Rector, Dr. Miriam Nicado, signed the historic MOU and opened the official headquarters of the Joint Centre at UH, making it the first centre of a foreign university housed at UH.
The agreement is a pioneering step in The UWI's globalisation agenda and research partnerships. Collaborations will focus initially on solutions to endemic health challenges in the Caribbean; history and reparatory justice; and renewable energy.
In February 2020, Vice-Chancellor Beckles hosted a meeting of senior UWI staff with Dr. Mayda Goite, Vice Rector of the University of Havana. It was agreed that a follow-up meeting would be held by mid-2020 to consolidate plans for the Joint Centre.
LACC and UH have continued to engage on projects and activities under the Centre's thematic pillars, including a webinar series and instruction in Spanish for UWI students in the context of The UWI's multilingual policy.
Under the LACC-brokered UWI-University of Miami (UM) MOU of October 2019, LACC has been leading a UWI-wide initiative in conjunction with the University of Miami to develop a joint Sustainable Health Institute for research on women's cancers, palliative care, non-communicable diseases and “climate and health” in the Caribbean.
The UWI partners in this endeavour are the Faculties of Medical Science, George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre (GACDRC), and School of Clinical Medicine and Research (Nassau). The Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, headed by Dr. Felicia Knaul, represents UM, with collaboration from the Office for Hemispheric and Global Affairs and Dr. Gilberto Lopes de Lima of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Miller School of Medicine.
The proposed Sustainable Health Institute would be an umbrella organization for a range of health-related projects, including a Caribbean-wide Biobank; a mobile health/telemedicine app that would enable physicians to examine patients from a distance; and mobility of UWI medical students.
Professor Simon Anderson and Dr. Sandeep Maharaj contributed their research data on Caribbean governmental policies to address the pandemic to the UM-led COVID-19 policy tracker database.
In January 2020, the LACC Director explored possible collaboration between The UWI and the National Association of Universities of Nicaragua (CNU), National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN), University of the Autonomous Regions of the Caribbean Coast (URACCAN) and Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University (BICU).
An appeal was made by URRACAN and BICU for support with the teaching of the local English-derived vernacular in the Caribbean coastal communities of Nicaragua. Discussions were also held on the possibility of joint research aimed at the protection of the marine and coastal ecosystems given the shared vulnerabilities of the Caribbean island nations and the Caribbean coastal communities of Nicaragua to annual hurricanes.
In December 2019, talks began between LACC and the Institute for Caribbean Studies (IEC) at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), on re-establishing the inter-institutional relationship between The UWI and UPR. A formal agreement is being developed.
LACC and the IEC collaborated on the organisation of the 5th Gordon K. Lewis and Sybil Lewis Memorial Lecture scheduled for March 2020 at UPR. LACC developed the programme with the IEC, ensured expert participation of the Centre for Reparation Research at The UWI, and coordinated publicity for the event with the UWI Marketing and Communications Office and live broadcast through UWItv Global. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was postponed to February 2021 and was staged virtually. Vice-Chancellor Beckles delivered the lecture, entitled “Reparatory Justice: The Greatest Political Movement of the 21st Century”.
The UWI's participation in the Hemispheric University Consortium (HUC), established in 2018, is managed by LACC, including the dissemination within The UWI of information on HUC initiatives and coordination of The UWI's participation in HUC projects:
Dr. Parris Lyew-Ayee, Director, Mona Geo-informatics, played a leadership role in the conceptualization and development of this project, aimed at providing better and sustainable avenues to wealth for small businesses and entrepreneurs and envisaged a training and R&D role for universities. It was presented to the HUC Leadership at its second meeting in October 2019 at The UWI.
Mrs. Pauline Francis-Cobley, Director of the Office of Online Learning, has been leading The UWI's involvement in this initiative. COIL, also known as a globally networked learning and virtual exchange, “promotes the development of inter-cultural competence across shared multicultural learning environments.”
Mrs. Cheryl Peltier-Davis, Senior Librarian, Open Campus Libraries and Information Services, and Mrs. Judith Toppin, Officer in Charge, Sidney Martin Library, The UWI Cave Hill, participate in this project aimed at creating a library network for resource and database sharing, human resource development, and digital transformation of library collections to adjust to the trending online teaching and learning modalities. A Virtual Summit of Library Directors was planned in 2020 and eventually held the following year in February.
Discussions took place between the University of Miami and The UWI Faculty of Medical Sciences at Mona and the Tropical Metabolism Research Institute on a joint scientific investigation of cannabis and detrimental health consequences. Dr. Winston De La Haye, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Medical Sciences at Mona is The UWI lead on this project.
The Office of Graduate Studies and Research under the leadership of Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stephan Gift, has been collating information from the Research offices at Mona, Cave Hill and St. Augustine to contribute to the HUC members' research projects inventory.
Dr. Judith Gobin, Head, Department of Life Sciences, The UWI St. Augustine, has explored incorporating elements of the free online course “Ocean Health Voyage”, developed by UM, to assist students with learning and retaining the core concepts of ocean health and marine environmental protection and preservation.
The LACC Director represents The UWI at the Union of Latin American and Caribbean Universities (UDUAL) including on the Executive Council on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor who serves as Alternate Vice President for the Caribbean region of UDUAL.
In August 2019, UDUAL held a seminar to celebrate its LXX Anniversary and the XC Anniversary of the granting of autonomy to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). On the recommendation of the LACC Director, the Vice-Chancellor designated Mrs. Laleta Davis-Mattis, University Counsel, to represent The UWI and she delivered a presentation on “The UWI: A Global Autonomous University Rooted in the Caribbean”. The question of autonomy of universities is one of great concern in some Latin American countries where there is a constant struggle to harmonise government education policy with universities' own visions and ambitions. The UWI model is instructive in this respect.
As a demonstration of its commitment to the HE integration objectives of UDUAL and with the objective of strengthening the Caribbean's proactive involvement in UDUAL, Vice-Chancellor Beckles hosted the XCVI Regular Meeting of the Executive Council of UDUAL in February 2020. LACC's proposal to amend the acronym from UDUAL to UDUALC for greater inclusivity and to elevate the profile of the Caribbean within UDUAL was co-sponsored by the University of Havana and supported by unanimous vote of the Council. The decision will be presented for ratification by the General Assembly at its next session.
From March 2020 the LACC Director attended several Council meetings at which members shared their experiences and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and assessed the long-term impact on higher education. The LACC Director informed of The UWI's competence in online teaching and learning, highlighting the Open Campus' online educational modus operandi, the establishment of the Office of Online Learning and the rapid adjustments made by the other UWI campuses at the onset of the pandemic to deliver their classes virtually.
In response to an appeal from the UDUAL Secretary General for support to assist member universities with capacity-building for online teaching necessitated by the pandemic, LACC facilitated a presentation to the Council by Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the Open Campus, Dr. Luz Longsworth, on a training course for lecturers.
The LACC Director has represented the Vice-Chancellor on the Bi-Regional Academic Council of the FAP since 2017. This Forum seeks to create a common Euro-Latin American-Caribbean space for higher education, science, technology and innovation in the context of the strategic relationships between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. The FAP has been actively seeking government support for a bi-regional regulatory framework to facilitate the mutual recognition of degrees for the past few years. Director Bristol's proposal for a strategic process for achieving this overarching goal of the FAP gained support from the FAP.
The diplomatic missions of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) in Jamaica constitute a vital network for LACC's engagement in the region and has resulted in numerous beneficial projects over the years. Under the current LACC leadership, the following are notable:
The Mexico Chair at The UWI Mona furthers the achievement of the goals of The UWI Triple A Strategic Plan as it relates to the internationalisation of The UWI and greater access through professor mobility, joint research and knowledge sharing.
The 2019/2020 Mexico Chair was selected by the Technical Commission chaired by the LACC Director. Dr. Victor Manuel Lopez, Dean of the School of Engineering and Architecture at the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico, served as a visiting professor assigned to the Department of Geology and Geography in the Faculty of Science and Technology and the Institute for Sustainable Development for a six-week tenure beginning in early March 2020. Due to circumstances arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Lopez' visit was abruptly ended after three weeks. Nonetheless, a strong relationship was created between Dr. Lopez and his colleagues at Mona and interest has been expressed in future joint study, knowledge sharing, and professor mobility.
LACC continued promoting Spanish language learning for The UWI staff through the coordination of a free course offered by the Government of Chile through its Embassy in Jamaica and its Agency for International Cooperation and Development of Chile (AGCID). Instruction was provided by the University of Valparaiso in Chile. Thirty-seven members of staff from the Mona Campus and the Vice-Chancellery completed the three-month course of face-to-face instruction in conversation, comprehension, reading, grammar and writing.
LACC has continued to support the Colombian Government's programme through which graduates of The UWI are afforded an opportunity to assist in the teaching of English as a second language at Colombia universities. The fully funded programme is administered by the governmental agency, ICETEX, and channelled through the Embassy in Jamaica to Mona Campus graduates. The LACC Director expanded the offer to graduates of all UWI campuses in keeping with the ONE UWI policy. Eleven graduates participated in the 2019/2020 iteration of the programme.
Nicaragua is keen to forge a mutually beneficial relationship with The UWI that would bolster that nation's sustainable development through capacity-building and environmental protection research projects. In January 2020, invited by the Government of Nicaragua, the LACC Director participated in celebrations across Nicaragua to mark the International Day of People of African Descent, participated in a panel discussion, held discussions on collaboration with universities, local government officials in the Caribbean communities, the UNESCO representative for Nicaragua and Colombia and representatives of HEIs from the Colombian island of San Andres, and toured the Caribbean universities and the marine laboratory at Pearl Lagoon. Consultations to advance the potential collaborations are ongoing.
LACC collaborated with the Faculty of Food and Agriculture and CERMES to develop a Master's degree in Food Security. The LACC Director's expertise in international and multilateral affairs was crucial to framing the programme objectives and ensured the inclusion of courses with a global perspective.
The Master's degree is intended to provide mid-level professionals in the public and private sectors whose work is related to food production, trade, and governance, with knowledge about the multidimensional nature of agricultural resilience and food security and equip them with analytical and policy formulation capacity. The MSc covers a broad range of challenges to the agricultural sector in the Caribbean, offering a comparative perspective with other developing regions, and presents the international context for agriculture and food security in sustainable development.
LACC has maintained a dynamic and constant relationship with UWItv Global for the coverage and broadcast of events organised by LACC. This collaboration has been invaluable in strengthening The UWI's visibility in Latin America and the Caribbean and beyond. Some events covered include:
LACC and UWItv Global have also been collaborating on a television programme about Latin America and the non-English-speaking Caribbean countries for broadcast on UWItv to its English-speaking Caribbean audience. This multifaceted project, We Are Neighbours, is aimed at increasing knowledge about Latin America and the Caribbean, exposing UWI graduates to possibilities for careers in the region and encouraging foreign language learning.
Dr. Luz Longsworth designated the LACC Director to represent her on the SALISES Advisory Board meeting in July 2020 where she sits in her capacity as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Affairs. At that meeting, the LACC Director offered the support of the Office of Global Affairs and LACC to SALISES to further its international reach.
Vice-Chancellor Beckles is a member of the UNDP Advisory Board and designated the LACC Director to represent him at a meeting in June 2020 to discuss the UNDP's regional Human Development Report 2021. Director Bristol participated in the Workshop on Crime and Violence.
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