Since being established in December 2016, UWItv continues to provide public information services and education and training programmes that reflect the roles and responsibilities of The 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 August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020, UWItv embarked on a series of initiatives strategically aligned with The UWI Triple A Strategic Plan. These are evidenced by UWItv's internal and external partnerships agreements and working relations with faculty, staff, numerous governments and stakeholders both regionally and internationally, thus establishing a global footprint.
One of the foundational pillars of the Triple A Strategy is Access, which aims "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 through its multimedia platforms. These platforms allow individuals and entities outside of the University community to reach a multiplicity of audiences through utilising UWItv's various media and communicative platforms. Through these platforms, content generated through The UWI and its strategic partners, research and perspectives can be directly accessed by audiences regionally and internationally.
In October 2019, UWItv embarked on a ground-breaking industry-academic partnership agreement with FLOW which provided The UWI with its own 24/7 cable channel across 15 regional territories including: Grenada, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Cayman, Anguilla, The Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos, Dominica, British Virgin Islands, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda and Curaçao.
Through this partnership agreement, academia and industry have been strategically linked, as UWItv now broadcasts on Flow Evo. With the UWItv-Flow Evo connection, The UWI's integration through education mandate is now intensified, as classrooms and living rooms can now converse. Although The UWI has been at the forefront of providing education to regional households through various online platforms, avenues such as cable TV remain relevant and ought to be exploited. As it stands, cable TV is more accessible, and it caters to a broader array of entities and demographics.
With the advancement and proliferation of digital technologies, visibility and image management are vital to socio-political objectives such as regional integration. As such, through UWItv, the University can expand its visibility and manage its image. Moreover, as an educational institution, The UWI is now better placed to deliver its mandate to public information and education. As a result of the UWItv and FLOW arrangement, quality Caribbean centred educational content can be shared unapologetically and uninterrupted throughout the region.
UWItv has also ensured greater access through its social media platforms, mainly the UWItv Facebook page. During the period, this Facebook page reached over 651,000 people with over 213,000 engagements. It has provided a broader platform for events hosted by UWItv, and has been strategically utilised to enhance the visibility and promotion of other Facebook pages within the UWI community. This was achieved through directly sharing the information and content on campus' community pages to the UWItv page to ensure greater access to high educational content by expanding the reach of these pages. UWItv has also increased its access through its presence on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Similarly, the UWItv website (https://uwitv.org/) provides a more comprehensive platform that enhances the regional and extra-regional access to UWI generated content. The website facilitates the placement of live-streamed and recorded videos in the form of public lectures, conferences, symposiums, faculty interviews and other pertinent events hosted by the wider UWI community.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, UWItv utilised its partnership agreement with the United Nations (UN) to provide a rebroadcast of the daily World Health Organisation and UN press briefings on its website and cable channel. Coupled with similar content from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the UWItv website provided audiences across the region and the world with a centralised repository of up-to-date COVID-19 information.
UWItv played a vital role in supporting The UWI COVID-19 Task Force and other regional stakeholders in delivering critical e-engagements that have delved into many specific COVID-related issues unique to the Caribbean. These e-engagements have allowed the region to actively participate in discussions, and showcased the important contributions the region has made in combatting the pandemic.
Through the innovative use of videoconferencing platforms (such as Zoom) and professional broadcast software, UWItv has effectively offered the UWI community accessible, cost-effective and high-quality solutions for its virtual outreach. Through these platforms, UWItv has also been able to deliver e-engagements in multiple languages to serve the wider Caribbean region and beyond.
| "The CSME: What's in it for me Public Townhall" | Dedicated daily time slot for COVID-19 related content |
| "Demystifying the Coronavirus" | "Caribbean Unity or Plurality: The Regional Response to COVID-19" |
| "COVID-19: Partnering in the Caribbean's Response" | Tourism Community Response to COVID-19 |
| The World Health Organisation Press Briefing | "Race, Class and COVID-19" |
| "Combatting COVID-19 through Data" | "The Impact of COVID-19 on Health Systems", hosted by the Faculty of Medical Sciences in collaboration with the Caribbean Centre for Health Systems Research and Development |
Another pillar of the Triple A Strategy is Alignment, which 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's offerings are fulfilling the needs of the society it serves".
UWItv's strategic methodologies are well aligned with developing relationships with UWI alumni and producers of wealth by providing a multi-media platform to share their research, publications, public service, messages and perspectives with global audiences.Similarly, UWItv serves the needs of government, non-governmental and international actors through numerous strategic partnership arrangements. These are evidenced by strategic media partnerships with the United Nations (UN), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), CARICOM, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) and the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC). These multimedia partnerships satisfy the needs of these entities by allowing them to effectively engage in their public education, social development and service mandates.
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines' Historic Appointment to the UN Security Council | CARICOM Reparations Commission: Sir William Arthur Lewis: Founder of Reparations for Caribbean Economic Development |
| The Launch of the Caribbean Administrative Tribunal (CCAT) | The Launch of the P.J. Patterson Centre for African-Caribbean Advocacy |
| Caribbean Court of Justice 15th Anniversary | "From Apology to Action: CARICOM'S Call for Reparatory Justice" |
| "Legal Dimensions Arising from COVID-19 Pandemic" | "Caribbean Justice: A Needs Assessment of the Judicial System" |
| "The Life and Work of Walter Rodney" | "The Uses and Abuses of Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence: Is Racism a Feature?" |
The third and equally important pillar of the Triple A Strategy is Agility. This strategic goal refers to "utilizing 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 works in close collaboration with multiple stakeholders to incorporate an entrepreneurial approach that has improved the global presence of The UWI. Evidenced by UWItv's international collaborations that have advanced knowledge and awareness globally, UWItv has forged and strengthened strategic and developmental partnerships that have enlarged the global footprint of The UWI. Over the period under review, a significant partnership that has elevated the profile of The UWI is the industry-academic partnership agreement between UWItv and FLOW. This partnership is uniquely advantageous as The UWI now has a home on cable TV that allows the institution to transmit its content more widely and intensely than ever before.
With the advancement and proliferation of digital technologies, visibility and image management are critical to institutions' survival. As such, through UWItv, the University has expanded its visibility and has better managed its image. Moreover, The UWI is now better placed to deliver on its educational mandate of widening access to knowledge and information.
In July 2020, UWItv was a partial recipient of a Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) grant valued at USD $95,000 for the provision of Instructional Television through the UWItv Cable Channel in partnership with The UWI Open Campus.
| "Development Finance for The COVID-19 Response in the Eastern Caribbean" | E-Conference Series: "Private Sector for COVID-19 Response" |
| Resilient Series: "Pivoting Your Business to Survive COVID-19: Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Brand Development" | One Caribbean Solutions: "Post Crisis Strategic Partnership and Next Steps for Reopening Universities" |
| Resilient Series: "Money Management of MSMEs: Managing Your Finances and Relationships with your Financial Institution" | E-Conference Series: "Food Security and Economic Diversification as Part of the COVID-19 Response" |
| E-Conference Series: "Reopening the Economy at the End of the COVID-19 Response" | UWI MoU signing with the European University Institute |
| Resilient Series: "Keeping Clients Amidst COVID-19: Cost effective marketing and client engagement" | UWI MoU signing with Glasgow University |
The UWI and FLOW launch Industry-Academic partnership
University Marketing & Communications Office
The University of the West Indies
868 662-2002 ext 84246 or 82316
universitymktgcomms@sta.uwi.edu
