Office of Global Affairs

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During the period under review, the Office of Global Affairs (OGA) continued to successfully deliver on its mandate to guide The UWI’s international thrust by initiating, coordinating and facilitating the University’s engagements with external and internal partners.

Agility

Throughout the year under review, the OGA and The UWI Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) continued initiating and establishing collaborative arrangements with regional Tertiary Level Institutions (TLIs) through the facilitation of franchise, articulation and joint programming arrangements. In light of COVID-19, and in collaboration with QAU, OGA with the approval of the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Board for Undergraduate Studies adopted the QAU’s newly established combined virtual and physical review procedure. Under this format all stakeholder meetings were held virtually. However, to ensure that the evaluation was not compromised, a member of staff of The UWI Open Campus was nominated to conduct the site visit of the respective TLI being assessed. To date, franchise and articulation arrangements have been completed with the Antigua State College, the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College and the University of St. Martin.

Alignment

University of Bath

OGA in partnership with the University of Bath’s International Centre for Higher Education Management (ICHEM), hosted a three-part webinar series targeted to administrators in higher education and focused on relevant themes in international higher education.

• “Higher Education Strategy-making: External and Internal Perspectives”. Presented by Professor Jurgen Enders. (October 21, 2020)
• “Internationalisation, Globalisation and the Rise of the Emerging Global Model of the Research University”. Presented by Dr. Ludovic Highman. (November 18, 2020)
• “Enhancing Teaching in Higher Education: The Role of Cultural Capital”. Presented by Professor Rajani Naidoo. (December 2, 2020)

As the world continued to grapple with the ravages of the pandemic, the OGA, focused on public advocacy and education, once again partnered with the International Centre for Higher Education Management (ICHEM); the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE); and UNESCO Chair of Higher Education Management on January 19, 2021, to conduct a webinar titled “COVID-19 Vaccines and the Global Good: The Relationship between Universities, Pharmaceutical Companies and Government”.

UWI/Afro Caribbean Churches in the UK

Another significant partnership for the Office of Global Affairs centred around activism and public advocacy was with the Afro Caribbean Churches in the UK, comprising: The Church of God of Prophecy (UK) (COGOP); The New Testament Church of God (NTC); and the New Testament Assembly (NTA). Key to this was the Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR) and the Centre for Reparations Research (CRR).

In the wake of the global movement for social justice and change following the death of George Floyd, The UWI and the Afro Caribbean Churches in the UK, in their effort to engender greater appreciation for their history, heritage and identity, engaged the Caribbean diaspora in the UK, particularly the youth, in dialogue. In the words of the ministerial communique, the engagement was to “construct the intellectual infrastructure for a high-quality conversation with the Church of England and other officials in the power structure of British society”.

Together, the multi-institution team realised two symposia addressing different themes affecting the UK Caribbean Diaspora. Aired live on UWItv, the first of these was produced on November 12, 2020, and featured Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles as the keynote speaker. Other presentations were delivered by representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby; Professor Donna Hope of the Institute of Caribbean Studies (Mona); Dr. David Muir, Head of Whitelands College and Senior Lecturer in Public Theology and Community Engagement and Reverend Dr. Carol Tomlin, Principal and Director of studies at Kingdom School of Theology.

The second symposium, held under the theme “Overcoming the Burden of Disease”, again featured Vice- Chancellor Beckles as the keynote speaker and included presentations from Professor Kevin Fenton, Public Health Regional Director for London, Public Health England and other public health professionals based in the UK and the Caribbean. As a result of the engagement, the OGA received a cheque for £1,000 from Jeremiah Global, to support studies for a student at the University for a year.

AGILITY

Database of Agreements

During the year under review, the OGA continued to maintain the database of agreements between The UWI and other institutions. To date, the database includes more than 500 agreements with other institutions including educational, governmental, development agencies and private companies. Among the notable additions for the period are the MoUs signed with the Open Society Foundation, the University of St. Martin, Arizona State University and Barrett Honors College. Work continues with the Office of the University Chief Information Officer (UCIO) to make the database of agreements accessible across the university community.

The UWI’s Global Centres

Beginning in 2016, as part of a robust effort at globalisation, The UWI partnered with universities to establish a network of global centres. To date, these efforts have resulted in the creation of ten centres with first class universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. As part of the OGA’s efforts to support, better coordinate and advance the work programmes of the centres, the Office established a Central Coordination Office. Under the stewardship of Ambassador Gillian Bristol, who serves both as Director of the Latin American-Caribbean Centre (LACC) and Coordinator of The UWI Global Centres and Institutes (GCIs), the initiative serves to realise The UWI’s global strategic objectives under the One UWI banner. For the reporting period, much was done by the centres to satisfy the University’s strategic goals.

Canada-Caribbean Institute
Following on the launch of the Canada-Caribbean Institute (CCI) on February 17, 2020, the two universities have hosted several successful public education and engagement activities including:

• “Open Science and the Decolonisation of Knowledge”, held on October 15, 2020, to discuss the difficulties surrounding the dissemination and use of science within the region and in developing countries, as well as issues related to the lack of access to science by Indigenous Peoples.
• “Maple and Palm Forum”, held on February 25, 2021, in collaboration with the Canadian High Commission (Kingston) and the Institute of Caribbean Studies (UWI Mona). The forum highlighted and celebrated the long-standing relationship between Canada and the Caribbean. With the support of the Institutional Advancement Division (IAD) at The UWI, a two-year scholarship was made available to a graduate student from the Institute for Caribbean Studies.
• “Revitalising Canada-CARICOM Trade and Investments”, held on April 29, 2021, which focused on opportunities for strengthening trade between Canada and the Caribbean in the wake of the pandemic.

Additionally, the Institute assembled a Governing Board and met for the first time on June 16, 2021. The Board, which is composed of members from government, private sector and academia, is supported by six Standing Committees.

European University Institute
Following the virtual signing of the MoU between The UWI and the European University Institute (EUI) in July 2020, as a first step, the two institutions initiated a dialogue titled “COVID-19 and Trade – Sharing the Experiences of the Caribbean and Europe to examine the effects of COVID-19 on trade in Europe and in the Caribbean”. Opening remarks were delivered by Pro Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Luz Longsworth. Featured presentations included Her Excellency Joy Ann Skinner, Ambassador of Barbados to the European Union, and Felipe De La Motta, E.U. Team Leader for Regional Integration and Trade Programmes in the Caribbean.

UWI – UNILAG
The relationship between The UWI and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) was formalised through the signing of an MoU in May 2017. Through the efforts of Dr. Luz Longsworth, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Global Affairs, and Professor John Ayotunde Isola Bewaji, the initiative was reactivated in May 2021 and now offers a joint Master’s in African and Diaspora Studies. The programme makes manifest The UWI’s Triple A Strategy of Access, having now recruited the first cohort of students, who have commenced classes with their Nigerian counterparts.