As the strategic hub of The University of the West Indies (UWI), the University Office of Planning (UOP) played a vital role in advancing the university’s TripleA Strategic Plan - Access, Alignment, and Agility - through expert research, institutional analysis, planning tools, stakeholder engagement, and high-level strategic support during the review year. The scope and depth of this year’s work reflect the UOP’s mission to ensure that UWI remains regionally relevant, globally competitive, and financially sustainable.

Throughout the academic year, the UOP provided technical and advisory assistance to the Vice Chancellery and other business units within the university system, helping to implement strategic and operational initiatives aligned with the Triple A Strategy 2022- 2027, Phase II: Revenue Revolution. To promote teamwork and facilitate their efforts, the UOP conducted four staff meetings during the review period, which served both operational and developmental purposes.

After serving as the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academic-Industry Partnerships and Planning at the University Office of Planning for seven years, Professor Densil A. Williams applied for the position of Campus Principal at the Mona Campus and was successfully appointed to the role. Effective August 1, 2023, he began his responsibilities as Campus Principal and Pro Vice- Chancellor, where he will assume increased leadership responsibilities and play a crucial role in the campus’s strategic direction.

Following Professor Williams’ departure, Professor C. Justin Robinson, who brings a wealth of experience and expertise, was appointed as the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academic-Industry Partnerships and Planning in the University Office of Planning, effective August 1, 2023. This role will allow him to further develop relationships between academia and industry and contribute to the university’s overall academic and strategic planning.

The UOP has structured its work across four distinct units: Strategic Planning, Business Intelligence/ Institutional Research, Economic Engagement/Industry Partnerships, and Business Process Re-engineering/ Project Management. Within these units, members undertake a variety of technical and administrative responsibilities spanning seven broad portfolios, including:

• Survey design and implementation
• Policy research used to develop proposals for new business
• Strategic planning, monitoring, and evaluation
• Development of ICT systems and analytical tools for monitoring and evaluating significant projects
• Execution of special projects to enhance the university’s work
• Participation in university ranking exercises
• Proposal development to enhance operational efficiency

During the academic year 2023/2024, the UOP diligently worked to support the UWI Triple A Plan through its engagement with the various pillars of Access, Alignment, and Agility. The UOP’s core portfolios focused on achieving the objectives and targets outlined in the plan related to these three strategic goals.

ACCESS

This strategic goal targets programs and initiatives designed to provide tertiary educational opportunities to underserved communities. The UOP’s contributions in this area included, but were not limited to:

• Development of concept papers and drafting of critical university reports to support Access objectives.

During the period, the UOP prepared and disseminated the following works to meet the access goal:

• The University of the West Indies Student Statistics, 2018/2019 to 2022/2023
• Datasets for the Vice Chancellor’s Annual Report to Council, 2022/2023
• Results of the UWI Student Satisfaction Survey 2024 and the UWI Staff Engagement Survey 2024. These reports were presented at the following university meetings: Committee of Deans, Board of Undergraduate Studies, and Board of Graduate Studies and Research from May 27-31, 2024
• Report on the Times Higher Education Results of the World University Ranking 2024
• Report on the Times Higher Education Results of the University Impact Ranking 2024

The office was also involved in preparing survey instruments to facilitate information gathering for decision-making:

• Student Satisfaction Survey
• Staff Engagement Survey
• Visual Arts Survey

ALIGNMENT

The alignment goal examines how UWI fosters closer links and collaborations with industry sectors by utilizing its research and innovation to provide practical solutions to real-world problems. The UOP’s contributions in this area included, but were not limited to:

• Presenting the findings of the Audit of the UWI Entrepreneurial Culture to senior management teams across the various UWI campuses.

The University Office of Planning (UOP) continued to produce the UOP Bulletin, Trends in Higher Education, to disseminate the latest developments in the higher education sector to various stakeholders.

AGILITY

The Agility goal examines how UWI is streamlining its processes to capitalize on growth opportunities. Key initiatives include:

• Conducting quarterly reviews of the Triple A Strategy 2022-2027 Phase 2: Revenue Revolution with the strategy steering committee.
• Offering virtual training for faculty and staff on navigating the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) system.
• Developing concept papers to enhance operational efficiency, such as a Competitor Analysis Database to monitor competitors and a web-enabled system to track cost-saving and revenue-generation initiatives under the “10 in 2” financial model.
• Demonstrating a Tuition Price Elasticity of Demand (TPED) model to guide pricing strategies based on enrollment data and market metrics.

Additionally, the UOP coordinated data submissions for various rankings, including the 2025 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the 2024 University Impact Rankings, where UWI ranked in the 601-800 band and achieved a perfect score for SDG 17. Other routine activities included chairing interview panels and preparing a Web Analytics Report.