Courses in coral reef ecology, medical electronics and instrumentation, mass media writing as well as environmental and Chronic Non-Communicable Disease (CNCD) research are among the new steps the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus is undertaking.
Chancellor Sir George Alleyne, speaking during the first part of the UWI graduation ceremony in the Indoor Gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex, Wildey, St Michael, today said they had also helped to create the first multi-disease registry for CNCD’s in the Caribbean.
All this, he said, was evidence of the importance of tertiary education and of Governmental support for tertiary education.
“Tertiary education . . . reduces the degree of inequality in society. It levels the playing field and allows those who are intellectually gifted but financially challenged to play on that same field. Tertiary education in universities is necessary for the creation, dissemination and application of knowledge and . . . innovation. Countries that do not have and do not use this capacity are destined for the dust bins of history and that is the reason why the state has a vested interest in tertiary education,” he said.
Sir George said there were 1 200 graduates in total – made up of 260 post graduates; 80 first class honourees and 17 post graduates who earned research degrees.
The ceremony was attended by Governor General Sir Clifford Husbands and acting Prime Minister Ronald Jones as well as vice-chancellor professor E Nigel Harris and pro-vice-chancellor and UWI principal, Sir Hilary Beckles.
It was divided into two parts where those graduating from the faculties of medicine, humanities and pure and applied sciences went first and those graduating from the faculties of social sciences and law were scheduled to go later today during the second ceremony.
The first graduation also featured three individuals who received honorary doctorates: Dr Shirley Brathwaite, who was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science; Professor Keith Sandiford, who was awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters and Bishop of Barbados Reverend Dr John Holder, who was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws.
Two others were scheduled to receive honorary doctorates during the second graduation: Professor Kwesi Prah, the degree of Doctor of Letters and Professor Emeritus Compton Bourne, the degree of Doctor of Laws.
