Although the University of the West Indies (UWI) has trained most of the Caribbean’s brightest and best, far too many of its graduates aren’t giving back enough to the school that helped to launch their careers.
UWI vice chancellor Professor Nigel Harris told the SUNDAY SUN in New York that when it came to providing scholarships to young people, making grants to the school that would boost its capital programme and in other ways helping the university to expand its reach, more graduates could help.
“Quite frankly, we are far short of where we should be. That’s a fact,” he said.
“Despite all the efforts, I have to tell you that we are continually working on that aspect of our university. The alumni are a vital part of the university and building alumni support is one of our strategic imperatives right now going forward. We have in excess of 120 000 alumni and we are adding 9 000 – 10 000 every year. Compared with what’s happening in the United States we are far short.
“It is better than it was years ago but we still have a long way to go,” he said.
