The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica W.I. Monday, July 31, 2023— The University Council of The University of the West Indies has approved the decision that the Open Campus will be rebranded as the Global Campus.
A multifaceted Implementation Committee is being established to formulate and roll out a plan to transition the Open Campus to the Global Campus. The road map is anticipated to see incremental changes from August 1, 2023, with a full operationalization of the new Global Campus by January 2024.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, “the tremendous legacy of the Open Campus and the role it has for the future can only be secured in the context of fundamental restructuring and reengineering.”
Within that context, one major initiative to emerge from the new Global Campus, is a for-profit entrepreneurial income-generating Business School which will be named the International School for Development Justice (ISDJ). Centred within the parameters of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it will specifically offer a new product line – SDG focused, postgraduate academic programmes delivered in an online format which leverages the excellence and expertise of the traditional Open Campus.
The rebranded Global Campus simultaneously seeks to improve and extend the operations of the legacy Open Campus throughout the Caribbean Region. Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr. Francis O. Severin, describes the rebranding as a demonstration of the University’s faith in the asynchronous online delivery experience and expertise of the Open Campus, and how that will enable The UWI Global. “It depicts that we are part of a bigger movement that will lead the way into the global sphere. The Open Campus is optimally placed with the technology and experience spheres to shepherd The UWI and the Region safely and efficiently into the digital global space and the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said Dr. Severin.
This evolution is embraced as the University marks its 75th Anniversary and celebrates its enduring legacy of service to the Caribbean community. From the Extra-Mural Department in 1948 evolved the School of Continuing Studies (SCS), and the further expansion of distance education services through UWIDITE and UWIDEC, to The UWI Open Campus, which was formally launched as part of the University’s 60th anniversary milestone in 2008. Commenting on the evolution, Vice-Chancellor Beckles said “This evolution to the Global Campus is both a strategic move and the next natural step in our already successful global strategy. We anticipate that the Global Campus will be a major pillar in the Revenue Revolution phase of our Triple A Strategy as through aggressive entrepreneurial activity it takes our excellent programme offerings online to the regional and global academic markets. This is not the first time in our 75-year legacy that we have had to evolve. We will go at it as One UWI, with our signature resolve and I have no doubt that our Global Campus will only expand our reputation as a world-class University rooted in the Caribbean.”
For more information on the Global Campus visit www.open.uwi.edu .
About The University of the West Indies
The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region for the past 75 years.
From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Global Campus, along with global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.
The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.
The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean in the World University Rankings, it is also in the top 25 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old). The UWI is also featured among the leading universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.
2023 marks The UWI’s 75th anniversary. The Diamond jubilee milestone themed “UWI at 75. Rooted. Ready. Rising.” features initiatives purposely designed and aligned to reflect on the past, confront the present, and articulate plans for the future of the regional University.
Learn more at www.uwi.edu
