Principal's Message
Providing a Quality University Experience
It is always a pleasure to introduce the
readers of our Mona magazine to its contents
that so effectively reflect the richness and
depth of the Mona Campus university
experience. This issue captures pictorially the
textured layers of the 2011 orientation and
matriculation exercises. The feature will no doubt
serve as a memento for our new students –
Jamaican, Caribbean and International – who knew
the wisdom of participating in these life-changing
exercises that are so important in setting the stage
for a successful journey into academia and
university life!
This year, we welcomed some 4,000 new students. They comprise
80% of the most qualified of the national and regional
university student cohort. This Campus administration is
committed to providing them with a quality university
experience that is second to none, and one that serves the
specific needs of Jamaica and the Caribbean. News in this
publication of the recent success of the Mona School of Business (MSB) in gaining international accreditation of
its programmes, showcases an achievement that
typifies the world class quality of the curricula offered
in our five faculties that prepare students for hundreds
of careers. The newest additions to these curricula,
reflecting the emerging interests of our students,
include dentistry, electronic engineering, tropical
horticulture, agricultural entrepreneurship, journalism,
integrated marketing communication, digital media
and entertainment management. At the postgraduate
level, we’ve also added programmes in MedicalPhysics,
Physical Therapy and an MBA with a new concentration
in Sports Management.
The high standards of faculty members leading the
research mandate of this university are also highlighted
in the most recent appointment of academics to the
professorial rank. We are proud of our tradition of
rewarding the brightest and the best and I extend my
heartiest congratulations to our newest appointees.
The researchers on this Campus who are impacting national
and regional development are engaged in subjects ranging from
global warming and the destruction of our coral reefs, to finding
solutions to the diseases that affect agricultural crops; from
understanding the impact of casino gambling and other forms
of gaming on our society, to addressing the problem of gangs
and organised crime which lie at the heart of the very high rate
of violence in some countries in the region, including Jamaica;
from understanding Jamaica’s dancehall culture and the
phenomena of daggering and gun culture, to understanding
how to dramatically improve the performance of Caribbean
students in the primary and secondary schools; from managing
chronic non-communicable diseases that inflict our community,
to managing the HIV-AIDS epidemic in our region. In this
publication we hone in on the Department of Microbiology’s
research on free living amoeba. Also captured in this issue is
the opening of the sickle cell diagnostic centre, highlighting our
continuous investment in improving our research capabilities on
the Campus.
It should be noted, however, that it is not only commitment to
research that differentiates Mona’s faculty members. We are
equally committed to ensuring that faculty members have,
through our Instructional Development unit, access to techniques
that allow them to continually upgrade their teaching methods
to respond to the changing needs of our students and to make
teaching material more accessible and relevant.
‘What’s In the name: Buildings at Mona’, the piece in this
publication that speaks specifically to the rich legacy of this
university reminds us, too, that the physical and other infrastructural
facilities of a Campus are important determinants
in the quality of the learning that takes place. To this end,
we have recently expanded our computer laboratories in the
libraries, our holdings of books, journals and other materials,
both on-line and in print. We have also introduced learning
commons in our libraries which allow for a more comfortable
environment in which to pursue study. The new Faculty of Law
is housed in a state-of-the-art modern building, and the new
Basic Medical Science Complex is nearing completion.
Students at the Western Jamaica Campus (WJC) will experience
the most modern telecommunication technologies that allow
for two-way communication between classrooms at Mona and
the WJC. It is not by accident, then, that annually our students
excel in the international arena. We highlight here the
achievements of Charah Watson, winner of the International
year of Chemistry Award, Donovan Campbell, who was awarded
the outstanding postgraduate research prize, and Damion Davy,
the chess champion.
In featuring the chess winner we underscore the fact of the
roundedness of the Mona Campus university experience. Our
sports programme is world class, with sports research being
at its centre. Two students, Hansle Parchment and Jason
Young, are shown in this issue excelling at the World University
Games. We are very proud, also, that well-known Jamaica
cricketer, Wavell Hinds, was among the many recipients of the
significantly increased number of UWI scholarships, including
sports scholarships. The feature on the UWI/UTECH Sports
Championship highlights, as well, our active participation in
national and international sporting competitions.
On another note, The UWI, Mona Campus has a very strong
outreach agenda that embraces local communities such as
August Town, as well as our Caribbean neighbourhoods. The
article on the UWI-Haiti collaboration, led by Dr. Matthew Smith
of the Faculty of Humanities and Education, speaks to Mona’s
efforts to assist in Haiti’s redevelopment after the devastating
2010 earthquake. In addition to the formal academic curricula
of the university, it is participation in these outreach activities,
exposure to the national and Caribbean legacies housed in
artefacts, exhibits, collections, including artistic – as seen in the
Ras Dizzy art collection so generously donated by Joe Pereira,
recently retired Deputy Principal – the Study Abroad exchange
programmes at universities in North America, Europe, Asia and
Africa, the various social, religious, and cultural clubs, and the
opportunities to study and socialise with the international
students on the campus, that continue to ensure that UWI
students become well rounded, culturally sensitive, articulate
citizens of our community, and stars on the global stage.
I do hope that you enjoy this issue of our Mona magazine and
look forward to your feedback.
Professor Gordon Shirley, OJ
Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal
UWI, Mona Campus
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