By Jeff Trotman

GUYANESE- born Professor Stafford Griffith is the first principal of the newly established Five Islands Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Antigua.
UWI Vice Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, on Tuesday, introduced Professor Griffith as the interim principal of the new campus, during the ceremonial opening in the main auditorium of the facility. Sir Hilary explained that difficult decisions, requiring wisdom and experience will have to be made during the formative years of the institution “and we have turned to one of our wisest heads”.

“This is a man, who has been tried and tested, a distinguished scholar, a distinguished Caribbean man, who hails from the interior of Guyana. He has lived here for many years and knows this island and this country very well. “I have worked with him at UWI in the School of Education where he served as Pro Vice-Chancellor. I have worked with him as chairman of CXC. He was one of our leading technocrats, guiding the CXC over the years in curriculum development, programme development, assessment and measurement. The CXC that we are very proud of today is an expression of his leadership and guidance.”
In a brief address at the ceremony, Professor Griffith stated that the value of higher education for economic development is not a debatable issue. He said that it is well illustrated by the impact in the establishment of a University of the West Indies campus in Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago in terms of the impact on the socio-economic development of those countries.

He opined that the new campus should similarly impact the growth and development of Antigua and Barbuda. Professor described the materialisation of the Five Islands Campus as the outcome of the thinking of two visionary leaders, Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Sir Hilary. He said that the former clearly recognises the value that a university campus could bring to bear on the economic and social value of a nation. Noting that Vice Chancellor Beckles demonstrates an unwavering conviction that UWI must play a pivotal role in the further development of the Caribbean by extending its services, particularly in the Eastern Caribbean, Professor Griffith emphasized that the campus in Antigua and Barbuda is a good place for which to do so.

He added that it has the prospect of making similar impact on the development of other countries in the OECS and he urged the other OECS member states “to take advantage of the opportunities that the establishment of the Five Islands Campus provides to the sub region to serve as a catalyst for their further growth and development.
“This campus provides an opportunity for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda to obtain a university education in a number of areas of specialization at a much lower cost than they would have had to bear if they had to travel to another country where they would have to pay airfare and accommodation to complete their university education.
“Moreover, many students will be able to complete their studies while maintaining their jobs and in turn their employers will have an immediate stream of benefits from the improved expertise, even as they pursue their courses of study.”

He pointed out that the global digital age is on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution “into a world of artificial intelligence and virtual reality,” which pose serious challenges to the region’s competitiveness and economic survival. Consequentially, the region needs to develop “a much larger pool of highly skilled … highly trained graduates, who can take advantage of the current state of knowledge and adapt it, indeed, build on it to ensure that we continue in this region to have our fair share of the benefits derived from the global economy.

“The Five Islands Campus as part of the University of the West Indies system that ranks at the top five per cent of the universities in the world has the potential to provide that much needed education and training for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda and the rest of the OECS counries,” Professor Griffith said. He added that quality faculties will be established to guide student development so that the campus can fulfill its objective. The interim principal said that during his tenure, he “will continue to work, to lay the foundation for the Five Islands Campus to become an outstanding campus of the University of the West Indies and for that I look forward to your continued support”.

Two Phase admission to UWI Five Islands Campus
Pro Vice Chancellor and Interim Principal of the UWI Five Islands Campus in Antigua and Barbuda, Professor Stafford Griffith, has disclosed that student admission to the facility will be done in two phases in this first year of operation. He made the disclosure in a brief address after being introduced by Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles at the opening ceremony of the campus on Tuesday in the facility’s main auditorium. Classes began at the Five Islands Campus on Monday but during his address at the opening ceremony, Professor Griffith said that several people have been enquiring about admission requirements for this semester.

He is advising interested persons that registration would be done in two phases with the first phase open to students, who are starting their programmes in the first semester. He said that some students have already started classes and those, who have not yet started will begin during the course of the week. He advised that the second phase of registration will take place in January 2020. According to him, this phase would be extensively advertised.

“For this second phase, we hope to recruit students not only from Antigua and Barbuda but (also) from other OECS countries.” The interim principal said that the first semester will utilize full time and part-time faculty largely from specialists, who are resident in Antigua and Barbuda. This will be supplemented with specialists drawn from other campuses of the University of the West Indies.

Advantage will also be taken of the eagerness expressed by a number of faculties from other campuses to come to this university campus to provide training in their areas of specialization. “So, there will be a mixture of expertise drawn from various places. He pointed out that the standard expected for a course of study at the Five Islands Campus “is the same as that of other campuses of the university. The matriculation requirements … are the same. The courses of study are of the same quality. The examinations (will) reflect a common standard and the grades awarded reflect the same level of accomplishment. Five Islands is a full campus of the University of the West Indies – subject to the same regulations as the other campuses of this university.”

He said a core mission of UWI is to undertake research that is relevant to the socio-economic and political development needs of the countries in the region and to create students to engage in this research. In this regard, the Five Islands Campus as part of the reputable University of the West indies will be engaging in research that is socially and developmentally relevant to the people of Antigua and Barbuda, and the rest of the region in a range of disciplines beginning, of course, with those covered by the three schools with which the campus has already started.” Those schools are: Humanities and Education; Health and Behavioral Sciences; Management, Sciences and Technology.

The interim principal said research in those areas are expected to be conducted at the Five Islands Campus “right from the outset”.

Pic save as Professor Stafford Griffith
Caption: Guyanese born Professor Stafford Griffith

Photo: Sir Hilary Beckles
Caption: UWI Vice Chancellor Sir Hillary Beckles