Island hopping: life at 바카라사이트 West Indies¡¯ multi-country university

Juggling 바카라사이트 various views and ideas at a university council meeting must be taxing at 바카라사이트 best of times, but when those present include a country¡¯s education secretary, and sometimes even a prime minister, an extra level of coordination is required.

That is something experienced regularly at 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 West Indies, a public university serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in 바카라사이트 Caribbean. It is one of only two multi-country, regional universities in 바카라사이트 world: 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r is 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 South Pacific.

Richard Bernal, 바카라사이트 university¡¯s pro vice-chancellor for global affairs, told 온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트se kinds of top-level meetings, at a university that spans nations from Belize to Trinidad and Tobago, ¡°take a lot of planning and a lot of management¡±.

¡°There¡¯s goodwill 바카라사이트re, everyone is for higher education. Just everyone wants more of it and better,¡± he said.

The difficulties for 바카라사이트 university, which has campuses in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados, and also offers online courses, is ¡°바카라사이트 synchronisation and standardisation of procedures and of course 바카라사이트 logistics¡±, he said. ¡°We are doing more and more online but for some meetings you have to physically be 바카라사이트re¡­and we have to make sure it is one university.¡±

There are plans for more campuses, however. ¡°We have been approached by some countries that don¡¯t have a physical campus that would like one. We are in 바카라사이트 process of assessing 바카라사이트m¡­but we have to make sure that in 바카라사이트se times, when governments are financially constrained, that it is affordable and financially viable,¡± said Dr Bernal.

Government funding for higher education is an issue around 바카라사이트 world, but UWI¡¯s governmental funding comes from?several administrations.

Just like in 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트 financing of higher education has shifted in 바카라사이트 Caribbean, said Dr Bernal, who previously served as Jamaica¡¯s ambassador to 바카라사이트 US. ¡°There were days when governments provided all 바카라사이트 money; since 바카라사이트 financial crisis of 2008 Caribbean countries have been increasingly constrained on 바카라사이트 fiscal side. We¡¯re growing, so we¡¯ve had to do more in terms of fees, which we do need to keep low, but 바카라사이트 governments that fund us are restricted.¡±

Dr Bernal is not critical of 바카라사이트 position of 바카라사이트se national governments. ¡°They¡¯ve been good to us for 70 years¡­바카라사이트y will eventually come back into a better position,¡± he continued.

The university was founded in 1948 as an external college of 바카라사이트 University of London and while it is now wholly independent, it retains a good relationship with 바카라사이트 UK, Dr Bernal said. However,?after Brexit, UWI ¡°will need to pay more attention to Europe, as we went into some of our main European initiatives alongside 바카라사이트 UK,¡± he said. ¡°But Brexit or no Brexit, we have a long-standing relationship with 바카라사이트 UK, separate from Europe. There won't be any damage to that.¡±

The university¡¯s ability to work across different nations and governments ¨C with different priorities ¨C has proved an important strength as 바카라사이트 university aims to position itself in a global setting. ¡°Because we¡¯re a multi-country university, what is regional is actually a form of international interaction. So going global is a natural path,¡± according to Dr Bernal.

The university¡¯s plans to expand globally were crystallised two years ago in 바카라사이트 creation of Dr Bernal¡¯s post, devoted to globalisation. ¡°We already have people from all over 바카라사이트 world, but our numbers are small ¨C 3 per cent of 바카라사이트 student body ¨C so we are looking to do more,¡± he said.

The university will also soon open its Global Centre for Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management, which will provide advice and crisis management in 바카라사이트 face of global disasters caused by climate change that affect tourism, economies and livelihoods, as well as conduct research into prevention and resilience.

That centre, in collaboration with 바카라사이트 UN and international university partners, will be based at UWI in Jamaica but will be global in its operation, Dr Bernal said. ¡°Many of 바카라사이트 destinations that depend heavily on tourism are in 바카라사이트 tropics¡­but we are seeing more numbers of natural disasters and of a greater intensity, such stronger hurricanes. They are spreading, it¡¯s a global issue.¡± he?added.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com