UWI to innovate to survive

The current economic downturn affecting organisations, institutions and individuals region-wide has not spared the University of the West Indies’ St Augustine campus. According to a media release, the campus has been preparing for lean times for over two years now.

A call for innovative thinking and technology bound solutions was made by Campus Bursar Andrea Taylor-Hanna in the May-June 2016 issue of the STAN Magazine (St Augustine News and Perspectives). The campus community recognizes that at all levels we need to become more efficient and productive and contribute to the collective response to the new economic reality.

Regarding the most recent financial concerns for the St Augustine, campus management continues systematic engagements with key stakeholders including the Government who has always been very supportive of UWI. This engagement is also with staff members, recognized Unions, contractors and students through the Guild of Students.

In these conversations, the senior management team continues to share the economic reality with a call to be more efficient and innovative in operations. Campus Management has shared some income generating and cost cutting measures including curbing non-essential and travel expenditure, energy efficiency and leveraging digital technology solutions. They have also invited suggestions from the campus community and explained that the intention at this time is not layoffs but rather to focus on efficiencies and quality. Campus Principal Professor Brian Copeland reiterates that the conversation is global and innovation is the primary response: “The downturn is affecting higher education institutions worldwide. In fact international rating agency Moody’s moved their rating of the global higher education industry from stable to negative, while Standard & Poor’s suggest a bleak outlook for higher education globally in 2018. Mindful of this disruption in higher education, we understand that it is not business as usual.

“We will continue to focus on innovating in all aspects of operations including academic programme restructuring and delivery, even as we put measures in place to treat with the economic downturn that all local organizations are grappling with. Our sister campuses have faced these economic hurdles before and have survived and I am sure that we too will survive.”