I extend warmest welcome to you our students and staff to the new academic year, 2010/2011. A very special welcome to our new students, who have taken the bold and decisive step in joining the UWI family - you have made an excellent choice by making the University of the West Indies your place to shine. Unquestionably, Jamaica’s and the Region’s premier institution of higher learning, with a solid history of excellence in scholarship and research, the UWI has made an indelible mark on the lives of many before you. It is now your turn to begin the journey here at Mona, a journey that will establish the foundation for your legacy later in life.

The new academic year holds exciting possibilities and promises for the UWI, Mona Campus. The Campus will continue apace with its comprehensive process of transforming the academy into the state-of-the-art institution, where the quality of service to all stakeholders coincides with our long established tradition of excellence in scholarship.  

The challenges we face as a university are well known, but they are not insurmountable. Overcoming them will however require the total commitment of each and every member of the community, and complete immersion in the task at hand. Equally, it calls for my personal commitment to being an enabler, fostering the growth and the development we all envision. Together we will succeed!

We should all be proud of the very important strides made during the 2009/2010 academic year:

• The introduction of new programmes in law, agriculture, new media, engineering, among others, provides our students with an expanded range of choices from which to satisfy their academic curiosity and enrichment, while ensuring that the Mona Campus satisfies the important mandate of responding to current market needs;
• The expansion/improvement of student spaces, facilities and developmental programmes allow us to provide a superior learning environment, by facilitating the smooth transition of our students into university life and seeing to their basic comfort and holistic development;
• Ongoing efforts to transform the administrative culture, by streamlining work processes and increasing accountability, are crucial to the University’s continued growth and sustainability;
• Extensive upgrading of the physical plant ensures that you, our staff and students have a work and study environment that is conducive to learning and greater productivity;
• Our increased engagement in national developmental issues such as economic and technology policy formulation; the impact and treatment of crime and the development of the Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSME) sector reinforces our important role in national development. Additionally, our outreach work in neighbouring August Town, and other such communities locally, as well as our efforts in response to the redevelopment of Haiti, underscores our obligation towards uplifting and assisting communities and peoples across the Region.

In the new academic year attention will be focused on areas including the expansion of access to developmental programmes for new students; the introduction of additional new academic programmes, such as dentistry; and the completion and commissioning of new facilities such as the Faculty of Law and Basic Medical Sciences complexes.

Students, rest assured that the campus will continue to work assiduously to ensure you have positive and unforgettable learning and developmental experiences during your sojourn here at Mona.

Faculty, you can be confident in the knowledge that a transformed Campus will redound to higher quality and more fulfilling work experience.

Let us all engage in the improvement process to make changes for the benefit of all.

I wish for all a productive and fulfilling year.

Gordon Shirley
Pro Vice Chancellor & Principal