Five honorary degrees will be conferred at the UWI, Mona graduation ceremonies which are being staged in three sessions, Friday, November 6 at 5:30 pm and Saturday, November 7 at 10 am and 5:30 pm. Recipients of honorary degrees are the Honourable John Issa, Mr. John Maxwell, the Honourable Oliver F. Clarke, Dr. Anne Walmsley and Professor Colin A Palmer.

At the Ceremony on Friday, November 6, 2009 at 5:30 pm Honourable Oliver F. Clarke, Chairman and Managing Director of the Gleaner Company will receive a Doctor of Laws degree. He is often credited with turning one of the oldest newspaper publishers in the region into a very successful media enterprise. He is the recipient of Jamaica’s prestigious national honour, the Order of Jamaica.

For the first time in the four-year history of the Caribbean Child Research Conference, only children will take the podium at the one-day confab on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, to present their research on a wide range of issues affecting children.

The Honourable Prime Minister Bruce Golding will deliver the keynote address at the conference, which is being held under the theme Global Crises: The Impact on Our Children – Twenty Years After the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

The World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization (WHO/PAHO) and the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), in collaboration with the UWI’s Clinical Epidemiology Unit (UWI-CEU), will host “Planning for Success” - a four day training workshop in project management for 12 researchers and research administrators from  November 3 – 6,  2009.  The activities are in line with the recently approved PAHO Policy on Research for Health that promotes strengthening skills and capacities for the research for health workforce.

On Friday, October 16, 2009, the first Principal and Pro Vice Chancellor of the Open Campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Hazel Simmons-McDonald, will be formally inducted. The induction ceremony for the Saint Lucian-born Principal, will take place in her homeland on the grounds of Government House at 6:00 p.m., under the patronage of the Governor General of Saint Lucia, Her Excellency, Dame Dr. Pearlette Louisy.

First year student in the Faculty of Law, Miss Kerri-Ann Allen, was named the Matriculant for the 2009-2010 academic year at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus and was chosen to sign the register on behalf of all new students entering Mona this academic year. The signing took place at the  Welcome and Symbolic signing of the Matriculation Register held at the University Chapel last Sunday, October 4.

Normal operations will resume at The University of the West Indies, (UWI) Mona Campus effective tomorrow, Thursday, September 17, 2009. This follows the lifting of the restriction on social activities which had been imposed in the wake of an outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1) on the campus.

 The University Health Centre has indicated that the situation continues to improve with a significant decline in the number of persons presenting with flu like symptoms on a daily basis. Further, most affected persons have presented with mild flu-like symptoms and the majority have had a full recovery within 36-hours.

The University of the West Indies, (UWI) Mona is continuing to monitor the situation in light of the outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1) on the campus.  At a meeting of the monitoring committee held on Friday, September 11, 2009, it was noted that most affected persons have presented with mild flu-like symptoms and that the majority have had a full recovery within 36-hours.

The committee also heard that there has been a decline in the number of persons presenting with flu like symptoms on a daily basis. However the University Health Centre has advised that the decline is not yet to the point of zero (0) new suspected cases.

In light of the confirmed cases of Influenza A (H1N1) at The University of the
West Indies, Mona Campus, and further to the decision to cancel or postpone all social events scheduled to take place at the campus, for the next seven days, the University community is being reminded that all social events planned by staff, students, groups or individuals should not be held during the period September 5 – 11, 2009. The community is also advised that the Matriculation and Welcome Ceremony planned for Thursday, September 10 at 4:00pm has been postponed until further notice.

On Monday, September 07, 2009, 32 new cases of persons with mild flu-like symptoms were reported to the University Health Centre from all six halls of residence.  The affected persons have received treatment from the University Health Centre and are being monitored by the health personnel.

In order to ensure that the situation does not escalate and to minimise the risk of infection, members of the university community are reminded that while classes will be held as scheduled, all functions, whether organized by the Administration, members of staff or students, have been postponed for the rest of this week until Saturday, September 12, 2009. At that time, the situation will be reviewed to determine how we should proceed.

In light of the outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1) at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Principal, Professor Gordon Shirley met with members of the Campus administration on Sunday, September 6, 2009, to assess the situation and determine the way forward.

The meeting was attended by the Director of Student Services, Student Services Managers of the six halls of residence at Mona, the Director of the University Health Centre, the Head of the Department of Community Health & Psychiatry, the Professor of Public Health, the Head of the Department of Microbiology and the President of the Guild of Students.