Editorial | UWI Mona shouldn’t fester

Hopefully, Jamaica’s request for a probe into what it implies was a damaging leak in the deliberations to choose a new principal of the Mona campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI) does not descend into a bitter standoff that politicises the process and damages the university.

In that regard, all the parties, if they care about the UWI and are concerned about its future, must do everything in their power to ensure calm, that the selection proceeds in accordance with the rules, and that it concludes with the selection of a candidate with the competence to address the economic and other challenges facing the campus at this time.

Professor Dale Webber, a marine scientist, will in July step down as head of UWI Mona. In accordance with normal practice, a search team composed of key officials from the wider university and UWI Mona interviewed and analysed the psychometric tests of the four short-listed candidates – three of whom are from within the UWI system.

Ultimately, this committee’s findings, couched as a recommendation from the vice-chancellor, goes to the UWI Council, the university’s highest decision-making body, for final determination.

According to this newspaper’s reporting, the search committee’s overwhelming choice was Professor Densil Williams, the UWI’s head of planning, who is also principal of the university’s Five Islands campus in Antigua and Barbuda.

Professor Williams, a Jamaican who used to head the Mona School of Business and Management, has amassed respect in the UWI system for getting things done. But his candidacy appears not to have found immediate favour with the Jamaican Government.

Initially, the island’s education minister, Fayval Williams, prevailed on the search committee not to act immediately on its recommendation, and last week convinced the University Council to delay announcing its decision, apparently to allow the Jamaican Government more time for consultations.

That The Gleaner has reported these developments has concerned the Jamaican Government, which complained that “unauthorised disclosures” undermined the “professionalism of the selection process and introduced unnecessary speculation which could compromise the process”.

GREAT IMPORTANCE

We do not agree that public spotlight and/or discussion of how the appointment to a post that is of great importance to Jamaica and the Caribbean is done, destabilises the process. Indeed, it is a good thing that the public knows who were the candidates for the leadership of this critical public institution and how they were assessed by the search committee.

In this case, the final decision rests with the University Council, which may have a different position than its search team. In a situation where the search team decided on its preferred candidate by an overwhelming margin, it would not be unreasonable to expect an explanation for any derogation from that recommendation.

Jamaica may indeed have cause to be less than effusive about Professor Williams, and the Government may wish to take its time to reflect on his appointment. But if those concerns are real and fundamental, to the point where the appointee could not be condoned, that should have been made clear at the beginning, not this deep into the process. Or, maybe there are issues that Jamaica wishes to quietly explore more deeply with Professor Williams.

Obviously, having a principal of UWI Mona with whom the Jamaican Government does not have an antagonistic relationship is important, given the structure of The UWI. While the university is owned by Caribbean governments, its campuses have grown increasingly decentralised. National governments provide the bulk of their funding, and the campuses are expected to respond to domestic education and development priorities. To put it baldly, UWI campuses are beholden to national governments until they can earn more of their keep, placing pressure on campus principals to remain on the good side of their host ministers.

FINANCES

In the case of UWI Mona, the need for decent, working partnership is exacerbated by the state of the campus’ finances.

UWI Mona’s full financial report for the year to last June has not been published. However, based on an opaque summary by the outgoing principal, the campus posted an operating deficit of J$287 million, a massive improvement on the operating loss of J$1.3 billion in 2021. However, without providing specifics, Professor Webber linked the improved performance, in part, to a “re-measurement of employee benefit reserves of $1.475 billion”.

Further, while the campus reduced its “net current liability position by J$751 million, or 23 per cent”, its “current liabilities increased by J$342 million, or three per cent, to J$12.3 billion, due mainly to an increase year-over-year in deferred tuition income, offset by a decline in accounts payable and accruals, as the campus focused on payment of overdue creditors and adhered to the extended payment arrangements with trade vendors”.

Students, whose tuition payments account for 12 per cent of operating income, obviously find it difficult to pay on time. In that scenario, the 41 per cent of income provided by governments, mostly Jamaica, is crucial to the campus.

It is not publicly known what concerns Jamaica has with Professor Williams. But his competence is not in question and he obviously has the support of his colleagues and, it appears, the majority of the Council.

Hopefully, this matter will be settled soon – either way. It should not be allowed to fester, to the detriment of UWI and the Mona campus.