Dennis Minott | Princeton-UWI project, rooted at CASE

Last Sunday’s compelling Gleaner editorial reflecting on MAGA’s coercing impact on American academic freedom prompted me to revisit and refine my original plan.

With A-QuEST having mentored/coached 11 Rhodes Scholars and over 1,300 PhDs and other doctorates (overwhelmingly drawn from my A-QuEST International Students educated in the US) over the past 45 years, and, significantly, with Jamaica and CARICOM facing Haiti’s urgent capacity-rebuilding needs, I now humbly offer this earnest and time-sensitive proposal for public discussion.

At its heart, this initiative positions Port Antonio, Portland, Jamaica, as the anchor for a globally resonant, post-MAGA, cooperative academic sanctuary. This sanctuary would be led through partnerships between Princeton-The University of the West Indies (UWI) and Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA)-UWI, with UWI-College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) as its flagship campus.

POST-MAGA GLOBAL TERTIARY HAVEN IN PORTLAND

The Princeton-UWI and UBA-UWI Initiative at UWI-CASE: A strategic, decolonised, research-driven education hub

Rationale and opportunity: The MAGA disruption dividend: Recent ideological shifts in the United States — most notably the vilification of elite universities such as Harvard, Tuftsm and Columbia under MAGA/Trump-47 administration influence — have destabilised the traditional pathways for international students and progressive academics. These institutions, once magnets for global intellectual capital, now face censorship, political hostility, and legislative attacks. As of 2025, over 1.2 million international students in the US face increasing precarity.

This upheaval presents an extraordinary opportunity for countries like Jamaica to emerge as neutral, culturally rich, English-speaking safe havens for tertiary education. Portland, with its natural beauty, focus on climate resilience, and socio-political stability, is uniquely positioned to become the staging ground for a decolonised, South-led educational revolution.

The vision: Princeton-UWI and UBA-UWI at UWI-CASE

Institutional framework: This initiative proposes a joint academic structure uniting Princeton University (US), The University of the West Indies (UWI), Jamaica-led but regional in scope; Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina/or Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES), Colombia.

These institutions, in partnership with other Global South universities, would co-confer degrees, share faculty, and host scholars on rotating sabbaticals and field residencies. UWI-CASE, with strategically expanded infrastructure, would serve as the flagship base.

DEGREE STRUCTURE AND BRANDING

Programmes would include bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees under banners such as

– Princeton-UWI BSc/MSc

– UBA-UWI Postgraduate Certificates

Curricula would integrate decolonised knowledge systems, climate and food justice, AI ethics, regenerative agriculture, green renewable energy, and post-Western governance studies.

International middle-class as well as elite gifted students from India, Nigeria, Brazil, Egypt, China, Colombia, the Philippines, Singapore, Ghana, Ethiopia, South Africa, Latin America, and politically weary US states. Eastern Portland, Jamaica offers safety, prestige, affordability, streamlined Jamaican visas, and English-medium instruction with South-South solidarity.

Displaced global north academics: Scholars leaving the US and Europe due to censorship or tenure threats can find sanctuary and purpose at Portland. Secondments, post-retirement residencies, and ‘Free Scholar’ fellowships will ensure pedagogic excellence.

Caribbean students (including rural talent): High-achieving Caribbean students, often marginalised by traditional admissions, will gain access to elite-quality faculty and global peers. Reserved scholarships and research apprenticeships will support their inclusion.

Policy-minded governments: Jamaica gains prestige, brain gain, GDP growth, and reduced education outflows. Donor nations benefit from affordable, politically neutral venues for capacity building.

PROGRAMME FEATURES AND TUITION MODEL

All-inclusive fee: Approximately US$26,000/year

Covers tuition, campus housing, research assistantships, fieldwork, meals, study kit, basic medical cover, and return airfare for Global South students.

Academic features:

– Multilingual faculty with live interpretation

– “North-in-the-South” academic standards

– Field-intensive modules in renewable energy, marine systems, and agro-entrepreneurship

– Compulsory community-based projects rooted in Caribbean Afro-indigenous resilience

STRATEGIC PILLARS FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Deep partnerships extending beyond UWI, Princeton, and the UBA to include the University of Cape Town, Tecnológico de Monterrey, University of the Philippines, National University of Singapore (NUS) , and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), India.

Campus Ecology and Infrastructure: The East Portland site will be fully renewable-powered, featuring smart dormitories, solar-aquaponic farms, indigenous medicine gardens, AI-supported learning commons, and eco-research labs.

Visa, residency, and enterprise pathways: Expedited CARICOM visas, post-study residency for start-up founders, and government-backed loans for Global South applicants.

FIVE-YEAR TIMELINE AND MILESTONES

Years one and two: Sign MoUs, mobilise donor capital, admit a 100-student pilot cohort (20 full scholarships), and begin campus expansion.

Years three to five: Grow to 600 plus students, launch dual master’s programmes, host the inaugural Global South Education Futures Forum, and secure international accreditation.

BROADER IMPACT

This is more than a university. It is a global reset mechanism. Portland can become the thinking-and-doing campus of a post-MAGA, post-Western world — a place where the most committed minds gather, grow, and lead. Jamaica must seize planetary leadership engagement in humane, sustainable education. We have done so already in track and field, athletics and partly so in cricket..

Let us build the Princeton-UWI and UBA-UWI@UWI-CASE cooperative model not as a deferred dream but as the right answer, right now.

JUSTICE CLAUSE: HAITIAN INCLUSION

In full alignment with the initiative’s cooperative, humane, and reparative mission, a dedicated annual cohort of five exceptionally gifted 18-year-old Haitian students will be fully sponsored. Selected via competitive merit and character-based assessment in collaboration with Haitian partners, these scholars will receive

– Full tuition, accommodation, meals, and medical insurance.

– Language-transition support (French/Creole to English).

– Special mentorship from Caribbean francophone and Kreyòl-speaking faculty.

– Guaranteed summer field placements in Haiti or the region.

– Psychological and trauma-informed support.

This is not charity, but a targeted reparative investment in Haiti’s intellectual capital. These young Haitians will serve as ambassadors of resilience and proof that Caribbean integration can be led by youth, intellect, and shared purpose.

Jamaica’s and UWI’s moral leadership must be structurally embedded. This is one such act.

Dennis Minott, PhD, is the CEO of A-QuEST-FAIR. He is a multilingual green resources specialist, a research physicist, and a modest mathematician who worked in the oil and energy sector. Send feedback to a_quest57@yahoo.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.