I am focusing on the future, Beckles declares

After more than 10 months, University of the West Indies (UWI) vice chancellor, Sir Hilary Beckles, has responded to Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago's objection to the renewal of his contract. 

The objection was on the grounds that the university needed new leadership to fix its financial and governance problems.

At a contentious annual meeting on April 30, 2021, the university's council approved the renewal of Beckles' contract despite objections from both countries, two of 17 contributing Caribbean nations to whom the financially struggling but global-ranked institution is ultimately accountable.

Beckles' contract was renewed for another five years. 

Speaking today during a virtual St Augustine campus council meeting reviewing the 2020/2021 academic year, he declared that he is focused on building a stronger institution.  

“While I am a historian, I have no time at this moment for historical reflection. We have a university to lead and we are taking it where it must be and that is where my mind is occupied at the moment,” he said. 

Beckles said in respect of the internal business of the university council and his role as vice chancellor, it would not be appropriate to engage in those discussions in a public manner. 

“The UWI is a very reputable institution and there are always lines to be drawn in terms of how it conducts itself in the public but suffice to say my response in recent years, as it will be in the period before us, I am focusing on the future.

“I am focused on getting this university through the pandemic, keeping its reputation globally and regionally afloat, finding solutions to some of the financial problems that we are having and we are well on our way to resolving all of these matters,” the vice chancellor said.  

- Judana Murphy 

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