Canada’s Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas & Consular Affairs, the Honourable Diane Ablonczy, shakes the hand of the UWI Vice-Chancellor, Professor E. Nigel Harris after the official ceremony to signify the commitment of significant CIDA funding for the future development of the UWI Open Campus. Also celebrating the moment at the ceremony are (from left to right): High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mr. Richard Hanley; Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda, the Honourable Baldwin Spencer; Principal of the UWI Open Campus, Professor Hazel Simmons-McDonald; and Ms. Louise Clement, Senior Director of CIDA's Caribbean Programme. Photo: provided

The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas & Consular Affairs) Canada, made the announcement at the UWI Open Campus, Antigua, on Wednesday, May 15, 2013, at a ceremony attended by Antigua’s Prime Minister, the Honourable Baldwin Spencer; the Vice Chancellor of the UWI, Professor E. Nigel Harris; and the UWI Open Campus Principal, Professor Hazel Simmons-McDonald, students, University stakeholders and corporate executives.

The UWI Open Campus, launched in Antigua & Barbuda in 2008, serves primarily as the virtual campus of the UWI through which the traditional campuses of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica, deliver their online programmes. Over the past few years, the Principal has worked tirelessly with CIDA and other regional developmental institutions like the Caribbean Development Bank, to garner further resources to fund the services and products of the UWI Open Campus to continue its work with providing access to quality tertiary education and training to the underserved at the community, regional and international levels.

In expressing her appreciation to CIDA on behalf of the students and staff of the Open Campus, Professor Simmons-McDonald stated that “the fund given by CIDA will allow the University not only to extend its regional reach, but also to expand its global footprint through institutional strengthening initiatives such as the improvement of its technological infrastructure, the development of a much broader slate of programmes in demand, and planning for improved physical facilities that will cater to those who may not have connectivity otherwise.”

In her remarks, the Principal also noted that “in an environment in which technology continues to change and develop at an exponential rate it is a costly undertaking for universities to keep abreast of trends and provide new tools that allow students to use their creativity to generate further innovations that can lead to prosperity.”