Professor Haldane Davies was officially installed as the third president of the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) at a ceremony held on its Worthington Avenue main campus earlier this week.

He was also conferred by the UCC Board of Directors with the rank of Professor of Practice in Higher Education Strategies, at the March 27 installation ceremony as announced by Dr Donald Roomes, board chairman.

Declaring the ceremony a historic event for the UCC as well as a moment of reflection and thoughtful consideration for the future of higher education in Jamaica and across the Caribbean region, Davies said he “was heartened and humbled by the kind words and expressions of congratulations and words of wisdom and encouragement” extended to him.

Continuing, the new UCC president argued that “it is not a job for the faint-hearted”, and noted what he called a challenging time for higher education when leaders are being called upon even more to navigate challenging waters of enrolment, finances, faculty, staff and student unrest, no confidence votes and political and governance interference just to name a few.

Davies spoke to a number of initiatives already undertaken since assuming the presidency at the UCC six months ago including strengthening the institution’s governance structure, and the provision of tuition remission to allow faculty, staff, spouses and dependents to attend the UCC free.

Board representation has also been expanded to include representatives from the alumni, faculty and students with full voting rights.  The institution has also received reaffirmation of accreditation from the Accreditation Services for Independent Colleges & Schools (ASIC) and submitted documents to the University Council of Jamaica as part of their reaffirmation of accreditation process, he reported.

The UCC, according to Davies, “is igniting our world by working with industry partners to ensure that our graduates are workforce ready to the extent possible and capable of ensuring effectiveness in the organisations.” 

“We are discovering our world through multiple forms of research, innovation, entrepreneurship, partnerships and collaborations on topics of importance to our country and region” and the expansion of programmes and partnerships across the region, in Africa, Asia and the European Union, North, Central and South America.”

Pointing to the planned launch of the UCC Ignite Community Impact Fund to “ensure ongoing collective responsiveness to community engagement and economic advancement by providing increased access to higher education and improved opportunities for all our communities, Prof. Davies also committed the UCC to work with national, regional and international institutions of higher education, the business community and government “to support economic advancement and promote resilience to address some of the most vexing socio-economic issues plaguing our communities.”

“I am committed to the mission of this institution to prepare students to become exceptional business and community leaders, innovators and scholars in a caring and intellectually stimulating academic environment where all community members are valued, respected and challenged to embrace excellence, integrity and social responsibility,” Davies declared.

In his welcoming remarks at the installation ceremony, Dr Winston Adams, founder & group executive chairman of the UCC described the installation ceremony as “a celebration of a love of learning and discovery, a commitment to educating and developing the intellect and skills of people across our region and by extension, the strengthening of our economies – the underpinnings of a great university.”

Proclaiming that “the UCC is excellent, relevant, innovative and contributing to the betterment of our societies”, Adams declared, “we have a great deal to be proud of in our academic programmes and student outcomes”. 

“Our faculty are respected scholars and leaders in their disciplines and our students are blazing a trail of excellence in a range of sectors.  Add to that our partnerships with other academic institutions, local and global businesses, our nimbleness and receptivity to new ideas – we know that we are delivering higher education with a higher purpose,” Adams further mused.

In his guest address, Dr David Hall, president of the University of the Virgin Islands praised the UCC for its achievements and congratulated his former colleague, on his new appointment. 

Hall said that “today our institutions are expected to address and solve many of society’s problems.  Our research [is] expected to save lives and the oceans around us.  And while costs continue to rise everywhere, none of us have the luxury to ignore the challenges that abound.”

Noting that the UCC cannot solve all the problems in Jamaica, Hall said he was confident that the university will make a positive impact, particularly with the addition of “the secret weapon – president Davies, who has igniting running through his veins.”

“There are miracles just waiting to happen at the UCC,” Hall predicted.