UVI Closed for Emancipation Day and Independence Day Holidays The University will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, July 3 and 4, to commemorate the Emancipation and Independence Day holidays.
Administrative offices will re-open at their regularly scheduled time, and classes will resume on Friday, July 5.
UVI’s Recognizes and Congratulates “30 Under Thirty” Alumni Congratulations to UVI alumni who were named “Top Millennials Under 30” this month by Senator Kurt Vialet. Ten alumni were recognized at an event held at the Company House Hotel in downtown Christiansted, St. Croix.
The alumni honored have earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in fields ranging from biology, communication, business and education.
Furthermore, many have gone on to pursue careers in business, engineering, entrepreneurship, education, music and firefighting. “I believe that it is important for us to have a generation of individuals who could aspire to be just like who you are,” Sen. Vialet said in an article by the VI Consortium. “Aspire to accomplish what you have accomplished; to dream and know that it can be possible; to rid themselves of negativity and know that accomplishment is possible for Virgin Islanders.”
For more on this story visit the UVI Today Blog.
UVI Board of Trustees Elects Officers & Renews President David Hall’s Contract In the regular session of its quarterly meeting on June 22, in the Administration and Conference Center Building on the St. Thomas Campus, the University of the Virgin Islands Board of Trustees re-elected Henry Smock to serve as chairman and elected Oran Roebuck to serve as vice chair.
In executive session, the Board unanimously approved a five-year agreement to employ Dr. David Hall as president of the University for the period of Aug. 1, 2019, through July 31, 2024. The current employment agreement between the University and President Hall expires on July 31, of this year. President Hall and the chair of the Board, Henry Smock, will execute the new agreement later this week.
“I am very pleased that we have been able to renegotiate a new contract for a great president,” said Chairman Smock. “His leadership of the University during and after Hurricanes Irma and Maria was significant in UVI’s ability to reopen quickly, resume classes, support its employees and students, and serve as a resource to the territory during its recovery efforts.”
He continued, “The Board of Trustees is confident that he will continue to move the University forward under its new strategic plan, ‘Greatness Through Innovation’.”
More information is available in a news release on the Media Section of the UVI website – http://www.uvi.edu/
UVI Board of Trustees Approves MA in Social Work, Bachelor in Fine Arts & MOUs with TAMCC, SALCC & the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States In the regular session of its quarterly meeting on June 22, in the Administration and Conference Center Building on the St. Thomas Campus, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved a new Master of Arts in Social Work (MSW) degree Program and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (BFA) Program. Both degrees will be administered in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) under the leadership of Dr. Kimarie Engerman, who serves as dean of CLASS.
“There is quite a need for trained social workers,” said Trustee Yvonne Thraen, who presented the Academic, Research and Student Affairs’ Committee recommendation to the Board. “The MSW program at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) will follow guidelines established by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), which accredits social work programs nationally. In addition to providing a robust curriculum that supports the generalist social work practitioner, the MSW at UVI will be designed to provide the student with an in-depth knowledge of trauma-informed practices. This is critical to working with populations who have been exposed to intergenerational trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and as the result of experiencing natural disasters. Moreover, all of the coursework and field experiences will include an explicit focus on the social institutions and needs of people belonging to the Caribbean diaspora.
“The University of the Virgin Islands feels that we can no longer depend on importing social workers into the territory, especially for those that are the most vulnerable,” said Dr. Camille McKayle, UVI provost. “We want to train from a Caribbean cultural perspective.”
More information is available in a news release on the Media Section of the UVI website – http://www.uvi.edu/
UVI Launches Inclusive Childcare Laboratory and Diagnostic Center The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) launched an Inclusive Childcare Laboratory and Diagnostic Center on the St. Thomas Campus on Monday, June 24. The new facility is intended to enhance the educational experience of preservice teachers who will be supervised by professors as part of their studies – while supporting the University’s students and employees to better manage the challenges of balancing parenthood and college life. UVI will be among the first Historically Black Colleges and Universities to provide this service.
The establishment of a research-based childcare program linked to early childhood and the School of Education has been a goal of UVI President David Hall’s since 2014. “This idea has evolved over the years and it’s no longer just a place to care for our students’ children, but an opportunity to create a model early education center that can help enhance the quality of early childhood education throughout the Virgin Islands,” President Hall said. “The significance of this project is now more transformative than our students imagined.”
As many as 30 children can be admitted at the center at a time. The center is open for children between ages two to eleven. Initially, the center will be operational from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. However, it is expected to evolve from an after school to a full-day childcare center.
More information is available in a news release on the Media Section of the UVI website – http://www.uvi.edu/
UVI Basketball Camp Registration Underway Registration for the University of the Virgin Islands’ Buccaneers basketball camps is currently underway, with weeklong sessions set for late July and early August.
The camps — each five days long — will be held from July 22-26 and July 29-Aug. 2 at UVI’s Sports and Fitness Center on St. Thomas. Each day’s session will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with early drop off at 7:30 a.m. and late pick up running to 5:30 p.m. Pickups made after 5:30 p.m. will incur a $10 late fee per camper for every 30 minutes.
UVI men’s basketball coach Jeff Jones and women’s basketball coach Jackson Dolor, as well as the Buccaneers’ assistant coaches and players, and are open to boys and girls from kindergarten through 12th grade will lead the camps.
The registration fee is $125 per camper, with group discount rates available.
For more information, or to register, call 678-349-6440 or email dolorjackson@gmail.com.
Cooperative Extension Service (CES) Presentations to Be Held on Both Campuses The University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service (CES) and the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program cordially invites the community to attend our up-coming presentation entitled, “Cooperatives in Action – A Reflection,” presented by Dr. Louis Petersen and U.S. Virgin Islands Farmers.
Topics
• Overview of the Cooperative Business Model
• Experiences shared by successful agricultural cooperative business owners in Georgia
• What USVI farmers learned about cooperative business production, marketing, and management
All persons interested in learning more about the cooperative business model are welcome to attend.
On St. Thomas:
Wednesday, July 10, from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
UVI Administration and Conference Center (ACC) 1st Floor Conference – Room 142
For more information, contact Dr. Louis Petersen at 693-1083 or email: louis.petersen@uvi.edu
