A History in Portraits

A History in Portraits

Many people make look at portraits and think that they are antiquated and prefer a digital picture everyday. I however see beauty in the use of canvas and a few weeks ago took the time to view the portraits located at the new Regional Headquarters of The University of the West Indies.

 So here's a look at the history of The UWI in portraits of Chancellors, Vice Chancellors and Principals.

It all started with this man Sir James Irvine whose name is immortalized in the hall of residence known as Irvine Hall. He was Vice Chancellor of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland ( where the Duke of Cambridge, HRH Prince William attended) and chaired the West India Committee whose report famously known as the Irvine report called for the establishment of a university in the Caribbean Region and so the University College of the West Indies (U.C.W.I) was established in 1948.

Sir Thomas Taylor

             Sir Thomas Taylor is chiefly remembered today as the person after whom Taylor Hall on the Mona Campus was named.  But who was Taylor, as generations of ‘Taylorites’ must have asked and what was his contribution to the institution?  Sir Philip Sherlock answers the question by simply saying that although Taylor Hall commemorates his name, “the University is in great part his monument”.
            To Taylor fell the unenviable and challenging task of establishing a university college in Jamaica following acceptance of the Irvine Committee Report.  Arriving in Jamaica in October 1946 he led the process of, among other things, obtaining land and preparing building plans for a college; hiring staff; establishing a governance framework; securing funds from the British government on an on-going basis; preparing a teaching programme; recruiting students and ensuring support and good will for the College from the territories in the region.
 Taken from: http://uwiarchives.wordpress.com/

Sir Arthur Lewis - First Vice Chancellor under UWI's Independent Charter and Nobel Laureate in Economics. The Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) is named after him.

Sir Phillip Sherlock - One of the Founding Fathers of the UWI and Vice Chancellor from 1963 - 1969. A statue of him is found on the Mona campus and the Phillip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts is named after him.

Sir Roy Marshall - Vice Chancellor from 1969 - 1974

The Hon Dr Aston Zachariah Preston - Vice Chancellor from 1974 - 1986 when he died in office. He is buried on the Mona Campus. A.Z. Preston Hall on the Mona Campus is named after him.

Sir Alister McIntyre - Vice Chancellor from 1988 -1998. He is the only surviving Vice Chancellor Emeritus at this time.

Professor The Hon. Ralston 'Rex' Nettleford - Vice Chancellor 1998 - 2004. A cultural icon and a 'Caribbean" man, Rex Nettleford was a household name across the Caribbean. A Rhodes scholar and the first alumnus to become Vice Chancellor, he worked in many areas to develop the university and the region overall. He has written extensively on culture in the Caribbean and was a founding member of the NDTC of Jamaica. He is immortalized in several portraits around the campus and the largest hall of residence in the entire university is named after him, Rex Nettleford Hall.

Professor E. Nigel Harris - The present Vice Chancellor of The UWI, Prof. Harris is an alumnus and a medical doctor. Hailing from Guyana, he has been Vice Chancellor since 2004. He has worked to strengthen The UWI in the face of a breakdown in regionalism. He has overseen the development of two strategic plans for the university and the building of the new Regional Headquarters located across from the Mona Campus.



Chancellors

HRH Princess Alice of Athlone - The First Chancellor of the University , Princess Alice was appointed Chancellor of the UCWI (University College of the West Indies) the forerunner to the independent UWI. She was a member of the British Royal Family  and the great aunt of HRH The Queen. Princess Alice made history as she became the first female Chancellor of a university in the world. Among her contributions to the university was the chapel at Mona which was a defunct sugar warehouse from Trelawny which she had shipped stone by stone to Kingston and reconstructed. She served as Chancellor until 1971. The original Chancellor gown worn by Princess Alice is housed on the university archives and was on display on the university in 2012. 

Original Gown worn by HRH Princess Alice as Chancellor on display at The UWI Museum

 Rt Hon Sir Hugh Wooding - Chancellor from 1971 -1974. The Law School in Trinidad was named after him.

Sir Allen Lewis - Chancellor 1975 - 1989

Hon. Sir Shridath Ramphal- Chancellor 1989 - 2003. A distinguished Guyanese diplomat, Sir Shridath studied law and went on to serve as the Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations. He has worked in the areas of diplomacy and international co-operation and has been internationally renowned for his works and writings. As Chancellor Emeritus he is still in touch with the university and also serves as the head of the Rex Nettleford Foundation.

Sir George Alleyne - Chancellor 2003 - present. Hailing from Barbados, Sir George studied at the UWI graduating top of his class. He also served as a professor of medicine and then chairman of the Department of medicine. Sir George served as Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and is the UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean. He recently celebrated his 80th birthday but is showing little signs of slowing down.

So these are the portraits of Vice Chancellors and Chancellors of The University of the West Indies. If you ever visit the Regional Headquarters of the UWI, take a trip to see the portraits.