Following the specially convened sitting of The University of the West Indies’ highest governing body— University Council—on Friday, March 4, The UWI expresses thanks to the members of the independent Chancellor’s Commission on Governance chaired by the Rt. Hon. Sir Dennis Byron, for the diligence, meticulous work and continued commitment to the institution and its growth.
In its March 4 deliberations, the University Council accepted the recommendations from the Review Committee chaired by Dr. Maurice Smith, that the Byron Report be adopted with the following exceptions:
− Neither Council nor its Review Committee considered the Governance Commission’s recommended adjustment to the tuition-funding model. Council did not dwell upon this recommendation, having determined that the matter was outside the scope of the Review Committee’s terms of reference. Rather, the remit is that of the University Grants Committee where contributing governments could collectively opine.
− The Council agreed to the retention of the University Finance and General Purposes Committee (U-F&GPC)—but in a modified form—redefined as a management committee, and with a revised membership.
− The Council agreed to the naming of an Implementation Committee by the Chancellor, in consultation with the Vice-Chancellor and University Registrar, to execute the agreed recommendations.
One of the changes will be the establishment of an Oversight Committee of Council to handle policy matters between its annual meetings. This Oversight Committee, which will be chaired by the Chancellor, would comprise members including the Chairs of Advisory Committees, to be named by Council.
Over the past two years, the University community and its wider base of external stakeholders have shown considerable interest in the work and recommendations of the Commission on Governance and the Council’s decisions in respect of the same.
The University assures of its steadfastness in continuing the work to advance the decisions unanimously approved by Council.