Professor E. Nigel Harris, vice chancellor of the University of the West Indies, has a five-year strategic plan for the regional institution. -Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

Lavern Clarke, Business Editor

The University of the West Indies (UWI) will, under a broad five-year plan to grow enrollment and reshape its programmes to deliver 'work-ready graduates', launch a fourth campus, in cyberspace, to reach markets where it currently has no learning centres.

UWI vice chancellor, Professor E. Nigel Harris, said Monday the costings for the 'open campus' as it is to be called, are pending, as is the business plan that will outline its viability. But it is part of the estimated US$600 million (J$41 billion) the university believes it needs to implement the various projects.

Harris on Monday, in a meeting with senior journalists, was cautious about placing definitive figures on his plans, saying the costs so far were indicative. They include the long-awaited western Jamaica campus that St. James and Trelawny have lobbied for over the past two decades.

UWI needs buy-in from regional governments to executethe five-year plan, which identifies government support, the raising of debt financing either through a bond placement or other means, backed by government guarantee, as well as bigger corporate endowments.

A big part of his programme, which Harris is in the process of selling to regional governments, includes expansion of the existing campuses - requiring an investment of some US$300 million - to build capacity as enrollment climbs.

But it is also underpinned by the need for the regional university to develop new income streams as governmental support wanes.

Harris says only 50 per cent of its revenues are financed by government grants, down from 60 per cent. However, in Jamaica's case - despite signals from the Finance Ministry that its grants were likely to be cut - budgetary support to UWI hit a peak of $5.2 billion last financial year, a near one billion increase over 2005/06. This year's allocation is $5 billion.

UWI has physical campuses in three of the 15 CARICOM countries that it serves - St Augustine in Trinidad, Mona in Jamaica and Cave Hill in Barbados, whose enrollment last year almost reached 40,000.

Growth at St. Augustine

In the past year, St Augustine has had about a 100 per cent growth in enrollment, partially due to Trinidad's decision as oil revenues climbed, to make university education free for its nationals who are willing to be bonded to the country for three years.

Harris said the growth momentum was already evident at St Augustine even before the policy shift. But, whatever the springboard, it has now placed Trinidad solidly ahead of Jamaica in full-time student enrollment, and slightly ahead when all categories are factored.

The virtual university will target mainly the 12 territories without campuses - the OECS countries, Belize Bahamas and Cayman Islands - as well as rural communities in all 15 CARICOM countries whose students cannot easily reach the UWI campuses. The 'open university' is to have its own staffing, courses will be interactive, and matriculation requirements remain the same.

Harris said he intends to leverage the existing infrastructure under the distant teaching network and UWI's satellite learning centres, known as School of Continuing Studies, to help build the virtual campus.

The immediate target market will be working professionals, including the thousands of teachers who countries like Trinidad and Jamaica have mandated must upgrade their qualifications to degree status in order to remain in the system.

As with its other plans, Harris says the 'open university' will need start-up support, and acknowledged that the OECS small economies, in particular, may face constraints.

lavern.clarke@gleanerjm.com