Martin Henry

UTech takes to the road today. It is a demonstration march, not a protest march with the recent untidy separation of the pro-chancellor from the university there might be cause for protest. It is a celebration march, not a complaint march.

The University of Technology, Jamaica, and its predecessor institutions collectively celebrate 50 years this year. Today is launch day for the anniversary celebrations and the university will be on the streets from Liguanea to home this morning. The Governor-General, who is Visitor to the University and very keenly interested in youth and education, reads a celebration proclamation at King's House.

The Norman Manley pre-Independence Government of 1955-1962 did some very important things for nation building. The common entrance examination which opened up secondary education to poor people's children was launched with only 2,000 free places in 1958. Two years later, in 1960, the Scientific Research Council was established. Marrying education and technology for development, The Jamaica Institute of Technology was set up in 1958 with just 50 students.

Manley the elder was a great and visionary institution builder. Rumour strongly has it that another great institution builder, from the other side of the political divide, Edward Seaga, is to be appointed the next pro-chancellor of JIT's successor organisation, UTech.

Rebranded

JIT was rebranded CAST, the College of Arts Science and Technology, in 1959. Under Dr. Alfred Sangster as principal, CAST became a household name in Jamaica. Just as how the colonial authorities had no real interest in technology education and in non-agricultural science and technology for a raw materials agricultural colony, the Government of independent Jamaica initially had no real interest in creating a competing degree-granting institution. The granting of university status in 1995 was more a case of catching up with the horse well up the road than a front-end initiative to expand degree-level education in a country straining at the tethers for development.

The new university, and still the only national public university when there is room for several more, was granted its charter in 1999. University charters go back to mediaeval times giving these institutions of higher learning great freedom and authority. The UTech Charter is awesome in its scope.

The transformation from the College of Arts Science and Technology to the University of Technology has been deep and wide but not without significant bumps - and is not complete. Members of the university have been on the road at various times for other reasons than celebration! Dr. Rae Davis has led the process for much of the time as first president. But the man who has perhaps done most in the trenches of policy, ordinances, regulations and operations to shape the new university is the perennial George Roper now deputy president and vice-president of academic affairs.

The university now carries out its charter mandate for teaching, research, scholarship, and service in five faculties and several other units. The faculties are: Built Environment [including Architecture], Business and Management [including Hospitality and Tourism] Education and Liberal Studies, Engineering and Computing, and Health and Applied Science. Several professional disciplines are available only at UTech in the entire English-speaking Caribbean.

Vital areas

Professor Errol Morrison, a month short of one year in office as second president, has been aggressively pushing graduate studies, research and entrepreneur-ship and has led the creation of a 'School', headed by the University's first appointed professor, Gossett Oliver, to handle these vital areas.

UTech has to take to the road in vastly expanding its now meagre offerings of graduate degrees in technical-professional areas. The university has to more thoroughly engage problem-solving applied research for industry and government; and has to provide consultancy services and short-term training to transfer cutting-edge information and skills to users as well as to make a dollar for itself.

Despite the inevitable potholes, UTech is generally moving in this direction with unprecedented energy and confidence.

One of my own disappointments with the university has been its relative silence on public affairs. UTech has an unmatched pool of technical expertise in Jamaica and the Caribbean. Its non-engagement of the issues and concerns of the day is almost a betrayal of trust. But this is changing as more staff members become involved with media and in public fora and in advisory and consultancy roles to Government and the private sector.

Today's march is the first step into a bright future, we hope.