The University of the West Indies (UWI) has been forced to “do more with less” as Government contributions to the institution’s operational budget continue to decline proportionally, even while campuses expand and student enrolment grows across the region.
That assessment came yesterday from Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, who defended the university’s strategy of continued expansion despite persistent fiscal pressures facing Caribbean governments.
Delivering the Vice-Chancellor’s Annual Council Meeting Report and speaking during a media questionand- answer session at the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management, he said UWI had deliberately rejected calls to shrink its operations simply to remain financially comfortable.
“We do not allow our university to shrink down to fit our pocket. We don’t do that. We could comfortably manage this university with 20 000 students, balance budget surpluses on our balance sheet and all of that we could do with 20 000 students with the money available to us. But how would that help the region? How would that help the people?” he asked.
Sir Hilary revealed that while UWI had expanded from about 30 000 students to nearly 50 000 over the past three decades, the percentage contribution from regional governments toward its operational budget had fallen from 68 per cent to 48 per cent.
“What does that tell you? That we have had to do more with less,” he said.
He stressed, however, that Caribbean governments were not contributing less money in absolute terms.
Increasing
“On the contrary, we are getting more each year from our governments, but the operations have grown to such a level that even that percentage now looks a bit smaller than it was before.”
The veteran academic said the university had responded by aggressively cutting administrative costs and seeking external funding partnerships to support expansion projects and academic development.
“We have reduced our expenditure. We are now managing a budget in which less than ten per cent of our operational budget is assigned to administration. The budget is for teaching, learning, research and advocacy,” he explained.
Sir Hilary even pointed to his own personal sacrifices as part of the costcutting exercise.
“When my driver retired, I instructed the bursar
not to advertise that position. I have been living in Jamaica for 20 years. I know the streets of Jamaica. I will drive myself all over Jamaica. So I am probably the only CEO in the world who doesn’t have a driver,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
“A driver is not part of our productive output. It’s a comfort, so we forego these things.”
Sir Hilary defended the university’s expansion strategy, arguing that limiting access to higher education would undermine Caribbean development.
“The idea of living within your means while sabotaging your people is a serious concern,” he said.
Among the university’s major expansion initiatives is the rapid development of the Five Islands Campus in Antigua and Barbuda, which the vice-chancellor described as a transformational investment for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). “We’ve given the people of the Eastern Caribbean a campus, bringing an end to the underperformance of UWI and the OECS.”
He disclosed that the Saudi Development Fund had committed around US$80 million toward expanding the Five Islands Campus.
“The bulldozers are ready now to begin the construction – dormitories, sporting complex, laboratories, libraries. So this time next year, we probably will not recognise that space,” Sir Hilary said.
He maintained that despite the financial pressures, UWI had strengthened its global reputation and now ranked among the top universities worldwide. “Our last rankings in Times Higher Education, of the 35 000 universities in the world, we are ranked in the top 3.6 per cent.” (CLM)
