Yet another major initiative to aid students attending the University of the West Indies (UWI), was launched at the offices of the Jamaican Consulate, in New York City on Thursday, March 22, 2012.
The New York City –based American Foundation for The University of the West Indies (AFUWI) rolled out its newest initiative, asking the Caribbean Diaspora to Adopt A Student by contributing to US$1-A-day drive – for a pool based scholarship fund.

President/CEO of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill and Partnership Board Chair of AFUWI, Lowell Hawthorne, in outlining the program to a near capacity audience asked for the support of the global community.

“It takes a global village to raise a child. To this end, my vision is that this Adopt-A-Student program will draw support from every part of the globe. We are asking each and every one of you to join us in this drive to mobilize thousands of Americans by putting aside just four quarters per day to positively impact the future.”

Noting the immense impact that an educated work force can have on civil society, Mr. Hawthorne challenged the community to assume some responsibility and become part of the solution.

“The University of the West Indies is in the forefront of educating our youngsters and equipping then to play a pivotal role in the changing world. To do so, this institution (UWI) must get all the support it can,” he said before handing over his contribution in the amount of $365.

When fully realized, the program is expected to impact the worrying and growing trend of students who have to drop out of college because of a lack of funding and scholarship.
The Adopt-A-Student/$1-a-day fundraiser is one of the activities which the Foundation will be holding to intensify focus on its mission, in response to the dire need for financial aid for an increasing number of students attending the University.

Executive Director of AFUWI, Ann-Marie Grant said that the Foundation has already identified one hundred students who have achieved tremendous success in high school, and who are waiting to be admitted to the University and a chance at a tertiary level education. With the average cost of tuition being US3000 per academic year, the target is to raise $300,000 over a 13 month period. The drive will be launched in other cities in the USA like Miami, Atlanta and Washington DC later this year.

Other speakers at the launch event included Sharon Burrell-Green, Deputy Consul General; Vice Chancellor-UWI, Professor Nigel Harris and AFUWI Chair, Wesley Wainwright, who served as the Master of Ceremonies. For more information about the program visit the AFUWI website @ www.afuwi.org or call their offices 212-759-9345

The Board of the AFUWI
invites you to join us at our inaugural
Mix & Mingle
in support of our
Adopt-A-Student / $1-A-Day Drive

On Thursday, March 22, 2012
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Consulate of Jamaica
767 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor (at 48th Street)
New York, NY 10017

Free admission
Must RSVP by: Friday, March 16, 2012
212-759-9345 / office@afuwi.org

Silent Auction & Entertainment

Complimentary light refreshments

Sponsors: Golden Krust, Grace, The Door Restaurant

The annual American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI) Legacy Awards event was staged at the ritzy Pierre Hotel, NYC on Wednesday January 25, 2012. This black tie event is the primary fund raiser for the Foundation and is an ‘A’ list event on New York city’s social calendar. Part proceeds benefits the scholarship program for needy students at the University of the West Indies (UWI), the premier tertiary institution in the English speaking Caribbean .With some forty-six thousand students on roll, largely from the 16 member countries in the region, there is an urgent need by hundreds of these students for financial aid. In 2011, the Foundation awarded 35 scholarships; in 2012 it is hoping to award 50 such scholarships.

Themed ‘The Legacy Continues”, the Honorable Harry Belafonte, OJ, was joined by several speakers in extolling the importance of the institution which boasts world leaders, prime ministers, doctors, lawyers, agriculturalists, teachers and academicians among its growing list of alumni which stands at approximately 90K.

“All of you who have come here this evening are more than just a testimony to that fact. We are the urgent reality that the University of the West Indies cannot thrive and continue to exist without our constant nurturing for its growth and development” Commented Dr. Belafonte.

Belafonte who serves as honorary patron and is one of the most recognizable faces at the institution’s annual marquee fundraiser, received a standing ovation, following the screening of a trailer  from his  recently released  HBO documentary ‘Sing your Song ’,  featuring his life’s journey and work. From his involvement with the iconic Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his relentless advocacy for equal rights and justice for all humankind to his current day role activities with defense of the underserved.

This year’s AFUWI Special Award was presented to Byron Lewis, Chairman & CEO, Uniworld Group, Inc, one of the nation’s oldest multicultural advertising agencies with annual net worth in excess of $250,000,000 and based in Brooklyn, NY.

The Vice Chancellor’s Award which recognizes corporate and community leaders who are ‘rising stars ‘ went to Ricardo Bryan (JAM), Regional Business Manager for Grace Kennedy (USA), Inc; Barbara Pyle (USA), Corporate VP of Environmental Policy-TBS; and Terrence Samuel (T&T), Deputy Political Editor, The Washington Post.  Bryan, who is at the forefront of his company’s success in growing the market here in the USA spoke on behalf of the honorees in his category, acknowledged the pivotal role that the education he received from his alma mater, the UWI played in his life and echoed sentiments of support for the institution.

Caribbean Luminary Awards which are bestowed on persons of Caribbean heritage or Caribbean nationals who have achieved excellence and are recognized as being on the cutting edge in their chosen profession, were presented to Dr. Erroll Byer, Jr., (Barbados/American), Brooklyn Hospital Center, NY; Dr. Milton Haynes (Barbados) OB/GYN specialist on NYC and Basil Paterson, Esq. (Jamaican/Grenadian) of the law firm Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, PC.  He is the father of David Patterson, immediate past governor, State of New York. Mr. Paterson was absent due to sudden illness. Dr Milton Haynes accepted the awards on behalf of the Caribbean Luminaries and noted that with recognition comes responsibility and that all awardees were committed to ensuring that the legacy of excellence will prevail.

The Corporate Award was presented to JetBlue Airways, represented by Vice President Brandon Nelson with flights serving seven countries in the Caribbean and seeking to expand its routes in the region.  The company was recognized for their service excellence and contribution to the communities of the Caribbean as well as its Diaspora.

Three of the thirty five students – Tara Stephens (St. Kitts/Nevis), Arshelle English (Grenada), Kenzil King (Jamaica) – who are currently benefiting directly from scholarships from AFUWI, were the toast of the gala as well, stirring the emotions of an attentive audience with their passionate and moving thank you/testimonials.

The star-studded guest list include; David N. Dinkins, former Mayor – City of New York and Honorary Chair; Janet Rollé EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, CNN Worldwide and Gala Chair, Kaye Foster-Cheek, SVP, Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Dinner Chair, Sir George Alleyne, Chancellor-UWI; Professor E. Nigel Harris, Vice Chancellor-UWI; Lowell Hawthorne, President/CEO, Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill and Chairman-AFUWI Partnership Board and Wesley Wainwright, Chairman –AFUWI.

Hosts were; Star Jones (ABC-The View), Brenda Blackmon, WCBS-TV/My 9 News Anchor and Maurice Dubois, WCBS2 News Anchor. Major sponsors included TCW, VERIZON, Onyx Pharmaceuticals ,CNN,NBC Universal ,Answorth Allen ,Johnson and Johnson ,1199,UFT ,Grace Foods USA, UniWorld Group and  JetBlue Airways.

The Legacy Continues | 15th Annual Fundraising Gala Celebration
The Pierre Hotel – NYC

Reception 6:00 pm, Dinner and Program 7:30 pm
Contributions Starts $500

Download full Gala invite here

GraceKennedy Group CEO, Don Webby, will partner with the American Foundation for The University of the West Indies (AFUWI), in its soon to be launched Adopt-A-Student Programme. Wehby will join other like-minded CEOs in this initiative, to create a mentorship programme for students of the University of the West Indies (UWI). “GraceKennedy’s commitment to education has been a passion of every CEO this company has ever had. We recognize its importance as a nation builder. As such, the commitment to education is a GraceKennedy tradition I am fully committed to maintaining”, Mr. Wehby said.

Chairman of the Partnership Board of AFUWI, Lowell Hawthorne OD , who is also the head of New York based Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery and Grill, the leading Caribbean food franchise chain in the US and a mentor and ‘adopter’ himself, extended the invitation to Mr. Wehby to be a part of the Adopt-A-Student initiative . The progamme is the brain-child of Mr. Hawthorne. The primary goal of this program is to provide a brighter future though education for deserving students attending the University of the West Indies who would otherwise be at risk because of the lack of funding to further their education.

The AFUWI Adopt-A-Student programme will be launched on Friday, September 30 at 6pm, at The Golden Castle Golf and Spa, Cinnamon Hill, Montego Bay. At the event launch, students will be paired with business leaders who will not only undertake to subsidize the cost of their annual tuition, but also provide the ‘adoptee’ with internship opportunities within their organization. “This way, the student is getting access to both academic knowledge at the university and practical “hands-on” knowledge within the world of work from some of the best business minds in the Caribbean”, said Hawthorne. Both Mr. Webby and Mr. Hawthorne are appealing to all business leaders to support this very important cause.

About Grace Kennedy:

GraceKennedy currently makes a major contribution to education, through its Grace and Staff Community Development Foundation and its Grace Kennedy Foundation. Between both foundations, the company will spend approximately J$40 million on education this year.

Samantha Smith will be the first homegrown medical doctor in Madras, St Ann, and Andrea Salmon hopes to rewrite history in the inner-city community of Rockfort if she finds money to buy books, lab tools and diabetic medication.

The two, straight-A students, enrolled in the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of the West Indies, Mona, are among the country’s poorest who now have access to bettering their lives, but experience incomparable suffering trying to make ends meet.
Highly placed sources say as many as one-third of the 300 students (120 of them Jamaicans) enrolled in this faculty had not paid their school fees at the start of school year last week, “because they can’t afford to”. The fees average J$10 million over five years, with each student having to fork out approximately J$1.6 million annually.

Some 80 Jamaicans get help in the form of scholarships, grants or bursaries from the Government, and the university itself. Others rely on the Students’ Loan Bureau as their primary source of funding. And in every case, families, friends, community groups or church organisations fill a void. Invariably, those without strong financial support from their families are most at risk and many barely survive on the fringes, living each day from, or from less than, hand to mouth.

Dean in the faculty of medicine, Professor Archibald McDonald, denies knowledge of so many students not paying their fees. “I am not aware of that,” he told The Sunday Gleaner with conviction. However, he admitted that many Jamaicans do struggle to pay their fees. “Even the average middle-class Jamaican finds it difficult to pay, and that is why the Faculty of Medical Sciences now has to be giving them loans,” he added, noting that an expansion of the faculty allowed it that mileage.

Hanging on to her dream
Twenty-four-year-old Samantha Smith, whose mother is a domestic helper and who holds a first degree in biochemistry with first-class honours, has had 80 per cent of her tuition sponsored by the Government but is, nonetheless, one of the students unable to pay.

Smith is unable to come up with a balance of J$500,000. Still, notwithstanding the heavy burden she bears, and the uncertainty she endures, she sits in the classes every day and borrows books from other med students, and remains hopeful that she will be able to complete her programme of study, although she has no school fees.

“The moment you give up on your dream is the moment you die,” says Smith, who is from a community where the men farm and the women remain housewives.

She has never met her father and with her mother being a domestic helper, she says the little the woman who fathered her gets is only enough to buy food.

“I want to become a medical doctor and nothing is going to stop me,” she declares. “Even if I leave university now, I will return to the classroom because medicine is my passion.”

The 24-year-old, who is accommodated by a friend who helps to feed her, says: “I just eat to survive right now, but I am not eating healthy,” she admits. Bent on not giving up, Smith says she has written to the bauxite company in St Ann, other companies such as Digicel, GraceKennedy, and a number of offices on the university campus seeking help. She was able to sit CXC subjects at high school because OBF Finance paid for them.

Smith has applied for the IGL and Emancipation scholarships. “If I don’t get any of the scholarships, I will continue to sit in class,” she states. Incidentally, this would be the second time that she wouldn’t be able to pursue her programme of study after having accepted a place in med school.

In the case of 23-year-old Rockfort resident Andrea Salmon, she would be the first medical doctor from this inner-city community where drive-by shootings are the norm and getting low dodging bullets mean nothing. “I have expe-rienced everything,” she declares.

As challenging and traumatic as it is to live in Rockfort, one of Andrea’s biggest challenges is living with Type 1 diabetes, a disease she was diagnosed with at age 10, which is suffered by every member of her family. Her condition and the effects of which she is well aware is one of the reasons she wants to specialise in endocrinology and work with children.

Unlike Smith, Salmon’s school fees have been paid, and she is on her way to becoming a doctor. However, she has no books or tools for the lab and needs money to purchase her insulin syringes, which she uses sometimes for two weeks, even though they should be discarded after the first use.

“Even now, I want to do the testing, but need books as well, and it is so expensive to purchase the needles.”
Andrea should be using her syringes twice per day. However, “Sometimes I use them so long the lines start rubbing off,” she said.

“I have to be calling persons to ask them to buy me a book. If you don’t have the books and tools, you will be at a disadvantage,” she tells The Sunday Gleaner.

Books, lab coats, dissecting kits, and a microscope are about $100,000. The microscope cost about US$300, and the bones (for anatomy) are also very expensive, but can be rented.

The first-year student said she had a problem just coming up with the $35,000 to pay the insurance.

Andrea’s situation is so compelling, the university, she says, is trying to give her a bursary, but in the meantime, the youngster goes through two bottles of strips per month and must find a way to sustain that. The rest of her diabetic medication is made possible by the National Health Fund, which subsidises them.

Salmon, who describes herself as a coward, says the way she will get out of Rockfort is through education, “Because I am a coward, I will not steal or commit a crime to acquire wealth, so it has to be through education. That is why I push myself so hard.” A natural high achiever, Salmon says she will be in the top three in her class and will become a medical doctor.

Up to 40 years ago, access to the Faculty of Medical Sciences was extremely difficult, particularly for poor Jamaicans, with the university taking no more than 100 students annually. Today, with the expansion, the faculty accepts 300 students per year, 100 from Trinidad, a few from places such as Botswana and the USA, and 120 from Jamaica.

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UWI Vice Chancellor, Professor E. Nigel Harris has been named the new Chairman of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). The ACU announced Professor Harris’ election following meetings in Hong Kong jointly hosted by leading Chinese universities; the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Open University of Hong Kong on April 5, 2011.

Established in 1913, the ACU is the oldest and one of the most prestigious inter-university networks in the world. Professor Harris who served as the Association’s Vice Chair for the past two years succeeds Dr. Theuns Eloff, Vice-Chancellor of North-West University, South Africa and will serve as Chairman for a two year term. During his tenure the Association will celebrate its centenary and Professor Harris will also take the lead in the implementation of the Association’s strategic plan 2008-2013 ‘Preparing for a Second Century’.

On his appointment, Prof. Harris remarked that “This represents an excellent opportunity to enhance the global visibility of The University of the West Indies and to highlight that despite limited resources, West Indian governments and people have built an institution which is making its mark internationally”.

The ACU’s mission is to contribute to the provision of excellent higher education for the benefit of all people throughout the Commonwealth. In keeping with the Association’s mission Professor Harris also noted that “burgeoning new technologies which are revolutionizing the tertiary education sector make it an opportune time to be at the forefront of discussions. Further, in a global economic climate where governments are providing less funding for universities, we are mandated to develop novel coping strategies while increased demands for accountability are also calling for research to translate more effectively into tangible societal benefits. In the face of these demands, coupled with competition from new types of private universities, the traditional Commonwealth Universities represented by the ACU are strategically working toward improving services and meeting new types of needs”.

In March 2010, Professor Harris was elected President of the Association of Universities and Research Institutions of the Caribbean (UNICA); a voluntary regional organization which like the ACU, fosters cooperation among the higher education institutions in the Caribbean.

About Professor E. Nigel Harris
Professor Harris received his B.S. degree in Chemistry (Phi Beta Kappa honors) from Howard University in 1968, Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) degree in Biochemistry from Yale University (1973) and M.D. (with Honors) from the University of Pennsylvania (1977). After completing his M.D. degree, he moved to The University of the West Indies at Mona in Jamaica, where he completed a residency in internal medicine, receiving a D.M. (Doctor of Medicine) in 1981. Subsequently, he went to the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital in London, England to do a Fellowship in Rheumatology. It was at the Hammersmith Hospital, in collaboration with Dr. Azzudin Gharavi and Dr. Graham Hughes that he devised the anticardiolipin test, which is now used widely in the world today for the diagnosis of an auto immune disorder that they named the “Antiphospholipid Syndrome”

Professor Harris has published over 150 papers. He has received the Centennial Award of the National Medical Association (1996) and shared in the Ciba-Geigy Prize awarded every four years by the International League Against Rheumatism. He was promoted to Professor of Medicine at the University of Louisville in 1992, and appointed as Dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine in 1996. He has served on several boards and committees in the USA, including the Arthritis Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Association (FDA), the Advisory Committee on Human Research Protection to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Executive Committee of the Council of Deans (Association of American Medical Colleges – AAMC) and a member the National Advisory Research Resources Council (NARRC) of the National Institute of Health (NIH).
Since becoming Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies in October 2004, he has begun a vigorous advocacy program for more Science and Technology Education and Research in the Caribbean and for improved linkages with other Colleges and Universities in the Region and in the international community.

About ACU
Founded in 1913, the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) is the oldest inter- university network in the world. Today the ACU combines the expertise and reputation of over ninety years’ experience with new and innovative program designed to meet the needs of universities in the 21st century. The ACU has vast experience in fostering collaboration between universities in developed and developing countries and boasts a membership of more than 500 spread across five continents.

The ACU is a voluntary organization, which is registered in England and Wales as a charity (number 314137) and is controlled by its member institutions through an elected Council. Her Majesty the Queen, the Head of the Commonwealth, is the Association’s Patron. For more on the ACU visit http://www.acu.ac.uk/

University of the West Indies(UWI) Vice Chancellor, Prof. E. Nigel Harris, has announced Jamaican-born US restaurant chain owner Lowell Hawthorne, O.D., as the new chairman of the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI) Partnership Board.

Mr. Hawthorne is President & CEO of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill Inc., which operates a chain of 120-franchised quick serve restaurants specializing in Jamaican cuisine.

Making the announcement in New York, AFUWI headquarters, this week, Prof. Harris hailed Mr. Hawthorne as “A Caribbean luminary of Jamaican heritage who has accumulated a number of remarkable achievements in the USA and has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to supporting education” including the sponsorship of scholarships to several Jamaican institutions like the UWI, and Oberlin High School as well as to United States institutions, such as the Bronx Community College.

Mr. Hawthorne who was conferred with the Order of Distinction by the Government of Jamaica in 2005, has been honored by several notable US and Caribbean organizations. He was named “Entrepreneur of the Year for the Tri State Area” by accounting firm Ernst & Young in 2001; his chain was listed among “Top franchise opportunities in the nation” by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2003; he was the Gleaner’s North American edition “Man of the Year” in 2008 and one of the AFUWI’s “Caribbean Luminaries” in 2009.

The success of the Golden Krust chain has been chronicled widely in US media including the New York Times, the New York Daily News, Black Enterprise Magazine, CNN and FOX 5 News and it has been continuously acknowledged as “the largest manufacturer, distributor and franchisor of Caribbean baked products in the U.S.A”.

Prof Harris highlighted the significant interdependence between the Caribbean region and the USA, noting the vital role of the UWI in educating the peoples of the region. In his comments, Mr. Hawthorne reiterated his personal commitment to contributing to the development of young people in the Caribbean and the Diaspora. He cited the opportunity to serve on the Foundation’s Board “as providing another vehicle for making positive changes in our community” and affirmed his belief that “investment in education is one of the best ways to impact society”. It is expected that Mr. Hawthorne’s leadership of the Partnership Board will greatly assist the Foundation in its support and contribution to the UWI.