The UWI partners with SUNY, Buffalo on research, programme delivery

BUFFALO, New York:

The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to help achieve the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and to facilitate programmes to foster and develop cooperative relationships between both universities.

At a ceremony in Buffalo, New York, on Monday, UWI Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles and SUNY’s University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi agreed to focus on solutions-oriented research and programme delivery, as well as on development issues of concern and relevance to the Caribbean and New York state.

This includes areas that have been identified in previous UWI-SUNY analysis, such as climate change, renewable energy, public health, education, and marine resource management.

The areas are expected to widen to include research relevant to democratic participation, leadership and governance, and a focus on solutions to specific problems constraining the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The MOU, which connects the University at Buffalo (UB) with the five UWI campuses in the Caribbean university system, will foster collaborations between faculty and students, encourage more research and study-abroad opportunities, and create a new shared graduate programme.

“The research will be undertaken by joint UWI-SUNY expert teams pursuing a multidisciplinary approach and drawing on external expertise as appropriate,” the MOU outlined.

SUNY President Tripathi said the agreement will facilitate strong ties between the faculties of both universities, and “our research and academic programmes”.

“With this memorandum of understanding between UB and UWI, we formalise our commitment to build upon our shared strengths, harness our disciplinary expertise, and foster collaborations in service of the greater good,” Tripathi said. “As we work together to foster global sustainability and resiliency, our endeavours will be that much more impactful by virtue of our shared contributions.”

The UWI vice-chancellor said this was the time for universities to rise and show their responsibilities in the areas of sustainable development and public health,”because those goals are only going to be achieved if the universities are standing on the infrastructure of activism. We can only do so through partnerships and collaboration of the various universities,” Beckles said.

SOLID RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks, welcomed the partnership, advising that she will co-chair a new task force through the Embassy of Jamaica that will include representatives of the US government, the National Association of Jamaican and Supporting Organizations, The University of the West Indies, key business partners and other community members.

The task force will serve to engage all the key stakeholders to ensure that the necessary policy and funding support are in place to sustain and strengthen the partnership through the SUNY-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development.

During the two-day visit, Ambassador Marks and the UWI delegation toured the UB campus facilities and met with the Jamaican community in Buffalo. The delegation also called on Mayor of Buffalo Byron Brown, whose father hails from St Ann. The city of Buffalo has been twinned with St Ann’s Bay.

The MOU follows a previous partnership formed between UWI and the State University of New York in 2013. One of the top goals was to create a SUNY-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development (CLSD) that would attract future global leaders and catalyse transformative research collaborations across SUNY and UWI campuses relevant to democratic participation, leadership, and governance.

The focus was to find solutions to specific problems that are hindering individual countries from achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, explained Gene Morse, SUNY distinguished professor in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, who also serves as an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, UWI, Mona campus.

In addition, he noted, the CLSD is the strategic centre that will mobilise SUNY, UWI and other invited faculty to provide mentorship for the masters candidates enrolled in the UWI International School for Development Justice, creating a solid research foundation to guide sustainable development projects around the globe.