UWI Turns 75! 10 Fascinating Facts about the Caribbean’s University
by Karen Rollins Jul 17, 2023
The University of the West Indies (UWI) is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year under the theme: ‘Rooted, Ready, Rising’.
A full calendar of events has been released to mark the special occasion featuring concerts, roundtable discussions, quizzes, film screenings, workshops, seminars, and fetes.
UWI has been a key part of the Caribbean’s story of development and achievement since 1948. In recognition of the important role the institution has played in the region’s ongoing progress, we’ve put together this list of fascinating facts about the university.
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1. The University of the West Indies was originally called the University College of the West Indies when it opened its doors to 33 medical students in Jamaica in October 1948.
2. St Lucia’s Nobel Laureate in Economics, Sir Arthur Lewis, was UWI’s first West Indian Principal in 1959 and its first West Indian Vice-Chancellor in 1962.
3. UWI’s network of over 240,000 alumni includes Prime Ministers, Nobel Prize winners, authors, entrepreneurs, entertainers, academics, and artists.
4. In 2021, the University of the West Indies was placed in the top 1.5% of universities in the world by the Times Higher Education (THE) ranking system.
5. The UWI Coat of Arms features symbols relevant to the region. The crest is a brown Pelican, a bird found all over the Caribbean, and a traditional symbol of piety.
6. Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr addressed graduating UWI students in Jamaica on 20 June 1965. The theme for his speech was ‘Facing the Challenge of a New Age’ and during it he said: “In Jamaica I feel like a human being”.
7. Sir Hugh Wooding became the UWI’s first West Indian Chancellor in 1971.
8. UWI’s motto ‘Oriens Ex Occidente Lux’ means ‘A Light Rising from the West’.
9. In 1991, South Africa’s Nelson Mandela received an honorary degree from the University.
10. UWI currently has over 50,000 students.
