As their families and friends looked on, 324 graduates of
As their families and friends looked on, 324 graduates of the University of the Virgin Islands received their academic degrees at separate commencement exercises on St. Thomas and St. Croix on May 19 and 20. On St. Thomas, the Class of 2001 was the first UVI graduating class to hold its commencement in the new UVI Sports & Fitness Center. The St. Croix commencement was held at the Island Center for the Perform- ing Arts. UVI President Dr. Orville Kean commended the graduates on their academic accomplishments and, in a moment of levity, said his com- ments no doubt seemed lengthy to those awaiting their diplomas. He told them they should smile more and when he said he would re- turn to his seat, “I got the biggest smile of all,” Dr. Kean remarked. St. Thomas student commence- ment speaker Kenneth Cook said he recognized the role UVI has played in the education of its graduates, who will become leaders, not only in the Virgin Islands, but in the wider Car- ibbean region. “I must ask you,” Cook said to his classmates. “What has UVI meant to you all? …
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As their families and friends looked on, 324 graduates of the University of the Virgin Islands received their academic degrees at separate commencement exercises on St. Thomas and St. Croix on May 19 and 20. On St. Thomas, the Class of 2001 was the first UVI graduating class to hold its commencement in the new UVI Sports & Fitness Center. The St. Croix commencement was held at the Island Center for the Perform- ing Arts. UVI President Dr. Orville Kean commended the graduates on their academic accomplishments and, in a moment of levity, said his com- ments no doubt seemed lengthy to those awaiting their diplomas. He told them they should smile more and when he said he would re- turn to his seat, “I got the biggest smile of all,” Dr. Kean remarked. St. Thomas student commence- ment speaker Kenneth Cook said he recognized the role UVI has played in the education of its graduates, who will become leaders, not only in the Virgin Islands, but in the wider Car- ibbean region. “I must ask you,” Cook said to his classmates. “What has UVI meant to you all? Whatever UVI has meant to you, know this – UVI is a place that will help you advance.” Cook, who obtained a B.A. in so- cial sciences, said UVI has issued a call “that is asking us not to follow, but to lead.” The St. Croix student speaker, Janin Butler, graduated from UVI with a B.A. in accounting. “Our character is what we are,” Butler said. “Touch lives, build a bridge, set realistic goals. From among us will emerge dateline:UVI June 22, 2001 vol. vii, number 5 leaders, activists, athletes and doctors who will bring this University more recognition than it has ever received.” The keynote speaker for both commencement ceremonies was Joel H. Webbe, President and CEO of W&W Electronics in Grenada. W&W pro- vides electronics assembly, manufacturing and testing services to companies such as Wang Labs, Digital Equipment Corporation, Texas Instruments, Intel, Ford and Chrysler. W&W Electronics, Inc., which began as a small company with 10 employees in a Boston basement, has grown to its current warehouse size, employing 600 people. Webbe’s skills in engineer- ing, marketing and sales provided the basis for his current success. “This graduation cer- emony, the degrees, diplo- mas and certificates tell the world that you are ready to go ahead — to take the next step in your life,” he said. “Your life has the po- tential to fulfill your pur- pose, for you were all born to succeed.” Webbe implored the graduates to follow five steps to achieve personal success: to take control, be accountable, dream big, develop plans and commit themselves to the full implementation of their plans. “Do not be a pigeon if you were born to be an eagle,” he said. The monthly newsletter of The University of the Virgin Islands UVI Celebrates 37th Annual Commencement (Clockwise left to right) UVI President Dr. Orville Kean salutes the Class of 2001. Yvonne P. Webster-Pryce (l) and Wynant Watty-Benjamin (r) beam at the conclusion of the St. Croix commencement ceremony. St. Thomas student speaker Kenneth Cook and St. Croix student speaker Janin Butler give their remarks. dateline:UVI 2 John Brewer’s Bay St. Thomas, VI 00802 CONNECTED TO UVI news, activities and accomplishments at . . . www.uvi.edu GET CONNECTED TO UVI news, activities and accomplishments at . .. www.uvi.edu Using former President Bill Clinton as a reference, Brent Johnson, director of Graduate Business Programs at Clark Atlanta University, asked participants in UVI’s 7th Annual Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders in the Caribbean to identify traits that make a good leader. The discussion ran the gamut, from praise of Clinton’s accomplishments to criticism of his moral character. “I believe that when you are in a leadership position you set the tone, you are held accountable,” said Sandrena Lee, a student at Tennessee State University. More than 40 students and recent graduates from re- gional universities and col- leges, as well as several main- land institutions, participated in the two-week Future Glo- bal Leaders course. Through lectures, work- shops, seminars, field trips and laboratory exercises par- ticipants explored the chal- lenges posed by an environment driven by a technological revolution. Some of the institute participants came from both UVI campuses, Clark Atlanta University in Georgia, Howard Uni- versity in Washington, D.C., Universite des Antilles et de la Guyane in Martinique, Tuskegee University in Alabama, Lin- coln University in Pennsylvania, H. Lavity Stoutt Commu- nity College in the BVI, Tennessee State University, the Uni- versity of Puerto Rico system and all three campuses of the University of the West Indies. UVI President Dr. Orville Kean told the participants that as future leaders of the region they must be aware of trends and policies that can adversely affect technological and eco- nomic development. He cited the “brain drain” as a serious issue facing the region, which he said is equivalent to rob- bing the poor to pay the rich. In addition to Dr. Kean, Dr. Soloman Kabuka, chairman of UVI’s St. Thomas business division and director of the Summer Institute, and several UVI professors, other distin- guished Institute faculty included Gov. Charles W. Turnbull; Dr. Auguste Rimpel, re- tired senior partner of Price Waterhouse and chairman of the UVI Board of Trustees; Ter- ritorial Court Judge Ishmael Meyers; Dr. Donald Andrews, Dean of the School of Business,Southern U n i v e r s i t y ; S o n i a Leonce-Carryl, Charge d’Affairs, Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Government of St. Lucia; and Dr. Rob- ert Millette, Director of the Global Studies Institute, Lincoln University and Ambassador-at-Large, Government of Grenada.. The UVI summer institute – which is held each May and is open to college juniors, seniors and first-year graduates – gets support annually from international, regional and local organizations and universities. For more informa- tion, call (340) 693-1309. Faculty and participants in the 2001 Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders gather for their graduation portrait at the conclusion of the two-week course. dateline:UVI is a production of the UVI Public Relations Office. Contact us by telephone at (340) 693-1056 FAX: (340) 693-1055 7th Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders Convenes at UVI