Fantastic Voyagers Land in St. Thomas

Radio personality Tom Joyner brought his 2010 Fantastic Voyage cruise ship tour to St. Thomas on Thursday, May 20, and was greeted by UVI mocko jumbies – alum Rick Grant (09), at left, and Physics Professor Dr. David Smith. The cruise, sponsored by the Tom Joyner Foundation as a “Party with a Purpose” helps to raise scholarship funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. UVI students, faculty and staff were on hand to welcome the more than 3,000 passengers who spent the day shopping and taking island outings. Below, Tom Joyner Jr. buys UVI t-shirts and caps at the UVI Bookstore tent which was set up at the Havensight Mall dock. Shown with Joyner Jr. are Bookstore Manager Mervin Taylor and Faye Liburd.

UVI Confers 312 Degrees

UVI’s 2010 Commencement keynote speaker Randall Robinson, an internationally respected social justice advocate and author, told graduates on the St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses that the "torch" had been passed to them and that they were the “hope of the world.” UVI conferred 212 degrees on the St. Thomas campus and 100 on the St. Croix campus in ceremonies held May 15 and May 16, respectively. Class speakers were Jaedee S.K. Caines on St. Thomas and Carmie K. Thompson on St. Croix.

Click here to view the complete 2010 Commencement program, including the lists of graduates on both campuses.

Future Global Leaders Focus on Leading During Natural Disasters

The UVI 2010 Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders opened with a ceremony on May 18, on UVI’s St. Thomas campus. Mark Walters, executive director of the Virgin Islands Emergency Management Agency, was the keynote speaker at the institute’s official opening ceremony. The theme for this year’s institute is “Managing Natural Disasters: A Call for Future Global Leaders."
As the world witnessed the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti and the volcano in Iceland, effectively managing natural disasters is one of the most pressing issues for leaders, said Dr. Solomon Kabuka, the institute’s director. One of this year’s highlights, according to Dr. Kabuka, will be the participation of seven students from Haiti. The students will share their experience in the “Forum on Managing Natural Disasters I – The Haitian Experience.” The institute brings together 40 students from 16 countries and 22 university campuses in the Caribbean and the U.S mainland for two weeks of intensive study. For the complete press release click this direct link. Pictured: Juanita Duenez-Lazo, director of International Education at Texas Woman’s University, with Future Global Leaders Institute Director Dr. Solomon Kabuka at the opening ceremony.

Derron Ambrose Named St. Thomas Campus' Top Student Employee

The University of the Virgin Islands St. Thomas campus celebrated the hard work of student employees with Student Employee Appreciation Week April 12-16. It included activities such as a workshop, a social night and an open house. The highlight of the week was the Student Employee Appreciation Awards held on April 15, where the Student Employee of the Year was named. Derron Ambrose, a teacher assistant in the College of Science and Mathematics, won the Student Employee of the Year award. Ambrose was nominated by his supervisor Dr. Donald Drost, a professor in the College of Science and Mathematics. “Thank you for making me look good,” Dr. Donald Drost said to Ambrose. Other nominees for the award were Triola Browne, Rhashaunda Charles, Kelvin Harry and Leann Pickering. The “Lighter Side Awards” were also given out. They award student employees for qualities such as punctuality, initiative and personality. Pictured left to right, Dr. Drost congratulates a smiling Ambrose.

St. Croix Class of 2010 Joins Harborside Rotary Club at Christiansted’s Lighthouse Mission

Shown at the Lighthouse Mission on St. Croix are, from left, (front row) Joel Dorsett, AnnMerrie Hendrickson, Love Felix, Alina Corriette (guest) and Carmie Thompson, and (back row) Alexandra Hinkson, Marva Swanson, Miguelina Neptune, Charmin L. Springer, Viviana Matthew-James and Gloria F. Neale-Felix (guest).

Members and friends of the UVI Class of 2010 - St. Croix campus - joined with volunteers from the Harborside Rotary Club to donate and prepare a breakfast at the Lighthouse Mission in Christiansted's Sunday Market Square on Saturday, April 3. Twelve members of the class including family and friends participated. Class members who were not able to attend gave monetary contributions to purchase food items. The Lighthouse Mission is a faith-based community service organization dedicated to enriching the lives of people in the community. Read more at http://www.lighthousestx.org/.

Class members expressed their thanks to UVI's President Office for sponsoring UVI t-shirts for the event. Other planned class activities include attending a church service as a group, having a class breakfast and conducting a social/dinner event. For more information on the Class of 2010 - St. Croix campus - activities, send email to Charmin Springer at itsourenvironment@yahoo.com or Carmie Thompson at c_rmietom@hotmail.com.

Future UVI Students Visit St. Thomas Campus

UVI President Dr. David Hall, above, tells visiting seventh and eighth grade students from Addelita Cancryn Junior High that the University would have desks waiting for each of them when they make the move from high school to college. The students were on the St. Thomas campus on Monday, April 12, to learn about the University and the opportunities it offers. Answering some of their questions was UVI’s Vice Provost for Access and Enrollment Dr. Judith Edwin, at right.

Joneisa Smith Crowned Miss UVI

The newly crowned Miss UVI Joneisa Smith, second from left, is flanked by contestant Royette Carriere, at left, former Miss UVI Carice Glasgow, and contestant Indira Turney, at right.

Junior marketing major Joneisa Smith was crowned Miss UVI in the University’s 30th Annual Ambassadorial Pageant on Saturday, April 3, at the Reichhold Center for the Arts. Smith, a St. Thomas campus student, also won the evening's Miss Popularity, Best Talent, Best Business Wear/Interview and Best Ambassadorial Presentation categories.

Indira Turney received the Miss Intellect award, while Royette Carriere took the Best Evening Wear award. Turney and Carriere are St. Croix campus students. The contestants performed in five categories and participated in pre-pageant interviews.

The pageant's theme was “Collective Aspirations … Colossal Achievements.” It was sponsored by the Queen’s Committee of the Student Government Association on the St. Thomas Campus.

Inter-Campus Debate Excites Audience

Kirk Kendall Grant of UVI’s St. Croix campus debates, while the St. Thomas Campus Debate Team members Campbell Douglas, Charles McCarty and Vandel Percival listen, at the Inter-Campus Debate Competition. The debate was held on March 25, on UVI’s St. Thomas campus. The moot was, “Be it resolved that the educating and empowering of our Caribbean male is the solution for our deteriorating Caribbean society.” The St. Thomas Campus Debate team, which argued for the proposition, won the competition. McCarty was named “Best Speaker,” and Douglas was named “Best Rebutter.” Other members of the St. Croix Campus Debate Team were Kenya Emanuel and Diane Dacosta. The next Inter-Campus Debate Competition is scheduled for April 20^th on UVI’s St. Croix campus.

Student Peer Educators Inducted

Student Peer Educators (SPEs) celebrated on Sunday, March 21, at the conclusion of an induction ceremony on the St. Thomas campus. Students from the St. Croix and St. Thomas campuses received certificates and crystal keepsakes marking their induction as part of the UVI Substance Abuse, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Program. SPEs educate their peers on campus and in the community about the risks and protective factors for drug use and HIV through classroom and residence hall presentations. Former Lead SPE (2003) and registered nurse Tameka Browne said being a peer educator means serving as an example -- a role she was proud to play. The students enacted a dramatic reading called, "I am the Face of HIV," and exhibited their creativity through songs and poetry.

Dr. Perry Gives Passionate Lecture at Heath Series

Renowned educator, author and columnist Dr. Steve Perry delivers a passionate speech at the Alfred O. Heath Speaker Series held on March 18, at the Reichhold Center for the Arts on the University of the Virgin Islands’ St. Thomas campus. Dr. Perry’s topic was the same as his latest book, “Raggedy Schools – The Untold Truth.”