UVI Plans Commemorative Programs to Mark 40th Anniversary of Land Grant Designation The staff and directors of UVI’s Cooperative Extension Service (CES) and the Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) have planned a number of activities to commemorate this year’s 40th anniversary of the University’s designation as a Land Grant Institution on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix. The College of the Virgin Islands and the University of Guam became Land Grant Institutions of higher learning, when President Richard Nixon signed into law the Education Amendments Act of June 23, 1972. The public is invited to come out and participate in the celebration of this milestone in the university’s history.
Commemorative Event Calendar
- Wednesday, June 20 – CES and AES directors appear on the Virgin Islands Public Television “Face to Face” program with Addie Ottley on WTJX, from 8 to 9 p.m.
- Thursday, June 21 – Ag Forum discussion – Great Hall on UVI’s Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix – 6 to 8 p.m. – Topic: The Role of Agriculture in the Economic Development of the Virgin Islands
- Sunday, June 24 – Anniversary Celebration – 1 to 6 p.m. – Albert A. Sheen Campus grounds.
– Opening ceremony, open house, tree planting and workshops. The celebration will feature farmers and food vendors, the distribution of vegetable seedlings and musical entertainment.
For more information, call Clarice Clarke at 692-4060.
Forums on the Health Impacts of Climate Change Set for June The University of the Virgin Islands Caribbean Exploratory Research Center in conjunction with the Medical University of South Carolina will host community forums on St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John about climate change health impacts. The forums will present Virgin Islands residents with an opportunity to hear about six projects focusing on adapting to climate change health impacts that were undertaken by six community groups. The forums are scheduled as follows:
· St. John – Thursday, June 28, 6 p.m. at the Guy H. Benjamin School, Coral Bay
· St. Thomas – Friday, June 29, 5:30 p.m. at the University of the Virgin Islands Administration and Conference Center, Room 142-1A
· St. Croix – Saturday, June 30, 5 p.m. at the University of the Virgin Islands Melvin Evans Center, Room 713.
The project was supported by the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.For further information contact Dr. LaVerne Ragster at lragste@live.uvi.edu or 643-6550 or Tessa Liburd a 693-1170 or tliburd@live.uvi.edu.
UVI Named Tom Joyner School of the Month for June; Six Students to Receive Scholarships The University of the Virgin Islands is the Tom Joyner School of the Month for June 2012. As a result of this designation, UVI students Latoya Benjamin and Tobias Ortega-Knight will each receive $2,500 Tom Joyner Foundation School of the Month Scholarships towards the 2012-2013 academic year at UVI. Four other UVI students have been selected to receive Tom Joyner Foundation Hercules Scholarships, named after syndicated radio personality Tom Joyner’s late father, Hercules L. Joyner. A news release is available from the UVI home page – www.uvi.edu – and from this direct link.
St. Thomas Campus SGA Announces New Election Dates UVI’s St. Thomas Campus Student Government Association Elections Committee has approved a new schedule for the fall elections. The deadline to submit applications is Aug. 31. Elections will be held on Sept. 12.
Applications are available from the Student Affairs Office. All candidates who are considering running for office must submit a certification letter from the Registrar’s office to verify eligibility, along with their application and petition. Candidates who previously applied to run for office may submit a new application or just submit the certification letter.
For more information send e-mail to sgastt@myuvi.net or joseph.curlis4@gmail.com.
Virgin Islands Writing Project Celebrates 10 Years The Virgin Islands Writing Project (VIWP) is celebrating its 10th anniversary with its 10th Summer Institute from June 20 to July 13 at the University of the Virgin Islands on St. Thomas and St. Croix. Approximately 26 teachers in the Territory will be given the unique opportunity to participate in the Summer Institute, which instructs teachers on new strategies to improve their students’ writing skills, the latest research and effective classroom practices. With funding support from the National Writing Project (NWP), the Virgin Islands Department of Education and UVI, local teachers will be joining 3,000 others across the country who will use this out-of-school time to expand their knowledge and understanding of how best to teach writing. A news release is available from the UVI home page – www.uvi.edu – and from this direct link.
‘We Are UVI’ Stories Added Each Week; Do You Know This Contributor? Can you identify this week’s contributor to “We Are UVI?” For more, visit “We Are UVI” at: http://weareuvi.blogspot.com. “We Are UVI” is the University’s Golden Jubilee blog. It features individuals sharing their CVI/UVI stories from the past 50 years. New submissions are added each week, this one was posted Sunday, June 17.
It joins stories from Sinclair Wilkinson (’72), Rafe Boulon, Jr. (’76), Carmie Thompson (’10), Frank Mills (’67), James Rakocy, Arah Lockhart (’78), Utha Williams (’82), former UVI President LaVerne Ragster, Marthious Clavier (’02,’08), John Lucas, Maxine Nunez, Rosary Harper, Yegin Habtes, Gloria Callwood, Laurent Javois (’76), Helen Dookhan (’79, ’84, ’98), Curtis Gilpin (’80), Carolyn O’Neal-Morton (’85), Ali McClean (’93), Constance Gumbs (’87, ’91), Malcolm Kirwan (’67) and Sharleen Fahie (‘93).
UVI’s Summer Session II Begins June 21 Anyone who is interested in earning college credits in condensed sessions has the opportunity to take classes at the University of the Virgin Islands during UVI’s Summer Sessions 2012. Summer Session II will be held from June 21 to July 27. On-site registration will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 19-20 on each campus.
UVI Business Professor and Summer Sessions Coordinator Dr. Tonjia Coverdale encouraged everyone to see what UVI Summer Sessions have to offer. Dr. Coverdale said courses may be beneficial for people who want to enhance their education, re-tool their skills for a career change, or start a degree program.
More information is available on Summer Session II and other University summer programs for UVI students, grade school students and the general public is available in a news release on the UVI homepage – http://www.uvi.edu.
UVI Offers English, Math Placement Tests for Incoming Freshman Students The University of the Virgin Islands will offer English and math placement tests on June 19, on St. Thomas and St. Croix. The tests are for incoming freshman students who plan to enroll in the University’s Summer Session II – which starts on June 21, or Fall Semester – which starts on Aug. 20. All students with SAT college admissions scores below 490 on the math test or below 500 on the English tests (both reading and writing), or those with ACT test scores below 20 in math or 21 in English, are encouraged to take these tests in order to avoid being required to take no- or reduced-credit developmental courses.
Students who successfully pass the placement tests in June will enjoy the benefit of being registered early. They may also find a greater choice of course offerings and class schedules that better fit their personal needs. Students who wait to take placement tests in August, just prior to registration, risk the chance that some classes they wish to take may already be filled.
Tests are scheduled on both campuses at 2 p.m. and again at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19. On St. Thomas the English tests will be offered in Computer Lab 103 or the Classroom Administration Building (CAB). The math test will be held in Computer Lab 101 A & B of the Classroom Administration Building (CAB). On St. Croix, the English tests will be administered in Room 131 of the North West Wing. The math test will be offered in Room 133 of the North West Wing.
A news release with more information, including access to free test preparation resources, is available from the UVI homepage – http://www.uvi.edu.
SBDC Sets Procurement Luncheon Trainings The Virgin Islands Small Business Development Center (VI SBDC) presents Procurement Luncheon Trainings for St. Croix and St. Thomas on June 19 and June 20, respectively. U.S. Army Contract Specialist Maria Otero will provide a comprehensive and informative presentation about “invitation for bids,” “requests for proposals,” and “requests for quotations” as they relate to procuring U.S. Army contracts. Participants are encouraged to attend and ask specific questions. To register for the luncheons or for more information, visit www.sbdcvi.org or call (340) 692-5270 on St. Croix or (340) 776-3206 on St. Thomas.
VI SBDC is a partnership program between the U.S. Small business Administration and the University of the Virgin Islands.
