Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. Friday, November 29, 2019—The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is pleased to announce that it has re-conferred the title of Honorary Distinguished Fellow on the Honourable Bruce Golding, former Prime Minister of Jamaica and Mona Campus alumnus, for another five years from November 11, 2019.

Mr Golding first received this honorary appointment in 2014. He has been an engaged and active participant in university life. His contributions to university discourse in Caribbean integration and the challenges facing CARICOM have served to enlighten students and professors alike. His offering of advice to university administrators in the areas of the future financing of the University, and the repositioning of the academy in the economy of the region has been invaluable. The University is honoured to have Mr Golding as an active member of its community.

Furthermore, he will contribute to University life in the academic arena, in particular giving guest lectures and seminars, and assisting students and Faculty in conducting research in various spheres of study. He will continue to lend his expertise and network to developing vital linkages between the public and private sectors, with a view to identifying and promoting practical areas for dynamic collaboration.

Similar appointments have been conferred on former Prime Ministers, such as Sir Erskine Sandiford and the Right Honourable Owen Arthur at the Cave Hill Campus in Barbados, and the Most Honourable Portia Simpson-Miller at the Mona Campus in Jamaica.

Mr Golding is committed to strengthening linkages between research and policy so that the latest research findings can be reflected in high level policy discussions and made available to decision-makers within the region.

Honourable Bruce Golding

Orette Bruce Golding was born on December 5, 1947 in Ginger Ridge, St. Catherine. He received his high school education at St. George’s College and Jamaica College and a BSc degree in economics from The University of the West Indies in 1969. He was first elected to Parliament in 1972 at the age of 24 and served for 25 years as a Member of Parliament and 10 years as a Senator. Mr. Golding served as General Secretary of the Jamaica Labour Party 1974-1984 and Chairman 1984-1995 and 2003-2005. In 2005 he was elected leader of the Jamaica Labour Party and led the party to victory in the general elections in 2007. He was sworn in as Prime Minister on September 11, 2007 and served until his resignation and retirement in 2011. During his long period of public service, Mr. Golding has held various positions: Opposition Spokesman on Finance, Opposition Spokesman on Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Leader of the Opposition, Member of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Jamaica, Member of the Electoral Advisory Committee (now the Electoral Commission of Jamaica), Member of the Board of the National Lotteries Commission, Minister of Construction. At the international level he served as Vice-Chairman of the United Nations Commission on Human Settlements (1982-1985) and Chairman (1985-1986). Within CARICOM, he was assigned responsibility for External Negotiations and served as chairman in 2010. In 2016, he chaired a special commission that reviewed Jamaica’s relations with CARICOM and within CARIFORUM. He was a member of an international team of experts deployed in South Africa to assist in preparing that country for its first post-apartheid elections in 1994. He led Commonwealth Observer Missions to monitor elections in the Republic of the Maldives in 2014 and 2019. Mr. Golding retired from politics in October 2011 and served as an Honorary Distinguished Fellow at The University of the West Indies 2014-2019 where he was engaged in developmental research in the field of public policy management. He has been married for 47 years and he and his wife Lorna have one son, two daughters and six grandchildren.

About The UWI

For over 70 years The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has provided service and leadership to the Caribbean region and wider world. The UWI has evolved from a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948 to an internationally respected, regional university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and an Open Campus. As part of its robust globalization agenda, The UWI has established partnering centres with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, and Africa including the State University of New York (SUNY)-UWI Center for Leadership and Sustainable Development; the Canada-Caribbean Studies Institute with Brock University; the Strategic Alliance for Hemispheric Development with Universidad de los Andes (UNIANDES); the UWI-China Institute of Information Technology, the University of Lagos (UNILAG)-UWI Institute of African and Diaspora Studies and the Institute for Global African Affairs with the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Social Sciences and Sport. 

As the region’s premier research academy, The UWI’s foremost objective is driving the growth and development of the regional economy. The world’s most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, has ranked The UWI among the top 600 universities in the world for 2019 and 2020, and the 40 best universities in Latin America and the Caribbean for 2018 and 2019. The UWI has been the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists. For more, visit www.uwi.edu.