The University of the Virgin Islands will launch a new series of academic enrichment programs on Friday, Feb. 24, called "Friday Forums at Fifty: Ideas and Issues." Friday Forums will be conducted monthly throughout 2012, UVI's 50th anniversary year, and are a major component of the University's ongoing Golden Jubilee Celebration.
UVI students, alumni, faculty and staff, as well as members of the greater Virgin Islands community are encouraged to participate. The first forum will be hosted by WSTA (Lucky 13) radio personalities Winston Smith and Jean Forde. It will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and be available via videoconference in Chase Auditorium (B-110) on the St. Thomas campus, in Evans Center Room 401 on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix, and at the St. John Academic Center in Cruz Bay, St. John.
A program titled "Ideas and Issues" was a popular academic enrichment effort conducted at the then College of the Virgin Islands (CVI) and UVI during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. It actually served as the impetus for development of the popular WSTA program "Ideas and Issues," which Smith and Forde, who are UVI alumni, now host. Golden Jubilee Operations Committee member Judith Rogers said the committee decided to revive the effort at the University because many alumni remember the strong impact the original program had. She especially noted its contribution to the rich intellectual discourse at the institution.
The first Friday Forum - titled "Old School - New School: Ideas & Issues" - will provide a unique look at how the "old school" version of this innovative program helped to build a strong foundation for student discourse. It will also compare that to the "new school" impact that social media now have on student interactions and academic development.
Friday Forums will continue each month throughout the year with
the goal of engaging the UVI and Virgin Islands communities on a
variety of topics. Future dates will be added to the Golden Jubilee
Calendar as they become available. The Golden Jubilee Calendar is
available from the UVI homepage - www.uvi.edu - and fromt his
direct link.
For more information, contact Judith Rogers at jrogers@uvi.edu or call (340)
692-4132.