In the regular session of its quarterly meeting held March 7, on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix, the University of the Virgin Islands Board of Trustees examined the University’s key performance indicators (KPIs). The KPIs included data in five areas: modern and safe environment, UVI goes green, organizational and human development, financial indicators, research indicators and development. The KPIs are reported using a format linking them to the institution’s Strategic Plan. According to the report, UVI has reduced its dependency on fossil fuels by 7.7 percent from 2003 to 2014. The report also indicated that campus crime has continued to decrease consistently for the period of 2012 through 2014.
In his report to the Board, UVI President David Hall praised UVI's students, faculty and staff. “UVI has really distinguished itself with some significant national achievements,” President Hall said. He noted several institutional accomplishments, including UVI being named a "candidate school" for the School of Medicine's accreditation, a Carnegie Classification, a $1.3 million cybersecurity grant and a memorandum of understanding with the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica. Other accomplishments included:
- The endowment of the Foundation of the University of the Virgin Islands (FUVI), which was ranked number 37 among 832 United States colleges and university endowments and affiliated foundations, according to the 2014 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. For fiscal year 2014, FUVI’s endowment, earned net investment returns of 19.20 percent compared to the reported average return of other endowments of 15.50 percent. UVI’s endowment also ranked in the top ten highest among Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
- Increases in student enrollment. There was a two percent increase in overall enrollment and a 42 percent increase among new transfer students for Spring 2015.
President Hall also recognized Dr. Valerie Combie, who has been selected as UVI’s first master professor. Dr. Combie is a professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and director of the Writing Center on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix.
Dr. Gillian Marcelle, the UVI Research and Technology Park’s newly hired executive director, gave her first report to the Board. She presented an overview of future plans for the Research and Technology Park (RTPark). “We’ll be serving as a hub of an innovation ecosystem for the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said Dr. Marcelle. “We will be providing a series of services to the business sector, government and to the academic community as to how you grow technology-enabled businesses in the Virgin Islands.”
It was the first regular session meeting for two new ex-officio trustees, who serve by virtue of their positions – V.I. Department of Education Commissioner Dr. Sharon McCollum and V.I. Board of Education Chair Nandi Sekou.
As customary, President Hall recognized a UVI employee or unit that has performed exceptionally with the President’s Appreciation Award. The UVI School of Education and Dean Dr. Linda Thomas, were honored for achieving accreditation status from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. They were also recognized because the School’s Elementary Education Program was certified by the Association for Childhood Education International – the national accrediting body that certifies elementary education programs.
“By attaining national accreditation, we demonstrate our commitment to meeting the highest standards of the education profession,” said Dr. Hall. “This extraordinary achievement is the result of the outstanding leadership and dedicated work of Dean Linda Thomas and all members of our School of Education.”
In executive session, trustees received updates on the School of Medicine, risk assessment, personnel matters, legal matters, and KPIs related to revenue. During executive session the Board was authorized to continue the discussion with Five Stone Capital on the proposed Eco Park. There were no action items for either session. The UVI Board of Trustees last met during a special session on Feb. 13. The next regularly scheduled Board meeting will be held June 6, on the St. Thomas Campus.