UG appoints new Registrar; plans key reforms

Last Updated on Sunday, 23 August 2015, 16:18 by GxMedia

The University of Guyana (UG) has appointed a new Registrar who has accumulated a wealth of experience in a similar post in Grenada and plans to spearhead a number of key reforms to better serve the students and make the institution more relevant to the needs of the country and the wider Caribbean.

He is Dr. Nigel C. Gravesande, a former Permanent Secretary of Guyana’s Ministry of Trade, Tourism, Industry and Commerce from 1991-1993.

Gravesande turns out to work on Monday, August 24, 2015. He succeeds Vincent Alexander.

One of Gravesande’s immediate priorities is to help “conduct a detailed assessment of the operations and policies of the Registry with a view to enhancing the operations where required so that a superior quality service may be offered to students and other stakeholders at the University.”

Up to recently, he was the Registrar of Grenada’s T.A. Marryshow Community College, a position he had held since 2002.

In a release, UG said Dr. Gravesande is an Active Member of the American Association of  College Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) from 2012 to present.  “It is to be observed here that for more than a century AACRAO, has been the leading and recognised source for information on student admissions, academic records, best practices in tertiary education within the Registrar’s Office, international education and enrolment management,” said UG.

Gravesande, who has held various senior positions in Guyana and Grenada, is an International Relations expert whose Master’s thesis is titled “The Venezuela-Guyana Boundary Dispute: An issue in effective occupation and international law” and his Doctoral thesis is “: “An assessment of Regional Integration efforts by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in the latter half of the nineteenth century: An Agenda for immediate action.”

If the government gets its way, the next Vice Chancellor of UG would be of a similar background. He is Professor Ivelaw Griffith whose work focuses on hemispheric security.

As part of Gravesande’s plan to make UG the premiere tertiary institution in the Caribbean, he plans to attract students from Community Colleges and Sixth Forms across the 15-nation Caribbean Community (Caricom), delivery student services efficiently and effectively and develop a structured programme of Community Service for all UG students.

In preparing students for the world of work, will be promoting a broader and deeper involvement of industry in curriculum development and enhancement, so that graduates would be thoroughly prepared for the work environment. In that regard, the Registrar would help forge strategic linkages with regional and international tertiary institutions to benefit from diversified and wider human resource base and one that can facilitate technical and other assistance to the University

During his tenure, Dr. Gravesande  also plans to contribute to expanding the University’s resource base through strategic arrangements with industry and organizations locally, regionally and internationally.