The UWI and University of Waterloo, Canada sign a Student Mobility Agreement to facilitate Exchange of Students

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) and Canada’s University of Waterloo (UW) have renewed a landmark student mobility agreement. After finalising the details of the arrangement in 2021, officials of the two Universities met virtually on Thursday May 5 for the symbolic signing of the agreement.

The agreement strengthens opportunities for internationalizing educational programmes through student mobility initiatives, aimed at developing global citizenship, increasing adaptability, cultural sensitivity, and intercultural communication skills.
Dr. Stacy Richards-Kennedy, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Global Affairs, signed on behalf of The UWI, and Professor Charmaine Dean, Vice-President, Research and International penned the agreement on behalf of UW.

Through this partnership, undergraduate and graduate students from each university will have the opportunity to apply for an exchange experience for either one or two semesters, starting as early as the 2022/2023 academic year. The programme facilitates both student exchanges and study abroad opportunities, and applies to courses within the Faculties of Humanities and Education, Social Sciences, Law, Engineering, and Science and Technology at The UWI, and the Faculties of Arts, Environment, Health, Mathematics, and Science at UW.

In addition to a commitment to internationalization, The UWI and UW share several other outstanding partnership attributes, including being ranked among the top 100 Golden Age Universities by the prestigious Times Higher Education ranking agency.

Commenting on the initiative, Dr. Stacy Richards-Kennedy noted, “The signing of this agreement with the University of Waterloo is testament to our commitment to internationalization, to expanding global education opportunities for our students, and to deepening relations with leading university partners. We are also very proud that we are celebrating sixteen years of collaboration between The UWI and the University of Waterloo.”

Professor Charmaine Dean also notes that “The University of Waterloo is excited to work with international partners that offer opportunities for multifaceted relationships, which can grow over time and advance broad institutional goals. For us, The University of the West Indies is one such partner, and we look forward to deepening our strategic relationship as we explore more meaningful collaborations in the years to come.”