Professor Canute Thompson appointed UWI’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Board of Undergraduate Studies

The University of the West Indies (UWI) is pleased to announce Professor Canute Thompson’s appointment as Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Board of Undergraduate Studies. Effective October 1, 2024, he will take the helm of the Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies (OBUS).

In this new role, Professor Thompson has responsibility for driving policy development and implementation for quality assurance and regionalism across all undergraduate and sub-degree programming at The UWI and its regional and global affiliates.

Canute Thompson is a Professor of educational policy, planning and leadership who serves as Director of the Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning (CCEP) and was the Project Director, UWI Governance Recommendation and Implementation Committee from 2022 to 2024. 

Professor Thompson holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree with high commendation in Educational Administration and Leadership and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies from The UWI, a Master of Arts (with honours) from the Eden Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts (with honours) from The UWI. He also earned a Certificate in Educational Sector Planning from the International Institute for Educational Planning; and a Management Consultant International Certificate from the Council of Management Consulting Institutes. His work as a leadership coach and management consultant has included projects with UNESCO, UNICEF, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), and the Government of Jamaica.

His publication record includes seven single-authored books, one co-authored monograph, four co-edited books, seven book chapters and twenty journal articles. Regionally and internationally, he has also delivered over thirty conference and special presentations and has had over 200 newspaper articles published.

Throughout his academic service, Professor Thompson has supervised six doctoral candidates and twenty-six Masters of Education students. He has developed two (2) new programmes and co-developed another two (2), in addition to developing fourteen (14) new courses and co-developed two (2) for the School of Education and another two (2) for the Department of Government at the Mona Campus. He also spearheaded the founding of the Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning (CCEP), the Caribbean Leadership Re-Imagination Initiative (CLRI), and the Philosophy of Education Movement of the Caribbean (PEMCA).

Professor Thompson has earned several awards. Among them, are six UWI Mona Campus Principal’s Award – two for Best Publication (Article Category) in 2019 and in 2020 for his book, Reimagining Educational Leadership in the Caribbean; two for Most Outstanding Researcher (2020 & 2021); and again, two in 2023 on behalf of the CCEP – for Research Activity generating the most funds and Research with the most Development Impact. In 2022 he was awarded a bronze medal in the Independent Publishers’ Book Awards, for his 2020 book, Education and Development: Policy Imperatives for Jamaica and the Caribbean. 

He co-chaired the Vice-Chancellor’s Re-Imagining UWI 2020-2021 Committee and is a member of the Editorial Board of the International Society for Educational Planning, the Caribbean Journal of Mixed Methods Research and the Journal of Human Resource Management. He is the founding President of the Jamaica Chapter, Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants, a former Ministry of Education Representative on the University Council of Jamaica, a former Chair of the Advisory Board of the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) and a former Board Member of the Council of Community Colleges in Jamaica. His international affiliations include membership in the American Educational Research Association, the International Society of Educational Planning, and the Philosophy of Education Society of North America.

Professor Thompson’s scholarly contributions and ability to provide unique insights on issues in the field of education are widely respected. The expansive UWI network extends congratulations to Professor Thompson on his appointment as Pro Vice-Chancellor, Board for Undergraduate Studies.