KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC—The University of the West Indies (The UWI) announced Monday that it will launch the first-of-its-kind global online graduate business school focused on leadership in support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The region’s premier financial institution said that the launch on Wednesday comes after almost two years of finalizing its operational procedures and negotiations.
It said the launch event will be hosted as a hybrid ceremony at The UWI’s Global Campus headquarters in Barbados at 10:00 am (local time).
Trinidad and Tobago’s Education Minister, Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, will deliver the feature address at the ceremony, which will also be addressed by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and UWI Vice-Chancellor Professor Hilary Beckles.
Funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and endorsed by the United Nations (UN), The UWI’s new International School for Development Justice (ISDJ) was established to respond to the need to educate and empower current and future activists and leaders within the framework of the 17 United Nations SDGs.
Beckles describes the Institute as “the largest and most transformative global project” the regional university has undertaken.
“We have the keen support of the United Nations and its many relevant departments, including the United Nations University headquartered in Tokyo. The IDB, our financial partner, has been particularly supportive.
“ Many other universities, such as SUNY, Glasgow, Johannesburg, and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, located at Columbia University and led by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, are engaged allies,” he added.
The UWI said it is now the only university with such an enterprise and that the idea of establishing a global online business school for the SDGs was birthed to leverage the university’s two decades of experience and excellence in online education through its Global Campus, its strategic focus on the SDGs, and its global recognition as a leading producer of knowledge on Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
“Significantly, The UWI earned a perfect score of 100% for its relationships to support the goals in pursuit of SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals in the recently announced Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.”
The university said that it is currently accepting applications for January 2025 admissions. ISDJ offerings include Master’s degrees in Climate Studies, Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Public Health and Informatics, Sustainability and Data Analytics, Sustainability Management, and more.
Professor Jeffrey Sachs, UN advisor and global leader in sustainable development, will lead a masterclass on the Sustainable Development Goals as part of its introductory courses. ISDJ has named Sachs among its Honorary Distinguished Fellows worldwide, who will contribute to the Institute’s scholarship and teaching.
From January 2025 onwards, the complete suite will comprise over a dozen laddered asynchronous online graduate programs, ranging from one-year Master’s degrees to shorter micro-credentials at the Certificate and Diploma levels.
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