University of the Virgin Islands

Academics

The university has five academic divisions: Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Nursing, and Science and Mathematics. UVI offers various graduate degree and undergraduate degree programs. The graduate programs consist of a Specialist Degree in Education Specialist in School Psychology and the following Masters Degrees: Master of Arts in Education, Master of Arts in Mathematics for Secondary Teachers, Master of Business Administration, Master of Marine and Environmental Science, Master of Psychology and Master of Public Administration. The Undergraduate Degree Programs are divided into several categories: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science.

Its liberal arts curriculum is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, the university works to recruit local, national and international students to broaden and create a diversified student population, as 94% of its current students are natives of the US Virgin Islands.

The university also has several academic programs under its College of Science and Mathematics. One of these is an engineering program where students attend UVI for three years and then transfer to either Columbia University, the University of Florida, Washington University in St. Louis, or the University of South Carolina (Columbia) to complete the last two years of their engineering studies. After completing the program, students will acquire a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from UVI and a Bachelor of Science in their specialization of engineering from the partner university. The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with concentration in computational biology is offered on both St. Thomas and St. Croix. Students will be able to focus of fields related to parallel computing, data mining, bioinformatics, computational science or cyber-security.

The university also has an early medical school selection program with Boston University which affords selected students to study for three years at UVI and then transfer to Boston University Medical School in their senior year where they are afforded the opportunity to take medical school courses early. The university also holds several National Science Foundation-funded research grants and programs including MBRS-RISE, SEAGEP, HBCU-UP, and MARC under its Emerging Caribbean Scientist (ECS) program. The mission of the Emerging Caribbean Scientists programs is to increase research training and promote excellence for science, technology, engineering, mathematics and psychology students at the University of the Virgin Islands. The university fosters research by hosting research symposiums every semester where students are given the opportunity to present research projects conducted both locally and abroad, to the UVI faculty and the Virgin Islands community.

Marine biology program

The marine biology program attracts students from all parts of the world. The University is next to John Brewers Bay, which hosts a variety of marine life and is studied by both undergrad and masters students.

National Student Exchange (NSE)

At UVI, students from around the nation are allowed to participate in a semester or year-long exchange to UVI through the National Student Exchange. Tuition is paid toward either the student's home or host school. Students who attend UVI are also able to participate in the NSE program as long as they have completed their freshman year.

History

UVI was founded as the College of the Virgin Islands on March 16, 1962. In 1986, it officially became one of the 117 U.S. Historically black colleges and universities. The institution also changed its name in 1986 to the University of the Virgin Islands to reflect the growth and diversification of its academic curriculum, research programs, and regional community services.

Campus

The university has two campuses: one on St. Croix and the other on St. Thomas. The St. Croix campus is located on Estate Golden Grove in mid-island. The latter campus is three miles (5 km) from Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the territory. The St. Thomas campus is situated on two hills and it has its own beach (John Brewer's Bay beach) which can be directly accessed off the main road which cuts through the campus. The majority of the buildings on the St. Thomas campus are made of volcanic rock and cement. This makes the campus not only aesthetically pleasing but it also improves the structural integrity of the structures as the U.S. Virgin Islands are known for experiencing very active hurricane seasons. The University has 6 different sets of dorms on the St. Thomas campus which include: Eastern dorms, Western Dorms, Northern Dorms, Southern Dorms, Middle Dorms and Annex Dorms. The Eastern and Western Dorms are both unisex dorms whereas the South, Middle, and Annex Dorms are all Female Dorms. The Northern Dorms are all male dorms. The dorms East, West, South, and North all represent where the dorms are as it may relate to their locations on a map.

Technology and research

The legislature of the Virgin Islands chartered the University of the Virgin Islands Research and Technology Park to help expand the technology segment of the islands' economy, encourage more businesses to operate on the islands, and foster technology research and activities at the university. The United States Department of Agriculture operates a large agricultural experiment station on the St. Croix campus working on agroforestry, aquaponics, biotechnology, forage agronomy, and tilapia farming. The University also own and run the Etelman Observatory.

Athletic facilities

The campus on St. Thomas boasts a 64,000-square-foot (5,900 m²) Sports and Fitness Center, as well as a golf course, tennis courts, outdoor basketball and volleyball courts, and baseball and soccer fields. The Sports and Fitness Center can seat up to 3,500 people and annually hosts the Paradise Jam Tournament for mainland NCAA basketball teams.

On St. Croix, there is an outdoor sports facility equipped with basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts. Also, there is a small exercise gym inside the Student Activities center. St. Croix has large fields in front, and they are usually acceptable for athletic use, but they tend to flood during heavy rain.

Student Affairs

The Division of Student Affairs mission is to provide a campus environment engaging student’s holistic human development through academic enrichment health and wellness, social, cultural recreational programs and services. Programs are designed to complement the instruction, research, and public service sectors and the mission of the University. The staff members in the Division of Student Affairs have as their main concerns the overall well-being of students, their academic success and degree attainment, their readiness for professional employment and graduate studies, and their ability to embrace cultural, social and academic enrichment opportunities.

Counseling and Career Services

The Counseling and Career Services Office is unique with respect to services offered. Services provided are specifically designed to facilitate the interpersonal, personal, social and cognitive development of the student outside of the classroom.

Career Services

The Career Services Center offers a comprehensive range of services to help UVI students reach their academic and career goals. A collaborative approach is used to coordinate efforts among company recruiters, faculty and alumni.

Student Activities

UVI's student Government Association is active on both campuses, particularly the St. Croix campus where (as of school year 2012-2013) Kevin Dixon serves as president, Estica Ceasar, Vice President, Jacqueline Romer, Treasurer, and Amiquah Freeman is secretary.

Clubs and Organizations

At the University of the Virgin Islands St. Thomas campus there are various clubs and organizations such as Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Anguilla Student Association, Chess Club, Criminal Justice Club, Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Foods Committee, Golden Key Int'l Honour Society, Japanese Club, Psychology Student Association, Queen's Committee, Social & Cultural Committee, Sports Committee, Student Nursing Association, UVI ACS Student Chemistry Club, UVI French Club, UVI St. Kitts/Nevis Association, Dominican Association, BVI Association, Interact (in conjunction with the local Rotary Club), Queens Court Club, R.E.A.C.H, Carnival Committee, Cheerleading Squad and Dance Team.

Athletics

UVI is a member of the NCAA and the Caribbean University Sports Association. It fields Division II and/or III varsity teams for both men and women in basketball, tennis, volleyball, track and field, cross country, swimming, and table tennis. UVI athletic teams are nicknamed "the Buccaneers." They wear blue, white, and gold for athletic events.

Currently, the head coach of UVI's men's basketball team is Sean Georges. The interim head coach of the women's basketball team is Curtis Gilpin, Sr.

UVI is a member of the Liga Atlética Interuniversitaria university league. LAI was established in 1929 and currently consists of the 20 American universities in the Caribbean — 19 in Puerto Rico and the University of the Virgin Islands. As a result, UVI athletes' opponents are often from Puerto Rico, although they play many teams from mainland universities.

UVI offers intramural sport activities during both the fall and spring semesters.

The University of the Virgin Islands host the Paradise Jam Tournament in November of every year. Division I and II basketball teams from across the US mainland compete in a men's and women's basketball tournament. The tournament has national coverage and is a major event in the Virgin Islands each year. It also serves as an opportunity for these Division I and II teams to play before the spring season and to witness the beauty that the Virgin Islands have to offer.

The Caribbean Writer

The Caribbean Writer - subtitled "Where the Caribbean Imagination Embraces the World" - is an international, refereed, literary journal, founded in 1986 and published annually by UVI. The stated mission of the journal is to "publish quality writing by established and emerging writers that reflects the culture of the Caribbean; promote and foster a strong literary tradition; serve as an institute for the development of emerging writers throughout the Caribbean". The current editor of the journal is Alscess Lewis-Brown. The journal's founding editor was Erika J. Waters, now Professor Emeritus of English at UVI. Subsequent editors have included Marvin Williams, Opal Palmer Adisa, and Tregenza Roach.

The Caribbean Writer announced the past issues online in the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) as Open Access in 2016.

Notable alumni

Please add to University of the Virgin Islands Notables Carmelo Rivera, former New York State, Assistant Commissioner of Labor: former USVI Commissioner of Labor; former Chairman of the Virgin Islands Health and Hospitals Corporation; Chair of the Juan Luis Hospital and Medical Center, Vice President of Innovative Communications