The University of Guyana (UG) has set aside land for the creation of a Yucatan Centre for Greening Research, Information and Sustainability and has approved the establishment of a Centre for Behavioural Studies.
The aforementioned are just a few of the project announcements made at a news conference last Thursday at the Turkeyen Campus by UG Chancellor Professor E Nigel Harris.
Harris related that the Yucatan Centre will be funded through a US$5 million gift from the Mexican government, which will be administered through the Inter-American Development Bank and the Government of Guyana.
He stated that the “far reaching project” will be not only about providing a space, but will facilitate the presence of people that can “address some of the important issues” in the field.
The Jay and Sylvia Subraj Centre for Behavioural Studies will also be funded through a gift to the university, amounting to US $400,000.
“Let me just step back and say how very encouraged we are about the private sector establishing their own confidence in the university and in fact starting to make the sorts of gifts to the university that have otherwise been funded by government or by students’ fees or other sources,” Harris said.
Vice-Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith, who was also at the briefing, indicated that there are plans underway for the development of an Institute of Food and Nutrition Security and a Department of Petroleum Engineering. A meeting of the new UG Council last Thursday also saw the approval of a draft document for the establishment of a University of Guyana Broadcasting Trust.
Another step being taken by the university is for the accreditation of the School of Dentistry. It was related by Griffith that between March 18th and March 22nd, the university will be hosting a site visit to begin the accreditation process.
“I am confident that when the council will have met in July we should be getting good word…” he stated.
