The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. W.I. Monday, July 31, 2023—The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Derek A. Chadee as the new Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Board for Undergraduate Studies. Professor Chadee’s three-year appointment takes effect on August 1, 2023.
As Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chadee will oversee the Office of the Board for Undergraduate Studies (OBUS) which is charged with responsibility for policy, quality, and regionalism in developing and coordinating policy initiatives to guide all aspects of undergraduate and sub-degree programming at The UWI and its regional and global affiliates. This includes articulating, implementing and managing The UWI’s academic quality assurance enhancement system; and the preservation of the regional mandate of The UWI in its undergraduate academic delivery.
Professor Derek Chadee, a Fulbright Scholar, joined the St. Augustine Campus of The UWI in 1995 as an Assistant Lecturer. He was awarded tenure in 2012 and was promoted to Professor of Social Psychology in 2013.
As Coordinator of the Psychology Programme, he developed the B.Sc. Psychology Special, M.Sc. Applied Psychology and M.Phil./Ph.D. Psychology programmes which he directed within the Faculty of Social Sciences. His high standards in research, publications, teaching, and research collaboration have been evident throughout his career. His robust research agenda has focussed on the psychology of fear of crime with a current research interest in general fear, antecedents of emotions, copycat behaviour, media influence on perception, and social psychological theories.
Professor Chadee has more than 70 published books, journal articles and book chapters. He has published in internationally respected peer-refereed journals, a few of which being the British Journal of Criminology; Crime Media and Culture; International Review of Victimology; Journal of Interpersonal Violence; Applied Social Psychology; Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology; Psychology of Popular Media Culture – among others. His latest books are Positive Psychology (Palgrave 2021) and Theories in Social Psychology (2nd edition Wiley-Blackwell, 2022). The last publication is a unique contribution to the literature since, in the last 50 years, there had been no book on the international market that focused explicitly on theories in social psychology prior to its initial publication.
His leadership style encourages participation and consultation in decision making. From very early in his career, he saw the importance of taking advantage of globalization and has therefore maintained a productive international collaboration with international universities. He has facilitated relationships with outside stakeholders that led to the signing of a number of memoranda of understanding to the benefit of students and staff.
His firm belief that university advocacy is an essential tool to bring about change and guide ever-changing Caribbean societies is reflected in the results of his research with governmental agencies. That advocacy research has included Crime Victimization and Fear of Crime; Discrimination and Stigmatization: HIV/AIDS; Effects of Gambling in Trinidad and Tobago; and Social Norms and Values in Trinidad and Tobago.
He currently serves on the Mediation Board of Trinidad and Tobago.
The University of the West Indies extends congratulations to Professor Chadee on his appointment as Pro Vice-Chancellor, Board for Undergraduate Studies.
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Professor Derek Chadee, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Board for Undergraduate Studies, The UWI.
About The University of the West Indies
The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region for the past 75 years.
From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands inAntigua and Barbuda and itsOpen Campus, and global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.
The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.
The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean in the World University Rankings, it is also in the top 25 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old). The UWI is also featured among the leading universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.
2023 marks The UWI’s 75th anniversary. The Diamond jubilee milestone themed “UWI at 75. Rooted. Ready. Rising.” features initiatives purposely designed and aligned to reflect on the past, confront the present, and articulate plans for the future of the regional University.
Learn more at www.uwi.edu
