Newly-appointed chairman of the board at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), Prof Emeritus Selwyn Cudjoe is no stranger to the academic landscape. An author, literary scholar, cultural historian, columnist, and essayist, his expertise spans Africana Studies, Caribbean Literature, and Comparative Literature.
Cudjoe now envisions branding UTT as a true national institution—one created or managed by the government, but operating with autonomy and without direct state control.
Just as the University of the West Indies has become an identifiable regional brand, Cudjoe wants UTT to be recognised as one of the defining institutions of the twin-island republic. And while he is pleased with some of UTT’s existing initiatives, he believes there are areas that need an evolutionary overhaul.
“Well, to begin with, I think there are some things that they (UTT) do very well,” he told Guardian Media. “But UTT is supposed to be a national university, and we’re hoping to have a conference next year on what constitutes a national university. I don’t think we’ve answered that question.”
Achieving national university status, he said, will require adjustments to the curriculum. No student, he believes, should graduate without knowing the history and culture of Trinidad and Tobago—a course he intends to introduce as one of UTT’s foundation offerings. Another priority is integrating artificial intelligence (AI) training, which he says is essential if students are to remain competitive.
“UTT has done a good job, I’m not arguing that. But nothing stays the same… In China, from the primary and secondary schools, everybody has an idea how AI works.”
Cudjoe estimates UTT’s current enrolment at roughly 5,000 students and notes that, despite an alumni base of at least 25,000, the university has no endowment—financial assets donated and invested to generate long-term income.
“I’ve taught at Harvard, Cornell, Yale; I’ve seen different modes of doing things. At Harvard there was a US$53 billion endowment. We (UTT) can’t go to the government every day asking ‘please, please, please.’ We have to start raising our own funds.”
He and his team are already in discussions with UTT alumnus Machel Montano to stage a fundraiser in March 2026. Montano graduated with a Master of Arts in Carnival Studies in 2024.
“Machel is one of our most celebrated graduates, and he’s agreed to do a fundraiser.”
Cudjoe also hopes to significantly expand UTT’s student population—potentially growing it to five times its current size. One small but meaningful step, he said, is improving the aesthetics of certain campuses.
“Take, for example, John Donaldson Technical Institute (now The Creativity Campus) in Port-of-Spain. Some students don’t even want to go there because of how it looks—run down.”
Ultimately, he wants to see UTT internationalised and has already reached out to universities in Africa and Asia to explore partnerships and broaden UTT’s focus. While he praises the work of UTT’s founding executive chairman, Professor Kenneth Julien, he believes there is room to build on that foundation.
“People are committed to an image to which they hold on … I think some people are so wedded to that image that there’s pressure when you decide to make changes.”
But criticism and pushback are not new to Cudjoe—they come with the territory, especially after his recent receipt of the nation’s highest honour, the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT) on September 24.
“The award is given to someone who has transformed the nature of intellectual thought in the Caribbean. I have done that, and I thank Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for acknowledging that.”
Cudjoe’s extensive body of work—books, monographs, essays, public lectures, and newspaper columns—has contributed significantly to Africana Studies, Caribbean literary thought, and academia.
“Well, what I’ve done intellectually for Trinidad and Tobago, they’ve recognised it. I have transformed the native intellectual thought in the Caribbean. The ORTT was such a gift. You work and you can be honoured all over the world. But I said, ‘This is my home,’ and to be honoured at that level at your home is very important.”
However, Cudjoe said, despite his contributions, there has been uproar in some circles about both his ORTT award and his appointment to the UTT board, with critics claiming it was a political “token” due to his affiliation with the United National Congress (UNC).
“There has been a lot of resistance … But I don’t mind my detractors. I’ll be 82 years old on December 1, and I’ve been working like a dog right through and deserve my accolades.”
He compared the political backlash to poet Countee Cullen’s experience in the poem Incident.
“He said he went to Baltimore and it was a beautiful place. But somebody called him the ‘N word’ and that’s all he could remember about Baltimore … I served PNM faithfully until 2017. I support UNC now, and they act like I’ve been supporting UNC my whole life. But why shouldn’t I?”
Cudjoe flipped through several of his books during the interview, pointing to their publication dates.
“All these books were published before UNC ever came into power.”
He held up VS Naipaul: A Materialist Reading, published in 1988.
“This book—the first book about V.S. Naipaul by me, a Trinidadian writer; the first book that talks about Naipaul’s Hinduism. In fact, there’s been a retelling of the Ramayana, the Hindu epic. But nobody speaks about that.”
Regardless of criticism, Cudjoe said his work must continue. Even if his full vision for UTT is not fully realised during his tenure, he is committed to starting the process.
“You have to start, and someone else will pick up where you left off. That’s how progress works.”
About Professor Selwyn Cudjoe
Selwyn Cudjoe graduated from Fordham University with a B.A. in English (1969) and an M.A. in American Literature (1972). He earned a Ph.D. in American Literature from Cornell University in 1976. Before joining the Wellesley College faculty in 1986, he taught at Ithaca College, Cornell, Harvard, Brandeis, Fordham and Ohio universities. He also lectured at Auburn (NY) State Prison and taught at Bedford-Stuyvesant Youth-In-Action.
Professor Cudjoe has written and edited numerous books and produced several documentaries. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Harvard Educational Review, International Herald Tribune, New Left Review, Baltimore Sun, Amsterdam News, Trinidad Guardian, and Trinidad Express.
