The St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) awaits a site visit by a team of evaluators appointed by the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT). That is the next step in the campus' bid for institutional accreditation. The visit follows the submission to the ACTT of a report on an intense institutional self-study analysis by the campus. It is scheduled to take place from February 1 to 4. On May 15, 2009, the St Augustine Campus launched its accreditation candidacy with the ACTT.
It then embarked on a rigorous process of self-examination and reflection, including discussion forums with a cross-section of its internal and external stakeholders; It was driven by Jeremy Callaghan, campus registrar and chair of the Self-Study Steering Committee; Dr Sandra Gift, the Institutional accreditation co-ordinator; and Deborah Souza-Okpofabri, the campus' self-study co-ordinator. The findings were documented in the "UWI St Augustine Campus' Institutional Accreditation Self-Study Report, 2010" which was submitted to the ACTT.
The team, which is led by Prof Frederick Emshousen (Phd in technical education, former assistant dean/associate dean/ag dean, School of Technology, Purdue University, USA), comprise four evaluators from the United Kingdom, United States and Trinidad and Tobago. They will conduct an evaluation to assess the "fitness for the purpose" of the campus and its compliance with set criteria and standards established by the ACTT. As part of the evaluation process, the team will tour the campus, both at St Augustine and the Mt Hope Medical Sciences Complex, examine facilities and documentation, as well as conduct interviews with staff and students of the campus.
Following the visit, the accreditation status of the St Augustine Campus will be determined by the ACTT after it has deliberated on the reports and recommendations of the team of evaluators and the Accreditation Review Committee (ARC). The purpose of accreditation is to assure the public of the quality of an institution and its dedication to high standards, as well as its commitment to continuous improvement.