University of Guyana Press to be established

Mar 20, 2017 News

…School of Business inches closer to formation

UG’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Ivelaw Griffith at right sharing a light moment with Ian Randle, Board Chairman of Ian Randle Publishers.

The University of Guyana will soon be establishing its own press as part of the institution’s renaissance programme initiated by Vice Chancellor Dr Ivelaw Griffith. This was announced by the VC during his remarks at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, Annual General Meeting, on Thursday at Duke Lodge, Kingston.
Later that day at a Renaissance Lecture organised by the institution, Griffith signed an agreement with Board Chairman of Ian Randle Publishers of Jamaica, Ian Randle, to establish the University of Guyana Press as the publishing arm of UG.
According to Griffith, the Press will create an outlet for the scholarly work of faculty and student researchers. The agreement is to take effect on April 1, 2017 and last for an initial three years.
At the event, Griffith said that the establishment of the Press is both history-making and an important part of enhancing the brand of the university. It is expected that the first UG Press titles will be available before the end of 2017. The Press will publish both books and journals.
These will include ‘Transition’, a journal that has had troubled publication history. Also, there is to be a ‘Journal of Entrepreneurship’ which will be linked to the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation, and a ‘Journal of Diaspora Engagement’.
During Thursday’s GCCI AGM, Griffith had said that the ‘Journal of Entrepreneurship’ will be done in a manner that allows business executives to write about their experiences as entrepreneurs both on a practical and academic level.
He said that the process towards making the school a reality began in October last year, whereby the feasibility study team conducted two days of consultation with members of the business community, civil society and educational institutions.
“The work of that feasibility team has advanced to the point where they were able to submit the first draft of the report four weeks ago, and we did what is an important element in getting that School of Entrepreneurship. We went to people in the community to share the draft report, collect feedback before we make the ultimate recommendation to the university council who has the authority to establish the school.”
Griffith said that the University is a significant player in the society, with the construction of the social, economic and political architecture. He said that the country has become accustomed to the university being significantly sponsored by the government and not from other stakeholders.
“Those days are over. We cannot look to the government to be the most significant contributor only and continuously. We’ve got to broaden the base, bring under the tent every other possible stakeholder. The business community in my view is a significant shareholder in the educational investment of the University of Guyana.”
Further, Griffith said that on March 30, 2017, he will be taking to the university council a proposal to formally establish that school.
“I’ve identified the person who will be the founding Dean of that school; he is a member of the feasibility team, a professor of business in Maryland. I’ve identified the person to be the Assistant Dean of that school, Diana Gobin who is the Assistant Dean of Social Sciences.”
The VC said that movements are currently being made to identify a property to house the school and other entities. He said that the curriculum to be used for that school is one which would be resonating with the needs, interests and realities of the business environment.
He said that the curriculum will be founded on the practical interface between theory and life experiences. According to Griffith, the experiences of established local businesses would be used to design case studies. He said that these experiences are many in Guyana and around the Caribbean, but have not been catalogued or inventoried.
“We want to ensure that the students that come to the school know a little about successes and failures of companies in Guyana, companies in the Caribbean. We are going to be designing a curriculum where the cultivation of the practical learning experiences is going to be part of the design.”