Sept. 14, 2007 — The University of the Virgin Islands needs a more visible presence on St. John, the administrator of the V.I. Environmental Resource Station said Friday.
"It would benefit UVI to have a clearing house," Randy Brown said during a meeting at the Legislature building to provide input on the development of a master plan for UVI's research and outreach activities.
Brown administers the station as director of Clean Islands International. Though UVI owns VIERS, it does not represent the university in any way, Brown noted. He was one of a handful of people who attended the meeting.
The master plan is part of UVI's strategic plan, VISION 2012. The St. John meeting was the last in a series also held this week on St. Thomas and St. Croix.
Brown said he was recently in the Tourism Department's office on St. John and leaned that the representative working with the public in that office didn't know VIERS existed. VIERS' location at Lameshur Bay is too remote for it represent UVI on St. John, but the station receives a "tremendous amount " of phone calls from people looking for UVI information, Brown said.
The university pays rent on an office in Cruz Bay, but the office isn't used because the 4-H program agent, Sen. Carmen Wesselhoft, is on leave to serve in the Legislature, said Henry Smith, UVI's vice provost for research and public service.
UVI has not found a replacement for Wesselhoft, but Cooperative Extension staff members from St. Thomas come to St. John for activities, said Smith, who led Friday's meeting.
St. John resident Chuck Pishko said he'd like to see UVI hold seminars on topics such as landscaping. Jamie Irving, acting manager at VIERS, suggested that UVI professors hold brown-bag lunch seminars on St. John.
"It will foster intellectual curiosity and would give UVI a presence here," he said.
Donald Bailey, a research specialist at UVI's Agriculture Experiment Station on St. Croix, suggested that UVI hold talks in conjunction with V.I. National Park's evening programs at Cinnamon Bay.
UVI's Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning program, which offers certificate course in various subjects, could offer programs on St. John, Smith noted.
Back Talk Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.