UVI to Close for Annual Holiday Recess; St. Croix Festival, Three Kings Holiday The University of the Virgin Islands will be closed from Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, through Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, for its annual holiday recess. University offices will reopen on their regular schedules on Wednesday, Jan. 2. UVI will also be closed on Friday, Jan. 4, for the St. Croix Festival, and Monday, Jan. 7, in observance of the Three Kings Day holiday. The VI Small Business Development Center offices on St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John will observe the same holiday schedule.
UVI students win Miss St. Croix, second runner-up titles in Christmas Festival Pageant.
Congratulations to UVI St. Croix student Claunjel Williams, who was crowned Miss St. Croix Festival Queen on Sunday, Dec. 9. Williams, 23, is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Arts in Education degree, with a concentration in administration and supervision. She earned a bachelor of science in biology from UVI in 2009. She also won the St. Croix Festival Queen pageant’s Best Evening Wear and Best Costume competitions. UVI student, contestant Naydyeyah Acoy-Thomas was named second runner-up in the pageant. A 20-year -old junior, Acoy Thomas, also won the Miss Photogenic and Congeniality categories in the competition. She is majoring in business administration, with a concentration in entrepreneurship. A third contestant, Jessica Willock, is a freshman at UVI. The contest’s first runner-up, A’Jada Delana Burke, plans to study biology at UVI.
The other contestants were Rashauna Christopher, Jo’Liza John and Iman Hamilton. Miss St. Croix is expected to preside over Christmas Festival events such as the opening of the village, the food fair and parades.
Middle States Commission Reaffirms UVI’s Accreditation The University of the Virgin Islands’ accreditation has been reaffirmed through the periodic review process by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), which accredits degree-granting colleges and universities in the Middle States region.
UVI received a favorable response to the Periodic Review Report (PRR), also known as the five-year mid-point report, a requirement of the MSCHE when member institutions reach the half-way point in their ten-year cycle of reaffirmation of accreditation. In 2007, MSCHE acted to reaffirm UVI’s accreditation through 2017, with recommendations for additional reports prior to the submission of the PRR. UVI has favorably met all of the recommendations. A news release is available from the UVI homepage –www.uvi.edu
7th Annual St. Thomas/St. John Woodworkers Expo Continues on St. John Dec. 14-16 UVI’s Cooperative Extension Service continues the seventh annual Virgin Islands’ Woodworkers’ Expo with the St. John session slated for Dec. 14-16. The expo features works by members of St. Croix Wood Artists Inc. and the St. Thomas-St. John Woodworkers Society. The St. Thomas session, held at Tutu Park Mall, ran from Dec. 7-9.
The St. John session of the expo takes place at the Market Place in Cruz Bay on St. John. It will open at 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 14, and at 10 a.m. on Dec. 15 and 16. Pieces will be available for sale. Demonstrations by master woodworkers are planned.
Individuals who are not members of the woodworker groups may also apply to join exhibit and sell locally made wood products at the Cooperative Extension Service on St. Thomas. The fee for a space at the Expo is $50 per day. For more information, contact Carlos Robles at 693-1083 or 692-1080. The Woodworkers’ Expo is sponsored by UVI Cooperative Extension Service in partnership with the V.I. Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, the V.I. Department of Tourism and Tutu Park Mall. SBDC, Rare Earth Studio Offer Two-Hour Workshops Focus on Fine Jewelry Industry The Virgin Islands Small Business Development Center (VI SBDC), in conjunction with Rare Earth Studio Inc., will host a two-hour workshop on the many facets of the fine jewelry industry and other creative expressions. The experience is designed to give participants an opportunity to explore the possibilities of working or owning a business in the jewelry industry. Sessions of the workshop are offered from 2-4 p.m. on Dec. 15, and Jan. 5, 2013. Workshops take place at Rare Earth Studio, at 32 A Dronningens Gade, Suites 2 and 7 in Charlotte Amalie.
The facilitators will be Tina Blue and Ivanne Farr. Seating is limited. Pre-registration and prepayment of the $45 fee is required. For more information, contact the VI-SBDC at 776-3206 or Rare Earth Studio at 777-7774.
Deadline for Submissions, Letters for UVI’s 50th Anniversary Time Capsules Jan. 31, 2013 The Time Capsule Subcommittee of UVI’s Golden Jubilee Committee is again asking members of the university community to submit items for inclusion in each time capsule. The committee is also seeking letters from students, staff, faculty and alumni describing what they think UVI will be like in 50 years. Please submit items and/or letters for inclusion in the time capsules by Jan. 31, 2013, to Raquel Silver at [email protected] or call 692- 4061.
Since announcing plans to create UVI 50th Anniversary Time Capsules on both campuses, many suggestions and some forwarded items have been received. "The sky is the limit on what can be placed in the time capsule," said Subcommittee Chair Raquel Silver. "Be imaginative." The time capsules will be capped in 2013, not to be opened for 50 years – in 2062.
Do You Know This Week’s ‘We Are UVI’ Contributor? To see photos of this week’s “We Are UVI” contributor, and to read her story, visit http://weareuvi.blogspot.com. “We Are UVI” is the University’s Golden Jubilee blog. It features people sharing CVI/UVI stories from the past 50 years. A new submission is added each week. This one was posted Sunday, Dec. 9.
Sunday’s submission joins stories from the following: Sinclair Wilkinson (’72), Rafe Boulon, Jr. (’76), Carmie Thompson (’10), Frank Mills (’67), James Rakocy, Arah Lockhart (’78), Utha Williams (’82), former UVI President LaVerne Ragster, Marthious Clavier (’02,’08), John Lucas, Maxine Nunez, Rosary Harper, Yegin Habtes, Gloria Callwood, Laurent Javois (’76), Helen Dookhan (’79, ’84, ’98), Curtis Gilpin (’80), Carolyn O’Neal-Morton (’85), Ali McClean (’93), Constance Gumbs (’87, ’91), Malcolm Kirwan (’67), Sharleen Fahie (’86, ’93), Sam Hall Jr., Richard Lippke, Randy Brown, Paul Flemming (’95, ’98, ’99), Kishma Allen (’09), Lawrence Lewis (’73), Aimery Caron, Quilin Mars (’08), Alvincent Hutson (’76), Vincent Cooper (’72), Dennis Parker, UVI President Emeritus Orville Kean, Richard Schrader, Albert Bryan (’04), Jerome McElroy, Velma Tyson (’80, ’83), Marchelle D. Clarke Brown (‘82), Anita Gordon Plaskett (’74, ’78), Nanyamka Farrelly (’99, ’06), Robert H. Ruskin, Jr. (’77) and Juanita Woods, Judy Grybowski, Lucia Woods (’73), Ellis Webster (’86), George Condon, Linette Rabsatt (’99) and Joycelyn Hewlett (’86).
Eastern Caribbean Center to Begin Phase II of Community Survey The University of the Virgin Islands Eastern Caribbean Center (ECC) is conducting phase II of its annual Virgin Islands Community Survey (VICS). During phase II of the survey process, which runs from Dec. 8, 2012 to Jan. 12, 2013, ECC staff will interview the community.
“The goal of the VICS is to provide a clearer understanding of the changing population and housing statistics in the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said Dr. Asha DeGannes, Eastern Caribbean Center’s acting director. “Demographic surveys provide important information to educators, the legislature, businesses and anyone needing information about the community.” Dr. DeGannes said the survey will generate official statistics relating to economics, population, housing, health and employment. A news release is available from the UVI homepage – http://www.uvi.edu.
Math and English Placement Testing Set for Jan. 7-8 on Both Campuses The University of the Virgin Islands will conduct another session of student placement testing in math and English for the spring 2013 semester on Jan. 7 and 8, 2013, on both campuses. The tests are computer-based and are administered simultaneously. Admitted students should bring a picture ID and SAT or ACT scores if possible. Calculators will not be permitted on the math placement test. A math test preparation guide is available at this link: http://bit.ly/taGZ6q. Reading and writing sample tests can be found at www.accuplacer.org – use the “Information For Students” button.
St. Thomas Campus
Tests: English and Math
Date: Monday, Jan. 7, 2013
Placement test reviews: 5:30-7 p.m. for English and Math
Location: Classroom Administration Building (CAB) Room 107
Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013
Registration: 8:30 a.m.; Testing: 9 a.m. for English and Math
Place:
English testing: Classroom Administration Building (CAB) computer lab, Room 103
Math testing: Center for Student Success (CSS) computer lab, Room CAB 123
Albert A. Sheen Campus – St. Croix
Tests: English and Math
Date: Monday, Jan. 7, 2013
Placement test reviews: 5:30 to 7 p.m. for English and Math
Location: TBA
Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013
Registration at 8:30 a.m.; Testing: 9 a.m. for English and Math
Place:
English testing: North West Wing Room 131
Math testing: North West Wing Room 133
Spring and Summer Online Registration for Continuing UVI Students Underway Continuing UVI students can now register online, via Banweb, for spring and summer 2013 courses. Registration for spring classes continues through Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, for spring. Summer registration will continue up to the start of those sessions. Students are reminded that they must first meet with their academic advisors to prepare individual schedules and obtain an alternate PIN, which they will need to access Banweb. To find out the name of their advisors, students should contact the office of the dean of their school or college or the Office of the Registrar or the Associate Registrar ([email protected]). Further details are available from the registrar’s section of the UVI Web site –www.uvi.edu.