When I speak to students at Matriculation Ceremonies, invariably I remind them that these are the best years of their life, the University years that they will forever remember. And there can be little doubt that undergraduate years at University are wonderful – so much fun; growing into independence; building relationships, bonding with friends, wrestling with academic challenges, sensing one’s intellectual growth; coming to terms with freedom and responsibility, growing in confidence, learning to care, becoming concerned, wanting to make a contribution and a difference. It is a heady time in one’s youthful life that can be truly wonderful.

But what does one do when the challenges become overwhelming? What does one do when it becomes difficult to cope? One can turn to friends, one can seek counseling, one can confide in a teacher. One can look for support at home. And what if none of this works? Or is not enough? Or does not quell the feelings of uncertainty, inadequacy, of isolation while surrounded by thousands of others like you wrestling with their various challenges and getting on with their daily lives?

Yes, life at the University of the West Indies can be very challenging and competitive and stressful. This is true for students, staff at all levels, Faculty and Administration, as indeed life has become in all organizations and institutions where standards are high, quality performance is required and the demands are many.

Few would know that of the last crop of two hundred national scholarship winners, 112 are students at the St. Augustine campus. Few would be aware that the vast majority of students on this campus have A and B scores at Advanced Levels and that one would hardly find a student entering UWI St. Augustine with less than a C average based on Advanced Level results. And that makes UWI a very, very competitive University indeed.

But even a competitive University, attracting the best students, needs support systems to sustain everyone at high levels of performance and to keep those who are most challenged from slipping and falling and losing their way. Because the loss of even one is too big a price to pay.

So we must move speedily to protect and support all members of this Learning Community. We must establish systems to alert us even before the alarm bell rings. From classroom, to Academic Advising, to Health Services, to Counseling- there must be a seamless management system that allows for timely support to ensure that the potential of all is fully realized.

Let us hasten to look at the weaknesses in our system and take urgent steps to strengthen them.

This year the Campus sought funding from Government to strengthen academic advising, health services and counseling services in the coming year and last week the Academic Board established a committee to look into additional ways and means of strengthening existing services and broadening the range of services to students.