by, CFG
As we kick off the celebration of 64 years of UVI with Charter Month festivities, we pause to honour the significance of this momentous milestone. For many of us, we have never existed in a Virgin Islands without UVI, so the concept of the Institution not being part of the fabric of our society is completely foreign. Lest we take UVI for granted out of familiarity, let’s take a look back so we can move forward with a steadfast momentum guided by conscious clarity and purpose.
From as far back as the early 1930s USVI leadership identified the need for access to tertiary education within the Territory as a critical component that was missing in the mission towards building a progressive, and forward-facing self-governing society. While Governor Ralph M. Paiewonsky is generally credited for the establishment of the College of the Virgin Islands, the road to higher education in the USVI did not start there.
Between the early 1930s and 1956 Governor Paul. M. Pearson and the Government of the Virgin Islands established several scholarship opportunities to Hampton Institute and Howard University as well as the Territorial Loans and Scholarship Fund to support residents of the Territory in their pursuit of higher education. UVI’s manifestation story began to take shape in 1958 after President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed the first US Virgin Islands-born governor, John David Merwin, who commissioned the Hollis Report, a study of post-secondary education conducted by the United States Office of Education, which recommended the establishment of a college in the territory within a five-to-ten-year timeframe.
In support of the Report’s recommendation, Governor Mervin formed the Virgin Islands College Commission, headed by Federal District Judge Herman E. Moore and comprised of five members of the Board of Education and five citizens. In further support of the Commission’s work, then, advisor to Governor Merwin, Ralph M. Paiewonsky, conducted a survey of the Virgin Islands population concerning higher education in the Territory.
Paiewonsky, who early on understood how detrimental brain drain would be to the success of the Territory, carried the torch of the College Commission forward upon his appointment as Governor by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, requesting another territory-wide survey which confirmed that 85% of adults and 96% of students desired a college within the Territory. While many in the Territory supported the idea of a VI-situated college, there were others who strongly believed that the resources it would take to establish the institution would be better spent on shoring up the existing primary, secondary and vocational education system in the Territory, investing further in off-island scholarship opportunities, and improving public infrastructure. Undeterred by opposing opinions and bolstered by the survey’s findings, Paiewonsky worked in conjunction with like-minded persons including St. Croix-born special assistant to the Governor, Louis Shulterbrandt, former Governor Morris F. de Castro, and then Virgin Islands Legislature president, Earle B. Ottley, ultimately seeking support from the federal government.
Leveraging his political connections, Governor Paiewonsky hosted The Governor’s Conference on Higher Education, organized by Dr. Alonzo G. Moron, advisor to the Governor and then director of U.S. Housing and Home Finance. The Conference, held on 27-31 July 1961 hosted over forty Virgin Islands professionals including Dr. David C. Canegata, VIDE Commissioner Pedro Sanchez, Judge Herman E Moore, VIDOH Commissioner Dr. Roy A. Anduze, future Governor Dr. Melvin H. Evans, Eldra Shulterbrandt, future UVI President Dr. Orville E. Kean, Marilyn Krigger, and future VIDE Commissioner and USVI Governor Charles W. Turnbull. The event was also attended by several mainland educators and education experts including the event’s Chair Dr. Howard Jones, Dr. James W. Reynolds, and Dr. Gordon Boyce. The result of the four-day Conference was a report endorsing the establishment of the College of the Virgin Islands.
The creation of the Advisory Council that followed the Conference cleared the way for Governor Paiewonsky to introduce companion pieces of legislature, Bills 1644 and 1645 and Acts No. 851 and 852 to the Fourth Legislature of the Virgin Islands to “Establish the College of the Virgin Islands Fund” and to “Establish the College of the Virgin Islands, to Provide for its Purposes, Powers, Management and Operation , to Appropriate Funds Therefor [sic], and Other Purposes.” The proposed legislation not only outlined the mission of the College – a vision that included not just the USVI, but the wider Caribbean region, but also identified its location on St. Thomas, and the composition and function of the Board of Trustees. The Bills were approved by the body on 16 March 1962, a day we commemorate at Charter Day.
Sixty-four years later, we invite you to join us in honouring the foresight and legacy of our Founders. With each pass of the baton, we have built upon the foundation they laid for us. With in-person campuses and learning sites on St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John, and St. Martin; and virtual learning offerings like UVIOnline and UVICELL the Institution continues to grow to meet the needs of the communities it serves. As we celebrate all Charter Month-long, know that we celebrate you too – our past and present faculty and staff, and more than 7,600 traditional and 4,500 special alumni situated throughout the Territory, Caribbean, U.S. mainland, and the world!
As the cost of tuition continues to rise nationwide and the future of the US Department of Education becomes increasingly uncertain, the University of the Virgin Islands remains steadfast – standing in the gap as an incubator and launching pad, preparing brilliant minds, from the US Virgin Islands and beyond, to thrive in an everchanging world.
