Ambassador Aubrey Webson and Sir Curtly Ambrose To Be Receive Honorary Doctorate From The UWI

UWI Names 13 Honourees for 2024 Graduation Ceremonies

The University of the West Indies (The UWI)continues its annual tradition of honouring the sterling contributions of a select group of theregion’s notable luminaries.

The University Council approved the conferral of 13 honorary degrees at the 2024 graduation ceremonies across The UWI’s five campuses. This year’s honorary graduands have had long and impactful careers in the areas of advocacy and activism, medicine, tourismand culture, sport, business, education, science and the music industry. 

The UWI’s 2024graduation ceremonies are scheduled to take place betweenOctober12and November 9, 2024.Thelistof the2024 ceremonies andhonorary graduands follows.

Five Islands Campus – October 12

• Sir Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose of Antigua andBarbuda for contributions to Cricket – Doctor of Laws (LLD) 

Sir Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose

Sir Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose, affectionately called ‘Ambi’, is a proud Antiguan and Caribbean son whose supreme fast bowling contributed to legendary West Indian cricket in the nineties. Described as one of the ‘greatest pacemen ever’, the 6 foot 8 inches tall sportsman was a somewhat reluctant cricketer in childhood. However, encouraged by his mother, he later became one of the West Indies top fast bowlers and one of Antigua’s four cricket knights. 

Sir Curtly’s career started with the All-Saints Secondary School junior cricket team and the Swetes Cricket team in 1984. In 1985, he was selected to play for Antigua’s National Team after which he played club cricket in England for Chester Boughton Hall in the Cheshire League (1986) and for Heywood in the Central Lancashire League (1987) refining his techniques.  

In 1988, he returned to the Caribbean and played in the Leeward Islands Cricket regional first-class competition, where he broke the regional record of 33 wickets taken, and set a new record of 35.  He was selected for the West Indies Cricket Team in the same year.  In total, Ambi played 98 test matches, taking 405 wickets with an average of 20.99; 176 one day internationals (ODIs), and 225 wickets averaged at 24.1. 

Some of his career highlights, securing West Indian victories, include seven wickets for one run in 32 balls against Australia at Perth (1992/1993); sixwickets for 34 runs against South Africa in Barbados (1992); and the match against England in Trinidad (1994), where he bowled England out for 46 runs achieving sixwickets for 24 runs.  

Sir Curtly’s contribution to West Indies Cricket is written in history and he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2011 and later knighted in 2014 in Antigua and Barbuda. In 2016 his autobiography ‘Sir Curtly Ambrose: Time to Talk’ was published. He is currently working with the other three cricketing knights of Antigua to establishthe Four Knights Cricket Academy. 

Sir Curtly remains passionate about cricket. With a Level III certification in coaching, has served as the bowling coach for the West Indies’ senior men’s team (2014-2016). He has also worked with the West Indies U-19 team and several T20 franchises in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

• His Excellency Ambassador Dr W. Aubrey Webson of Antigua and Barbuda for his work in Human Rights Advocacy – Doctor of Laws (LLD)

HE Ambassador Walton Aubrey Webson

Appointed Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in 2014, HE Dr Walton Webson is the UN’s first visually impaired Permanent Representative. Across his career, he has built a sterling reputation as a human rights advocate, championing efforts to improve the lives of children with visual impairments. He served as First Chief Executive of the Caribbean Council for the Blind and continued his advocacy work with Sight Savers International, United Kingdom and Helen Keller International, New York. He also spent 15 years as a ProgrammeCoordinator of the Institutional Development Programme which works to empower blind and visually impaired persons in the African Continent and to improve the organisations that support them. He founded the ‘Africa Forum and Africa Tec Share’ a conference to introduce technology on the African continent to persons with visual impairment. It also reaches families, professionals and persons who are blind in Africa helping them to learn from their own experiences.

From 1992, Ambassador Webson served as an Institutional Development Consultant for the Hilton Perkins International specialising in management and leadership training and policy formulation. As Chief Executive (2011-2014), he led the diversification of Perkins International funding and expanded its partnerships and funding reach in the UK, the European Union and Canada. 

In 1991, Ambassador Webson was a speaker at the United Nations General Assembly, presenting at the closing of the Decade of the Disabled. He has also featured on several occasions as a speaker at the World Blind Union General Assembly, (Canada [1996], Australia [2002], South Africa [2003], and USA [2016]). In 2019 he founded and co-led the United Nations Friends of Vision a grouping that was instrumental in advocating for eye health to be included in the outcome statement for world leaders on universal health care (UHC 2019). He authored or led several resolutions at the United Nations including: The Multi Vulnerability Index (2024); Vision for All (2021); Global Challenge to Rid the World of Tuberculosis (2020); Reform of the Resident Coordinator System for SIDS (2019); World Braille Day (2017); and International Sign Language Day (2016). He has also held the post of President of the Boards of UNICEF (2017) and UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS (2020); chaired AOSIS (2022–2023), and functioned as Coordinator and Lead of SIDS4 (2024). In education, he has served as an Adjunct Professor at Wheelock College and Assumption University in Massachusetts and as an Advisor to the University of SouthAfrica. 

Ambassador Webson has worked extensively in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa supporting policy development and contributing to the social development of persons with disabilities. His expertise has informed national educationpolicy in South Africa; the child development policy in Saint Lucia; and education for children with visual impairment in AntiguaandBarbuda, Belize, Uganda, and Ghana. 

Ambassador Webson is only the fourth recipient of the Louis Braille Gold Medal for outstanding visually impaired persons, excelling globally in service to persons with visual impairment. His authored books and articles include “Empowerment of the Blind” produced in three languages and others focused on the Sustainable Development Goals and Disability as well as NGO management.

Cave Hill Campus – October 19

• Dame Susan Dilys Dougan, Governor General of St. Vincent and The Grenadines for her public service and work in Education – Doctor of Laws (LLD)

• Sir Trevor Hassell of Barbados for his contribution toMedicine – Doctor of Science (DSc) 

• The Most Honourable Elton Deighton Elombe Mottley of Barbadosfor his contribution to the development of Culture and the Arts – Doctor of Letters (DLitt)

• Mr Ralph Taylor of Barbados for his work in the Tourism sector – Doctor of Laws (LLD) 

St. Augustine Campus – October 24 to 26 

• DrManiramRagbir of Trinidad and Tobago/Britain for his work as a Plastic/ Reconstructive Surgeon –Doctor of Science (DSc)

• Dr Patricia Rodney of Guyana for her work as a Medical Practitioner and Human Rights Defender – Doctor of Science (DSc)

Mona Campus – October 31 to November 2

• Mr Donald Anderson, CD of Jamaica for his work as an Entrepreneur/Market Researcher/Sport Administrator – Doctor of Laws (LLD)

• Mr Monte Blake of Jamaica for his pioneering work in music – Doctor of Letters (DLitt)

• Mr Courtney Campbell of Jamaica for his work as an Entrepreneur/Philanthropist –Doctor of Laws (LLD)

• Dr Conrad Douglas, CD of Jamaica forhis contribution to the development of the Bauxite Industry – Doctor of Laws (LLD)

Global Campus – November 9

• Mr Kirani James of Grenada for excellence in Athletics – Doctor of Laws (LLD) 

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