The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica, W.I. Tuesday, September 9, 2025— The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is set to continue its tradition of recognising exceptional individuals who have made significant contributions to their fields. During the 2025 graduation ceremonies, 11 distinguished graduates will be awarded honorary degrees. These ceremonies are scheduled to take place from October 11 to November 8, 2025, across the five UWI campuses.
This year’s honorary graduands represent a diverse range of professions, each bringing decades of experience and impactful contributions in fields such as Music, Agriculture, Religion, Science and Research, and Aviation. The UWI Council approved the decision to honour these individuals, reflecting the institution's commitment to celebrating excellence and innovation.
Below is the list of the 2025 ceremonies and the honorary graduands.
Five Islands Campus - October 11
- Professor Paget Henry - Caribbean Philosophy, Sociology and Political Thought - LLD
Cave Hill Campus - October 18
- Lyndon Gardiner - Aviation Sector and Regional Development - LLD
- Pierce Antonio Rudder - “Culturepreneur”- musician, cultural administrator, and entrepreneur - DLitt
St Augustine Campus - October 23 to 25
- Mungal Patasar - Musician and Composer - DLitt
- Professor Niranjan Kissoon - Global Health and Medicine - DSc
- Nigel Lewis Romano - Chartered Accountant - LLD
Mona Campus - October 30 to November 1
- The Late Honourable Donald Wehby-OJ, CD, Business Executive - LLD
- Marcia Griffiths-Music, Culture, and the Empowerment of Women - DLitt
- Bishop Robert Clarke - Preservation of the Revival Tradition - DLitt
- Professor Gene D. Morse - Professor of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science - DSc
Global Campus - November 8
- Sir Calixte George - Agricultural Consultant, Telecommunications, Former Minister of Government – LLD
As the regional university prepares to honour these 11 outstanding individuals, the 2025 graduation ceremonies promise to be a celebration of not only academic excellence but also the profound impact these leaders have made in their respective fields. Their stories are a testament to the power of vision, dedication, and transformative change.
MORE ABOUT THE HONOREE
Professor Paget Henry
Professor Paget Henry, Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies at Brown University, has dedicated his career to advancing Caribbean thought and fostering academic spaces for the study of African and Caribbean philosophy. Earning his BA at City University of New York in 1970, Professor Henry pursued graduate studies at Cornell University, where he completed his MA in 1973 and PhD in 1976. His early work involved research on the political atmosphere in Antigua and Jamaica, and then extended to research in Guyana, Trinidad, and Ghana. Throughout his career, he has specialised in Caribbean Political Economy, the Sociology of Art and Literature, Africana Philosophy and Religion, Race and Ethnic Relations, Poststructuralism, and Critical Theory.
Professor Paget Henry has influenced the Caribbean race and cultural discourse throughout the ages.
An author of several influential books including, Caliban’s Reason: Introducing Afro-Caribbean Philosophy (2000), Peripheral Capitalism and Underdevelopment in Antigua (1985), and co- editor of C.L.R. James’ Caribbean (edited with Paul Buhle-1992), his work weaves together philosophy, literature, politics and sociology within the Afro-Caribbean tradition and identity; expanding the global understanding of the Caribbean intellectual identity.
At Brown University, where he has taught since 1987, Professor Henry has been a mentor and guide to countless students. He has taught courses in Political Sociology, Critical Theory, Comparative Colonial Cultures, and the Socio-economic Analysis of Development, inspiring students to engage critically with issues of identity, power, and liberation.
Beyond his individual scholarship, Professor Henry has played a key role in institution-building within Caribbean philosophy. He has been recognised by The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education as being in the top thirty of most quoted black scholars in the humanities in 2003 and was awarded the Franz Fanon Award of the Caribbean Philosophical Association in 2003 for Caliban’s Reason, for the best book in the field of Africana thought within the previous five years. He has also received the Annual Award for Excellence in Teaching (Department of Sociology, SUNY, Stony Brook) from 1976 to 1979.
Professor Henry’s career reflects a lifelong dedication to advancing Caribbean philosophy, building intellectual institutions, and mentoring future scholars. His work has ensured that the voices of the African diaspora remain central in the global conversation on philosophy, literature, and Society.
-END-
About The University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has played a crucial role in Caribbean development for over 75 years, consistently contributing to the improvement of the well-being of people across the region.
Established in 1948 as a university college of London in Jamaica, with just 33 medical students, UWI has grown into an internationally respected, global university with nearly 50,000 students. Today, it boasts five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda, and its Global Campus, along with international centres in partnership with universities across North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
The UWI offers over 1000 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the leading university in the Caribbean, it is home to the largest pool of intellect and expertise in the region, dedicated to addressing the critical issues facing both the Caribbean and the wider world.
Validated by its inclusion in the Times Higher Education (THE) annual rankings since 2018, The UWI has affirmed its position as one of the top universities globally. It stands out as the only English-speaking institution in the Caribbean featured in four of THE's prestigious ranking lists. The World University Rankings evaluate over 2,000 research-focused universities worldwide, while the Golden Age University Rankings highlight institutions established between 50 and 80 years ago. The Latin America Rankings focus specifically on universities within Latin America and the Caribbean. Additionally, the Impact Rankings assess universities based on their contributions to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This recognition has also springboarded the establishment of The UWI’s International School for Development Justice (ISD), a global online graduate business school aimed at preparing future leaders for sustainable development.
The UWI is an SDG-engaged university consistently recognised among the best in the world. Discover more at www.uwi.edu.
