Professors Nigel Harris and Gordon Shirley understand clearly that old notions of universities as mere academic cloisters, unsullied by enterprise, are no longer sustainable - not in these tough economic times.

They have been demonstrating this grasp in how they approach their jobs at the University of the West Indies (UWI) where they are, respectively, vice-chancellor and principal of the university's Mona, Jamaica, campus. These days they talk often, and unabashedly, about running the university efficiently and finding new ways to earn money to maintain its programmes.

Being on the husting for financing is, perhaps, not particularly new to Professor Harris who, prior to his current job, worked in the American university system where the entrepreneurial approach to funding is common. But faced with a potential budget crisis, Gordon Shirley is being called to translate words into concrete action.

Decentralised structure

For the current fiscal year, the Jamaican Government has slashed by $700 million, or nine per cent, its allocation to the UWI, although the $6.9 billion that the institution will get still represents over 62 per cent of its spending on tertiary education. Given the largely decentralised structure of the UWI, with host countries essentially financing their campuses, the Jamaican Government's contribution is largely to the Mona campus where more than 90 per cent of the students are Jamaicans. Clearly, the campus has taken a substantial blow to its finances.

What, to us, is significant, is the apparent lack of hand-wringing and whining on the part of its management but, instead, a strategic and cogent approach to the problem.

A week ago, for instance, Professor Shirley insisted to staff and students that, while the institution would have to carefully watch its costs, it would seek new ways to earn its keep. Or, in the language of commerce, Mona will seek to grow its way out of the crisis by making a grab for market share.

Significantly, that market is not only Jamaica, but global. That is important, representing as it does an acceleration of new thinking at the institution.

Public subsidy

To be fair to the UWI, Mona, it has, in recent times, made an attempt, with some success, in attracting non-Caribbean students to its medical faculty. But broadly, since the 1990s, the UWI, while remaining by far the largest player, has lost market share to a raft of United States and British universities that have attracted Jamaican students with a host of offshore offerings, particularly MBA programmes.

Part of the reason is that the UWI has not been sufficiently flexible or has not made itself 'sexy' enough to entice the new consumers, who, unlike Jamaican students at UWI, who received a public subsidy of 80 per cent, pay the full economic cost of their education. Clearly, the more full-cost students that the university can attract and the more efficient it is at delivering its services, the better for its bottom line.

We are also encouraged by another point made by Professor Shirley: that some of the programmes being developed by Mona will not only meet demand, but be supportive of national development. Agriculture was one subject identified. Two years ago, over 70 per cent of Jamaican graduates from the UWI were in the social sciences and the humanities. A mere five Jamaicans graduated with degrees in agriculture. Difficulties may signal a good omen.

The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.