The UWI Global Campus is mourning the passing of Professor Emerita Hazel Simmons-McDonald, a distinguished academic and champion for equity in education.
Below is the full tribute from the UWI’s Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal.
The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Global Campus joins the wider UWI community in mourning the passing of Professor Emerita Hazel Simmons-McDonald, eminent academic, regional educational leader and advocate for equity and inclusion in teaching and learning. Her loss is deeply felt across the region, and her legacy will continue as a beacon for generations to come.
Professor Simmons-McDonald served as the first Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The UWI Open Campus—now The UWI Global Campus —from August 1, 2007, until July 31, 2014, when she retired. She led the campus during its formative years, forging a new pathway for accessible, flexible education that would transform the lives of people across the region. Her vision was to remove barriers to higher education by leveraging online and blended learning modalities to reach the underserved communities of the Region.
A distinguished linguist and educator, Professor Simmons-McDonald held a PhD in Applied Linguistics from Stanford University and devoted her career to improving literacy, particularly among creole speakers. Her research interests included second language acquisition, the development of literacy by creole and creole-influenced vernacular speakers, and vernacular literacy within the formal context. She made seminal contributions to the development of language teaching and curriculum in multilingual environments, including the creation of instructional materials in Kwéyòl for schools in her native Saint Lucia. Her work was grounded in deep respect for Caribbean identity, language and culture.
Her publications included articles and book chapters on language acquisition, language education policy, literacy development, language and culture and open and distance learning. She published several English language texts for use at secondary and tertiary levels and co-edited the volumes: Exploring the Boundaries of Caribbean Creole Languages and Education Issues in Creole and Creole-Influenced Vernacular Contexts, which appeared in 2005 and 2014, respectively. She wrote poetry and fiction as a hobby and has published in both genres.
Throughout her tenure at The UWI, Professor Simmons-McDonald served with distinction as Head of the Department of Language, Linguistics and Literature; Deputy Dean of Outreach; Deputy Dean – Planning; and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education at the Cave Hill Campus. She embodied excellence, mentorship and grace and was not only a builder of institutions, but also people. She was always willing to listen, support and uplift others, and as Professor Emerita, continued to supervise students pursuing higher degrees in Applied Linguistics and related fields.
Professor Simmons-McDonald was recognised regionally and internationally for her outstanding service and scholarly impact, as evidenced in the honours that she received over the years. These include the Order of the British Empire (OBE), which was awarded to her in 2012 for her contribution to education; the Frank Collymore Literary Award in 2018 for her creative writing; and the Saint Lucia Cross (SLC), the country’s highest national honour, awarded for her service to education and the preservation and promotion of the Kwéyòl language in 2022. She also received several awards and distinctions for her poetry and fiction, including the publication of her collections Silk Cotton and Other Trees and Shabine and Other Stories.
Even after her formal retirement in 2014, Professor Simmons-McDonald continued to contribute her expertise through consultancies with the OECS, the Caribbean Examinations Council and the Erdiston Teachers’ College Literacy Diagnostic and Early Intervention training programme, among others. She was a dedicated member of the Society for Caribbean Linguistics, serving as Secretary from 1996-2002, and as President from 2006-2008, and championing Caribbean language research and education.
Her leadership of The UWI Open Campus laid a strong foundation for what is today The UWI Global Campus, a vibrant, modern institution that continues to break new ground in open and online learning. Thousands of graduates across the Region owe their academic journeys, in large part, to her foresight and tireless advocacy for educational access. As we bid farewell to this remarkable Caribbean woman, we honour her not only as a scholar and leader, but as a gentle spirit who served with wisdom, compassion and unwavering purpose. (UWI Open Campus)
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