Although the University of the Virgin Islands is located in one of the
most popular vacation spots in the world -- the U.S. Virgin Islands --
it offers far more than just sun, sand, sea and palm trees.
Students who come to UVI choose from a broad array of associate and
bachelor's degree programs. The selection includes more than 20 curriculum
areas. UVI is also the only HBCU to offer undergraduate degrees in marine
science. And the MacLean Marine Science Center provides the added perk
of being able to study first-hand in one the world's most diverse tropical
marine environments -- the Caribbean Sea.
UVI also offers master's degree programs in public administration, business
administration and education; and research opportunities through its Agriculture
Experiment Station (AES), Virgin Islands Environmental Research Station
(VIERS), and Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI), among others. (programs
sidebar) UVI is a provisional member of the National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA), and competes actively in basketball, volleyball, track,
tennis, baseball and cross country against Division II schools in Puerto
Rico and Florida. And if you have a flair for theater and the arts, the
Reichhold Center for the Arts stages world-class performances by international
entertainers, and is home to the Reichhold Center Repertory Company, which
produces the work of acclaimed regional playwrights.
The University of the Virgin Islands is accredited by the Commission
on Higher Education of the Middle States Association. Its nursing education
degree programs are accredited by the National League of Nursing; and its
business administration division is a member in good standing of the Assembly
of the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business. The university
is also an active member of the Middle States Association of Colleges and
Schools, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant
Colleges, the American Association for Higher Education, the Association
of Caribbean Information Systems, the Association of Caribbean Universities
and Research Institutes and the Council for Advancement and Support of
Education.
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The United States Virgin Islands is the easternmost territory under the American flag. Its Caribbean beauty and moderate climate -- with a mean annual average of 79.3 degrees -- have earned it the affectionate nickname of "American Paradise." The territory is located approximately 1600 miles south/southeast of New York city, 1100 miles east/southeast of Miami, and consists of fifty-odd islands and cays all together. The principal three islands are St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John. St. Croix is the largest, about 82.2 square miles, and accounts for nearly two-thirds of the territory's land mass. St. Thomas, about 40 miles north of St. Croix, is 28 square miles and home of the capital, Charlotte Amalie. St. John lies right next to St. Thomas -- only fifteen minutes away by ferry. St. John is only nine miles long and four miles wide, and most of the island is a national park. The U.S. purchased the islands from Denmark in 1917. Since their European discovery by Christopher Columbus in 1493 on his second voyage, they have been colonized under the flags of France, Great Britian, the Knights of Malta, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark and the United States. The Amina flag of Ghana also flew briefly over the island of St. John. Today, the principal language is English, although Spanish and French are spoken fluently in certain sections. Because the U.S. Virgin Islands is an American protectorate, legal residents enjoy the rights of perquisites of U.S. citizenship. About two million visitors come to St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John each year, and tourism is the territory's sustaining industry. For more information about contemporary living in the U.S. Virgin Islands, write for a copy of "The Settler's Handbook" from Mongoose Marketing, P.O. Box P.O. Box 24345, Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands 00824. E-mail: lbruton@viaccess.net. The book is also available in UVI Bookstores on both campuses.
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