The St. Thomas campus is located three miles west of Charlotte Amalie,
the capital of the US. Virgin Islands. It is bordered on the west by picturesque
Brewer's Bay -- in fact, the beach there is officially part of the campus.
The upper St. Thomas campus
is anchored by the unique stone architecture of the Ralph M. Paiewonsky
Library and its four complementary classroom buildings -- education, science
and mathematics, business administration and nursing. The main campus includes
other academic and administrative buildings; three residence halls, which
house a total of 230 full-time students; the nine-hole Herman E. Moore
Golf Course, tennis courts and a recreation center; the Reichhold Center
for the Arts amphitheater; the Maclean Marine Science Center; playing fields;
and a field house with gymnasium and lockers.
The campus on St. Croix is located midway between the towns of Christiansted
in the east, and Frederiksted in the west. Most classes are held in the
Melvin Evans Center for
Learning, an impressive multi-level structure with an open-air atrium.
The St. Croix campus also houses the Research Extension Center, and Agriculture
Experiment Station (AES), a hundred-year-old great house that's home to
UVI Cooperative Extension Services (CES), and a new residence hall.
On both campuses, the Division of Student Affairs provides a comprehensive
program of social, recreational and cultural enrichment for both traditional
and commuting students. The component also facilitates the development
of UVI's student clubs and organizations, and includes the National Student
Government Association (SGA).
All full-time students are members of the Student Government Association.
Its elected officers serve as the voice of the student body within the
University community, and an elected SGA representative serves on the UVI
board of trustees. SGA representatives are also members of most UVI standing
committees, including the committees for academic standards, programs and
commencement.
In addition to its academic programs, UVI offers a wide range of extracurricular
activities and events. Student publications include the newspaper "UVIsion,"
a literary magazine, and a yearbook. Musically talented students may become
members of the UVI Concert Band, the UVI Jazz Ensemble, the UVI Steel Pan
Ensemble, or the UVI Concert Choir. UVI is also acclaimed for its Little
Theater dramatic productions through the humanities division. |
The Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) program,
federally funded by the National Institutes of Health, provides faculty
and talented minority undergraduate students with an opportunity to conduct
research relevant to biomedicine. MBRS provides financial compensation
for research for up to three years. Past projects include lipid biochemistry,
applied psychology, lipid metabolism, synthesis of water, metals and phosphine
and others. Many MBRS program students present their research findings
at scientific conferences throughout the United States.
The Health Career Opportunities Program (HCOP) is
funded by a grant from the U.S. Public Health Services and targeted at
students interested in the allied health professions. HCOP students attend
workshops on taking standardized entrance exams, such as MCAT, needed for
admission to health profession schools. The HCOP grant also funds the Summer
Science Enrichment Program (SSEP) feeder program. Each summer, 16 graduating
high school seniors who have been accepted to college live on the St. Thomas
campus and attend classes that prepare them for future careers in the field
of health. The Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program encourages
academically talented American ethnic minority students to pursue research
careers in biomedicine. The program pays full tuition and provides a monthly
stipend of $600 to eligible junior and senior science and mathematics majors.
MARC students attend scientific conferences and spend one summer at a stateside
research laboratory.
The Boston University School of Medicine Early Medical
School Selection Program is a cooperative agreement between the UVI and
the Boston University School of Medicine. The program is designed to provide
qualified students with an early transition into medical school. Admission
is based on academic performance, letters of recommendation, scope and
quality of college and community activities, SAT or ACT scores, and other
factors. Accepted students are admitted provisionally into Boston U. School
of Medicine the end of their sophomore year, spend two summers and their
senior year there, and graduate with a bachelor of science degree from
the University of the Virgin Islands. Following commencement, these students
then matriculate at Boston University School of Medicine. On completion
of all medical school requirements --normally four years -- they are awarded
a Doctor of Medicine degree from Boston University. |
