The University of the Virgin Islands plays a unique role in the Virgin Islands community.

• The Caribbean Writer anthology, published annually by UVI, has provided an outlet for the development of expression in the Caribbean since 1987.
  
  
• UVI's Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (CELL) Center works to meet the workforce and professional development training needs of the Virgin Islands and surrounding Caribbean islands. CELL focuses on providing training opportunities that contribute to organizational and individual achievement.
  
  
• The Cooperative Extension Service (CES) delivers programs in the areas of Agriculture & Natural Resources, 4-H, Family and Consumer Science, and Communications, Technology and Distance Education.
  
  
• UVI developed the Constitution Convention 2008 web site as a public education project - mandated by the V.I.'s 26th Legislature - in support of the territory’s fifth constitutional convention.
  
  
• The University's Emerging Caribbean Scientist (ECS) programs offer scholarships, research experiences, mentoring and supplemental instruction to St. Thomas and St. Croix students participating in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and psychology courses.
  
  
• UVI's Reichhold Center for the Arts provides an unrivaled venu for classical as well as popular entertainment as well as educational opportunities for young people and masters classes.
  
  
• UVI's Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a partnership program with the U. S. Small Business Administration, aims to be the U.S.V.I.'s premier provider of professional and affordable small business education, technical and management assistance, training and related services.
  
  
• The Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders in the Caribbean annually provides an annual leadership development course designed to broaden student awareness of the impact global forces of technology, commerce and communication have on the region. 
  
  
• Upward Bound, the University's college preparatory program, focuses on students from families meeting low income criteria and on potential first generation college students. It is designed to generate the skills and motivation for academic success in high school and beyond.
  
  
• UVI's Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service (VIMAS) works to increase interest in and awareness of marine career opportunities, to assist coastal planning and decision-making, and to increase the general public's awareness and understanding of marine resources and marine affairs.
  
  
• The Virgin Islands University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VIUCEDD) works to enhance the quality of life for citizens with developmental disabilities and their families.