 ug press releases first book ug press releases first book ug press releases first book webmaster wed 12122018 1728 the first publication of the recently established the university of guyana press ugp dynamics of caribbean diaspora engagement people policy practice will be launched on thursday december 13 at 1730 h in the education lecture theatre of the university s turkeyen campus the 452page book was edited by professor george k danns professor of sociology at the university of north georgia usa professor ivelaw lloyd griffith vicechancellor and principal of the university of guyana and dr fitzgerald yaw director of strategic initiatives at ug according to vicechancellor griffith the launch of this book in print and kindle versions is an historic milestone in the journey along renaissance road as we boost our academic enterprise in the area of research and publishing this is one of several initiatives to strengthen research and scholarship by faculty and students to make ug a place of pride in relation to research and scholarship the vicechancellor explained that ugp press will not only publish books we soon will release the first monographs in an occasional paper series called the renaissance papers with the first authors being professors jay mandle michael scott and gomathinayagam subramaniam and mr charles ceres building on ug s first diaspora engagement conference which was held in 2017 this groundbreaking volume highlights the multidimensional points of diaspora engagement and commences the conversation towards a systematic and structured approach to harnessing all the diaspora has to offer in his endorsement of the book professor sir hilary beckles vicechancellor of uwi said the caribbean nationbuilding project was conceived within a development discourse that sought to eliminate political boundaries that kept citizens apart it has not fulfilled its potential now a new discursive leadership is emerging within academia that shows how diaspora is to be deposited in the heartland of the nation in terms of both policy and praxis this is the key to unlocking a new caribbeanness in energetic and innovative ways our editors danns griffith and yaw have given us a text that serves as the manifesto for the mission the volume brings together contributions from over 30 authors from the academy government and nongovernmental organisations and they include scholars diplomats and entrepreneurs it is organised into seven sections overview of the caribbean diaspora enhancing development through diaspora engagement the role of hometown associations identity issues in the caribbean diaspora experience the lived experience diaspora policy and practice lessons from another diaspora experience as well it covers economics culture migration politics and development scholarly perspectives as well as the lived experiences of the caribbean diaspora all explored with a view to enhancing diaspora engagement professor neville ying prochancellor of mico university college and executive director of the jamaica diaspora institute described the book as an important addition to the literature on caribbean diaspora issues that can inform policy development and practices for effective diaspora engagement by caricom countries he further said i invite the authors and readers researchers practitioners and policymakers to interrogate the content and focus on the practice aspect of the theme of the book a useful starting point is using this book as a source document for initiating dialogue and collaborative initiatives with institutions and agencies in the caricom region such as the jamaica diaspora institute and the planning institute of jamaica which have done and are doing important and ground breaking research and development initiatives that contribute to the development of policies and practices for effective diaspora engagement his excellency dr riyad insanally ambassador of guyana to the usa and the oas is confident that dynamics of caribbean diaspora engagement people policy practice will prove to be an invaluable contribution to the burgeoning national conversation on the role of our diaspora and the need for a more systematic and structured approach to go beyond nostalgia and patriotism and tap into the huge reservoirs of talent and finance available in our large and farflung diaspora he believes that it is hugely significant that this is not only the first title to be published by the recentlyestablished university of guyana press but also purports to be the first comprehensive collection of published materials on diaspora engagement in the caribbean ambassador insanally further commended the vicechancellor prof ivelaw griffith for having convened the first diaspora engagement conference in guyana in july 2017 and for followingup in collaboration with coeditors prof ken danns and dr fitzgerald yaw with this publication as a concrete output of the conference in drawing on the more thoughtful presentations made regarding experiences across the region but with a primary focus of course on guyana they have provided us with indispensable reading integral to building engagement and charting a course towards a brighter and more inclusive future the book is available for us 3995 or g 8400 at the ug campus store and the ug press office at turkeyen it will also be available at local bookstores ugresscom ianrandlepublisherscom and amazoncom kindle book  ug in brief  with a current enrollment of some 8000 students the university of guyana ug has graduated more than 20000 students who have gone on to successful careers locally regionally and internationally the university is also a major contributor to the national economy and to business and industry established in 1963 on a parttime basis with shared space at queens college ug moved to its own campus at turkeyen in 1970 and expanded in 2000 with the addition of the tain campus it now offers more 116 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes including the natural sciences engineering environmental studies forestry urban planning and management tourism studies education creative arts economics law medicine business optometry and nursing several online programmes are available and the ug also offers extramural classes at four locations through its institute of distance and continuing education idce the ug also offers the opportunity for student engagement in debating sports and cultural religious and professional activities  