Dr Simon Jones-Hendrickson to receive honorary degree from UVI

Former St Kitts and Nevis’ High Commissioner to the Association of Caribbean States and the OECS, Ambassador Dr Simon Jones-Hendrickson is to given an honorary doctorate by the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI).

Dr Jones-Hendrickson, an author and economist will receive the honour during UVI’s 2019 commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 16, on the campus grounds of the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix. MSNBC national television host, political analyst, journalist, columnist and author Joy-Ann Reid will be the keynote speaker.

Dr Jones-Hendrickson is a former dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. He was born in Sandy Point, St. Kitts. He is an alumnus of the College of the Virgin Islands, now the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI).

Dr Jones-Hendrickson graduated with an Associates of Arts degree in Business Administration in 1967. In 1969 and 1970, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Illinois State University, and in 1976, he earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Exeter, Devon, England.

Dr Jones-Hendrickson was a lecturer in Economics at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Kingston, Jamaica. He joined the faculty of UVI in 1976 as an Assistant Professor of Economics and, in 1990, he attained the rank of full Professor of Economics.

He has held a number of administrative positions at UVI and has gained several honours. He was a two-term chairman of the Faculty of UVI, 1986-1988; Chairman of the Division of Social Sciences, 1993-1996, the first UVI graduate to be so honoured; a three-time student-awarded Faculty of the Year (once on St. Thomas campus and twice on St. Croix); and is a former member of UVI Board of Trustees.

Professor Jones-Hendrickson has served as External Examiner for the University of the West Indies on the St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad. He has also served as External Examiner in Public Finance for the University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill Campus in Barbados and Mona Campus in Jamaica. Since 1985 he has been involved with the Caribbean Examinations Council and served as a consultant to the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, to UNESCO, to the Office of Management and Budget Office of the USVI, to United Nations and to the Government of Montserrat. He served as Commissioner on the Task Force to resolve the economic and political issues between St. Kitts and Nevis.

He served on the Board of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) of St. Kitts, the St. Croix Foundation Board; he was Chairman of the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis; was a member of the Executive Committee of the Public Planning Development Unit (PPDU) of St. Kitts and Nevis and a member of the Competitiveness Council of St. Kitts and Nevis

Professor Jones-Hendrickson is a prolific writer/scholar having written and or published more than 100 articles. He has authored publications and articles in the areas of economics, higher education and leadership, especially pertaining to the Caribbean. He has also produced many commissioned reports on matters relating to the Virgin Islands and the Eastern Caribbean.