KINGSTON, Jamaica — The University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) is set to hold its inaugural academic conference under the theme ‘Innovation, Technology and Leadership: A Paradigm Shift’.

The conference is set for Thursday, September 28, 2017 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at UCC’s main campus on Worthington Avenue in Kingston.

According to a release from UCC today, the keynote speaker will be scientist and entrepreneur, Professor Henry Lowe. Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Ruel Reid is also slated to speak at the event alongside stakeholders from Jamaica’s and the United States’ education, science, medical, and business sectors.

UCC Executive Chancellor, Professor Dennis Gayle said the conference aimed to deliver a diverse array of perspectives on the best practice sectoral policies that will foster national and indeed regional economic growth and sustainable development.

“It is our intent that all participants will leave this conference with an enhanced understanding of, and commitment to, their own roles in promoting effective leadership and dynamic innovation within our nation and the region,” he was quoted in the release as saying.

Noting that UCC is marking 25 years of operation, the chancellor said the conference has come to fruition as a result of the unremitting efforts of the entire UCC community to implement such a seminal event, especially during the past three years of new Campus building construction challenges.

“It is our hope that all participants will long remember this event as an example of time well spent in sharing ideas, interesting academic perspectives, and in interdisciplinary discussions, as well as collegial encounters,” Gayle added.