Prof. Paloma Mohamed-Martin becomes first female VC of UG

Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin is appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG). She is also the first female to hold that position in the University’s 57-years of existence.

UG’s Council announced that the year-long search for the Institution’s 11th Vice-Chancellor has ended and named Professor Mohamed-Martin, PhD, A.A., as the one who secured its endorsement.

Newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin

The Council warmly congratulates and wishes her a productive and successful tenure. The Council also extends its sincere appreciation to all applicants and short-listed candidates, and to the Search Committee and Teams of Evaluators for their months of diligent service.

Dr Mohamed-Martin is a Guyanese born behavioural scientist who was educated at the University of Guyana, Harvard University, and the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. Her area of specialization is social and behavioural change specifically how communicative and cultural aspects of life are implicated in change.

She returned to Guyana in 2007 to help re-establish the failing Centre for Communication Studies at the University of Guyana and has despite major challenges remained passionately committed to UG’s progress in becoming a top-ranking University. In doing so she has functioned in multiple roles: as a world-class academic, researcher, beloved and inspirational teacher as well as a dedicated and courageous administrator.

As an administrator, Professor Mohamed-Martin has been Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences where she spearheaded the Faculty’s reformation process from 2012 to 2014.  Prior to that, she became the first Director of the Centre for Communication Studies, University of Guyana having created and run the Centre’s reform from 2007 to 2012 under the USAID funded Pheonix project with Ohio University and UNESCO. Dr Mohamed-Martin became a member of the University of Guyana’s Council in 2013 and also served as Chair of The University’s 50th Anniversary Committee.

In the newly created position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor– PACE (Philanthropy, Alumni and Civic Engagement) will see her working to build the new structures, policies, systems and events needed for a robust endowment and engagement with UG’s 30,000+ alum and with local and international organizations in the multi-billion dollar enterprise of the University’s renaissance being espoused by new Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw L. Griffith. (Bio information extracted from PACE)