Governor Mapp To Speak At UVI Today During Commencement Event

ST. CROIX — As the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) awards more than 260 degrees today and tomorrow on the campus grounds of the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix and in the Sports and Fitness Center on the St. Thomas Campus on May 13 and 14 respectively, the territory’s leader, Governor Kenneth Mapp, will be present  at both events — and possibly speak during the ceremonies.

The governor will be present from 1:30 p.m. on both campuses.

During the campaign season of 2014, then-candidate Mapp highlighted education as a top priority, and said if elected, he would tear down some of the schools in the territory and erect new, modern facilities. And, at a recent event where the governor hosted the Rocketry Club students of the Elena Christian Junior High School, the territory’s leader reiterated his plan to rebuild and refurbish the islands’ ailing schools, including his alma mater, St. Croix Central High School, “so by the time you graduate, you will have a new, modern school with up-to-date technology,” he said.

Class speakers for the UVI ceremonies will be Angelina A. Haywood, who will earn an Associate’s of Science Degree in Nursing on St. Croix, and Nichole Etienne, who will earn a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Computer Science on St. Thomas.

The university also announced that it has suspended parking restrictions on St. Thomas from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on May 14, to accommodate the commencement exercise in the following areas:

• Sports and Fitness Center
• Classroom Administration Building (CA Building)
• Humanities Building
• Wellness Center
• Administration and Conference Center (ACC Building)
• Reichhold Center for the Arts

The parking rules will remain in effect at all other locations on the St. Thomas Campus.

Shuttle service will be provided to accommodate persons parking at Reichhold Center, Administration and Conference Center (ACC), and the upper campus.