The sixth appointed president of the University of the Virgin Islands was formally sworn in at an investiture ceremony held Monday on St. Thomas. Safiyah George was formally installed the day after the school celebrated its 63 years of existence.
George — a graduate of St. Croix Central High School — is the first UVI alumna to lead the school as its president. Henry Smock, a former judge and chair of the UVI board of trustees, administered the oath of office a few minutes after noon.
The formalities took place at the Elridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center on the UVI Orville Kean Campus. Ceremony leaders also held a moment of silence for Kean, the school’s third president, who passed away on Jan. 19 at the age of 86.
In her first address to faculty, staff, students and supporters, George signaled her intent to move higher education toward the future. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is just the beginning of UVI’s grand momentum,” she said.
George suggested that momentum had the potential to raise the intellectual profile of the U.S. Virgin Islands at home and across the Caribbean region.
And after seven months on the job, the new president called her work “my labor of love” that requires “lots of labor and lots of love.” The new president called on faculty and staff to join her in serving with “courage, care and leadership.”
She pointed to some of the things that make UVI unique among its peers in marine science, agriculture and astrophysics and — as a nursing professional and researcher — said advancing health-related studies would be a priority.
George also urged the school community to embrace and excel in the use of Artificial Intelligence.
“This university has one mission: we are one University of the Virgin Islands across two campuses, and our mission is simple — to educate and empower, to create an environment that promotes creativity, innovation and excellence,” George said.
Government leaders, including Gov. Albert Bryan Jr., Senate President Milton Potter, Chief Supreme Court Justice Rhys Hodge and Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett, were on hand to witness the event.
Plaskett commended George for employing the word momentum in her vision statement. She described momentum as a function of physics incorporating speed and velocity, which allows small objects to move larger objects in their path.
Plaskett said this is a useful concept when considering small islands and small schools that don’t have the resources of larger schools and universities. “I know that with Safiya George we will have that momentum,” the delegate said.
In his remarks, Potter framed the investiture in a larger perspective. “Dr. George, your standing at this podium reflects the boundless promise extended to everyone who walks through these doors,” he said. Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach read an original poem written for the occasion called “The Dream Song, 2025: Safiyah.”
Bryan called for everyone in attendance to support the new president’s efforts.
The governor also offered some sobering remarks in light of changes coming from Washington. He urged Virgin Islanders to take advantage of UVI’s free tuition policy now while they still can because it may not be available in the future. Bryan thanked the school’s benefactors for their generous donations, urging them and others to continue their support.
The guest speaker was former Small Business Administration Inspector General Hannibal Ware. He told the audience that both he and George were graduates of UVI and products of the territory’s public school system. “This is why our chest — my chest — bursts with pride today because one of our very own, for the first time in history, has been given the honor of leading us,” he said.
As the investiture ceremony ended, Smock presented George with the University of the Virgin Islands Distinguished Alumni Award.
