The Rutgers Master of Business and Science (MBS) degree program was pleased to welcome representatives from the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Barbados for a three-day visit focused on collaboration, experiential learning, and new opportunities for students.
The visit brought together leaders from Rutgers MBS and UWI to explore ways the two universities can combine their strengths in science, business, sustainability, and experiential education. The delegation also included colleagues from UWI's Supernova Lab, Barbados' national engine for public-interest experimentation. The goal of this visit was to foster collaboration between the institutions, including the development of a sustainability course open to students from both Rutgers and UWI.
During their time at Rutgers, the UWI delegation met with members of the MBS community. The visitors also learned about Rutgers facilities and programs that could inspire additional connections between the two universities, including buildings within the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, the Rutgers Makerspace, and the HELIX.
The relationship has the potential to create mutually beneficial opportunities, said MBS Graduate Director Dr. Jay Goldring, who hosted the visit. Leaders from both institutions discussed ways to connect UWI students with Rutgers’ experiential learning models, including externships and industry-focused projects, while also giving Rutgers students the chance to work on sustainability and business challenges that could benefit Barbados’ economy.
From a Conversation to a Collaboration
The developing partnership began when Ed Linky, Esq., Instructor, Sustainability Practice, connected with Charles Harewood, who has served as a panelist for the lecture “Insights from Middlesex County 2050: Modeling for Sustainable Growth and Infrastructure Planning.” Harewood facilitated conversations between Rutgers and the University of the West Indies, working with Goldring and UWI.
For Dr. Jeanese Badenock, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at UWI's Cave Hill Campus, collaboration was at the heart of the visit. She explained that Harewood, who was born in Barbados and visits regularly, approached her to discuss a partnership between UWI and Rutgers.
“We settled on a course that would be run jointly between UWI Cave Hill students and Rutgers students,” said Badenock.
This course would focus on sustainability and infrastructure, with Rutgers and UWI students working together to complete coursework, travel to Barbados, and propose practical, financially grounded solutions to real local infrastructure issues.
“Coming out of that discussion,” said Badenock, “there was an invitation to come to New Jersey and see the MBS program in its fullness and to experience the other parts of Rutgers, like the Makerspace, that could help inform what we do as a STEM faculty.”
“Especially since Rutgers is focused on partnerships right now,” said Harewood, “it seemed like a natural fit.”
Beyond the academic work, the experience would give students from both universities the chance to build relationships across countries and cultures.
By bringing together academic, industry, and government perspectives, the visit highlighted the partnership’s potential for practical, globally relevant work.
Rutgers MBS is also expanding opportunities for students to learn and collaborate across borders. Recent international initiatives include the summer programs “Engineering Management in High-Tech Industries,” which took Rutgers students to Taiwan, and “Design Thinking, Innovation & Human-Centered AI,” which brought together students from around the world. Together with the developing relationship with UWI, these experiences reflect the MBS degree program’s growing emphasis on connecting students with global perspectives, collaborators, and real-world challenges.
