By ieyenews
Copyright ieyenews
From The University of the West Indies
Dr. Roy Mc Cree
The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica, W.I. Friday, September 19, 2025—The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Roy McCree as the new Dean of its Faculty of Sport. A prominent Caribbean scholar in the sociology of sport, Dr. McCree began his three-year term on August 1, 2025.
Dr. McCree succeeds Dr. Akshai Mansingh, who served as the Faculty’s first Dean since its establishment in 2017. His appointment comes at a significant moment as the Faculty of Sport approaches the conclusion of its first decade of teaching, learning, and promoting the field of sport studies throughout the region.
A pioneer in sport sociology, Dr. McCree introduced the region’s first courses in the Sociology of Sport (as part of the BSc in Sport Management) and in Sport and Public Policy (as part of the MSc in Sport Management), shaping the way the discipline is taught and studied in the Caribbean. Over the course of three decades at The UWI, he has combined teaching, research, and public engagement to enhance the recognition of sport as an academic and professional field.
Formerly a Senior Research Fellow at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), where he served from 1991 to 2025, Dr. McCree is also an outstanding UWI alumnus. He earned his BA (French, Spanish and Sociology) and MSc in Sociology from The UWI, St Augustine. He completed his PhD in Sociology of Sport at the University of Leicester, UK. His research has explored sport development, sport for development, youth and community engagement, and monitoring and evaluation. He has published widely in international journals on sport and authored two recent books: Sport Development and Sport for Development in the Caribbean: A Sociology of Emerging Trends (Emerald, 2025) and Soccer and Identity in the Caribbean: Race, Class and Nation, 1908–1973 (Routledge, 2024).
Beyond his scholarship, Dr. McCree serves on the Advisory Board of Manchester University Press’ Globalising Sport Studies Series and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Global South Sport Studies. He was also a founding member of the Caribbean Sociological Association (CASA), where he served as President for two terms from 2021 to 2023.
The Faculty of Sport represents a significant milestone in the history of The UWI. Approved by the University Council in 2017, it was the first new faculty established in over 40 years. Currently, it is the only university-wide faculty within The UWI, and includes Academies of Sport at four of its five campuses.
The Faculty is the only one in the region dedicated exclusively to sport studies, research, and development. It offers programmes ranging from certificates to postgraduate degrees in Sports Business, Sports Management, Sports Science, and the Art and Science of Coaching. Through its academic initiatives, outreach efforts, and co-curricular activities, The UWI Faculty of Sport has become a hub for promoting sporting excellence and enhancing the role of sport in regional development.
