University of the Virgin Islands

The University of the Virgin Islands (or UVI) is a public historically black land-grant university in the United States Virgin Islands. History UVI was founded as the College of the Virgin Islands on March 16, 1962. In 1986, it officially became one of the historically black colleges and universities. The institution also changed its name in 1986 to the University of the Virgin Islands to reflect the growth and diversification of its academic curriculum, research programs, and regional community services. On August 18, 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit decided that the university's regulations prohibiting signs and conduct that could cause emotional distress were unconstitutional. On January 5, 2021, Governor Albert Bryan signed into law Act 8404, which honors former UVI President Dr. Orville Edward Kean for his contributions to the University of Virgin Islands and renamed the St. Thomas campus after him. Campuses The university has two campuses and two extension facilities. The campus opened in 1963 on St. Thomas, at the time named College of the Virgin Islands. The Albert A. Sheen campus is on St. Croix. The extensions include an academic center and an environmental research facility, both on St. John. The St. Croix campus is located on Estate Golden Grove in mid-island. The latter campus is three miles (5 km) from Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the territory. The St. Thomas campus is situated on two hills and it has its own beach (John Brewer's Bay beach) which can be directly accessed off the main road which cuts through the campus. The majority of the buildings on the St. Thomas campus are made of volcanic rock and cement. This makes the campus not only aesthetically pleasing but it also improves the structural integrity of the structures as the U.S. Virgin Islands are known for experiencing very active hurricane seasons.