UWI appoints accomplished sport sociologist as new dean of sport

The University of the West Indies (The UWI) announced the strategic appointment of Dr. Roy McCree as the new Dean of its Faculty of Sport. UWI shared via press release that Dr. McCree, a distinguished Caribbean scholar specializing in the sociology of sport, officially commenced his three-year leadership role on August 1, 2025.

He steps into this office following the tenure of Dr. Akshai Mansingh, who served as the inaugural Dean since the Faculty’s inception in 2017. This transition occurs at a pivotal juncture, reports UWI, as the Faculty approaches its tenth anniversary—marking a decade of pioneering academic programs, research, and regional influence in sport studies.

Reportedly a trailblazer in the field of sport sociology, Dr. McCree played a foundational role in the Caribbean’s academic landscape. He pioneered the region’s first courses in the Sociology of Sport, integrated into the BSc in Sport Management, as well as Sport and Public Policy, offered within the MSc in Sport Management. His contributions have significantly shaped how sport is taught, understood, and researched across the Caribbean. Over his thirty-year career at The UWI, he has blended teaching, scholarly research, and community engagement to elevate the status of sport as a vital academic and professional discipline, stated the release.

Prior to his appointment as Dean, Dr. McCree served as a Senior Research Fellow at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), a position he held from 1991 until 2025. He is also an esteemed alumnus of The UWI, having earned his Bachelor of Arts in French, Spanish, and Sociology, along with a Master’s degree in Sociology from the St. Augustine campus. His doctoral studies in the Sociology of Sport were completed at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. His research has extensively covered areas such as sport development, sport for development initiatives, youth and community engagement, and monitoring and evaluation processes.

His scholarly output includes numerous publications in international journals dedicated to sport, alongside 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 academia, Dr. McCree contributes to the global discourse on sport through his role on the Advisory Board of Manchester University Press’s Globalising Sport Studies Series and as a member of the Editorial Board for the “Journal of Global South Sport Studies”. He also played a key role in founding the Caribbean Sociological Association (CASA), serving as its President for two consecutive terms from 2021 to 2023.

According to UWI, the establishment of the Faculty of Sport at the university marked a historic milestone. Approved by the University Council in 2017, it was the first new faculty introduced in over four decades. Today, it remains the sole university-wide faculty dedicated exclusively to sport studies, research, and development within The UWI system.

The Faculty encompasses Academies of Sport at four of the institution’s five campuses and offers a diverse range of programs—from certificates to postgraduate degrees—in areas such as Sports Business, Sports Management, Sports Science, and the Art and Science of Coaching.

Through its academic offerings, outreach initiatives, and co-curricular activities, The UWI Faculty of Sport states that it has established itself as a regional hub for nurturing sporting excellence and promoting the integral role of sport in regional development.