Professor Kenneth Hall to be New Governor-General on February 15

Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has announced that Professor Kenneth Hall, Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, will be sworn in as the new Governor-General on Wednesday, February 15, when His Excellency the Most Honourable Sir Howard Cooke demits that office.

Mr. Patterson, who was addressing journalists at a post Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House yesterday (January 23), pointed out that consequent to Sir Howard’s resignation, “it became necessary for advice to be tendered to Her Majesty as to her representative in Jamaica”.

The Prime Minister further explained that, “in accordance with tradition and precedence, I submitted, with the support of the Cabinet of Jamaica, a request that the Queen should see it fit to appoint as her representative, Professor the Honourable Kenneth Hall”. He informed that the Queen has indicated her acceptance of the recommendation of Professor Hall to assume the position of Governor-General.Professor Hall has served as Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal of the UWI since October 1996.

He graduated from the UWI, Mona campus in 1966 with a Bachelor’s degree in History. He subsequently obtained a post-graduate Diploma in International Relations from the Institute of Internal Relations, UWI, St. Augustine, and the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in History from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. He has served as Professor of History at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego; Adjunct Professor of Caribbean Studies at SUNY, Albany, and Professor of American Studies at SUNY, Old Westbury. He has published books, articles and reviews on issues relating to History and Internal Relations. He joined the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat in 1994 to serve as Deputy Secretary General.

Professor Hall will be officially sworn in by the out-going Governor General at a ceremony to be held at King’s House on February 15, commencing at 5:00 p.m.