Prof Randolph (Randy) Persaud

The University of Guyana is pleased to announce the elected appointment of Prof. Randolph Persaud as Pro Chancellor to the University of Guyana following the procedures laid out by the statutes and the 12th Council of the University on Monday, December 8, 2025.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Prof Paloma Mohamed Martin, presenting the instruments of office to Prof. Randy Persaud

The new Pro Chancellor will also perform the duties of Acting Chancellor of the University of Guyana while a new Chancellor is named.

The University wishes to extend its deepest appreciation to Prof. John Edward Greene, the immediate past Chancellor for his stellar and futuristic leadership of the University’s Council from 2019, whose tenure has come to a natural end. The University also wishes to thank the immediate past Council.

The new Council also extends heartfelt gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Paloma Mohamed-Martin, who has by statute, carried the additional duties of Pro Chancellor since 2020 while a new Pro Chancellor was named, as well as recently acting in the role of Chancellor under statutes governing vacancies of these positions.

The Vice-Chancellor has, on behalf of the University community, welcomed and warmly congratulated Prof. Persaud, who has maintained a close relationship with the University since his return to Guyana upon retirement from international service. As Pro Chancellor, Prof Persaud will work with the Council which oversees the strategic direction of the University, and the Vice-Chancellor and Senior Management Team who have executive responsibility for the management and operations of the University.

Prof. Persaud is a well-respected academic and international scholar. He is currently an Advisor in the Office of the President, the Director of the National Defence Institute (NDI), and a Teaching Fellow at the Institute for Human Resiliency, Strategic Security and the Future at the University of Guyana. He holds the B.A (Hons.), M.A., and PhD in Political Science from York University, Toronto, and is Professor Emeritus at the American University, Washington DC.

He was Director of Comparative and Regional Studies at the School of International Service (SIS), American University, Assistant Director for the Centre for International and Security Studies, York University, Vice President and the elected president of the SIS, which is among the largest schools of international affairs in the world.

Professor Persaud has consulted with the U.S. State Department, Carnegie Corporation, the Council on Foreign Relations, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, the United Nations  via  the United Nations University, the World Bank on Bio-Diversity excellence at the University of Guyana, and was a Research Fellow at the Institute of Advanced International Theory, University of Sussex. He previously served as an academic editor for  Third World Quarterly and currently sits on the editorial board of the journal.

Professor Persaud is a widely published scholar with a significant international footprint. He has spoken at 37 universities including UCLA, Johns Hopkins, LSE, City University of London, University of Toronto, McMaster University, and at universities in Japan, Korea, Italy, Taiwan, Sweden, Holland, and the UAE, among others.

The University community congratulates the new Pro Chancellor. The University looks forward to working with Prof. Persaud and the new University Council on the continued trajectory of the University of Guyana in achieving the University Blueprint’s national focus on growth in science, technology, human problem solving and the provision of world class University education for the nation.