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"The Open Campus experience aims to provide intellectual stimulation, responsible guidance, and user-friendly procedures to all our students."
 

Hazel Simmons-McDonald is the Pro-Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of the West Indies Open Campus. 

Prior to that, she served as Head of the Department of Language, Linguistics and Literature, Deputy Dean of Outreach, Deputy Dean – Planning and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education at the Cave Hill Campus. She is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the Cave Hill Campus of the University in Barbados.

At present she is based at the Open Campus offices at Cave Hill but she travels widely throughout the region to ensure Open Campus services, particularly in the UWI 13 countries. Professor Simmons-McDonald continues to supervise students pursuing higher degrees primarily in Applied Linguistics, and also in Literacy Studies and Cultural Studies. 

Her research interests include second language acquisition, the development of literacy by Creole and Creole Influenced Vernacular speakers and vernacular literacy within the formal context.

She recently completed a literacy survey of students in Grades K – VI in selected primary schools in the Windward Islands and Barbados, the results of which have been prepared for presentation in technical reports to the relevant governments. She has also compiled the Harmonised Learning Outcomes in the Language Arts for Grades K – VI in primary schools in the OECS and written the Teachers’ Guide which is a companion text to the Outcomes documents.

She served for several years as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Society for Caribbean Linguistics, as its Vice President for one year, and completed a two-year stint as President of the Society in August 2008. 

She has published articles on language acquisition, language education policy, literacy development, and language and culture. She has published several English language texts for use at secondary and tertiary levels and co-edited the volume: Exploring the Boundaries of Caribbean Creole Languages which appeared in 2005, and co-edited a special edition of the IESALC - UNESCO Journal in 2009. 

She writes poetry and fiction as a hobby and has published in both genres.