Type | Public |
---|---|
Established | 1968 |
Chancellor | David Vunagi |
Vice-Chancellor | Pal Ahluwalia |
Academic staff | 400 [1] : 22 |
Administrative staff | 1,114 [1] : 22 |
Students | 29,918 (2017) [1] : 17 |
Undergraduates | 16,721(2017) [1] : 17 |
Postgraduates | 2,933 (2017) [1] : 17 |
Location | , Fiji (main campus) |
Website | www |
The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and is owned by the governments of 12 Pacific island countries: the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. [2] [3]
USP is an international centre for teaching and research on Pacific culture and environment, with almost 30,000 students in 2017. [1] : 17 The university's main campus is in Suva, Fiji, with subsidiary campuses in each member state.
Discussion of a regional university for the South Pacific began in the early 1950s, when an investigation by the South Pacific Commission recommended the creation of a "central institution" for vocational training in the South Pacific, with a university as a distant goal. [3] [4] In December 1962, the Fijian Legislative Assembly discussed establishing a university in Fiji. [5] In 1964, New Zealand proposed the establishment of a regional teachers' training college in Suva. [4] : 8
In 1965, the governments of Great Britain and New Zealand appointed a "Higher Education Mission to the South Pacific", chaired by Sir Charles Morris, to investigate "the future education requirements of the South Pacific area" and recommend the type of level of institutions needed. [3] [4] : 7 In 1966 the Mission reported back, recommending the establishment of "“fully autonomous university comprehending within itself, as well as Faculties of Arts and Science, the Fiji School of Medicine, the School of Agriculture in Fiji, a College for the education and training of secondary teachers, the Pacific Theological College, and, in so far its activities in the field of diploma courses are concerned, the Derrick Technical Institute". [4] : 24 The Mission recommended that it be called the University of the South Pacific. [4] : 24 The former Royal New Zealand Air Force seaplane base at Laucala Bay in Fiji was recommended as a suitable location. [3] [6] A subsequent report by Norman Alexander fleshed out the proposal, and in 1967 the Fijian government passed an ordinance establishing the university's interim council. [7] In February 1970 this was replaced with a royal charter. [8] [9] : 46
The university opened on 5 February 1968, with Colin Aikman as its first vice-chancellor. [5] Initially teaching was limited to preliminary courses, the equivalent of New Zealand's School Certificate and University Entrance. [9] : 40 Degree teaching began in 1969, with a school of natural resources, a school of education, and a school of social and economic development offering interdisciplinary courses. [9] [3] The first graduation ceremony took place on 2 December 1971, with 49 students receiving degrees, diplomas and certificates. [5]
In the 1970s the university began establishing regional extension centres to deliver continuing education, correspondence and extramural courses. [9] : 41 It also began to advocate for Pacific regionalism and adopt a distinct "Pacific flavour", with Vice-Chancellor James Maraj arguing that the university should become "truly a university of the peoples of the Pacific". [10] : 58–59 In 1976 it established the Institute of Pacific Studies under Professor Ron Crocombe to deepen students' awareness of Pacific identity and the region. [10] : 63 [3] Over the next 20 years, the institute published works by over 2,000 Pacific authors. [10] : 63 A foundation course in Pacific studies is still included in every USP undergraduate programme. [11]
In 1977 the government of Western Samoa leased the South Pacific Regional College of Tropical Agriculture in Alafua to the university to establish a school of agriculture. [12] : 56 It is now the university's Alafua campus. [13] In 1989 it opened the Emalus campus in Vanuatu, [10] : 103 which since 1996 has hosted the university's law school and the Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute. [10] : 121 In 1991 the Republic of the Marshall Islands became the university's 12th member country. [10] : 106 An extension campus was opened there in 1993. [13] In 2012 the university opened a Confucius Institute at the Laucula campus in partnership with the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. [14] In 2017 the university supplemented its governance arrangements with the University of the South Pacific Convention, providing for the recognition of the university by its member-states. [15] The convention came into force on 16 June 2018. [16]
The university is governed by a council, chaired by the pro-chancellor. The council consists of the ministers of education of member states, additional representatives from Fiji, Samoa, Australia and New Zealand, staff and student representatives, and additional members co-opted by the council. [17] The titular head of the council is the chancellor, a position which rotates among the heads of state and heads of government of the university's members. [5] The Governor General of the Solomon Islands, David Vunagi, has served as chancellor since 1 July 2023. [18] An independent University Grants Committee meets every three years to advise member and donor countries on funding levels. [5]
The following people have held the role of vice-chancellor: [19]
In 2019, Ahluwalia raised concerns about mismanagement and abuse of office at USP under the leadership of Vice-Chancellor Rajesh Chandra. [20] An investigation by New Zealand accounting firm BDO substantiated the allegations, and the report was subsequently leaked online. [21] In June 2020, a special council meeting led by Pro-Chancellor Winston Thompson suspended Ahluwalia for unspecified "misconduct". [22] Staff protesting the suspension were questioned by Fijian police. [23] On 19 June Ahluwalia was reinstated by a full meeting of the USP council, [24] and the allegations against him were dismissed in September 2020. [25]
The Fijian government refused to accept Ahluwalia's exoneration and on 24 September 2020 halted all funding to the university. [26] On 4 February 2021, the Fijian government summarily deported Ahluwalia for being "a person who is or has been conducting himself in a manner prejudicial to the peace, defence, public safety, public order, public morality, public health, security or good government of the Fiji Islands". [27] [28] [29] [30] In response to Fiji government interference in the regional university, Samoa has proposed moving USP's headquarters to Samoa. [31] Following Ahluwalia's deportation, Giulio Masasso Tu'ikolongahau Paunga was appointed acting vice-chancellor by the USP Council. [32] The Council also established a subcommittee to investigate the deportation. [33]
Following Ahluwalia's deportation, Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi announced that Samoa would be willing to provide a new home for the university. [34] On 25 May the university's council issued a new three-year contract to Ahluwalia and relocate the vice-chancellor's office to the Alafua Campus in Apia, Samoa. [35] In August 2021 the Fijian government announced that it would not fund the university as long as Ahluwalia was vice-chancellor. [36]
Following the 2022 Fijian general election, the new government led by Sitiveni Rabuka revoked the prohibition order on Ahluwalia [37] and reinstated funding to USP. [38] In March 2023 former Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and former police commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho were charged with abuse of office for allegedly terminating the police investigation into the 2019 claims of financial mismanagement. [39] [40]
In second half of 2024, the relationship between the USP Staff Association and the Vice Chancellor got bitter after Dr Osborne-Naikatini was sacked for expressing an opinion about the lack of due processes being followed for the renewal of the contract of the Vice Chancellor. [41] This issue led to USPSA calling for removal of Vice Chancellor Pal Ahluwalia from the university and call for strike action with 95 percent majority vote to go to strike. [42]
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked USP in 1001-1200th for 2024. [43]
In 2021, the university was ranked in 1001-1200th by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. [44] The university claimed that this translated to being ranked in the top 10% of universities in the world, [45] leading to criticism that they were exaggerating their ranking. [46]
Despite its multi-campus nature, the USP is not a university system. It is a single university with several branches across the Pacific Region. USP's Laucala campus in Fiji is the main campus of the University, also serving as its administrative centre. [47] USP's main campus, called Laucala, lies on Laucala Bay in Fiji's capital of Suva. It also has two other satellite campuses in Fiji: Labasa and Lautoka. The Alafua campus in Samoa hosts the School of Agriculture and Food Technology. The Emalus campus in Vanuatu is the location for the School of Law. [13] The Nuku-alofa campus in Tonga is where the Institute for Education, directed by Seu'ula Johansson-Fua is based. [48]
USP operates 11 regional centres based in Pacific islands countries. The region served by USP covers 33 million km2 of the Pacific Ocean, an area more than three times the size of Europe. In contrast, the total land mass of territories served corresponds to the area of Denmark. Populations of member countries vary from Tokelau with 1,500 people to Fiji with more than 900,000 people. (The population of the region is about 1.3 million.)
The following are the extension campuses of the university, aside from its campuses in Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu.
Centres | Town | Country | Established |
---|---|---|---|
USP Cook Islands | Rarotonga | Cook Islands | 1975 |
USP Emalus | Port Vila | Vanuatu | |
USP Kiribati | Teaoraereke | Kiribati | 1978 |
USP Marshall Islands | Majuro | Marshall Islands | 1993 |
USP Nauru | Yaren | Nauru | 1987 |
USP Niue | Alofi | Niue | 1972 |
USP Samoa | Apia | Samoa | |
USP Solomon Islands | Honiara | Solomon Islands | |
USP Tokelau | Atafu | Tokelau | 1984 |
USP Tonga | Nuku'alofa | Tonga | 1971 |
USP Tuvalu | Funafuti | Tuvalu | 1970 |
After undergoing a restructuring process in early 2021, USP is organized into eight main faculties that include the following disciplines:
USP has produced a number of graduates that have played important roles in the South Pacific region. Its alumni include Mark Brown, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Elizabeth Iro, WHO Chief Nursing Officer, Ludwig Scotty, former President of Nauru; Bikenibeu Paeniu, former Prime Minister of Tuvalu; ʻAkilisi Pōhiva, former Prime Minister of Tonga; Joe Natuman, former Prime Minister of Vanuatu; archaeologist Tarisi Vunidilo, Solomon Islands women's activist Alice Pollard, women's rights activist Michelle Reddy, and Tongan environmental scientist Netatua Pelesikoti.
USP has a large Contemporary Pacific Art collection, including works by Rennie Peyroux, Mike Tavioni, Eruera Nia, Ian George, Kay George, Mahiriki Tangaroa, Apii Rongo, Varu Samuel, Krick Barraud, Joan Gragg, Nanette Lela’ulu, Johnny Penisula, Filipe Tohi, Sam Thomas and Dominique Crocombe. [52]
Suva is the capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Division.
The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organisation that aims to enhance cooperation among countries and territories of Oceania, including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum (SPF), and changed its name in 1999 to "Pacific Islands Forum", so as to be more inclusive of the Forum's Oceania-spanning membership of both north and south Pacific island countries, including Australia. It is a United Nations General Assembly observer.
American Samoa Community College (ASCC) is a public land-grant community college in the village of Mapusaga, American Samoa. Only legal residents of American Samoa who have graduated from high school or obtained a General Equivalency Diploma are admitted to ASCC.
The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) formerly known as the South Pacific Tourism Organisation is an intergovernmental organisation for the tourism sector in the South Pacific. The SPTO markets, promotes, and develops tourism in the Pacific in overseas markets. The main office is located in Suva, Fiji.
Rajesh Chandra was a Fijian academic. In February 2005 he was appointed the first Vice-Chancellor of the newly founded University of Fiji. He served as Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of the South Pacific (USP) ending his term in December 2018. After his retirement, he was appointed the Chancellor of Fiji National University, holding office from April 2019 until January 2020 when he stepped down for medical reasons. He died on 16 November 2023 after a long illness.
The Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) is a Department of the government of Fiji responsible for providing weather forecasts and is based on the grounds of Nadi Airport in Nadi. The current director of Fiji Meteorological Service is Misaeli Funaki. Since 1985, FMS has been responsible for naming and tracking tropical cyclones in the Southwest Pacific region. Current Meteorologists working at FMS have a Graduate Diploma in Meteorology from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
The National University of Samoa is the only national university in Samoa. Established in 1984 by an act of parliament, it is coeducational and provides certificate, diploma, and undergraduate degree programs, as well as technical and vocational training. About 2,000 students were enrolled in 2010 with an estimated 300 staff. It offers a wide range of programmes including Arts, Business and Entrepreneurship, Education, Science, Nursing, Engineering and Maritime Training. The Centre for Samoan Studies, established in the university for the teaching of the Samoan language and culture, offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as the world's first degree in Master of Samoan Studies.
Fiji National University is a public university in Fiji that was formally constituted on 15 February 2010 under the Fiji National University Act 2009.
Honiara Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE) is a university in Honiara, Solomon Islands; apart from the University of the South Pacific, which has a satellite campus in the country. It is located in eastern Honiara, south of Honiara Golf Club, just to the southwest of King George VI National High School.
The University of the South Pacific (USP) Solomon Islands Campus is a satellite campus of the University of the South Pacific, based in Honiara, Solomon Islands; apart from the Honiara Solomon Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE) a university in Honiara; and the Woodford International School. The University of the South Pacific campus is located near Chinatown, about 75 metres (246 ft) to the southwest of Lawson Tama Stadium. It offers continuing and community education courses to the South Pacific member countries. Some of the major disciplines in which courses are offered on semester basis are Arts, Law and Education, Business and Economics, Science, Technology and Environment and other disciplines with a gamut of subjects in each discipline. The duration of courses varies from 10 to 32 hours of teaching spread over a number of weeks. Subjects taught based on regional requirements could be in the fields of "computer skills, languages, bookkeeping, mathematics, business studies, economics, creative writing, community development skills, literature, handicrafts, floral arts, fabric arts, woodcarving, fine arts, carving, poetry, music, video production, leadership skills, health studies, public speaking, problem-solving and general literacy skills.” An important programme that is advocated in the USP is to establish an education programme "through distance and flexible learning”, which the relevant texts to learn and teach are prepared in the Laucala Campus in Fiji and adopted in the campuses of all the USP universities across the South Pacific.
Fiji–Tuvalu relations are diplomatic and other relations between Fiji and Tuvalu.
India and Kiribati established diplomatic relations in 1985. The High Commission of India in Suva, Fiji is concurrently accredited to Kiribati. Kiribati maintains an Honorary Consulate in New Delhi.
Pal Ahluwalia is a Kenyan academic and the Vice-Chancellor of University of the South Pacific.
Subramani is a Fijian author, essayist, and literary critic. According to The Literary Encyclopedia, he is "one of Fiji's leading prose fiction writers, essayists, and critics". His essays have dealt with multiculturalism, education, and cinema. Subramani writes fiction and non-fiction in English and Fiji Hindi, and has combined writing with university administration. He has served in all three universities in Fiji and has been a Dean, Pro Vice Chancellor and Acting Vice Chancellor. He has established himself as a novelist, short story writer, essayist and a literary critic. He has written on education, language, the university, cinema and civil society. In his fiction, as a bilingual writer, and working from the intersection of two languages, he been able to depict, in the words of the Samoan novelist, Sia Figiel, the "struggles of Fijian society and present us with a haunting salusalu of melancholy, despair, anguish, madness, terror, loss interlaced with moments of satire and humour that encapsulates the history and experience of men and women and children caught up in the violent shadow of colonialism".
List of events that happened during 2021 in Oceania.
Unaisi Vuniwaqa, from Fiji, is the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Safety and Security. She was previously the Commissioner of Police for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Prior to going to South Sudan in 2016, she was Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police in Fiji and had been the first head of the Sexual and Gender-based Violence Unit of the Fiji Police Force.
Salome Tabuatalei is a Fijian athlete who competed at international level in a wide range of athletic events and in canoeing, from 1993 to 2019. She was named Fiji's Sportswoman of the Year in 1996 and 1997.
Parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 24 September 2022 to elect all 19 members of parliament. All candidates were elected on a non-partisan basis. Following the election, Russ Kun, a member of parliament for Ubenide, was elected president by parliament.
Filimoni Wainiqolo Rasokisoki Vosarogo is a Fijian lawyer, politician, and Cabinet Minister. He is a member of the People's Alliance.
UU204 Pacific Worlds is one of four generic University courses included in all USP undergraduate programmes.