The University of the South Pacific (USP) Council chaired by the Acting Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council, Emeritus Professor Pat Walsh, held its 98th meeting between Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 November 2024 in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
The USP Council is the governing authority of the University, and usually meets twice a year to discuss the affairs of the University.
The King’s Representative of the Cook Islands, His Excellency Sir Tom John Marsters opened the 98th meeting of Council noting that “USP is a beacon of hope, opportunity, and progress for the Pacific, embodying the vision of equipping people with the skills and knowledge needed to contribute meaningfully to communities and economies.” He urged Council members to approach their discussions with humility, collaboration, dialogue, respect, and commitment. He encouraged Council members to hold true to the Pacific Way, which is rooted in serving the Pacific community by navigating the challenges and building a stronger, more inclusive institution for the future.
In his opening remarks, Acting Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the Council, Emeritus Professor Pat Walsh said that the University must hold fast to its values whilst adapting to the extraordinary pace of change that is occurring at an unprecedented rate.
The Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, highlighted that USP was ushering in a new era of Education aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy allowing students to access world-class tertiary education and testament to this is the new Solomon Islands Campus with state-of-the-art lecture theatres, a spacious library, high-end computer labs, and tutorial rooms that was officially opened by the Governor-General of the Solomon Islands, His Excellency Reverend David Kapu on 3 October 2024.
The VCP reported the remarkable achievement of USP moving 200 places higher in the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings to the 801 – 1000 band from the 1001 – 1200 band that USP had achieved in the 2023 and 2024 rankings. He added that His Majesty, King Charles III visited Samoa and launched the King’s Commonwealth Fellowships Programme (KCFP), where USP will serve as the regional hub for building capacity in education, health, and disaster resilience engineering. USP is committed to its longstanding relations with its member countries and its unwavering dedication to the continued advancement of multilateral cooperation and addressing common challenges faced by South Pacific communities that challenge the well-being of future generations.
VCP also noted that discussions between Management and the Staff Unions were ongoing and being conducted in good faith.
The University management was commended by the Chair of the University Grants Committee on the quality of the management report, which covered major issues, strategic directions, key activities, and the sound financial situation and robustness of the University.
The Council approved the Half-Year Audited Financial Statement to 30 June 2024, Triennial Financial Plan (2025 to 2027), Budget and Student Fees and Charges for 2025, USP Draft Strategic Action Plan 2025-2027, Redistribution of General Services Fees, Delegation of Powers to the Committees of Council and Chairs and the Council Meeting Dates for 2025.
Two (2) new programmes, the Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership and the Masters in Border Security were instituted by the Council.
The next USP Council meeting is scheduled to be held in May 2025.