ONE hundred and forty students graduated from The University of the South Pacific (USP) Emalus Campus last Friday.
Seventy four percent graduates were from Vanuatu while the remaining were from Belize, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue and Tonga indicating the regional nature of Emalus Campus.
Thirty three students graduated with Postgraduate Certificates and Postgraduate Diplomas and nine graduated with Masters degree.
USP Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & International and Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor Learning, Teaching and Student Support Professor John Bythell in congratulating the graduates said “you can be justly proud of your achievements”.
“A number of people have made sacrifices for you, your family, your sponsors and your community and country, and I am sure you will recognise their efforts and celebrate with them today (December 5).
“It is a memorable joyous day that you can look back with happiness and satisfaction throughout your life,” he said.
“I urge you to face each day with courage and fortitude and embrace each day with hope. All of you will be happy that you have come so far and I am sure you will have many wonderful memories of your journey at USP,” Prof Bythell said.
According to him it has been a busy year for the Emalus Campus and highlighted a few activities “that are important in our transformation for excellence”.
· Opening of the Torba Sub-Centre
Following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between USP and the Torba provincial government in 2013, a building belonging to the Arep Junior Secondary School was made available to USP for use as a Centre.
· Offering of Chinese Language Courses through the Confucius Institute
After 3 years of fast development in Laucala and Lautoka Campuses in Fiji, CI-USP has been offering Chinese courses at USP Emalus Campus since August 2014.
· Visits to Emalus Campus
A number of activities involving teams from Laucala were facilitated during the year including awareness visits and workshops by the Counselling, Disabilities and Careers Offices staff.
· USP Security Plan
Emalus Campus was visited by Mr Paul Fritton of the International Operations Group Pty Ltd. The Consultant was hired by the University to develop a security master plan for USP.
· USPSA Federal Meeting
Emalus Campus hosted the USPSA Federal Meeting in September. This was attended by 20 students from the federal office and regional campuses.
· Signed Contracts with TVL
The University signed two one-year contracts with Telecom Vanuatu Limited (TVL) in September. One agreement is for TVL to provide fiber optic connection to be used to subscribe to a broadband service with TVL.
Prof Bythell said USP is always happy to be associated with Vanuatu and has maintained good relationships with the Government of Vanuatu, which has hosted the School of Law since 1994.
“The benefits that Vanuatu has derived from being a member of USP are considerable. It is as a consequence of USP being a centre of excellence that its graduates can stand proudly alongside those of other universities in the world,” he said.
“The University has been richly blessed by the faith and goodwill of its member Governments including Vanuatu, and its development partners. With this strong and steadfast support, our tasks have been made easier (and) we gratefully acknowledge this support and confidence in the University”.
