A new lecturer is expected to start next Tuesday as the University of the South Pacific’s journalism programme coordinator following the sudden resignation of Dr Ian Weber.
The dean of the Faculty of Arts, Law and Education, Dr Akanisi Kedrayate, held a meeting with journalism students yesterday.
A former coordinator of the journalism programme, Patrick Craddock, will be returning to take up the post again.
Mr Craddock has worked for nearly 20 years in different countries in Africa and the Pacific teaching radio journalism, writing scripts and producing radio drama for adult education.
Matthew Thompson, a prominent journalist and author and formerly of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, will take up an appointment as lecturer replacing Shailendra Singh for six months. Mr Singh is completing doctoral studies.
It is believed the programme’s teaching assistant had also left USP, forcing the class cancellations.
In a statement, the university maintains that journalism classes will not, in any way, be affected and tutorials will be done by the staff. Lectures will be covered by guest lecturers who have already confirmed their attendance for the duration of the respective courses for the semester.
The award-winning journalism programme will continue to prepare professional communicators for and for information roles in the local, regional and global media.
Dr Weber has explained his resignation on social networking website Facebook, stating he had resigned due to professional differences with the school.
He claimed that students had been given waivers from courses to qualify for advanced courses which he though was not appropriate.
Dr Weber replaced Dr Marc Edge a year ago as the head of the journalism programme. Dr Edge had left after considerable controversy about him.
Suva (Fiji Sun)
