Unity on island choice

University Of The South Pacific

By Angela McCarthy

T HE University of the South Pacific Council’s appointment of a Pacific Islands Citizen, Fiji’s Savenaca Siwatibau, as Vice-Chancellor designate signals fresh commitment to the uni versity as a unified regional institution. 1 he council says Siwatibau is a Pacific Islander with experience in both admi mstrative and academic fields, regionally and internationally. He is currently the Director of ESCAP, the United Nations programme, in Port Vila.

In 1989 the university council decided that as part of its policy of regionalism the Vice-Chancellor position should be taken over by a Pacific Islander when British-born Geoffrey Caston s term en ded in 1991. The difficulty was finding the right person for the position. A com mittee consisting of three Senate mem bers, five Council members, and the President of the Student Council was set up earl\ this year to begin processing applications. Eight nominations were re ceived after worldwide advertising that

stipulated the applicants should be from the Pacific Region. Siwatibau, Salofa Isakea, of Western Samoa, and Dr John Roughan, and American citizen of the Solomon Islands, were shortlisted, being the only Pacific citizen applicants.

Council Chairman Henry Naisali said Siwatibau “is one of the best resource persons in the region and I respect him for he's a committed and dedicated man.

I find it difficult at this time to see others of Siwatibau’s level in the region.

The region and university will benefit a lot from his past experiences when he takes the job”. James Saliga, Solomon Is land Permanent Secretary of Education, like most Council members, agrees: “It is time to have someone who knows the region and the people and understands our problems as an insider. He is a re gional man and a man of high standing in the region academically and adminis tratively. He is also a man of internation al reputation. His strength is that he will be able to pull everybody together. He

can unify.”

A unified front was certainly shown over the second major decision council made which was to organise an indepen dent review of the 22-year-old university.

Atanraoi Baiteke, Secretary General of the South Pacific Commission, pointed out that the review, like any regional in stitutional review, will be concerned with broad issues such as objectives, structures and directions for the nineties.

Naisali suggested an initial focus on specifics such as irregularities in staffing appointments and dismissals. However, the Senate which must be consulted by the Council members on academic mat ters, felt that the incidents mentioned in the recommendation were not of a se rious nature and had been resolved satis

factorily.

With all the dissatisfaction, whether blown out of proportion or not, the deci sion to have a review under whatever terms of reference is seen as the right way to clear up all apprehensions and set policy for the nineties. “It is very timely,” says Saliga, who adds that the Solomons is worried about the university adminis tration. “All is not well. We have to have a review and it should be done before the new Vice-Chancellor arrives so he can get on with his job and not be tied down by past problems.” □