USP Vice-Chancellor joins Association of Commonwealth Universities Reference Group for a new ACU campaign

The University of the South Pacific will be represented at the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) to be part of a Reference Group for a campaign which will raise awareness of how higher education can and should respond to global challenges beyond 2015, when the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expire. 

 

The ACU, based in London, believes that higher education plays a key role in enabling countries to achieve the goals that will emerge at the end of 2015 and has invited the USP Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Rajesh Chandra, to join the Reference Group for the ACU’s new campaign The world beyond 2015- is higher education ready?. 

 

The campaign, which will be officially launched in October 2013, will bring together ACU members and other stakeholders in higher education to build an evidence base demonstrating the importance and the potential of higher education to the new agenda, and to discuss what the sector needs to do to be ready for.

 

The Reference Group, which the Vice-Chancellor will be a part of, has been formed to guide the campaign both prior to and after the October launch. 

 

The ACU Director of External Engagement, Ms Joyce Achampong, in inviting the Vice-Chancellor said, “It is timely, therefore, for us to begin to consider the implications of the new international agenda for higher education, to reflect on how the sector can respond to the challenges and goals that emerge, and to examine whether universities are indeed ready to meet those challenges”.

 

“We believe that you would make a truly valuable contribution to the campaign and I do hope that you will be keen to join us and support this exciting and important new initiative,” she said.

 

Ms Achampong said “the campaign will be run online for a period of 18 months, with a dedicated website showcasing ideas, initiatives and reflections from across the world and showing how universities respond to local, national and international issues”.

 

The Vice-Chancellor said he was greatly honoured to be invited to the Reference Group and said he will do his best to contribute effectively towards the discussions. 

 

He added that it is an important invitation which puts USP amongst select Commonwealth universities who will be represented by their Vice-Chancellors.  Members of the group will have the opportunity to promote and champion the campaign in their region.

 

The Vice-Chancellor recently attended the ACU conference on graduate employability, at the University of Auckland, from 11 to 13 July, where he responded to the presentation by the New Zealand Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Honourable Steven Joyce. The Vice-Chancellor also elaborated on USP’s efforts towards greater graduate employability, through focusing on the building of generic skills, and emphasizing the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT). 

 

The ACU, established in 1913, is the world’s first and oldest international university network, with over 500 member institutions in developed and developing countries in the Commonwealth. It administers scholarships, and is a provider of academic research and insight, promoting cooperation between universities around the world. 

 

The network of universities is known for its collective efforts in addressing issues in international higher education through projects, networking collaborations and events.