The University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Laucala graduation ceremonies in Suva, Fiji also served as a pivotal moment of transformation for the region’s premier institution for higher learning.
Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council, Siosiua Utoikamanu, said the event was a moment of institutional transition – a reset for the University that was itself built nearly 60 years ago on the foundation of sharing.’
He also acknowledged His Majesty King Tupou VI, King of Tonga, who was present at the ceremonies as the 32nd Chancellor of USP.
“The USP Council has signalled a deliberate new chapter: not one of looking back, but of reimagining and reshaping the path ahead. And in this very moment of renewal – Your Majesties, you are with us and for this we are truly grateful,” Utoikamanu said.
“There is deep symbolism – perhaps even divine serendipity – in the fact that this reset is being presided over by His Majesty King Tupou VI, our new Chancellor and whose father, the late King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV, was USP’s very first Chancellor.”
“What a full circle we have come, from the dreams of a founding monarch and now a direct line to our new Chancellor, at the very moment in our history when we need to recalibrate and reset our direction.”
Utoikamanu also acknowledged the presence of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji, Honourable Sitiveni Rabuka and Mrs Rabuka at the 4 September graduation ceremony.
“The presence of royalty and senior Pacific leadership reminds us that this University was not born of policy papers or strategy documents alone. It was born of Pacific vision and far-reaching foresight, of noble legacy, and of deep belief in what education can achieve for our region. It was born of a covenant to share the responsibilities and the returns of regional higher education – together.”
He added that the USP Council has adopted the USP Investment Plan 2025–2027 as a compass for the journey ahead.
“It charts a course toward a more student-centred, digitally empowered, regionally cohesive, and financially resilient USP. It asks us to do more than adjust. It calls us to transform,” he shared.
“Like all good way finders, we do not rely on a single star. We draw on ancestral wisdom, regional realities, and emerging opportunities to guide us. We look to all our navigators: staff, students, monarchs, governments, leaders, partners – and now, all of you, our newest graduates.”
Utoikamanu also challenged the USP graduates to serve and influence how the Pacific survived and thrived in the decades ahead.
“Our Class of 2025 – you join our illustrious and proud alumni community of close to 70,000.”
“You are stepping into a Pacific region of extraordinary complexity – the climate crisis, fragile economies, the challenges of health and education, and rapid social and cultural change. But you are also stepping into a time of extraordinary possibility and opportunity.”
“Whether you return home, move abroad, enter government, teach, heal, advocate, or create – remember this: your learning is most powerful when it serves others. And your success will be most profound when it is shared.”
