The University of the South Pacific (USP) celebrated a momentous graduation ceremony this week in the Solomon Islands in a powerful testament to regionalism, shared development, and the enduring partnership between USP and the Government and people of Solomon Islands.
The Pro-Chancellor and Chair of USP Council and the Interim Management Group (IMG), Mr Siosiua ‘Utoikamanu, addressed graduates, families, development partners and the diplomatic corps at the Friendship Hall in Honiara during the event.
The USP Chancellor, His Majesty King Tupou VI, King of Tonga, was also in attendance.
Mr ‘Utoikamanu reaffirmed USP’s role not only as a premier institution of higher learning in the Pacific, but as a symbol of regional cooperation, resilience, and leadership.
“USP must be more than a university that serves Solomon Islands – we must be a university that reflects Solomon Islands. If USP were a mirror, you should see yourselves in us. We must look like you, sound like you, and ensure that our curriculum and research have real impact on your aspirations and priorities. That is what it means for USP to be an enabler – shaping teaching, research, and innovation that rise from your realities. This is the essence of Wansolwara – one ocean, one people, one destiny. USP must be the vessel that holds this unity, and also the mirror that reflects it,” he said.
“This ceremony also marks an important moment for the University and for Solomon Islands. USP and Solomon Islands are deeply intertwined – through the thousands of graduates who serve across every sector, through the strength of this campus, and through a shared commitment to education as the foundation of national development.”
“We celebrate your success in a year when Solomon Islands has also demonstrated its leadership within our region. By hosting the 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, Solomon Islands reaffirmed its dedication to regional cooperation and to addressing the great challenges facing our shared Blue Pacific.”
Mr ‘Utoikamanu added that the presence of His Majesty, King Tupou VI – nearly six decades after his father, the late King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV, became USP’s very first Chancellor, was symbolic.
“It reminds us that this University was born of Pacific leadership, of regional unity, and of a shared belief in the transformative power of education,” he stated.
“To our graduates: you step into a Pacific that is both challenged and full of promise. Climate change, fragile economies, and social disruption are real and urgent. But so too is the potential for innovation, leadership, healing, and change.”
“This is the essence of Wansolwara – one ocean, one people, one destiny. Though we come from many islands and many nations, we are bound together by the same sea, the same challenges, and the same hopes. USP must be the vessel that holds this unity, and also the mirror that reflects it.”
“And finally, to our graduates – you are the living testament of the covenant between USP and its member nations. That through shared investment, we produce shared leadership for the future.”
-ENDS-
