The University of the South Pacific (USP) is among the top five finalists in the world competing for the ‘Innovation and Entrepreneurship Team of the Year’ under the 2023 Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial & Engaged Universities (ACEEU) Global Triple E Awards on Entrepreneurship and Engagement Excellence in Higher Education.
The Triple E Awards is the first worldwide award to focus on different dimensions of ACEEU’s third mission. It aims to foster change in universities and emphasise their role in communities and ecosystems.
USP is one of the two regional universities worldwide with 14 campuses in 12 member countries spread across 33 million square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean.
During COVID, the University’s Student Learning Support (SLS) section realised that the geographical divide proved a hurdle in ensuring equity in support for all students. Thus, the team began to package student support to allow any student access to this from USP’s member countries if a catastrophe like COVID happened again.
Considering that staff at USP were dealing with a diverse student group in a range of situations, SLS staff also made workshops available at all times of the day and week and also liaised with the University’s Disability Centre to share content that was converted into means and modes convenient for learners with disability.
USP Director for the Centre of Flexible Learning, Dr Rajni Chand, said, “As a university, we have been working with various accrediting agencies to achieve international ranking.”
“The Triple E Awards promotes entrepreneurs and engage universities in celebrating achievements both on an individual and organisational level around the world, finally giving them the recognition they deserve for their excellent work”.
“We have been shortlisted for the 2023 Global Awards, making us one of the year’s top five innovative and entrepreneurship teams. To be selected as one of the top five in the world, putting the regional University on the world map is a massive achievement.”
“Apart from being considered from our application, another method is through the People’s Choice Award, which is determined through community voting. For this, we encourage everyone from the Pacific region, our university community, all staff and students and all our Pacific friends and family to vote.”
As part of the University’s effort to boost students’ performance, the SLS Online Interactive Workshops have served as a beacon of hope for students striving to achieve academic excellence.
The workshops have significantly impacted how students approach their studies and allow them to interact virtually with live chat support, so no student is ever left to struggle alone.
USP Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Pal Ahluwalia commended the efforts of the SLS team across the institution’s 14 campuses.
“This is an excellent achievement for the institution and a testament to our continuous progress in innovation and entrepreneurship in the region. This demonstrates the capability and the calibre of our people who continue to take our institute to new heights.”
“We thank our staff for the hard work put into this process that gained us this recognition. This is a milestone achievement and one we need to commend.”
Professor Ahluwalia added, “We are proud of our university, and let’s vote for USP in this award category.”
The University of the South Pacific, as the region’s premier institute, is also calling on all its students, staff and Pacific communities to cast their votes as we are in the running for the People’s Choice Award category, which is also determined by community voting.
Voting will close on Sunday (June 25, 2023). Link to vote: https://triple-e-awards.com/index/finalist/id/678
