Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor

The University of the South Pacific consists of 14 campuses with Laucala Campus as its main Campus and headquarter, Suva, Fiji.   There rest of 13 campuses are considered regional campuses and are located in each of the university’s 12 member countries in the Pacific-  Cook Islands, Kiribatim Fiji (Lautoka & Labasa), Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Regional Campuses have continued to grow in size and currently comprise around 40% of total EFTS. Regional Campuses offer students the opportunity to study in their own country and combine work and study, making tertiary study accessible and affordable. Programmes can be completed at Regional Campuses in a variety of modes including, Face-to Face, Online, Print & Blended. While the majority of regional campus students study part time in Flexible mode, an increasing number of degree programmes are being offered in Face to-Face mode, with students, organized in cohorts, completing their entire programme at Regional Campuses.

The Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor is also in charge of the Estates & Infrastructure (E&I) and the Campus Security Sections.  E&I Section manages and conduct the planning, development and maintenance of the built environment of all the university’s 14 campuses. Occupational Health and Safety(OHS) and Disaster Management Planning are a major component of E&I.  The Campus Security Section is responsible for the safety and security of the university community at Laucala Campus, and do provide security advice to the regional campuses.

Dr Giulio Masasso Tu’ikolongahau Pāunga is the Deputy Vice Chancellor —Regional Campuses and Global Engagement

He holds a PhD and MA (Economics) from the University of Daito Bunka in Tokyo, Japan, and a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from Wesleyan University, Connecticut, U.S.A.

Dr Pāunga is a Tongan national with extensive experience of working in the region. He has a strong background in international trade negotiations, diplomacy, economic development, with a broad experience in administering operations of public and state-owned enterprises.  He joined the University in 2011 as a Senior Fellow in Financing Education with the Institute of Education, located at USP Tonga Campus.

Dr Pāunga served as a member of His Majesty’s Privy Council under the late King Taufa’āhau Tupou IV, a member of the Tonga Defense Board, and also a Cabinet Minister for Labour, Commerce, Industries and Tourism.