HIS EXCELLENCY RATU EPELI NAILATIKAU
CF, LVO, OBE (Mil), OStJ, CSM, MSD
President of the Republic of Fiji
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USP Grounds Friday, 9th August, 2013
LAUCALA BAY 9.00a.m..
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• Professor Rajesh Chandra, Vice-Chancellor and President
• Mr Ikbal Jannif, Chair of Council
• Your Excellencies High Commissioners and Ambassadors
• Heads of Regional and International Organisations
• Members of the diplomatic corps
• Government Officials and Representatives of Statutory Organisations
• Sponsors
• Senior Management Team, USP Staff and Students
• Visiting Schools, Principals, Teachers, Parents and Prospective Students
• Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning, ni sa bula vinaka, salam alaykum, namaste

Thank you, Pro-Chancellor Mr. Ikbal Jannif for the very warm introduction. At the same time I would like to thank the Vice Chancellor and President Professor Rajesh Chandra most sincerely for inviting me to be the Chief Guest.

It is indeed a pleasure to be here with you today, as USP shines the spotlight on all that it has to offer, and all that the USP experience is about.

USP is large and inclusive, and has a diverse range of academic offerings, so you can expect a very lively and exciting day full of activities, fun, and a huge amount of information.

That information will be used by tomorrow's leaders you, the prospective students in attendance, to make one of the most important decisions of your lives, whether to go to university, and to which university.

I have been privileged to observe USP's growth and development over the years, and I am gratified that its management has ably led it to this point, where it is a modern, high quality Pacific Centre of learning and knowledge, that represents the Pacific Islands on the world education stage, and delivers to its peoples the type of contextualized programmes that are an excellent preparation for work.

What truly makes a university great, however, is not only its reputation, teaching staff, facilities, research outputs, or library though USP is outstanding in all of those areas, but its graduates and their contribution to their respective countries.

In saying this, I am very pleased to inform you that the Pacific Islands Countries have just had a resoundingly successful and historic meeting in Nadi which concluded just two days ago.

Leaders of the Pacific Islands Countries the business community, civil society organisations and educational institutions, met under the auspices of the newly formed Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF).
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Through this inaugural Pacific Islands Development Forum, the Pacific Islands Countries have rallied governments, the private sector, the civil society, and the academic and scientific communities to address a range of regional development challenges through a ‘'green economy' approach.

As many of you will later learn, the ‘green economy' approach infuses low carbon, resource efficiency and social inclusivity.

For today's purposes, I wish to stress the final point of social inclusivity which is essentially giving a voice not only to governments, but also and most importantly to the business communities, civil society organisations, and the educational and scientific institutions to assist in the overall development of the Pacific and its people.

I have no doubt that many of you here today will, in due course, contribute to furthering the noble objectives of the Pacific Islands Development Forum.

In fact, many of the leaders in the Pacific, including my colleagues, friends, and associates, and scions of government and industry, studied at USP. USP is the place where those crucial first professional networks are made, and is increasingly where Pacific professionals return for seminars, debates and advanced studies.

USP is growing in terms of student numbers, and is constantly upgrading its campuses. Construction is due to start shortly on the new regional campus in Kiribati, which is the first project in a series of major improvements.

Laucala campus is being made more accessible to people with disabilities, and safer and more secure for all. I was greatly privileged to have opened the Japan-Pacific ICT Centre at this campus, a facility which offers the region immense resources and opportunities, and I will whole-heartedly share in the celebrations when the University marks its 50th anniversary in 2018.

Having followed USP's evolution as a regional organization and university over the decades, I feel that I do know it quite well.

I am in a position this morning to provide you with more than just a message.

I am going to offer you some advice, both from the perspective of someone who has had a long career, and from the point of view of a father who had sent his children to this university.


Continuing with education and choosing a university
The decision to continue with education at the university level is for most people, the right one. We must face the fact that the more education one has, the more opportunities will present themselves.

The global economy is increasingly knowledge-based, and Pacific Island Countries (PICS) need more people, who have reached levels of education high enough, to effectively drive our participation in it.

PICS need young people who are ICT-savvy, knowledgeable of the work of great thinkers across a variety of topics, have the intelligence, skills, and tools to apply that knowledge to new challenges and the courage to find solutions. Universities prepare their students well for the global knowledge economy, and USP does a particularly good job at this.

While it is great to make the decision to continue on to university straight from secondary, or indeed to change direction and commence or return to university later in life, or what then does one study? Is just being at any university enough, and will a successful career automatically follow graduation? What sets one university apart from others?

The answer to these questions is USP. In the world of small business, a world in which I hope many of you will work, USP is an acronym that also means "unique selling points". This concept can be used to look both at yourself, and your personal strengths, and is an excellent way to perceive this university, an outstanding institution with unique qualities that make it a very good choice for tertiary education.

Today is a chance to reflect on your unique selling points, your USP, or what makes you special, and to consider those areas in which you excel or have the greatest potential. I hope that you will endeavour to find out more about how this university will support you to achieve your goals. In short, to help your USPs.
Today is also an opportunity to find out more about this university's unique selling proposition, or what distinguishes it from your other university options.

While choosing a programme of study it may not seem like an easy decision to some of you, just remember that all students bring a wealth of life experiences to university. All students have strong interests, natural inclinations and abilities, interests that may not immediately appear relevant to the world of work. That is your interests or qualities that make you special. The university you choose needs to help you develop your interests into a career.

Today is a good opportunity to think more about what you really like doing and learning, and to ask the staff here what this university has to offer you.

After university graduation, the qualification and the knowledge that you acquired will make you stand out to employers. So I advise you to use your university years to grow in confidence in your uniqueness, to be proud of who you are, and where you come from, and to be confident in where you are going.

Why USP?
There is much that makes the University of the South Pacific, an outstanding option for higher education. USP's unique selling point is that it is the highest quality tertiary institution in the pacific.

As you explore the campus today, I have no doubt that you will be impressed by the secure and comfortable facilities, the beautiful surroundings, and the lively atmosphere. Those are but some of the aspects of the "high quality" to which I refer.

I would just like to point out some of USP's best points now, as some of them may not be that easy to observe yourself through the course of a day of festivities. First is the superb quality of a USP education. This university's courses and programmes are externally assessed and validated so you can be sure that their quality is on par with that of universities in Australia and New Zealand and beyond. USP is widely recognized and known by employers, so your degree is portable, and will be useful if you wish to work abroad. Some of the courses and programmes are internationally accredited, which offers another layer of prestige.

USP graduates go on to work at some of the most well-known and highly-regarded private and public sector organizations in the pacific, and a large number of USP graduates are now working internationally. USP graduates are also very successful in securing places in postgraduate programmes in all parts of the world.

Another important point is the stunning array of academic extracurricular activities that are on offer. In addition to the learning that takes place in the classrooms and laboratories, USP students have the chance to extend their learning in a variety of ways.

There are dozens of open lectures on a wide variety of topics each semester. There are guest seminars and panel discussions that address the most discussed issues of the day. There are regular debates amongst well-known public figures or amongst teams of students.

Academic field trips run as part of courses and also by the research office, take students out into the field to explore and learn by doing and experiencing first-hand this intellectual atmosphere challenges all students to get involved and learn about subjects in different areas of the university, subjects that are relevant to modern life in the Pacific Islands. Students push each other to inquire, to learn more, and to discover.

USP stands out because of the university's commitment to the success of all of its students. This commitment permeates all that the university does. You will see ample evidence of this today presented as individual services, facilities, options, and assistance but I want to be sure that you see all of the support services for what they are as a whole, a strong commitment to the success and wellbeing of every student.

This commitment is made when you enrol at USP. The university seeks to find out if you will require any extra assistance while you are a student, ranging from help in getting around campus to extra lessons in the English language.

At orientation week, whole range of support services, both formal and informal, that are available to all are highlighted. These range from special interest clubs involvement in which can make homesick students feel a bit better to religious groups to the student health centre. Health and well-being is a major focus of USP's campus life team.

In addition to personal support, USP students are offered, a wide range of academic support services and programmes, including study techniques sessions, writing and revising workshops, student and faculty mentors, and targeted early intervention in the case of struggling students. Some students are even given tablet computers, preloaded with academic materials, to ensure that they have easy access to their online coursework. All students have access to modern computer labs and the internet, via uspnet, which is fast and offers high data usage limits.

Within each faculty, student progress is monitored regularly so that any issues are flagged early, and any extra support required can be provided right away.

USP wants its students to succeed, and so, rather than by compromising its high academic standards, it provides a wide range of easily accessible assistance to any student who need a little extra help to meet those standards.

Commitment to success also implies a commitment, to stretching and challenging those students who are most able and ready to take their learning to the next level. Such students are incentivized to involve themselves with research, to apply for grants and awards, to participate in one of numerous academic mobility schemes involving international travel, and to identify ways in which to contribute to the community around them.

USP's commitment to its students' success does not end at graduation. The expanding careers centre provides guidance and resources to graduating students and alumni. The USP Alumni network, until now largely an informal but active group, is holding increasing numbers of events and functions that bring USP Alumni together for networking and reminiscence.

USP today
You will see today that USP has the teachers and the facilities to enable most ambitious young people to develop their own interests into career pathways.

I encourage you to be inquisitive and to gather as much information as possible. As you review the information at home with your family, you are bound to have further questions. I advise you to stay engaged with the people you meet today, and to seek answers to those queries, for the decision as to which university is best for you, is hugely important.

Carefully consider how you personally will assess what is best for you and then approach the decision confident in your unique selling points and fully informed as to how the university you are considering will help you to develop your special qualities and abilities into a career.

I wish all of you a wonderful open day 2013, for this day will give you all a good taste of university life, and I am certain that the events of today will help you all to make your decision easier, to pursue further and higher education here at USP.

Thank you, vinaka vakalevu, sukria, bahoot dhanyavaad.


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