"It is regrettable that although more than 90 percent of staff members of the two USP staff unions have expressed their lack of confidence in Professor Pal Ahluwalia’s leadership through both the performance review of the VCP and vote at Council, the University Council voted (13:10) to extend his contract for 2 years even though he is over the retirement age of 65.
The Association of USP Staff and the USP Staff Union strongly urge the Council to review its decision regarding the extension of the VCP contract and to terminate his employment at the end of his current contract.
The Council must also review the criteria for appointing the next VCP. It reinstates that the eligible applicant must have taught, researched, and worked in the USP region, and remove the requirement that eligibility is limited to those who are of professorial rank."
STROLLING IN SAMOA Since its birth, some 56 years ago, the University of the South Pacific committed itself to the principle of regionalism both broadly as the emerging premier regional higher education institution but also in terms of recruiting, training, and retaining citizens of its member states. In the past, the University invested heavily in promoting the concept and reality of regionalism through nurturing a pool of young and energetic regional staff who would eventually apply for senior positions and assume leadership.
It is therefore deeply disappointing that since the tenure of the current Vice-Chancellor and President (VCP) of USP there has been a marked failure to retain regional staff. While there is indeed the context of greater mobility of professional and skilled people in the region, it is evident that push factors have been at work within the University.
The most recent case is the unprecedented, excessively harsh and unilateral sacking by VCP Pal Ahluwalia of the President of the Association of USP Staff, Dr Tamara Osborne for the alleged gross misconduct’ attributed to an article in Island Business magazine in March. Far from protecting and promoting free speech and academic freedom, the VCP is seeking to silence
dissenting voices.
The second recent case is one in which the VCP is directly implicated as he, by all accounts and without any reasonable basis, delayed for a year the convening of the relevant committee to consider the promotion of a regional staff to the rank of Associate Professor. Reliable USP sources indicate that the Committee was near unanimous in supporting the promotion as did the two independent internally reputable external referees.
The regional staff member in question had applied for promotion had an impeccable track record as a researcher and tertiary educator meanwhile began applying for positions in universities abroad. We understand that a top-ranking university in Aotearoa-New Zealand has offered him tenure as Associate Professor. Besides Professor Jito Vanualailai, currently there is no regional person at the professorial level at USP. There is no woman professor at the University which prides itself publicly for promoting gender equality. In addition, there is a regional female Associate Professor who has been acting head of a major school for several years (throughout Ahluwalia’s tenure) a renowned researcher with numerous publications with international peer esteem who should have been promoted to professor five years ago. Disregarding her holistic contribution to the institution, Ahluwalia and his committee failed to offer her even the standard five-year contract.
Regional staff are also appalled at the treatment meted out to Dr Guilio Massaso Paunga, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Regional Campuses) whose contract was not renewed or extended in accordance
with due process. Another regional staff member who loyally served the institution for 37 years and was pushed out is Dr Joeli Veitayaki. His application for promotion to the rank of Professor had been ignored.
Other regional staff left because they did not see future career prospects at USP are Dr Tui Rakuita, lecturer at USP but a senior lecturer at Otago University. Dr Litea Meo Sewabu who was responsible for the Social Work programme as a lecturer at USP, left two years ago and has been appointed at Associate Professor for Social Work and Communities at the University of Western Sydney.
Clayton Kuma of the Solomon Islands who for twenty years taught courses at the undergraduate and post graduate levels on Laucala Campus was not appointed to lecturer position on the Solomon Islands Campus even though the selection committee had recommended the appointment. This would have enabled him to apply to pursue PhD studies in Australia. The fact that he did not have a doctorate was used as an excuse for not appointing him at the lecturer level.
Then there was the earlier case of Dr Apisolome Movono who even after completing his PhD studies was expected to remain at the Assistant Lecturer level. He left to take up the position of a senior lecturer at Massey University in New Zealand. Katy Napwat and Naomi Bolenga left the Emalus Campus, Vanuatu in frustration at the lack of attention to campus administration and the unsatisfactory facilities and services there.
Others who have left are Dr Tammy Tabe, PACE-SD (now at the University of Hawaii), and Dr Viliamu Iese, Dr Nacanieli Rika who was acting Head of School Accounting, Finance and Economics. Those listed are not the only cases of regional staff who have left. It provides a brief snapshot of good regional people leaving because of the failure of the USP administration led by Professor Pal Ahluwalia to provide an enabling and supportive environment at the regional institution.
It is regrettable that although more than 90 percent of staff members of the two USP staff unions have expressed their lack of confidence in Professor Pal Ahluwalia’s leadership through both the performance review of the VCP and vote at Council, the University Council voted (13:10) to extend his contract for 2 years even though he is over the retirement age of 65.
The Association of USP Staff and the USP Staff Union strongly urge the Council to review its decision regarding the extension of the VCP contract and to terminate his employment at the end of his current contract. The Council must also review the criteria for appointing the next VCP. It reinstates that the eligible applicant must have taught, researched, and worked in the USP region, and remove the requirement that eligibility is limited to those who are of professorial rank.
The best USP vice-chancellors have not always been professors, yet this criterion has been wielded to exclude competent and capable regional applicants.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
It is therefore deeply disappointing that since the tenure of the current Vice-Chancellor and President (VCP) of USP there has been a marked failure to retain regional staff. While there is indeed the context of greater mobility of professional and skilled people in the region, it is evident that push factors have been at work within the University.
The most recent case is the unprecedented, excessively harsh and unilateral sacking by VCP Pal Ahluwalia of the President of the Association of USP Staff, Dr Tamara Osborne for the alleged gross misconduct’ attributed to an article in Island Business magazine in March. Far from protecting and promoting free speech and academic freedom, the VCP is seeking to silence
dissenting voices.
The second recent case is one in which the VCP is directly implicated as he, by all accounts and without any reasonable basis, delayed for a year the convening of the relevant committee to consider the promotion of a regional staff to the rank of Associate Professor. Reliable USP sources indicate that the Committee was near unanimous in supporting the promotion as did the two independent internally reputable external referees.
The regional staff member in question had applied for promotion had an impeccable track record as a researcher and tertiary educator meanwhile began applying for positions in universities abroad. We understand that a top-ranking university in Aotearoa-New Zealand has offered him tenure as Associate Professor. Besides Professor Jito Vanualailai, currently there is no regional person at the professorial level at USP. There is no woman professor at the University which prides itself publicly for promoting gender equality. In addition, there is a regional female Associate Professor who has been acting head of a major school for several years (throughout Ahluwalia’s tenure) a renowned researcher with numerous publications with international peer esteem who should have been promoted to professor five years ago. Disregarding her holistic contribution to the institution, Ahluwalia and his committee failed to offer her even the standard five-year contract.
Regional staff are also appalled at the treatment meted out to Dr Guilio Massaso Paunga, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Regional Campuses) whose contract was not renewed or extended in accordance
with due process. Another regional staff member who loyally served the institution for 37 years and was pushed out is Dr Joeli Veitayaki. His application for promotion to the rank of Professor had been ignored.
Other regional staff left because they did not see future career prospects at USP are Dr Tui Rakuita, lecturer at USP but a senior lecturer at Otago University. Dr Litea Meo Sewabu who was responsible for the Social Work programme as a lecturer at USP, left two years ago and has been appointed at Associate Professor for Social Work and Communities at the University of Western Sydney.
Clayton Kuma of the Solomon Islands who for twenty years taught courses at the undergraduate and post graduate levels on Laucala Campus was not appointed to lecturer position on the Solomon Islands Campus even though the selection committee had recommended the appointment. This would have enabled him to apply to pursue PhD studies in Australia. The fact that he did not have a doctorate was used as an excuse for not appointing him at the lecturer level.
Then there was the earlier case of Dr Apisolome Movono who even after completing his PhD studies was expected to remain at the Assistant Lecturer level. He left to take up the position of a senior lecturer at Massey University in New Zealand. Katy Napwat and Naomi Bolenga left the Emalus Campus, Vanuatu in frustration at the lack of attention to campus administration and the unsatisfactory facilities and services there.
Others who have left are Dr Tammy Tabe, PACE-SD (now at the University of Hawaii), and Dr Viliamu Iese, Dr Nacanieli Rika who was acting Head of School Accounting, Finance and Economics. Those listed are not the only cases of regional staff who have left. It provides a brief snapshot of good regional people leaving because of the failure of the USP administration led by Professor Pal Ahluwalia to provide an enabling and supportive environment at the regional institution.
It is regrettable that although more than 90 percent of staff members of the two USP staff unions have expressed their lack of confidence in Professor Pal Ahluwalia’s leadership through both the performance review of the VCP and vote at Council, the University Council voted (13:10) to extend his contract for 2 years even though he is over the retirement age of 65.
The Association of USP Staff and the USP Staff Union strongly urge the Council to review its decision regarding the extension of the VCP contract and to terminate his employment at the end of his current contract. The Council must also review the criteria for appointing the next VCP. It reinstates that the eligible applicant must have taught, researched, and worked in the USP region, and remove the requirement that eligibility is limited to those who are of professorial rank.
The best USP vice-chancellors have not always been professors, yet this criterion has been wielded to exclude competent and capable regional applicants.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
