USP
The University of the South Pacific, as one of two regional universities in the world, is supported by 12 Pacific Island Countries – Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. The University graduated its first cohort of 32 students in 1971 and during the intervening years over 44,000 graduates have successfully completed their studies. Today the university has an enrolment of over 29,000 students studying in all 12 countries.
This regional composition of the staff and students, augmented by colleagues and students from outside the Pacific region, gives the university a healthy diversity of nationalities, religions, cultures, ethnic groups and languages. This diversity enriches the educational experience at USP and contributes towards lifelong friendships and connections within the region and internationally.
Strategic Research Themes
As a component of its current Strategic Plan, the University is mandated to operationalise interdisciplinary Strategic Research Themes (SRTs) before the end of 2012. The University now has seven fully-functioning SRTs led by the crème de la crème of USP academia. These are:
