7 Jun 2018

USP appoints new vice-chancellor and president

10:55 am on 7 June 2018

The University of the South Pacific has appointed a new vice-chancellor and president.

Pal Ahluwalia will formally take up the role in November, as the 10-year term of the current office holder, Rajesh Chandra, comes to an end.

Professor Ahluwalia is currently the Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom.

Professor Pal Ahluwalia has been appointed the new vice chancellor and president of the University of the South Pacific.

Professor Pal Ahluwalia has been appointed the new vice chancellor and president of the University of the South Pacific. Photo: University of Portsmouth

He was previously Pro Vice-Chancellor and Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of South Australia.

He has a PhD in Politics from Flinders University in South Australia and a Master of Arts from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.

His main research interests are in African studies, social and cultural theory, in particular, post-colonial theory and the processes of diaspora, exile, migration, and the complexities of identity formation.

Professor Ahluwalia said the University of the South Pacific has an opportunity to become a truly world-class institution.

He said its next phase of development should be to continue to build on its reputation for research that has the potential to change lives in the region.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs