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In a bold move to provide comprehensive, broad and quality higher education to the maritime areas of Fiji starting in Levuka, the University of Fiji today opened its office in the old capital, at Nasova.

The office was officially opened by the Acting British High Commissioner to Fiji, Her Excellency, Nicola Noble.
The University of Fiji offers certificate, diploma and degree programmes in a range of subjects including Law, Humanities and Arts, Science and Technology, Medicine and Health Sciences and iTaukei Studies.

Speaking at the opening, the Vice Chancellor Professor Shaista Shameem said that most of the University’s programmes will be offered in the on-line mode through the its unique teaching platform, TopHat. TopHat allows students to attend lectures from their own locations, thus minimizing transport and accommodation needs for students. Face-to-face classes are also available to the students by separate arrangement.
Professor Shameem said that the University was becoming well known for providing a different methodology in educational delivery by focusing on student-centered teaching and learning.

From this perspective, the classrooms in Levuka would become the physical environment, for example the sea and reefs for marine science classes, the first Government of Fiji Nasova location for constitutional law courses and the adjacent traditional buildings for courses in iTaukei Studies.

In a related significant educational strategy, the University is planning to appoint Ovalau’s traditional leaders as Adjunct Professors in iTaukei Studies so that students can learn from the best knowledge holders of the area.

The University will also appoint well-known Levuka residents as Ambassadors of the University to assist with its reach to the outlying maritime areas.

In her opening address the Acting British High Commissioner said that this is an important moment for the University of Fiji and the community of Levuka which is happening in the first Governor to Fiji’s house.

“It is particularly fitting that in a house that represents significant period of transformation, today we are knocking a new opportunity in this historic building making history once more by turning a state of historical ruins into a center of learning and cultural preservation. Repurposing a house to become a home to the very first University of Fiji office in Levuka.”

“The University of Fiji is the first and only institution that has developed a partnership with an entire town to assist in its development and the future plans are impressive.”

Also attending the openingg was the Royal Society of Arts Manufactures and Commerce Dr Erica Meyers-Davies and Dr Scott Phillips. Speaking at the opening, Dr Phillips said, the RSA was privileged to work with the University of Fiji and together they will shape change.

“It is equally exciting that the University of Fiji is opening a new hub university house here in Levuka. It means that the Island people can study a full range of higher education programmes offered by unifiji right here. It opens up a world of learning new ideas and research to the people of this town.”

“The RSA Oceania Board which includes Professor Shaista Shameem sincerely hopes that the University of Fiji’s students from this beautiful Island will be inspired to become junior fellows of RSA in the future.”
Mr Ben Naidu who represented the Levuka Town Council as Chair of the Board said that the first establishment of the University of Fiji in Levuka marks a historic milestone.

“The University of Fiji in Partnership with the University of Bradford has opened doors for higher education not only for the people Levuka and the Lomaiviti group but Fiji as a large.”

“This occasion is also a testament to the enduring spirit of Levuka as a birth place of Fiji.”

“Today we have fulfilled the dream of opening the University of Fijis office in Levuka which marks a beginning of a new era in Levuka. It represents the opportunities for our youth empowerment to education and a future where knowledge and learning pave the way for prosperity and development.”

The opening of the first office in Levuka represents a new chapter for the University of Fiji as it expands its reach and influence. This initiative not only provides accessible education to maritime students but also strengthens the relationship between the University and the Levuka community.
With 20 students already applying for registration on the opening day, the office is poised to be a gateway for higher education opportunities. Many more are expected to enroll in the coming weeks, signaling the start of a promising journey for the University and the maritime communities it serves.

All those attending the University of Fiji Graduation Ceremony, irrespective of their age group or station in life, should label themselves as ‘GenNext’ and take the responsibility to act in the public good on behalf of their people, their places and their planet.

This was the message given by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Shaista Shameem when addressing the graduating students, their parents, families and invited guests at the Saweni Campus.

Professor Shameem said that people of all ages who were attending the University’s graduation ceremony could provide a united and collective voice for all the generations, present and future, to combat the serious problems faced not only by Fijians but the whole world. Such problems included conflicts, gross human rights violations, shameless exploitation of people and natural resources, rampant profiteering in the name of industry and economic development, and unchecked abuse of power and privilege.

The generations to date, for example the baby boomers, Generation X, the millennials, and even Generation Z in parts, had all left behind a wrecked planet. She said it was their duty now, together with the current generation, to provide avenues, and not just band-aid solutions, for societal improvement on behalf of everyone especially the generations to come. This collective could define itself as GenNext as this term did not leave out any particular age group, said Professor Shameem.

Professor Shameem said the University of Fiji, with its human values foundation of education and its collective community outlook, served as a good anchor for GenNext. Not only was the University internationally accredited, it was also organizationally proficient, having being asked by significant stakeholders to help develop their strategic plans. For example, the University had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Levuka Town Council to assist the Council with its sustainable development plans.

As part of the MOU arrangements with the Levuka Town Council, the University would offer programmes for the whole community, including school leavers. The University’s special brand of education was holistic and inclusive which suited the unique culture of Levuka and Ovalau.

MOUs with other significant organizations across all sectors in Fiji were in the pipeline for strategic plan development.

Professor Shameem said the graduates of the University of Fiji were highly regarded by public bodies and the private sector due to the combination of strong formal qualifications and emotional intelligence in the graduate profile. This meant that the completion and employment rates of the University were second to none. The University’s data revealed that more than 80% of its graduates were employed in the public and private sectors and many were in senior positions. The University also encouraged self-employment and entrepreneurship that specifically protected the environment and people. The business model that destroyed the environment and exploited people and resources was discouraged at the University, she said.

To ensure that optimum quality higher education was provided to its students, the University’s outputs were assessed on a yearly basis. Outcomes related to nation-building and improving the world were also measured annually through the quality assurance unit of the University.

Professor Shameem said the University had a firm view of what a knowledge-based society should look like. Its students were carefully trained to ensure that when they graduated they would be leaders with their social responsibility chip confidently displayed.

She congratulated the graduates for being successful role models to all who came after them. A total of 327 students graduated from the University at the ceremony.

20^th November 2024

The University of Fiji School of Business and Economics Best Student Awards

The graduates of the University of Fiji’s School of Business and Economics stand out not only for the quality of their formal qualifications, but also for the soft skills and the human values foundation of their programmes in each of the Departments of Accounting and Finance, Economics and Management in the School. Thus, their employability in a new corporate world that valued community and environmental responsibilities, alongside the profit margin, was assured”

This was stated by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Shaista Shameem, as Chief Guest of the School of Business and Economics (SOBE) Awards Night held at the University of Fiji. The event was held to honour students at all levels who had exhibited exceptional results in their programmes and to reward them for their hard work and dedication to their studies.

Prominent Sponsors of the Awards Night were Jacks of Fiji, Punjas, Sun Insurance, Ernst & Young and LICI.

In thanking the sponsors for their support, Professor Shameem said that the University of Fiji had a deep-seated human values foundation, meaning that the programmes offered by the University included the basic attributes of ethics, integrity, humanity and public good principles.

She said that one of the essential lessons students learnt was that whatever business or work that they did must be influenced by doing good to humanity and to all living creatures, as well as to the planet.

‘’In view of the ecological and climate crisis facing the world, we need to show how we can conduct ourselves and run our businesses and corporations without making it impossible for the next generation, and indeed the planet, to survive”.

Professor Shameem said that corporate responsibility was an important part of the University’s focus as its graduates had to illustrate by example that conducting business for profit did not mean that they had to destroy the planet in the process. This meant that, as a matter of urgency, everyone had reconsider ways in which work, employment, the economy and productivity were to be defined.

“Corporations need to look at their carbon footprint and re-examine their business practices to ensure that harm to people and the environment was eliminated”, she said.

The University was looking to forge partnerships with entities which had similar respect for such human values. It also encouraged its graduates to seek employment in industries that expressed such corporate responsibility and sustainable business practices in their strategic and operational plans.

Professor Shameem said that graduates who received the Awards will be an asset to any future employer as they had acquired not only top-notch formal qualifications with international accreditation but also the soft skills required by forward-looking and socially and environmentally responsible corporations and public bodies.

School of Business and Economics – Awards 2024