Page 17 - Islands Business March 2024

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USP staff march at Laucala Campus on International Women’s Day.

Pacific talent/women in leadership On International Women’s Day earlier this month, members
The USP Council meeting in May last year heard concerns of USP’s unions held a march on Laucala Campus to protest
that management had not delivered on plans announced the lack of women academics at USP, and the lack of female
in 2020 to increase the presence of Pacific academics and representation in the SMT (which currently has only one
nurture women in leadership. female), according to AUSPS general secretary, Rosalia
A Council member, who asked not to be named, told Islands Fatiaki.
Business that at present, there are no academic staff at “As a starting point, the union would like to see at least 30%
professor or associate professor level working at USP in Fiji, females in the SMT and increase to 50% over time,” Fatiaki
who are from the region. said.
The Council member said in one instance, international Holland reacted to posts of the march on social media,
reviewers had approved the recruitment of a Solomon commenting that the number of women academics at USP
Islander to take up an Associate Professor post at USP, but the is declining and having no women in the SMT or among
recommendation had been overruled. professors was “outrageous”.
Union leaders have also expressed disappointment that “Both Fiji National University and National University of
the last remaining female professor at USP, Professor Samoa are led by capable women Vice Chancellors,” she said.
Elisabeth Holland, who was director of the Pacific Center “The number of remarkable Pacific Island women working
for Environment and Sustainable Development, finished in at and leading other CROP agencies (Council of Regional
December 2023 even though she was eligible for another year Organisations of the Pacific) is impressive. FFA (Forum
of employment. Fisheries Agency) is led by the remarkable Manu Tupou-
“Holland held an important post for the region and when Roosen.
you remove someone at that level, you are not putting the “Time to grow up boys!” she posted.
institution first,” said former AUSPS president, Elizabeth Fong. Holland declined Islands Business’ request for her comments
Holland was USP’s Professor of Climate Change from regarding her contract.
2012-2023. According to her profile on the USP website,
she has more than 30 years of climate change research Away from Suva
experience and has served as an author in all six cycles of the Ahluwalia has worked from Samoa since August 2021, after
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), winning a brief stint in Nauru.
the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize as part of the IPCC. According to Fong, the unions wrote to the Council in May
The USP website describes her as an “advocate for the 2023 asking for Ahluwalia to be brought back to Suva. But the
greater diversity and increased representation of women, Council did not make a decision. Fong said they were later
Pacific Islanders, and underrepresented minorities in climate informed by the acting Pro-Chancellor, Pat Walsh that the VC
change, earth, ocean and ecosystem science and research could not return to Suva because his contract did not allow it.
communities.” Fong said after USP hosted a welcome ceremony for
Islands Business’ questions to Ahluwalia, included whether Ahluwalia and Price in February last year, staff expected
concerns about the absence of support for Pacific academics him to return to Fiji, but he did not, and instead returned to
and women leaders was an issue among academic staff. Samoa.

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