King Tupou VI of Tonga confers degrees at USP Laucala graduation

King Tupou VI of Tonga, the 20th Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific, conferred certificates, diplomas and degrees earned by 713 graduating students at the Laucala Campus, on Friday, 6 September, 2013.

The king who was installed as Chancellor at a special graduation ceremony held in Tonga in July, was making his first visit to the University's Laucala Campus.

USP Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Rajesh Chandra noted that at its first graduation in 1971, the University’s first Chancellor, King Taufa’ahau Tupou VI had conferred diplomas and degrees to 30 of USP’s first graduates. He said since then, there had been many graduations with an increase in the number of students graduating from its regional campuses.

“This year we have recorded the highest number of students reaching almost 27, 000, … and we now have 14 campuses,” he said. USP had  graduated almost 40,000 students and the University was looking to expand with more campuses in the near future.

“In the most recent review of the Pacific Plan, the University was identified as the most successful regional institution with a strong reputation for quality, relevance, good governance, and accountability,” he said. 

He acknowledged the graduates and shared that the University community was as elated as they were, “for coming so far in their quest for higher education”.

Prof. Chandra told the graduates that “individually and collectively, as the ambassadors of the University of the South Pacific, you can make great beneficial and significant impact”.

Mantangia Tonga Online