On July 20-21, 2023, USask welcomed Dr. Pal Ahluwalia (PhD), USP’s vice-chancellor and president, to USask’s main campus in Saskatoon. Ahluwalia was hosted by Dr. Airini (PhD), USask’s provost and vice-president academic, and met with USask leaders, faculty, and staff during his visit, including Dr. Baljit Singh (PhD), vice-president research.
Ahluwalia, a USask graduate, said his father always encouraged him to pursue post-secondary education, and throughout his career he has witnessed firsthand the doors that education can open.
“I think education is the most powerful tool for transformation,” Ahluwalia said.
Ahluwalia and Airini first met at a breakfast in 2022 in New Zealand, where Airini grew up and where she earned degrees at the University of Canterbury and Massey University prior to her PhD studies at the University of British Columbia. Both university leaders felt it was a natural fit to discuss how USask and USP could collaborate, given Airini’s ties to the South Pacific nation of New Zealand and Ahluwalia’s ties to Saskatchewan.
“We said, ‘We should be working together and doing more things together.’ We’re really exploring where we might partner,” said Ahluwalia.
Airini said it’s important that universities around the world work together to help solve the biggest challenges facing the world today, such as climate change, and food and water security. Through its University Plan 2025, USask has articulated its bold ambition to be the university the world needs. Airini noted that the University of the South Pacific is located in the Pacific, which comprises one-third of the surface of the globe.
“USask aspires to be of service to the world. The discussions this week build on that potential. The University of the South Pacific is at the leading edge of learning and scholarship in the part of the world that makes up a third of our planet,” said Airini. “We appreciate the opportunity to share about USask programs and research, and to learn about innovations and initiatives that are happening in the Pacific, where the University of the South Pacific leads.”