PACIFIC/SAMOA: Pacific Studies Council Seeks Best Teacher and Researcher

SAMOA: Pacific Studies Council seeks best teacher and researcher

A new council linking universities and research centres is encouraging 
Pacific Islanders to become more involved in Pacific studies. And they're 
seeking nominations for the best researcher and best teacher on Pacific 
issues from around the region.These awards will be presented later this year 
at the inaugural meeting of the International Council for the Study of the 
Pacific Islands, supported by the United Nations Cultural Organisation 
UNESCO. 

To listen:
http://www.abc.net.au/ra/pacbeat/stories/m663858.wma


Presenter/Interviewer: Nic Maclellan 
Speakers: Dr. Asofou So'o, Chair of the International Council for the Study 
of the Pacific Islands 

SO'O: It was formed in June 2001 under the auspices of the UNESCO office 
Apia, and our main task was to organise the inaugural meeting of the Council, 
which is what is happening in December this year.

MACLELLAN: What range of institutions are eligible to join the new Council?

SO'O: All institutions with interest in the study of the Pacific islands, 
universities mainly and research institutions.

MACLELLAN: Is it open to libraries, colleges or even non-government 
organisations?

SO'O: Yes, we haven't finalised details but logically those institutions 
should also be part of the Council since they all have interests in the study 
of the Pacific Islands.

MACLELLAN: The Council has called for nominations for an award to be 
presented at the inaugural meeting, two awards indeed, for the Pacific Island 
Teacher of the Year and Pacific Island Researcher of the Year. How did these 
awards come about?

SO'O: Since the Council is to do with research of the Pacific Isdlands, 
encourage research on the Pacific Islands and to encourage Pacific Islanders 
to do those research, we thought that one way of encouraging that sort of 
thing to take place is to present awards on teaching and research. 

For research we decided to break it down into two categories: one is for 
established researchers, people who've been there for a long time, have 
published a lot of articles, written a lot of books, so there will be a 
category for those people, those kind of researchers, and the other category 
will be the new emerging researchers. 

So there will be these two awards: one for the established researchers and 
the other one for the emerging researchers, and the intention was that the 
people eligible for nomination to these awards would be people in the 
tertiary institutions. 

MACLELLAN: Are there other awards proposed for the inaugural meeting in 
December?

SO'O: There will be other awards. There's an award that's currently awarded 
by University of Auckland, another one by the Australian National University, 
all to do with researchers on the Pacific. Those ones will be awarded by the 
Council as from December this year.

There was also a proposal by the University of New Caledonia that they also 
have an award on the best thesis that's presented to the University. They've 
also proposed - and our Executive Committee has agreed - that that award will 
also be presented by the Council. 
04/08/2003 



SOURCE: Pacific Beat, Radio Australia