News
From Left: Professor Derrick Armstrong, SINU Vice Chancellor Professor Transform Aqorau, and Professor Angela Hill.
SINU Welcomes Two Volunteer Professors
April 10, 2025. Professor Angela Hill and Professor Derrick Armstrong have arrived at Solomon Islands National University (SINU) in Honiara to undertake the in-person stage of their volunteer assignments! They were welcomed by Vice Chancellor Professor Transform Aqorau at the Kukum Campus.
SINU, established in 2013, plays a vital role in providing quality, affordable education for the Solomon Islands. Professors Hill and Armstrong are supporting the University to achieve its goals and ambitions through Australian Academic Volunteers Abroad (AAVA)in partnership with the Australian Volunteers Program.
Professor Hill is leading a comprehensive review of academic programs and policies, developing strategies for successful accreditation in her role focused on Quality Assurance and the Student Experience (a 17-month hybrid assignment).
Professor Armstrong is providing strategic counsel on SINU’s goals, governance, and decision-making as Executive Mentor and Strategic Advisor (a 12-month hybrid assignment).
The Value of Partnerships
March 20 2025. The Australian Volunteers Program hosted a special event at Fed Square in Naarm/Melbourne, bringing together around 30 Australian-based organisations, program alumni, and staff from across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. The event highlighted the power of partnerships and provided an excellent opportunity for global connections.
Graham Schaffer, Chair of Australian Academic Volunteers Abroad, participated in a panel discussion alongside Rebecca Mitchell from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG), and program recruiters Karalaini Buiniu Kainoco and Tendina Kawage. The panel, facilitated by Lucinda Peterson from AVP, shared insights on sustaining authentic partnerships and emphasised the importance of locally led and driven, sustainable collaborations. They also discussed the future of partnerships, focusing on increasing in-person communication to strengthen connections.
Graham Schaffer, AAVA Chair said it was a pleasure to be part of the panel, “thanks AVP for the invitation to participate. It was a great opportunity to meet other Australian Partner Organisations and many Australian Volunteers Program staff from around the world.”
Photography credit: Australian Volunteers Program
Graham Schaffer, Chair of Australian Academic Volunteers Abroad, participated in a panel discussion alongside Rebecca Mitchell from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG), and Australian Volunteer program recruiters Karalaini Buiniu Kainoco (Fiji) and Tendina Kawage (PNG).
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From Left: AVP program recruiter Fiji (Suva) Karalaini Buiniu Kainoco, AAVA's Graham Schaffer, AVP Program recruiter PNG, Tendina Kawage and Rebecca Mitchell from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG).
Volunteer Opportunities for Civil Engineering, Computing and Psychology Professors in Fiji
23 August, 2024. AAVA is recruiting three Professors to volunteer at the University of the South Pacific in 2025, in hybrid roles both in-country and online.
The assignments in brief:
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Civil Engineering - Develop a roadmap for the civil engineering discipline and determine the pathway to accreditation for the civil engineering program.
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Computing - Support curriculum development in cybersecurity and/or data science.
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Psychology - Develop a framework and business case for a program of courses that support the professional development needs of local mental health practitioners.
Requirements
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Extensive experience at a senior academic level in civil engineering, computing or psychology.
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Experience in mentoring and supporting the careers of others.
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Program volunteers must be Australian citizens, or holders of a Permanent Residency Visa of Australia, or New Zealand residents in Australia with a Special Category Visa.
Application Process
Submit an expression of interest with a brief CV to graham.schaffer@academicvolunteers.org.au. Further information at https://www.academicvolunteers.org.au.
See for more information
Civil Engineering Professor at USP
Submission to the JSCFADT Inquiry into Australia's response to the priorities of the Pacific Island countries and the Pacific region
4 July, 2024
On Tuesday 11 June, AAVA made a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Inquiry into Australia's response to the priorities of Pacific Island countries and the Pacific Region.
AAVA's submission was developed in consultation with our university partners in the region.
AAVA recommended... "The Australian government should support direct, targeted and sustained academic volunteering by senior scholars to provide strategic academic leadership at universities in the Pacific Island countries, not to replace the need for the universities to recruit senior scholars, but to support the recruitment process and empower junior staff while doing so. "
AAVA's submission can be reviewed here.