The newly appointed Vice Chancellor for the Papua New Guinea University of Natural Resources and Environment in Rabaul, East New Britain has arrived in the country to take up his posting.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s Chief of Staff, George Bopi formally welcomed Professor John Michael Warren with his wife at the Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby on Monday.
Bopi was the former Pro Chancellor of the University who chaired the recruitment of Professor Warren.
He has since resigned from the position after he was appointed the Chief of Staff.
He said Professor Warren is the suitable person to manage and run the PNG UNRE to move the university forward with its core programs.
Meanwhile, Professor Warren said he has come to continue and promote the good things the PNG University of Natural Resources and Environment-PNG UNRE is doing and not to undo them.
‘’I am aware that there are some very good staff who are doing some very dedicated work already and the last thing I want to do is to come and spoil what is already good’’.
‘’So I am not about coming and throwing the bad apple out to the back water so to speak or in other words stop the good work that is already going on’’.
‘’But I am going to take my time to find out what the people here want from the PNG UNRE because it’s our job to produce the graduates that Papua New Guinea needs’’
He said that by having quality agriculture graduates who understand the needs and wants of the country they can be able to help the people to produce more food and wealth and that gives the country a workforce of people who are well fed who can do the jobs in the country.
Professor John Michael Warren joins the PNG University of Natural Resources& Environment from Aberystwyth in Wales United Kingdom.
He was Professor of Botany and Director of Learning and Teaching at the University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences.
He was responsible for around 25 under graduate degree programs, 10 MSc Scheme, 1,300 students, 75 members of staff and an annual budget of around K72 million.
Professor warren taught modules including, food farming and environment and the Agrienvironment.
Formerly a cocoa breeder, he worked on the world chocolate gene bank at the University of the West indies in Trinidad from 1990 to 1993.
His appointment as Vice Chancellor of PNG University of Natural Resources &Environment was endorsed by the National Executive Council of April, 4, 2016.
Professor Warren will formally take the post of Vice Chancellor on the 19th September when the official inauguration takes place at the Vudal University Campus in Rabaul, in PNG’s East Nsew Britain province.
His contract is for three years.