Greetings and a warm and friendly welcome to the Division of Planning and Development.

As we begin our journey at the start of the 2023 academic year, we would like to acknowledge the tireless efforts, contributions, and tremendous support of our development partners, donors, benefactors, parents, guardians, alumni, key stakeholders, and the DWU community in facing and managing the changes and infrastructural developments at Divine Word University. We hope to continue to renew this vital dialogue and partnership with you all, in the life and work of the University again this year.

The start of a new year provides an ideal time to reflect on where we have been and where we are heading as a learning community. This year’s theme, ‘The end of all knowledge, should be service to others’ invites us to achieve our primary purpose of serving national goals through our shared triple mission with all institutions of higher education in research, teaching, and community engagement, by sharing our knowledge, wisdom, skills, talents and resources.  Thus enabling us to aspire towards our vision to be ‘recognized nationally and internationally by our value-based innovative application of technology to enhance learning and teaching and to give the opportunities of higher education to as many learners as possible’.

For the Division of Planning and Development, this means placing an emphasis on work, self-reliance and service in line with the following strategic objectives of the DWU Third Decade Strategic Master Plan 2016 – 2026:

• Strategic Objective 4 - Productive Partnerships
• Strategic Objective 5 - Enhanced Staff Capabilities
• Strategic Objective 6 - Optimal Organisational Effectiveness; and
• Strategic Objective 7 - Financial Sustainability and Stability.

From these strategic objectives, we have focused on developing and implementing activities that include major and planned infrastructure developments, and building stakeholder relations to strengthen the progress of the University.

We invite you all to journey with us again this year, and look forward to working together with each of you, as we share the responsibility of transforming the way higher education is offered in Papua New Guinea.

Br. Rodney Pauru Sinipo

Vice President Planning and Development