Whether you are thinking of visiting us, becoming a student in one of our programs, or just being a partner, the School of Business and Public Policy (SBPP) will be most happy to host you.
You will be part of a progressive and leading School that combines the best of business and public policy in its curriculum and teaching. You will enjoy the comfort of our modern teaching and research amenities, our friendship and support, and the eclectic environment of intellectual exchange and discourse.
We foster an environment of self-discovery, continuous learning, and critical inquiry. Students are encouraged to take ownership of their own studies, and excel, discover knowledge, and provide answers to some of the most intriguing questions about the economy, business, and public policy. The driving culture in our School is one of mutual respect, hard work, collective learning, and academic excellence. The quality and demand on our postgraduate programs - some of which are the only ones of their kind in PNG - reflect our philosophy of mounting internationally recognised programs here in the country. The fact that our School has attracted more than 19 000 applicants in the 2022 academic year for our undergraduate programs - a record which has surpassed all other School or Faculty enrolments in any university in PNG - is a clear indication that the SBPP is one of the most sought-after Schools among PNG universities. In the corporate section and the government, students from our postgraduate programs continue to make it to the top of the ladder, hold executive management positions, and contribute to nation-building in various capacities, which is our achievement of which we are proud.
Our school prides itself as having the best learning facilities, and students can expect to be taught by some of the best academics, with modern teaching aids and support facilities expected in any modern university. Our new, world-class SBPP building, together with our lecture theatres, have already become the hub for high quality teaching and learning, and have also been a centre-point for meetings and conferences for our external partners and stakeholders. The recently completed submarine cable connecting PNG and Australia will certainly expand the internet bandwidth and will be a game changer for teaching and learning - thanks to our Australian partners. At the SBPP, we are ready to maximise the opportunities afforded by a high-speed internet, and cannot wait to upscale our IT infrastructure for better teaching and learning.
We continue to invest our time and efforts in building alliances and international collaboration to improve the quality of teaching and research, and the results have been immensely rewarding. A key partner has been the Development Policy Centre at the Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, whose staff are embedded in the school to help teach and raise the quality of our undergraduate and postgraduate programs to world class. The same mutual cooperation between the School and the ANU has seen the joint hosting of the flagship conference, PNG Update, at UPNG, an increase in collaborative research, and the training of our academic staff at the postgraduate level at the ANU.
We continue to consolidate our partnership with the Australian Government through the Australian High Commission, and various other partners such as the ANU, the University of Queensland, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountants UK, the Bank of Papua New Guinea, ExxonMobil (PNG), the Department of Finance, and the PNG
Defence Force, to name a few. Many more organisations are showing interest and are coming on board. The growth of the school and the significant progress made in the quality of teaching and learning is evidence of the material and financial support that we have received from these organisations and many of our partners.
We believe in building PNG beyond the borders of UPNG, and have a strong commitment to UPNG’s mission of developing PNG. This is evidenced by the school’s strong capacity building portfolio that extends beyond the precinct of the university, and into the government and the public service. Several of our senior staff members continue to provide strategic policy advice to government, and are participants in key advisory panels in government and professional bodies. The experiences gained are put back into teaching, which enriches our students’ learning. Our staff continue to train public servants directly in the workplace through a range of academic programs as part of our capacity building efforts. This is in addition to our normal academic programs within the school and the university. Through that initiative, we have been able to build and consolidate alliances, draw expertise from within the public service to come and help teach our programs, and cross-fertilise learning in the public service and the university.
When you join the SBPP, you will be part of a vibrant team of staff and students that are constantly pushing the boundaries of learning, and you will be involved in many of our programs that we know will not only challenge you academically, but will also build your passion for extra-curricular learning and giving, networking, and nation-building.
So welcome aboard, you have chosen the right University and School!
Please take note of the contact details of the Executives:
Dr. Lawrence Sause
Acting Executive Dean
School of Business and Public Policy