The University of Waikato has proudly welcomed its inaugural Pacific Scholar in Residence, Professor Fui Asofou So’o, marking a significant milestone in the University’s journey toward embracing Pacific scholarship and community engagement.

This appointment represents a homecoming for Professor So’o, an esteemed alum who will spend the next three months on campus. During his residency, he will guest lecture, engage with staff and students, and continue writing the second volume of his constitutional history of Samoa.

Professor So’o's journey with the University began in 1977 when he received a scholarship from the Samoan government to attend Hamilton Teachers College. He went on to complete a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts, followed by a teaching stint in Tokoroa. He later returned to the University to pursue his master’s degree, graduating in 1989 before returning to Samoa.

“It feels good to be back, a lot of major changes since I was here last time. This building [The Pā] wasn’t here then, there was no Faculty of Law, there was no Division of Health – a lot of changes for the better,” Professor So’o reflected.

His return was sparked by a conversation with Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley during a visit to Samoa last year.

“I have a soft spot for the University, having been here in the late ‘70s and ‘80s. It was here that I had the first impression of being away from Samoa, and of university study, so there’s always that connection,” he said.

Professor So’o will be based at Te Piringa Faculty of Law, where he’ll guest lecture and connect with the University community 

“I would like to connect with our Pacific community; there are a lot of issues concerning cultural development to discuss. The space between different Pacific cultures, that conversation has always been interesting to me, we now have a much wider community,” he noted.

Recalling his early days as a student, Professor So’o remarked, “It has kept expanding over the 48 years since I first started here,” noting the steady growth of the Pacific student community since his time in the 1970s.

Assistant Vice-Chancellor Pacific Dr Keakaokawai (Keaka) Varner Hemi expressed her admiration for Professor So’o’s return and the significance of his presence on campus.

“It’s humbling to have someone of Professor So’o’s ‘chiefliness’ on campus,” she said.

Professor So’o previously served as Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Samoa for ten years and was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award by the University of Waikato in 2017. He holds 10 matai titles from the different families and villages of his parents.

“It is perhaps a sign of maturity that the University is at a point where we can have a scholar of his stature here,” Dr Hemi said.

She also emphasised the impact Professor So’o’s presence can have on emerging scholars.

“These young ones are still coming up, it can show them that research is something they might want to think about.

“In academia, we've known for a while we don’t have enough Māori and Pacific professors or lecturers. We know we must grow them at this young age. You might never think of it, most of us stumbled into it,” she added.

As Professor So’o reconnects with his alma mater over the coming months, he looks forward to contributing to both the University’s development and the broader Pacific community.