The University of Papua New Guinea is governed by the University Council and led day to day by the Vice-Chancellor and the senior management team. This page sets out who holds each of those offices, who leads the academic Schools, and who runs the divisions that keep the University working.
Authority at UPNG runs in a single line, set by the University of Papua New Guinea Act 1983.
The University Council is the University's governing body. It is chaired by the Chancellor and carries final responsibility for the University's statutes, its budget, its property and the appointment of its senior officers. The Council appoints the Vice-Chancellor under Section 28(1) of the Act.
The Vice-Chancellor is the chief executive officer, accountable to Council for everything the University does — academic standards, staff, finances, campuses and the University's standing with government, industry and partner institutions.
Reporting to the Vice-Chancellor is Senior Executive Management: the Pro Vice-Chancellors, the Registrar and the Chief Finance Officer. Between them they hold the academic, planning, administrative and financial portfolios of the University.
Below that, the University divides in two. The five Schools and the Open College teach and research, each headed by an Executive Dean accountable to the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic). The support divisions — admissions and records, finance, ICT, the library, facilities, security, health, human resources and the rest — each report to a director or division head.
Four bodies carry the University's decisions. Knowing which one owns a question is the quickest way to have it answered.
The governing body, chaired by the Chancellor. It approves the statutes, the budget and the Strategic Plan, appoints the Vice-Chancellor and the senior officers, and holds the administration to account for the University's performance.
Chaired by the Vice-Chancellor and made up of the Pro Vice-Chancellors, the Registrar and the Chief Finance Officer. It runs the University between Council meetings and is where University-wide operational decisions are made.
Academic decisions on curriculum, assessment and staffing sit with the Schools, under their Executive Deans. A matter that starts with a course coordinator escalates to the Head of Division, then the Executive Dean, before it reaches the University's executive.
The office that services the Council and its committees — papers, minutes, official records, statutes and policies. It reports to the Chancellor rather than to the administration, which is what keeps Council's business independent of the executive.
Senior Executive Management is chaired by the Vice-Chancellor and is answerable to the University Council for the academic and administrative performance of the University. Two of these posts are currently being recruited to.
Vice-Chancellor
Office of the Vice-Chancellor
Chief executive officer of the University. Accountable to the University Council for academic leadership and standards, for the management of the University's staff, finances, campuses and assets, and for representing UPNG to the National Government, to industry and to partner institutions. Chairs Senior Executive Management and sits on Council.
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Student Affairs)
Position advertised
University-wide leadership of teaching and learning, academic quality and standards, research and research training, and student affairs. Supervises the Executive Deans of the Schools and the academic support divisions, and is the principal adviser to the Vice-Chancellor on academic matters.
The substantive Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) position is currently advertised, with applications closing 4 September 2026.
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Planning and Industrial Relations)
University planning and resource allocation, capital and infrastructure planning, and the University's industrial relations and staff development programs.
Academic and Student Administration
Position vacant
Heads Academic and Student Administration: admissions, enrolment, examinations, graduation and the University's academic records, and compliance with academic policy across the Schools.
The position is vacant. Enquiries are handled by Academic and Student Administration.
Officeholder to be confirmed
Bursary
The University's finances: budgeting, financial reporting and audit, student fees and receipting, payroll, procurement and asset accounting.
Secretary to the University Council
Governance Services Secretariat
Heads the Governance Services Secretariat, which supports the University Council and its committees — papers, minutes, official records, statutes and policies. Reports to the Chancellor.
Each of the five Schools is headed by an Executive Dean, accountable to the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) for the School's teaching, research, staff and budget. The Open College, the University's open and distance learning arm, is led by a Director.
Executive Dean
School of Business and Public Policy
Acting appointment
Leads the School of Business and Public Policy — accounting, banking and finance, economics, management and public policy — and its partnerships with the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy, the University of Queensland and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
Executive Dean
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Leads the University's largest and most varied School — anthropology and sociology, education, history, journalism, language and literature, political science, psychology and social work.
Executive Dean
School of Law
Position advertised
Leads Papua New Guinea's foremost law school, whose degree is the entry qualification for the PNG Legal Training Institute and for admission to practise.
The Executive Dean position is currently advertised, with applications closing 28 August 2026.
Executive Dean
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Leads the School based at Taurama Campus that trains the country's doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses and health science professionals, in partnership with Port Moresby General Hospital.
Executive Dean
School of Natural and Physical Sciences
Leads the School covering biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science, environmental science and geology — the disciplines behind PNG's resource, agriculture and environment sectors.
Officeholder to be confirmed
Open College
Leads the University's open and distance learning arm, which delivers UPNG programs through open campuses and study centres beyond Port Moresby.
The divisions that support teaching and research each report to a director or division head. The Registrar and the Chief Finance Officer, who head Academic and Student Administration and the Bursary, are listed under Senior Management above.
Officeholder to be confirmed
Human Resources Management
Staff recruitment, employment conditions, payroll, professional development and staff welfare across the University.
Officeholder to be confirmed
Centre for Human Resource Development
Staff development, skills training and scholarship administration, in partnership with Australia Awards and the PNG Department of Personnel Management.
Officeholder to be confirmed
Planning Division
Institutional research, quality assurance and long-range planning. Coordinates the University's Strategic Plan and reports progress against it.
Officeholder to be confirmed
Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
The University's networks, systems and technology services for students, staff and researchers across both campuses.
Officeholder to be confirmed
Library Services
The University's library system — the Michael Somare Library at Waigani, the Medical Library at Taurama, and the physical and digital collections behind them.
Officeholder to be confirmed
Student Services
Student accommodation and catering, welfare and student development, supported by two Deputy Directors and a satellite office at Taurama Campus.
Director, Physical Facilities Management
Physical Facilities Management
The built environment of both campuses — academic buildings, research facilities, residential accommodation, grounds and utilities.
Officeholder to be confirmed
Public Relations and Event Management
Media relations, public communications, University events and official publications. All media requests to the University go through this office.
Officeholder to be confirmed
UPNG Clinic
The University Clinic, which provides free healthcare to registered students — general outpatient care, specialist clinics, health promotion and emergency stabilisation.
Officeholder to be confirmed
Uniforce Security Services
Round-the-clock protection of the campuses and University facilities, operating 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Officeholder to be confirmed
University Bookshop
The bookshops at Waigani Campus and Madang Open Campus, supplying textbooks, reference books and stationery to students, staff and the public.
The role summaries and the governance narrative on this page are draft copy prepared by the web team from the University of Papua New Guinea Act 1983, from published University material and from the position descriptions in current vacancy notices; they await confirmation by the Office of the Vice-Chancellor. Where an officeholder is not named, the appointment has not been confirmed for publication. Direct contact details are yet to be supplied by most offices — use the linked office or division page in the meantime.