UNIVERSITY of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Findlay has resigned with immediate effect, citing an irreconcilable breakdown in his working relationship with the Chancellor, alleged bullying and intimidation, disagreements over university governance and serious concerns for his personal safety.
In a strongly worded resignation letter dated 2 November 2026 and addressed to his colleagues, Professor Findlay revealed that his decision to leave the country’s premier university followed a prolonged deterioration in his relationship with the Chancellor, whom he accused of persistently undermining his leadership and the university’s reform agenda.
Professor Findlay said he and the Chancellor held fundamentally different views on the governance and management of a modern university, particularly regarding the respective roles and responsibilities of the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor.
He alleged that the governance disagreements were compounded by persistent bullying, belittling and disrespectful treatment from the Chancellor. He further claimed that such behaviour had also affected previous Vice-Chancellors, senior university executives and other members of the university community.
The final breaking point, he said, was the Chancellor’s alleged derogatory conduct towards him during a special UPNG Council meeting on October 28, 2026.
Professor Findlay described the incident as intolerable, saying it marked the final straw in an increasingly difficult working relationship.
He also referred to the July 2026 Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST) post-audit report, which independently raised concerns about the Chancellor’s conduct during an interview with the review panel.
According to Professor Findlay’s account of the report, the panel’s otherwise positive assessment of progress at UPNG was affected by the Chancellor’s interaction with its members, including his expressed lack of support for the review process, dismissal of its relevance and recommendations, initial refusal to answer questions and combative demeanour.
Professor Findlay argued that a Chancellor who dismisses an independent government review aimed at improving the university poses a serious threat to the reform programme and the institution’s future.
He maintained that meaningful reform at UPNG had become increasingly difficult, if not impossible, under the existing leadership arrangements, particularly when the Chancellor was allegedly undermining the very office responsible for implementing those reforms.
Beyond the governance dispute, Professor Findlay disclosed that concerns for his personal safety had also contributed to his decision to resign.
He revealed that he had already left Papua New Guinea following recent events, including what he described as direct threats against his personal safety.
His decision was further reinforced by a serious riot on the UPNG campus, which he described as potentially life-threatening.
Professor Findlay expressed particular concern over the Chancellor’s public statement that students involved in the rioting would face no consequences.
He said that despite improvements in campus security during his 15-month tenure, the recent disturbance demonstrated that significant challenges remained.
These developments, he said, had reinforced his belief that there was no longer a viable basis for him to continue leading the university under the current governance arrangements.
Professor Findlay maintained that he accepted the Vice-Chancellor’s position with a clear mandate to reverse more than two decades of institutional decline and transform UPNG into a modern, internationally respected university.
He acknowledged that the reform process was always going to be difficult but said the challenges were compounded by entrenched institutional practices and a lack of support for change at the highest level of university governance.
Despite the circumstances, he said his administration had made substantial progress in just 15 months.
He cited the July 2026 DHERST post-audit report, which recognised considerable improvements at the university, as well as his independent 12-month performance review, which assessed his performance as exceeding expectations.
Among the achievements highlighted in his resignation letter were improvements in the university’s financial position, stronger government audit compliance, modernisation of academic programmes, expansion of internet capacity,
improved campus security, new international university partnerships and the development of new academic programmes.
However, Professor Findlay said these achievements would be difficult to sustain without a shared commitment to reform between the Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor.
He warned that the continuing governance conflict posed an existential threat not only to UPNG but also to Papua New Guinea, given the institution’s status as the country’s national university.
In announcing his resignation, Professor Findlay expressed regret that he could no longer continue with the reform programme under the existing governance arrangements.
He also thanked university staff, students, government officials, development partners and other stakeholders who had supported his efforts to improve the institution.
UPNG management has confirmed Professor Findlay’s resignation, which takes immediate effect.
However, the university management, the UPNG Council and the Office of the Chancellor are yet to issue a formal response addressing the serious allegations raised by Professor Findlay, including claims of bullying, intimidation, interference in university governance and concerns for his personal safety.
The university community and the wider public are now awaiting clarification from the relevant authorities on the circumstances surrounding his departure, the governance issues raised and the future of the reform programme initiated during his 15-month tenure.
Until a formal response is issued, the allegations remain claims made by the former Vice-Chancellor and have not been independently established.
Professor Findlay’s resignation marks a significant development in the leadership and governance of Papua New Guinea’s premier university, raising wider questions about institutional accountability, university leadership, campus safety and the sustainability of reforms at UPNG.