University in Fiji “A Testament to God’s Faithfulness,” School Leader Says

Church leaders didn’t know what to do. In 2008, after many decades on a campus near Suva, the capital city of Fiji, the owners of the land where Fulton Adventist University College was located rejected the terms of a new lease agreement. Then, in contempt of court, landowners issued the Adventist educational institution an eviction order.

Leaders decided to relocate the school to Sabeto, near Nadi, on the other side of the island. What initially appeared to be a major setback became a blessing in disguise. The new campus, located near Fiji’s main international airport, opened in 2014. Today the institution, now known as Fulton Adventist University (FAU), enjoys easy access to a growing international student population. Students from around the world pursue its programs both on campus and online. “Twelve years later we can say that what seemed the end of the road became a new and better beginning,” school leaders say.

Committed to Mission

According to Ranjith Kingston, recently appointed deputy vice-chancellor for academics, FAU has approximately 700 students in the dorms (400 women and 300 men), another 280 students who commute from nearby villages every day, and more than 1,000 distance learning students. “Improving transportation options is key is this new configuration,” he explains.

The school is fully committed not only to the mission and vision of Adventist education but also to the church outreach and mission goals in the area and beyond, Kingston added. “Our education program students have completed their practice requirements in schools not only in Fiji but also in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands,” he reported. “Business students, on the other hand, have completed internships at area businesses, and theology students are supporting the church’s evangelistic efforts as part of the Tonga for Christ initiative.”

Building on a Long Tradition

FAU builds on a long tradition of Adventist presence in the area. According to the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, the first Adventists to Fiji arrived on August 3, 1891. In 1896 John and Susie Fulton arrived from New Zealand.

“John Fulton believed that the education of indigenous workers was an important part of mission and the greatest contribution expatriates could make to the mission of the church,” the Encyclopedia states. “The initial plan for educating Fijian workers was to have them attend Avondale College in Australia, but this proved too difficult, because of the challenges Fijians faced leaving Fiji and the level of English competency required by Australia for student visas. Consequently the first Fijian Church Council in November 1903 decided to develop the Fiji Training Institute. It was an ambitious development for a newly established organization comprising just 150 members in four churches.”

The university traces its roots to the training institute commissioned by Fulton, superintendent of the Fiji Mission. The school opened in 1905 and celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2025. Although it operated under several names over the years, it eventually took Fulton’s name to honor his legacy.

Into the Twenty-first Century

According to school leaders, FAU remains committed to not only Christian education but to the highest possible standards of education. The school has been accredited by the Adventist Accrediting Association (AAA) and the Higher Education Commission. Its business program is registered with the Fiji Institute of Chartered Accountants (FICA), which regulates accounting standards and professional ethics. At the same time, its theology program is part of the South Pacific Association of Theological Schools, Kingston shared.

FAU is making efforts to upgrade its services in every area. This includes working to improve their dorm facilities through an innovative system of collaboration with various region church territories. “We offered several fields to build small residencies for students from their respective territories,” Kingston explained. “We provide the land; they build the apartments and collect the rent, if applicable. After a set number of years, the facilities will be transferred to FAU as agreed upon.”

The school is also making its best efforts to update their computing lab and the services that it provides to students. Thanks to a partnership with Montemorelos University in Mexico, FAU has incorporated the Montemorelos Student Management System, Kingston reported.

At the same time and despite the advances needed for a higher education school in the twenty-first century, FAU hasn’t forgotten the wholistic principles of Adventist education. An extensive plot of land is devoted to growing fruits and vegetables, which help provide nutritious, healthful produce to students. Its gardens include a yearly harvest of guavas, papayas, mangoes, avocados, and coconuts. The school plantation also includes cassava and various vegetables and root crops, Kingston reported. “And at the school cafeteria, students enjoy homemade bread and, twice a week, some fish,” he said.

Contribution to the World Church

According to the Encyclopedia the first missionaries from FAU went to serve in Papua New Guinea in 1908. “Since that time, following their example, many other graduates and students have served as missionaries throughout the western regions of the South Pacific,” it states.

It adds that “since the first official graduation from Fulton Missionary College in 1949, more than 3,700 students, of which almost half have been teachers, have graduated to serve the church and communities throughout the South Pacific.”

It’s a legacy that FAU is committed to keep honoring, school leaders said. “Always serving, always thinking of others first.”

In a recent statement to Adventist Record, vice-chancellor Ronald Stone emphasized that he had no doubts about the origin and scope of the school’s achievements. They are “a testament of God’s faithfulness, of Adventist education’s perseverance, and to the power of a shared mission for others until Jesus comes again,” he said.

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Exterior view of the new chapel on campus. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

The new campus in Sabeto, near Nadi is just 12 years old. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

A student from Egypt smiles by the sign with the university name and motto. The school celebrated 120 years in 2025. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

The new campus has prime access to an international airport, which has helped the school’s prospects. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

Kirata Kaitarawa, dean of men at Fulton Adventist University. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

Partial view of the Fulton Adventist University campus in Sabeto, near Nadi, Fiji. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

Land ready to sow. The school has a garden where guavas, papayas, mangoes, and other fruits grow, besides cassava and green vegetables. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

A batch of multigrain bread ready to be placed in the oven at the school cafeteria bakery. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]