Outgoing Vice Chancellor Recalls Leading Catholic University of South Sudan through War, Crisis

The political infighting brought to the light two factions of government forces, one loyal to Kiir and the other to Machar, in the violence that took place the streets of South Sudan’s capital city, Juba, where the CUofSS is headquartered.  

The violence quickly spread across the world’s newest nation, resulting in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians by the start 2014. The fighting continued as a brutal civil war that affected the entire country.

In his September 1 address, Fr. Pagan recalled, “One month after, the war broke out. Then I said Lord is that the reason you brought me from Malakal to Juba to have a war like this? And now the university is closing, there is no money, where are we going to get the money ... to pay the staff?”

“When we came in, the university was not accredited; it was not registered with the Ministry of Higher Education. The programs were not approved. It took us three years until 2017 to achieve the accreditation,” Fr. Pagan further recalled.

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He also recalled the early days of the CUofSS in bamboo structures and the mockery, “Father, you are the Vice Chancellor of that ‘rakuba’ near the river there? Are your students underwater?”

“When the Church starts a school, a university, the Church does not come and say we’re closed because it is bankrupt. The Church begins under a tree and it will grow … The time of the Church is determined by God; it’s not determined by us,” Fr. Pagan said, recognizing his resilience over the years.

He recalled, “There was nothing here … That was in 2013. Look at the grace of God today in 2025. So, God is good. And if you believe that God is good, imagine another 10 years to come, 15 years to come, and 20 years to come … great things will continue to happen because of the power that God has given us.”

Beyond infrastructure, he pointed to steady academic growth. The university began with just three programs in Juba and Wau. Today, it has expanded to more than 14, including Peace and Conflict Studies, Environmental Sciences, Communication and Media, Law, and Primary Education. New campuses in Yambio, Rumbek, and Malakal have also been established.

The canon lawyer, who earned his doctorate from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome and later a Master’s degree in Peace and Development at the University of Juba, credited the university’s resilience to the dedication of staff, students, and Church leaders.

Fr. Pagan paid tribute to his successor, Br. Dada, whom he lauded for his “patience, humility, and for being an integral part of the process of the history of the Catholic University of South Sudan since 2008.”

Charles Muchiri contributed to the writing of this story

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