Dear alumni

This edition of the NWU & U is once again packed with articles about the activities and achievements of the NWU and its alumni.

Topics range from new senior appointments, research excellence and university spokespersons winning awards at the NWU to alumni playing leading roles in South Africa and Africa, changing the lives of people for the better.

Reading the articles in this edition leaves no doubt: our alumni are ploughing back the knowledge they gained at the NWU for the benefit of humankind. They start and manage welfare organisations, write books, take their place among young African leaders, excel as South Africa’s best human resources practitioners and teachers, and take up the reins at South African universities.

In the article “This is a win-win situation”, Dr Sammy Thekiso, the president of the NWU Convocation, stresses the importance of alumni supporting and being involved with the university. In essence, it is that beautiful part of the human spirit that prompts us to “give back” and “pay it forward”.

A quick search on the internet reveals that many alumni from well-known universities have done just that. You will probably recognise a few names among the famous alumni, ranging from film and sports stars to writers, politicians and scientists.

Harvard University in the USA, for instance, counts Mark Zuckerberg, John F Kennedy, Al Gore and Matt Damon among its more than 300 000 alumni living in 200 countries. Famous alumni from Cambridge University in the UK include Stephen Hawking, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, John Milton and Oliver Cromwell, while the Sourbonne (the University of Paris) produced names such as Marie and Pierre Curie, John Calvin, Voltaire, Francois Mitterand and Emmanuel Macron.

Don’t miss the next edition of the NWU & U, as we will announce the names of this year’s recipients of the NWU’s alumni awards. Just as the world’s big universities acknowledge their alumni who make a difference, we too celebrate our exceptional alumni through these awards.

Happy reading,

Nelia and the

NWU & U team