A few significant changes have already been implemented at the NWU in view of the new strategy and structure approved by Council at the end of last year.

 

Institutional management has approved the alignment of three important services. They are:

 

Protecting the NWU

 

All aspects of protection services across the NWU are being aligned under the strategic authority of Des Ayob, the current director for protections services on the Potchefstroom Campus. In conjunction with the relevant campus directors and managers, Des will determine and implement a working arrangement to ensure the strategic alignment.

 

This will ensure the optimal use of capacity and sharing of intelligence.

 

Recruitment of students

 

Student recruitment and market research, which include market strategies and materials, now fall under Theo Cloete, the current director for marketing and communication on the Potchefstroom Campus.  He will report directly to the executive director for corporate communication at the Institutional Office.

 

The objective is to coordinate all recruitment activities, support a more focused approach and eliminate wasteful overlapping.

 

Speaking with one voice

 

Control of all external and internal communication at the NWU will now be centralised in the directorate of communication at the Institutional Office. Louis Jacobs, currently the acting executive director of corporate communication, has been tasked to determine and implement a working arrangement in cooperation with the relevant campus directors and managers.

 

This will result in greater clarity when communicating to our internal and external stakeholders.

 

Groundwork

 

A great deal of groundwork has also been done to pave the way for the new management structure of the NWU. If everything goes according to plan, many of the changes will be implemented throughout the year, although some structural elements can’t be changed before the NWU Statute has been revised and approved.

 

Robert Kettles, chief strategy officer in the office of the vice-chancellor, notes that “a process of change can be unsettling. We would like to shorten the period of uncertainty as far as possible.

 

“We have developed a restructuring implementation plan and guided by it, we are outlining new roles, developing organograms and job descriptions, and looking at the functions of support services.”

 

Staff changes

 

Starting on executive dean level, the possible redeployment and placement of staff will continue throughout the year. These changes also necessitate changes in our systems, for instance the human capital system. The whole restructuring process will be finalised before the end of 2016.

 

 

 

 

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