The NWU’s newly placed senior management members are enthusiastic and committed – this much is clear from their comments about their appointments and the road ahead.
These placements are part of the restructuring process aimed at realising a unitary model for the university, and include deputy vice-chancellors and executive deans, some of whom are acting until the positions are filled.
Click on the images below to see what these NWU leaders have to say about taking their portfolios and faculties forward towards transforming and positioning the NWU as a unitary institution.
Prof Robert Balfour
Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning
Teaching and Learning is key to student experience. In this office, all our efforts are geared to empowering and enabling students not only through what is learned and how the learning occurs, but also in the interaction between students and academics.
Academic transformation of the academy, and transformation of the curriculum, are thus mutually inclusive activities. These are exciting and enabling projects; they energise us by prompting us to think afresh about relevance and our futures. They inspire us to take to heart our commitment as a university to social justice, using it to shape a curriculum that is genuinely inclusive and future-oriented.
Prof Awie Kotze
Executive Dean: Faculty of Health Sciences
I am committed to providing an equal and enabling environment for each staff member to manage the operational delivery, development, advancement and implementation of best practices in teaching and learning and in research and innovation across campuses, to achieve the unitary NWU and faculty strategy and plan.
The faculty will strive to understand the multiple skills required in a complex healthcare system with a high-skills/low-skills continuum emanating from the healthcare needs of a diverse society and the need to maintain the highest ethical standards.
We are looking forward to expanding the clinical training platform, especially on the campuses in Mahikeng and Vanderbijlpark, by introducing new and innovative programmes and qualifications aimed at serving the healthcare needs of our country. Your Health Starts Here.
Prof Elsa Mentz
Acting Executive Dean: Faculty of Education
The new Faculty of Education will help meet South Africa’s need for committed teachers who can make a difference in classrooms and beyond. This we will do through contact and distance modes of delivery. We will also conduct research that attempts to address the challenges of education provision in a developing country. Going further, we will extend the number of our research entities with a view to diversifying and acknowledging the variety of research interests in the faculty. The type of community engagement that we will focus on will seek to make schools and their support communities caring spaces.
In working towards all this, I will support the identity and values of the NWU as a unitary multi-campus institution. Through regular joint meetings at all levels of the Faculty structure, I will strive to build a sense of belonging and shared commitment among staff.
Prof Robert Balfour
Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning
Teaching and Learning is key to student experience. In this office, all our efforts are geared to empowering and enabling students not only through what is learned and how the learning occurs, but also in the interaction between students and academics.
Academic transformation of the academy, and transformation of the curriculum, are thus mutually inclusive activities. These are exciting and enabling projects; they energise us by prompting us to think afresh about relevance and our futures. They inspire us to take to heart our commitment as a university to social justice, using it to shape a curriculum that is genuinely inclusive and future-oriented.
Prof Fika Janse van Rensburg
NWU Vice-Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Potchefstroom (acting)
The fact that the NWU is a unitary multi-campus institution is a major asset. The stronger each of our three campuses is, the stronger the NWU is. I look forward to developing the unity of the NWU in my dual capacity – as deputy vice-chancellor for the campus in Potchefstroom, and as vice-principal of the whole NWU. I want to contribute to the notion that, on the one hand, every campus uses its own unique identity optimally for the benefit of the NWU, and on the other hand expands this identity to create a common NWU identity.
In this way I want to make the words of our university anthem ring true: “Three strong streams united flow!” The stronger every stream flows and the better each stream’s origin is protected and developed, the stronger these streams flow together as one mighty river.
Prof Sonia Swanepoel
Executive Dean: Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
I believe the sum is greater than the parts, thus a unified whole can achieve more than individuals or individual faculties. With the unification of the three former faculties into the newly established Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, we will not only be able to share resources, people and expertise to realise the NWU's vision, but also have a vast pool of diversity that will enhance different views and encourage rigorous debate and constant communication to enhance social justice.
Plans, objectives and goals can only be achieved by people (the key element for success). Good leadership therefore creates an enabling, empowering environment and a conducive culture for growth as part of a performance culture embedded in the NWU's values to take our faculty to even greater heights.
Prof LJ Grobler
Acting Executive Dean: Faculty of Engineering
Our faculty will focus on expanding its footprint to the other two campuses. This will be done by developing new programmes on the other two campuses and also by collaborating with other faculties on strategic projects.
We also aim to contribute to social justice by focusing on relevance to communities, the region and South Africa through the development and application of sound, sustainable engineering systems.
In addition, we will focus on increasing accessibility to the university for all students and will continue to focus on excellence in teaching and learning, research and innovation.
Prof Linda du Plessis
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Vanderbijlpark
Helen Keller once said: “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” This statement is the key to success for academic excellence in a unitary NWU, and I am excited to be part of this.
I want to work towards greater NWU involvement in Gauteng; connecting people and ideas with one another; promoting and extending multilingualism rather than taking something away, and encouraging justice.
The campus in Vanderbijlpark is situated in an area with high unemployment and it is therefore important that we support the young people in the community to gain access to higher education, empower them to be successful in their studies and deliver graduates who satisfy the requirements of business and industry.
Prof Eno Ebenso
Executive Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Though a challenging position, I will try my best to steer the faculty transparently and with integrity.
This new strategy is very good for the NWU as a unitary institution and will align all our academic programmes in terms of teaching, learning and research.
It will also promote equity in resources and infrastructure.
Prof Stephen de la Harpe
Acting Executive Dean: Faculty of Law
The next few months will be an exciting time for the new Faculty of Law. It is not often that one has the opportunity and privilege to be part of establishing a brand-new faculty with a new identity.
I would like the unitary faculty, staff and students to embrace the vision of a unitary university in all respects, right from the word go. We need to establish and implement best practice with regard to our core business and governing the new unitary faculty.
In the short term the faculty must put a successful LLB improvement plan in place and address the issues highlighted in the Council on Higher Education report. During the transition period the faculty must also maintain its momentum with regard to its core business and keep its focus.
Prof Lumkile Lalendle
Executive Director: Student Life
I plan to work with all stakeholders to improve the student experience at all NWU campuses.
My primary focus will be on improving the institutional student culture, to communicate better and to promote an equitable allocation of life chances and opportunities to students. This portfolio will enable us to work as a collective to promote social justice at our university and within the communities we serve.
Prof Marilyn Setlalentoa
Executive Dean: Faculty of Humanities
The faculty includes languages, communication studies, social sciences, government studies, music and philosophy. One of our goals is to develop students’ capacities for employment, dialogue and innovation to meet the demands of the complex and multicultural global societies. We also want to create an interactive, conducive, dynamic teaching and learning environment that promotes success.
Other goals include paying special attention to staff talent management to create a productive work environment and maintain high morale, and contributing scientific knowledge through research and innovation to make the world a better place. We would also like to celebrate and embrace diversity and a strong commitment to social justice, and become engaged citizens through knowledge sharing and skills transfer for the benefit of the university and our communities.
Prof Rantoa Letšosa
Acting Executive Dean: Theology
The Faculty of Theology has been among the forerunners of a unitary institution, with its whiteboard courses across campuses in the past and its alignment of certain modules where theology had a footprint on more than one campus. The new unitary structure brings forth greater opportunities to expand the programmes and further build theology across campuses. This would be one of the first things on my agenda.
The faculty has also been outstanding in its research and the idea is to expand this by creating even better mentorship programmes to prepare upcoming academics for rating.
It is also my dream that the faculty should be more visible in the community and attract more students. For this, I will encourage the faculty’s academics to play a bigger role in social responsiveness, community engagement and the sharing of expertise.