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The guest speaker (third from left) at the Excellence in Research Awards was Prof Olive Shisana, honorary professor of the University of Cape Town. With her are Prof Dan Kgwadi, vice-chancellor of the NWU, Prof Nancy Phaswana-Mafuya, deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation, and Prof Frikkie van Niekerk, former deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation.
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The NWU’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences again took top honours at this year’s Excellence in Research Awards on 27 October. The faculty won the titles of Most Productive Senior Researcher and Most Productive Junior Researcher, just as they did last year.
Many outstanding staff members from other disciplines were also acknowledged for excellence in research, innovation, community involvement and creativity.
Tourism at the NWU continues to rake in the awards. Prof Melville Saayman from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences on the campus in Potchefstroom is the NWU’s most productive senior researcher for 2016.
Melville has now received this honour for the fifth time since 2009, demonstrating the consistent excellence of his research. He is the director of the research focus area Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society (TREES).
Prof Leon de Beer, also from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, is this year’s most productive junior researcher.
For the fourth consecutive year, the award for the most productive research entity went to Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society, a research unit in the Faculty of Theology.
The unit has a dedicated team of 19 permanent staff members and published an impressive 103 articles in accredited journals in 2016.
Research is the backbone
The guest speaker at the Excellence in Research Awards was Prof Olive Shisana, honorary professor of the University of Cape Town.
“Research is the backbone of development in any country. It offers solutions to the many challenges that society faces in all sectors.” She highlighted the three challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality that need to be addressed and where researchers can make significant contributions in realising the objectives of the NDP.
Among the top universities
Prof Nancy (Refilwe) Phaswana-Mafuya, deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation, says the NWU has a prominent international profile and impact. The university is ranked in the top five in South Africa and in the top 500 globally due to the hard work and dedication of its researchers and innovators.
She says the NWU is committed to increasing the number of NRF-rated researchers, new contract research projects, disclosures, patents, research and innovation themes, doctoral graduates and postdoctoral fellows, as well as research entities.
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are a hard act to follow
Prof Melville Saayman is the NWU’s Most Productive Researcher for the third year in a row. His research has made meaningful contributions to better tourism management.
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The trophy for Most Productive Junior Researcher went to Prof Leon de Beer of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.
Prof Ferdi Kruger, director of the research unit Reformed Theology and the Development of the South African Society, received the award for Most Productive Research Entity on behalf of the unit. It was the fourth win in a row for the entity.