During a virtual ceremony on 25 November, we acknowledged our staff for their exceptional contributions to teaching and learning, research and innovation, and community engagement.
Excellence
awards
COLLEAGUES!
These torchbearers were honoured during the first-ever NWU Excellence Awards ceremony. The event, which was streamed online, brought staff in the three key areas of the university together in a fresh new awards format, replacing the separate functions that used to be held.
Researchers and innovators recognised for excellence
For the fourth consecutive year, Prof Marius Nel of the Faculty of Theology took home the coveted title of Most Productive Senior Researcher, while Dr Jess Auerbach of the Faculty of Humanities was named Most Productive Junior Researcher.
Dr Martani Lombard of the Faculty of Health Sciences received the National and International Recognition and Membership Award for winning the Malaspina International Scholar Award. Prof Piet Koornhof and Jana Mathee of the Faculty of Humanities received the Creative Outputs Award.
National Research Foundation (NRF) ratingshere
Students Jacques Beukes of the Faculty of Engineering, Wessel du Toit of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Jealandri van der Westhuizen of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences were recipients of the Vice-Chancellor’s Medal. Willem Landman of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences took home an S2A3 bronze medal for original research at master’s level.
Click on the image above to watch the awards ceremony and to see our exceptional achievers receive their awards.
Community engagement champions get their due
Staff were recognised in seven categories for their active contributions to the NWU’s community engagement. For the first time a distinction was made between novice and established academics. Support staff and outstanding community partners also received recognition.
Click on the tabs to find out who the recipients of each award were.
NWU celebrates its best-of-the-best in teaching and learning
The NWU was ranked as one of the universities in South Africa with the best teaching and learning performance. Leading lecturers of 2021 were acknowledged for their work in taking teaching and learning to higher levels in six brand-new award categories.
Click on the tabs to find out who the recipients of each award were.
The winners of the Faculty Teaching Award will be announced at a later date.
University Teaching Excellence Award
Online Teaching Award
Teaching with Information and Communication Technology Award
Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award
Novice Teacher Award
University Teaching Excellence Award
Dr Sune van der Linde of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and Veruschka Carstens-Pelser of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences were honoured with the University Teaching Excellence Award.
Online
Teaching
Award
The Online Teaching Award went to Dr Kristien Andrianatos from the Faculty of Humanities.
Teaching with Information and Communication Technology Award
André Gouws, from the Faculty of Humanities, received the Teaching with Information and Communication Technology Award.
Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award
Dr Merna Meyer of the Faculty of Education received the Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award.
Novice Teacher Award
Skyler Jade Pedro (Faculty of Education), Erika Potgieter (Faculty of Education), Wayde Percival Douglas (Faculty of Health Sciences) and Duncan Peter Sutcliffe (Faculty of Health Sciences) received the Novice Teacher Award.
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Engaged Teaching and Learning Award
Engaged Research and Innovation Award
Outreach with Engaged Teaching and Learning Award
Volunteerism and Outreach Award
Sharing of Expertise Award
Scholarship of Engagement Award
Outstanding Community Partnership Award
Engaged Teaching and Learning Award
Dr Jess Auerbach and Prof Leenta Grobler received the Engaged Teaching and Learning Award as a Novice awardee and an Established awardee respectively.
Engaged Research and Innovation Award
Prof Petra Bester, Dr Christi Niesing and Karlien van Schalkwyk from the Faculty of Health Sciences received the Engaged Research and Innovation Award for their Wellness Project and the Sustainable Health and Well-being Project.
Outreach with Engaged Teaching and Learning Award
The Outreach with Engaged Teaching and Learning Award, recognising the best in-service learning directed at specific community needs, went to Prof Daleen Koen, Mianda Erasmus and Prof Vicki Koen for the Respect your SOLE project. They are from the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Volunteerism and Outreach Award
The recipients in the Established category of this award were Prof LJ Grobler, Prof Leenta Grobler and Danie Vorster from the Faculty of Engineering for the Nature Conservation and Food Distribution Project.
The Volunteerism and Outreach Award, which includes all additional services or activities performed by staff and students to assist communities in need (especially the local communities in which the university’s campuses are based), went to Dr Ankit Katrodia (Novice Award) from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences for various partnerships with the community and schools.
Prof Anna-Marie Pelser from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences also received the award in the Established category for the outreach to Phakisang Primary School’s Grade R class, the AngelCats Heaven Project, the Bottle of Hope Project and the Rotarus Old Age Home Project.
Hannes du Toit from the Faculty of Engineering, together with the Student Representative Council, received the award in the Support Staff Volunteerism and Outreach category for the Engenius Kids Project.
Sharing of Expertise Award
NWU specialists are often approached to share their expertise on various matters to empower people or solve problems. In this regard the Sharing of Expertise Award was presented to Ncobile Nkosi (Novice Award) from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences for several community engagement activities at various high schools, and to Adv René Koraan (Established Award) from the Faculty of Law for the NWU-Juta Mock Trial Competition.
Scholarship of Engagement Award
The Scholarship of Engagement Award, recognising collaboration between academics and individuals outside academia, was given to the Potchefstroom Law Clinic and the Mahikeng Law Clinic of the Faculty of Law. Prof Pieter Kruger from the Faculty of Health Sciences and Dr Aaron Tshidzumba from the Faculty of Humanities received awards for, respectively, enhancing mental health nationally and internationally, and contributing to digital skills development.
Outstanding Community Partnership Award
Wilna Store at Curro Academy Mahikeng and Trevor Rammitlwa, chief executive officer of NEMISA, respectively received the Outstanding Community Partnership Award for the Respect your SOLE project and for the NWU COLAB-E-AGRO-TOURISM project.
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TEACHING AND LEARNING
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
Prof Dan Kwagdi
“We are very proud of the NWU’s performance in the sector with regard to our rankings and ratings, locally and internationally.”
In congratulating the winners, Prof Dan Kgwadi, principal and vice-chancellor of the NWU, said the university is proud of all the award recipients for their exceptional contributions in making the university what it is.