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It is amazing how our vocabulary has changed during the past couple of months. Corona virus. Covid-19 pandemic. Lockdown. Social distancing. These are all words that weren’t on our daily radar a short while ago.
Yes, we are indeed living in a new reality – or, as some call it, the new normal. One of the words linked to this new normal is frustration. This is for instance what you are feeling when your pets and/or children kick up a racket while you are having an online meeting with your colleagues, your slippered feet neatly tucked away under the dining room table.
Fortunately, due to our species’ natural survival instinct, another word – with a far more constructive ring to it – is also cropping up these days, namely innovation.
At the NWU, thinking out of the box has become the order of the day for our staff members. Stretching their capacity and imagination to new limits, our IT department accomplished the almost impossible to enable online learning, while our academics went to great lengths to master new online teaching skills – all aimed at saving the academic year.
At the NWU we are also reaching out to communities outside our campuses. On the Eagi news page we link to various NWU Newsroom articles about our academics and students coming up with innovative ideas to help people and communities during these trying times.
You are probably also finding yourselves in somewhat uncharted waters these days. Let’s all be innovative – not only to survive the lockdown period, but also to turn challenges into opportunities. Please know that we at the NWU are thinking of you, our alumni.
Happy reading,
Nelia and the
NWU & U team
Editor
Nelia Engelbrecht
Editorial team
Belinda Bantham
Willie du Plessis
Bertie Jacobs
Maryke Laas
Phenyo Mokgothu
Christopher Motabogi
Tumelo Muteme
Marelize Santana
Kiewiet Scheppel
Annette Willemse
Language editing
Clairwyn van der Merwe
Design and layout
Karen Viljoen
Photography
Editorial team and service providers
For further enquiries / correspondence
Nelia Engelbrecht
Tel 018 299 4937 or nelia.engelbrecht@nwu.ac.za
The NWU & U is produced and published in English and Afrikaans by the Corporate Communication department of the NWU.
Alumni relations practitioners
Tshepisho Sebeela (Mahikeng) tshepisho.sebeela@nwu.ac.za
Abigail Leshope (Potchefstroom) abigail.leshope@nwu.ac.za
Zanele Ngobese (Vanderbijlpark) zanele.ngobese@nwu.ac.za
EDITORIAL
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The NWU’s brand stores recently donated R70 000 towards the university’s Covid-19 Response Fund. NWU mascot Eagi delivered the cheque to Elmarie de Beer, executive director for finance and facilities, at her home in a Covid-19-compliant way.
The Response Fund is aimed at equipping students with laptops and devices while also offering support to staff and all communities surrounding the university’s campuses. Click here if you would like to make a donation too.
NWU & U