Dear alumni

For the NWU, 2017 will probably stand out as one of the years when the “winds of change” blew at hurricane speed.

This year saw many new structures being implemented at the university, such as when our 15 former faculties were consolidated into five and executive and deputy deans were appointed.

This is not the first time the winds of change have swept through the NWU.

Back in 2009, in the very first edition of NWU & U, I wrote the following in the editorial: “Just after the merger, many students and staff members at the NWU probably felt out of their depth. As the character Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz said: ‘Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore’.”

Well, the winds of change have done it again – we, as NWU stakeholders, have been blown from our comfort zones into unknown territory. What’s more, we are not even standing on Dorothy’s yellow brick road – the road beneath our feet and stretching into the future is a vibrant purple. (Yes, the NWU’s new primary colour is purple, as displayed on this edition’s front page.)

Poor Dorothy. Change is not easy. It challenges and sometimes even angers us, but it also stimulates us to look at the world in a brand-new way.

We might sometimes feel that the “good old days” when we were students on one of the NWU’s campuses are gone forever. After all, we have seen new buildings erected, staff and students coming and going, and university structures changing.

However, some things stay the same, and one of those is the NWU’s drive to excel. We are as determined as ever to excel in innovative learning and teaching and cutting-edge research, thereby benefiting society through knowledge. But we want to do it as a unitary institution: one in mind and one in purpose.

Let’s embrace this united NWU and support it in its quest for excellence.

Happy reading and a wonderful festive time to you and your loved ones.

Nelia and the

NWU & U team