Greetings everyone

It is once again an honour and privilege to update you about the NWU Council's first meeting of the 2025 academic year. We had an ordinary Council meeting on Thursday, 13 March, which was preceded by a successful workshop on 12 March 2025.

You may be aware that in November 2024, the NWU Council elected Dr Anna Mokgokong to serve as chancellor of the NWU for a second term which will come into effect from 2025 until 2029. We had the opportunity and privilege to host an event to confirm Dr Mokgokong as chancellor of the NWU during the evening of 12 March 2025. We acknowledge the presence of various esteemed guests, including the Premier of the North West province.

We are grateful for the role that Dr Mokgokong is playing within the NWU community. Her involvement and commitment to the NWU is highly appreciated.

Council noted that the 2025 academic year is well underway and progressing smoothly. We welcomed our 2025 first-year students during a successful Orientation Programme in February. We are pleased that we have managed to reach our 2025 enrolment target despite difficulties in the implementation of the new Student Information System. We appreciate that the implementation of a new student system is a mammoth task. However, we have emphasised that management should prioritise the system integration and enhancement to ensure that the upcoming application cycle runs smoothly. We will continue to monitor the situation and guide management accordingly.

Find my video message and an outline of the issues that our ordinary meeting of Thursday, 13 March 2025, dealt with below.

It is customary for the NWU Council to host a workshop prior to its first meeting of the year. The workshop focuses on some of the crucial issues or topics that affect the higher education sector globally and seeks to enlighten Council members and management about strategic risks, challenges and opportunities ahead. Our workshop on 12 March was extremely productive and focused on the following topics: Sustainability of funding of higher education institutions in South Africa The 2024 Culture Survey results and improvement plans; and The role of artificial intelligence in higher education.

Management, under the leadership of the principal and vice-chancellor, Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, presented a report to Council highlighting some of the high-level activities which are receiving attention. These include: Enrolment targets Teaching and learning environment; and Preparing the NWU for the Future of Jobs. Council noted with appreciation the forward-thinking approach and progress already made in various areas and congratulated the vice-chancellor and his team. View the presentation here.

Prof. Marlene Verhoef, NWU registrar, will retire on 31 December 2025. The recruitment process to appoint a registrar designate is underway.

The following policies and rules were approved, and will shortly be available here: Admissions Policy Alumni Relations Policy

In December 2024, Council approved the realigned NWU top structure. The subsequent phase of the organisational realignment project involves the optimisation of the middle and lower-level positions. Council noted progress regarding the finalisation of the project and advised management to prioritise the realisation of operational efficiencies. Council will consider management's final structure proposal once it is ready.

Council noted with appreciation the progress made in terms of addressing the challenges and opportunities pertaining to new infrastructure, upgrades and maintenance of facilities across the three campuses. Much has been achieved during the past few years, and a lot more is planned for 2025 and beyond. The achievement of equity of provision across our campuses remains a priority. Get a full picture of what is happening in this regard here.

The establishment of the NWU Medical School gained further momentum when Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, Minister of Higher Education and Training, earlier this year gave her full support to this project. During 2025, the NWU will finalise curriculum mapping, the design of study guides, and begin with the construction of the necessary infrastructure for the medical school. Critical staff appointments will also be made during 2025. On 22 April 2025, the official name of the Medical School will be revealed.

The task team responsible for the establishment of the school is currently addressing a number of issues, including the programme qualification mix and the infrastructure of the school. Various programmes are already in place at the university and will lay the foundation for future qualifications that the School of Mines and Mining Engineering will offer.

Once again, I wish all members of the university community only the best for 2025. We look forward to yet another successful academic year and to witness the final smooth implementation of the Organisational structure realignment project.

Thank you

Bert Sorgdrager
Chairperson: NWU Council