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The Staff Newsletter
March 2015
SKA project to benefit from R50m investment at NMMU
Partnerships connecting SA
THE optical fibre research expertise of NMMU is
being recognised through the establishment of the
new Centre for Broadband Communication – a key
vehicle in shaping South Africa’s Internet connectivity going forward.
Nowhere will NMMU’s role be more noticeable
than at the world’s largest science project, the Square
Kilometre Array (SKA), as optical fibre forms “the
backbone” for aggregating tremendous amounts of
data gathered from what will be the world’s largest
radio telescope.
Department of Science and Technology (DST)
Minister Naledi Pandor will formalise a key partnership
with NMMU, the National Research Foundation (NRF),
the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR), SKA and Cisco when the Centre is officially
launched at NMMU on 26 March.
Along with the key partnership which broadly aims
to improve national competitiveness in the global
economy through improved science and technology
solutions, NMMU will
receive
The partnership with the
state-ofDST and CISCO is a tremendous
the-art
research
coup for NMMU
equipment
valued at about
R50m from Cisco.
NMMU researchers and students will also
collaborate closely with Cisco scientists on key
research topics. Cisco is recognised as a worldwide
leader in IT, committed to “connecting the previously
unconnected”.
In essence, this is what NMMU is aiming to achieve
through their research into new generation optical
fibre communication as a faster, cheaper, more
REASON TO CELEBRATE … Student Representative Council (SRC) members (from left) Zethu Sele, Brian Makasuitable alternative to the present ADSL broadband mure, Bax Nodada, Thanduxolo Bhengu and President Hlomela Bucwa release ten balloons on behalf of
connectivity.
NMMU’s students to symbolize the start of NMMU’s 10th birthday celebrations. The University has a number of
The seriousness with which Government views the events planned on the 10th of every month, starting with T-shirt Tuesday on 10 March.
importance of the broadband roll-out to all South
Africans by 2020 was highlighted in the recent Budget is on par,” says NMMU head of the Fibre Optics Unit kilometres.
“The partnership with the DST and CISCO is a
Prof Tim Gibbon.
where R1.1bn is being invested.
NMMU plays an integral role in South Africa’s Big tremendous coup for NMMU and the Eastern Cape,
“Access to the internet should be like your access to
water and air – something that you don’t even have to Data science project, the SKA, as it is reliant on next- and an exciting opportunity to produce South Africa’s
think about. If we want to be globally competitive we generation optical fibre communication systems newest optical communication scientists,” says Prof
need to ensure that our telecommunications network to transmitting terabits of data over thousands of Gibbon.
In this edition
increase
Online enrolments
1
3
Taking responsibility
maritime
Developments
4
housing
Increased capacity
5
arts
Accolades
11
Off with a bang
INTERNATIONAL and national news starts off
the year with NMMU receiving equipment valued at R45m for fibre optic research for the SKA
project and other national needs; German links
for Education; a visit from a Swiss delegation;
various marine initiatives and a global change
conference …
We are not only celebrating 10 years for
NMMU as a brand, but 40 years of nursing and
our first female SRC President since the merger.
We are proud of our cheerleaders for taking the top spot among other universities; our
top fashion graduates and first PASS employee
awards.
Other important news includes the large increase in online registration, an almost four per
cent enrolment increase, more summer gradu-
ation ceremonies as
part of NMMU’s student-centred administrative approach, more
student housing and
all the latest on the FRE and Enterprise Content
Management (ECM) system.
Read more about the interesting solar car and
other projects that are assisting staff and reducing our carbon footprint, and then we also have
a number of new top management appointments.
All the very best for 2015.
Please continue to send us your stories and
photographs.
Kind regards
Elma de Koker
Briefs
International award
COMPUTING Sciences’
Prof Janet Wesson
(right) was recently
awarded the IFIP Outstanding Service Award
for her contribution to
the Informatics Community by the General
Assembly of the International Federation for Information Processing
(IFIP). Prof Wesson has served as South Africa’s representative on the IFIP committee for
Human-Computer Interaction since 2000.
Chairperson
SCHOOL of ICT’s Dr Lynn Futcher (below)
has been formally appointed as Chairperson
of Working Group 11.8
(Information
Security
Education) of the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP).
Lynn was previously
the Secretary of this
Working Group.
International committee
ALUMNI EXCELLENCE … Dr Amber Anderson (from left), Dr Hanningtone Gaya, Nomkhita Mona, Baxolil Mabinya, Nicholas Hafner, Deon Schoeman, Tracy Cheetham and Garret Barnwell were the recipients of NMMU’s
2014 Alumni Awards.
Recognising alumni
THE NMMU Alumni Awards annually recognise
alumni who have gone the distance and beyond
in their various fields, to the benefit of society at
local, provincial, national and international level.
At the end of last year the Alumni Association
Executive Committee recognised in the spirit of
NMMU’s values Tracy Cheetham (SKA SA (Square
Kilometre Array South Africa) project), Russell
Domingo (Proteas head coach), Baxolile Mabinya
(group strategy executive for Dimension Data:
Middle East & Africa), Nicholas Hafner (National
Sales Director, Board member and shareholder of
Meridian Wine Merchants) and Isla Morley (full-
time writer and author of three novels), as NMMU
Alumni Rising Stars.
Dr Amber Anderson (human resource executive
of Coca-Cola Fortune), Garret Barnwell (president
of Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Southern Africa) and Dr Hanningtone Gaya (founder of seven lifestyle and business
magazines in East Africa) were the recipients of the
NMMU Alumni Special Awards. Nomkhita Mona
(CEO of SAFCOL) also received her 2013 Special
Award. The top Alumni Achiever Award recipient
for 2014 was Deon Schoeman (founder and managing director of Klinicare Pharmacies).
INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM ... School of ICT’s Prof Paula Kotzé (left) is the 2014 winner of the
IFIP TC13 Pioneers in Human-Computer Interaction Award as one of the greatest contributors
to the development and growth of the field of human-computer interaction. Seventeen nominations were considered by the committee for the 2014 award. Prof Kotze is also the only
person outside the US and Europe ever elected to serve on the Executive Committee of ACM
SIGCHI. She also held office as the Vice-President at Large of the ACM SIGCHI for two terms
and eight years is recognised as an Expert Member of the Technical Working Group TC13.
NMMU Choir Conductor Junita van Dijk
(below) has been selected to serve on the
International Federation
for Choral Music (IFCM)
Artistic Committee for the
World Choral Symposium
in Barcelona, 2017.
This committee consists of six people, three
from the Barcelona region and three from around the world, who
decide which choirs and lecturers to invite to
the Symposium.
President
LAW Faculty Dean Prof Vivienne Lawack (below) has been re-elected as the President of
the South African Law Deans Association
(SALDA). She was Vice-President from 2008 to
2010 and then President from 2010 to 2012,
2012 to 2014 and now
from 2014 to 2016.
Prof Lawack leaves
NMMU to take up a new
appointment at DVC:
Academic at the University of the Western Cape.
talk@nmmu is published by NMMU Marketing & Corporate Relations. The deadline for contributions to the April edition of talk@nmmu is 20 March 2015. Please e-mail your contributions in MSWord
and photographs separately in jpg format (no smaller than 800kb) to [email protected]. Opinions expressed in talk@nmmu are not necessarily those of the editor or NMMU.
2
Taking responsibility
d
News
Large increase
in online
registration
SIXTY per cent of NMMU students this year registered online compared to the 39% of last year.
This follows the university’s drive to increase
online registrations including posters, e-mails and
personal identification numbers sent to students via
text messages.
Registration has also been extended to 13 March
keeping in mind the many challenges students face
– especially those in the Eastern Cape – in accessing
higher education.
The latest available enrolment figures show a total growth of 3.79% in student numbers on 3 March
this year compared to the same date last year. These
numbers include a growth of more than 10% in the
Law and Health Sciences.
The largest percentage students (36%) study in
Business and Economic Sciences with Engineering,
the Built Environment and Information having the
second largest number of students (15.8%). Final
numbers will only be available after 13 March while
postgraduate enrolments continue even further.
SHARING IDEAS … Mechanical Engineering’s Karl du Preez (second from left) in conversation with PE Mayor
Benson Fihla (from left), Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz and Swiss federal councillor Doris Leuthard.
Swiss collaboration
NMMU welcomed a high-profile Swiss delegation to
its North Campus recently in a meeting that may lead
to international collaborative projects.
The delegation included Swiss federal councillor
Doris Leuthard who heads up the Federal Department
of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications and several representatives of Swiss business
organisations.
The visit follows the implementation of a two-year
health research project with the University of Basel
starting this year involving certain physical fitness interventions at schools in the metro.
The delegation was introduced to a series of cross-
Two new DVCs
New comms director
NEW DVC: Research and Engagement Prof
Andrew Leitch is looking forward to working
with management and staff in driving the
many exciting developments at NMMU and
“growing the brand of our wonderful institution, so as to make this a university of choice
for all our students and stakeholders”.
“We need to make learning exciting and relevant, and serve the purpose of educating for
empowerment, and the public good. We have
to cultivate people, not just with good heads,
but also good hearts, as Nelson Mandela entreated all of us involved in education, says
new DVC: Teaching and Learning Prof Denise
Zinn.
Prof Leitch, the former Executive Dean of
Science and Prof Zinn former Executive Dean
of Education, were appointed as Deputy ViceChancellors at the end of last year.
The appointments were made following
the departures of Professors Piet Naude and
Thoko Mayekiso.
NEW Senior Director: Communication and Stakeholder Liaison Lebogang Hashatse (below) will
direct, lead and monitor the
medium- to long-term vision of
communication and stakeholder
liaison based on NMMU’s strategic goals and participate in
university-wide decision-making
processes.
As former Director of Marketing and Communication at Rhodes University, Lebogang has a diverse
career in journalism, organisational communications
and corporate affairs.
He graduated from Rhodes University with a BA in
Journalism & Media Studies, an honours degree in Industrial Sociology and he completed an MA in media
studies in Australia.
He has held various editing posts at Tribute magazine, the Diamond Fields Advertiser and the Sowetan.
He worked in corporate communication management
positions at Iscor, Nedcor, Multichoice and Eskom.
In the next edition we will feature Executive Dean
of Arts Prof Rose Boswell.
disciplinary projects to possibly assign them to appropriate Swiss institutions for collaborative purposes.
These projects include: uYilo e-Mobility programme,
eco car, microalgae to energy, shallow water ecosystems, solar vehicle, solar cooker, high speed optical fibre communication, sustainable grassroots innovation
in ICT, segmented wind turbine, photovoltaic research
and WeldCore® (WeldCore® is a patented sampling and
repair welding process).
“It is an honour that NMMU was chosen for the visit
and was able to showcase projects from all faculties,’’
says Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology Executive Dean, Dr Oswald Franks.
10th birthday
celebrations
OUR new generation university is ten years
old! We’ve much of which to be proud and
celebrate.
So far, our SRC has symbolically released
ten birthday balloons, and staff have shown
a united front by wearing their new 10-year Tshirts on T-shirt Tuesday – Tuesday 10 March.
A 10-year celebratory steering committee
has been formed to ensure our celebrations,
reflections and “gees” for tomorrow are all
implemented in the year ahead.
Furthermore, a full range of branded materials incorporating the 10-year look has been
designed and is readily available for you to use
on the portal.
Let’s make 2015 an exceptional year!
Taking responsibility
3
Maritime focus
NMMU adds value to blue economy through research and teaching
Maritime qualifications on cards
THE donation of a R6.2m state-of-art engine by
international Wärtsilä Ship Power group has
further boosted NMMU as an ideal institution for
offering much-needed maritime qualifications.
The donation forms part of a long-term sponsoring-partnership with the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) and NMMU.
The engine will be used to facilitate teaching
within the School of Engineering.
The 11-ton engine supported by 3D-technology
follows NMMU’s hosting of the successful African
Maritime Domain (AMD) Conference, and their
hosting of the Research Chair in the Law of Sea and
Development in Africa.
The engine will give NMMU’s engineering students the opportunity to learn the latest in ship
engine design and technology.
“Practical and theoretical knowledge can be
gained as students are taught to physically manage, dismantle and rebuild an engine that is typically found in common day vessels of all kinds,”
said Wärtsilä’s Greg Davids.
“Our contribution includes knowledge sharing;
provision of additional maritime modules and
equipment that is supported by 3D technology, innovating and delivering a dynamic course.”
At the recent African Maritime Domain Conference, maritime specialists, government and educational institutions came together to discuss and
strategise the development of oceans governance
and contribute to the blue economy as outlined as
part of the first phase of Operation Phakisa.
“NMMU’s business strategy in the next decade
and beyond is to develop into a whole new range
of maritime and marine education and training,
research and engagement programmes with the
view to significantly upscale our strategic support
for this crucial sector. This strategy includes a host
of new programmes to be systematically introduced over the next few years,” says School of Engineering Director Prof Dalenca Pottas.
Experts discuss economy needs
THE quest to grow Africa’s untapped ocean economy gathered momentum in Nelson Mandela Bay
when key players gathered for the African Maritime Domain Conference at the end of last year.
The South African Maritime Safety Authority
(SAMSA) in partnership with NMMU took the initiative to host the conference focusing on creating
a thriving, but sustainable blue economy.
Vital insights for both policy and human resource needs through expanded stakeholder integration and expert-driven discussions took place
among the ocean specialists from industry, the
government, environmental organisations and
maritime experts throughout the continent and
4
Taking responsibility
HANDS-ON LEARNING … Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz (from left), Wärtsilä’s Greg Davids and School
of Engineering Director Prof Dalenca Pottas, at the handover of a ship’s engine to be used for teaching
within the School of Engineering.
beyond.
The African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of the
State and Government adopted the 2050 African
Integrated Maritime (AIM) Strategy in January last
year to develop Africa as “a sustainable thriving blue
economy in a sustainable manner” for the benefit
of its entire people.
Institute supports blue economy
MARITIME education, skills development and
research to support South Africa in harnessing
the potential of its mostly untapped maritime resources received a boost with launch of the South
African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) in
Nelson Mandela Bay at the end of last year.
Participation in the global “blue economy” was
strengthened with this initiative of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) in partnership with NMMU.
Government’s recent Operation Phakisa Ocean
Labs initiative to develop the plans required to
unlock the economic potential of the country’s
oceans – which it is estimated could contribute
R177-billion to GDP and create a million jobs by
2033 – has placed the maritime economy firmly on
the national socio-economic development agenda.
Similarly, the African Union adopted the 2050
Africa Integrated Maritime (AIM) Strategy in January 2014, with the vision to develop an environmentally sustainable and integrated blue economy
across the continent.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz says both
Operation Phakisa and the AIM strategy provide
“a unique opportunity for the education sector
to contribute to stimulating a maritime economy
that is sustainable, efficient and globally competitive”.
The institute will initially be hosted at NMMU,
with a network of maritime centres in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, towards
a vision of becoming a fully-fledged maritime
university.
SAMSA CEO Commander Tsietsi Mokhele said
the vast potential of South Africa’s more than
2500km of coastline extended beyond “fish and
food” into tourism and marine leisure activities.
The areas with the most potential for maritime economic development, he said, were marine transport and shipping, oil and gas, fisheries
and aquaculture, and maintenance.
Addressing legal implications
NMMU also hosted the AIM (African Integrated
Strategy) Law conference in November in partnership with the Maritime Law Association of South
Africa (MLASA) and the South African Branch of
the International Law Association (SABILA).
The focus was on legal challenges and opportunities in maritime and marine law presented by
the continent’s new maritime strategy. Academics, practitioners, postgraduate students and foreign experts shared their work with a specific focus
on South Africa and other parts of the continent,”
said NMMU’s Prof Patrick Vrancken.
News
Student-centred
approach
MORE summer graduation ceremonies and fewer teaching days are being touted by the Registrar’s Office as
part of NMMU’s commitment to making life easier for all its students.
The possibility of having re-exams
in December is also being discussed
in what Registrar Dr Faroon Goolam
(above) refers to as “student-centred
academic administration”.
“We will be the best university in
terms of administrative governance,”
says Dr Goolam, who has been inviting
feedback from staff during Faculty Board
meetings.
NMMU held its first summer graduation on 9 December last year to benefit
Education students who are not remunerated in line with their qualifications
until they receive their graduation
certificates.
If feasible, this year’s summer graduation will be extended to three ceremonies over 10 and 11 December.
To further accommodate NMMU’s students, Dr Goolam’s team is
proposing that
the university’s
present 140 days
of teaching be
cut by seven days.
This is in line with most of the country’s other top universities, many of
which offer 130 teaching days.
“We want to be able to give the students study days and to start the exams
earlier so that we can fit in the summer
graduation sessions.”
He added that December re-examinations were also being considered,
again mainly because of the financial
challenges that so many of NMMU’s
students faced.
“We want to try to accommodate our
students so I am inviting you to share
how we can cut back on teaching days.”
Dr Goolam recognised the importance of classroom contact but highlighted the alternative benefits of
technology through the university’s
ever-growing blended learning and
other options.
NEW TOOL … Student Counselling’s Freda Sauls
(centre) who developed the new Peer Help Activity
Barometer (pHAB), one of the first of its kind in the
field of Peer Help internationally, together with peer
help team members Joshua Ndlela (left) from Second
Avenue Campus and Lisa George from North Campus.
The pHAB is a user-friendly tool designed to track and
monitor peer helpers’ involvement and to then reward
them accordingly. The Student Counselling, Career and
Development Centre’s Peer Help takes the monitoring,
tracking and management of student involvement to
new heights with this tool. Using a three-tiered system,
the pHAB has been so well received by staff and peer
helpers alike that it has recently become part of the official NMMU Co-curricular
Record (CCR). Exciting developments to follow this year include the use of technology. School of ICT’s Prof Darelle van Greunen will assist in enabling the pHAB to
“go green” with the future use of technological gadgets. The pHAB tool easily lends
itself for use in other student development and engagement programmes.
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ... The NMMU Council
presented their 2014 Prestige Awards to businessman Mkhuseli ‘’Khusta’’ Jack (left) and
Coega Development Corporation Chief
Executive Mninawe (Pepi) Silinga. Mr Jack
received the award for his unstinting commitment in pursuing social equality and justice
in the face of
incredible odds and for placing his own
life in danger in order to lead communities towards their own liberation while Mr
Silinga’s formidable leadership in igniting
the vision of vibrant socio-economic growth
in shaping the economy of the Eastern Cape
was recognised.
WOMEN POWER … Fourth-year Law student Hlomela Bucwa (left) was recently
inaugurated as NMMU’s first female Student Representative Council (SRC)
President since NMMU began in 2005. DVC Institutional Support Dr Sibongile
Muthwa (centre) said at the event: “It is symbolic that in 2015, a woman is
chosen to lead. We are still far from being an equal society. If we look at Africa
as a continent, women in general are not positioned to lead.” They are joined by
SRC Deputy President Thanduxolo Bhengu.
Addressing the
housing need
CLOSE to 3 800 beds are now available in accredited off-campus housing, thanks to initiatives forged by the
university in recent years, including
21 large properties throughout the
metro.
NMMU has drastically increased its
off-campus offerings while pursuing
plans in meeting its own on-campus accommodation target of having 30% of
its student body living on campus. Presently just over 12% of NMMU’s near-27
000 students live in residences on its
North and South campuses.
“We’re doing what we can to fill the
housing needs gap, especially since
many of our students cannot afford expensive private rentals,” says off-campus
and vacation accommodation manager
Shirani Nhlangwini.
The focus on establishing private
partnerships means that this year fewer
out-of-town students have struggled to
find reasonably-priced accommodation.
NMMU also opened a new 312-bed
residence early last year bringing the
on-campus total to over 2 500 student
beds on four of its six campuses.
Shirani says the bulk of the big properties are in Central, with four in North
End and Sydenham and many smaller
properties in Summerstrand, Humewood and the Forest Hill area. NMMU
had also accredited properties in KwaMagxaki, Zwide, Walmer and Newton
Park.
NMMU Director of Student Housing
Dr Shuping Mpuru says the university
no longer has a waiting list because they
are able to immediately refer students
to facilities that have received the university’s stamp of approval.
He said that receiving accreditation
from NMMU followed a stringent process in line with municipal land usage
rulings.
Taking responsibility
5
News
Transformational leadership at NMMU in focus
In service of society
THE concept of ‘transformational leadership’ is
embedded as a key concept of Vision 2020, as
part of the university’s educational purpose and
philosophy,
And this needs to happen through teaching and
learning, research and engagement activities, and
the development of the full potential of our staff and
students.
In a world where there are as many as 150 different leadership theories, what do we, at NMMU,
mean by this?
In January, NMMU launched a new action-learning “Transformational Leadership Journey” for the
mid-level leaders within NMMU.
As DVC Teaching and Learning Prof Denise Zinn
said in her introduction “Whether you are a new
DVC like myself, or a new SRC member or a Head
of Department HoD – quoting DVC Institutional
Support Dr Sibongile Mutwa at the SRC Investiture
ceremony ‘We are all learning leadership’.”
At the final E-Manco Retreat of 2014, senior leadership of NMMU explored this theme, taking the
four I’s of transformational leadership (as identified
by the authors Bass and Avolio) as a starting point.
They are:
`` Idealised influence and a clear vision and purpose
`` Inspirational motivation and increasing positive
energy in your team
`` Intellectual stimulation by providing thought
leadership, new ideas and ways of doing to your
team and
`` Individual consideration, paying attention to individual needs and potential, knowing and caring
for your team members.
A big challenge for E-Manco was re-interpreting
these four dimensions against our South African history, within the context of Higher Education and the
realities of our own university community.
From the initial and exploratory small group and
café conversations, four broad themes for transformational leadership emerged, namely:
`` Co-creating socially engaged and integrated curriculum with community-based, problem-solving
assignments in diverse multi-disciplinary teams
`` Inculcating a holistic focus on the actual material
conditions of differently situated students including exploring practical assistances/innovative
partnerships to address these
`` Listening campaigns with stakeholders in various
spaces, media and multi-lingual settings and
`` Enrolling staff into the spirit of V2020 through increased participation, making use of stimulating
questions, social technologies and safe spaces for
storytelling.
The purpose of the Transformational Leadership
Journey for the mid-level leaders at NMMU has been
captured:
`` to collectively discover what transformational
6
Taking responsibility
SHARING IDEAS … Finance’s Shayne Hardiman, Procurement’s Thina Balakistnen and Simone Cameron and
Law’s Prof Adriaan van der Walt participated in the recent Transformational Leadership Journey workshop
organised by the Institutional Culture Enlivening Project.
leadership means for us as mid-level leaders, specifically in the NMMU context in 2015 and beyond
`` to discover the qualities, competencies and
skills of transformational leadership we need to
grow and develop in ourselves and our teams to
achieve our core purpose
`` to provide an opportunity/space to create a community-of-practice where we can share insights,
reflections and learnings of strategic experiments
in transformational leadership and
Transformational
leadership
should ultimately be in ‘service
of society,’ writes Ilze Olckers.
`` to do so in a way that could also open up a space
for praxis and a scholarly engagement with our
leadership tasks.
One of the affirming aspects of the workshops
so far has been the participation of both academic
leaders and professional and administrative leaders in the same space. For the first time for many
participants, the idea of the “academic project” as
a shared and integrated challenge for all staff hit
home.
We are interconnected and interdependent and
everything we do affects and impacts each other
and the student’s experience and lifecycle at NMMU.
We are collectively responsible for our core purpose
namely to successfully graduate students who fulfil
the graduate attributes identified in V2020.
We discovered that for every challenge in academic leadership there is a potential corollary in
the professional and support divisions – humanising
pedagogies need to be supported by humanising
practices; renewal needs to be supported by innovation in bureaucratic systems and policies.
We are sharing the challenges of differentiating
what is urgent from what is important and working
more consciously with those areas of our leadership
tasks that are not necessarily urgent but that will ensure longer term renewal and giving life to V2020.
We also reflected on the “dual hat” appointments
of academic leaders who have to continue their enlivening teaching and research while also stepping
into their leadership roles. Much soul-searching is
required from all of us about the ambivalence of
many academic leaders to take on this challenge.
The first round of workshops also yielded some
good data around on-going areas of frustration for
mid-level leaders such as shortage of accommodation or the loss of lab assistants as well as the conversations around FRE.
This promises to be an exciting and truly transformative journey – learning leadership together!
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News
THE new Enterprise Content Management (ECM) project which
started last year with feedback
from staff will soon provide guidelines on the way the project will be
implemented.
ECM will better enable staff to
store all their content – from video
footage through to institutional documents – in a way that it is easier to
find again and which enables others
to benefit from it.
In a survey conducted among
staff members about the current
awareness and knowledge on the
subject, the results showed that
90% of the respondents work with
email and electronic office documents. More than half also work
with paper-based content, images
and web content, and a third with
video clips. 80% and more do not
work with sound clips and social
media.
A lot of content is stored on local
drives such as office PCs, laptops
and memory sticks/flash drives.
93% of the 136 respondents (31%
academics, 69% PASS) know how to
effectively use the search functions
on their computer to find docu-
EMPLOYEES who attended the recent FRE Lessons Learnt Sessions
provided valuable feedback in respect of their experiences of the
2014 FRE Pilot.
Staff input, the independent Research Report and continued work
from FRE Working Groups will contribute to the refinement of FRE as
NMMU’s performance management
system.
“As is the case with all new systems, FRE has its imperfections and
remains under constant refinement.
All FRE stakeholders have committed
Streamlining content
REWARD … ICT Services’ Dr
Thomas Hilmer (far left)
congratulates Applied Accounting’s Dereoul Chauke,
the lucky draw winner of the
Enterprise Content Management survey draw, who won a
1tb external hard drive.
ments and emails, and 85% find information they are searching for within a
few minutes.
76% also reported that their electronic filing system consisted of a carefully thought-out folder structure for
both documents and email messages.
Respondents were generally unsure of how long various content
types (e.g. documents, email, images
etc.) should be stored for before they
should be archived or deleted.
A summary of the results will be
made available on the ECM web site
ecm.nmmu.ac.za.
Based on the results of the survey, a
number of tasks have been identified,
which the ECM task team will address
in the near future. They include:
`` Departmental visits to find out
how paper content is stored and
recorded.
`` Providing guidelines and information on where types of electronic
content should be stored e.g.
SharePoint, H: drives or FileDirector.
`` Creating central image, video and
sound stores that get indexed and
backed up.
`` Developing guidelines on best filing
practices based on the NMMU File
Plan/Index.
`` Developing instructions and guidelines on how long content must be
legally kept and how to archive/dispose of it where necessary, sourced
from the Records Management
FRE on the go
to being co-creators of the system
and employees’ continued feedback
is essential to ensure that the system
is developed to growing levels of maturity,” says Human Resources Executive Director Dr Gary Paul.
Dr Paul and the DVC Teaching and
Learning, Prof Denise Zinn, will be
co-presenting salient FRE aspects to
Senate on 19 March.
FRE Work Plan Agreements for
2015 are due on 15 May, with reward
and recognition becoming effective
in 2016.
Extensive FRE training on Objective Setting and Methods of Assessment will be offered to all employees
during March and April to ensure
effective completion of the 2015 Work
Plan Agreements and employees
are encouraged to make use of this
opportunity.
Policy (IRC 110.01).
`` Developing instructions and
guidelines on how to archive
your email using .PST files and
retrieve it subsequently.
`` Developing instructions for
dealing with content when an
old PC is replaced.
`` Improving the ability to find official forms from portals e.g.
forms stored on various departments’ websites.
Other comments included that
staff should make common departmental files easily accessible
to others in their department, and
business processes of various departments should be made available so that staff know what to do.
Search capabilities have greatly
improved since SharePoint Enterprise Search was implemented last
year.
You can access it from the
search box found on the Staff
Portal home page, or by going to
search.nmmu.ac.za
Load-shedding
OUR main concern is SAFETY and
ensuring that all academic work
continues.
A task team will assess the
impact of load-shedding and devise strategies to deal with the
issue in the short and medium
to long term. A website has also
been created with relevant information for staff to refer to, as
well as a feedback form for needs,
ideas and recommendations.
TOP TEAM … NMMU won the most
awards, namely 18, for publications,
social media, video production, branding and integrated campaigns in the
annual Marketing, Advancement and
Communication in Education (MACE)
Excellence Awards at the end of last
year. As a result, the University won
the inaugural Severus Cerff Award for
the most awards.
The University’s new television
advertisement, its integrated brand
campaign, its YouTube videos of its
values, student ambassadors and
several publications were among those
entries to score 80% or higher to attain
an excellence award.
Taking responsibility
7
Science
EIGHTEEN rural high schools in the Bhisho area
are gearing up for a high-tech Maths and Science
boost, with the recent launch of the innovative Old
Mutual Education Flagship Programme’s Maths
and Science Development Project (OMEFP).
Aimed at today’s digitally-wired “screen generation”, the thoroughly-modern, curriculum-aligned,
offline programme, developed by NMMU’s Govan
Mbeki Mathematics Development Unit (GMMDU)
and sponsored by the Old Mutual Foundation, focuses on up-scaling teachers’ skills and harnessing
the potential of promising learners – with an overarching aim to leave behind sustainable, professional learning communities.
The two-year project will be run in close collaboration with the provincial Department of Basic Education.
OMEFP is a “pilot laboratory” focusing on Grade
10 to 12 FET teacher and learner support in the
schools, which are within a 20km radius of Bhisho.
Twenty-five to 30 promising learners from each
school will receive tablets loaded with the TouchTutor™ package to support their studies.
The project will also include Tablet-assisted Afterschool Peer Support (TAPS) Maths sessions to complement and help learners reflect on teaching that
“does or does not happen in schools”.
GMMDU head Prof Werner Olivier said the latest improvements on the TouchTutor™ package
were “tablet-based interactive assessment and the
logging of user activity”, which will enable learners
to test what they know via lesson-aligned multiple
choice tests with immediate feedback – and also
help the researchers to profile the interaction of
learners with the device.
A PhD project will run concurrently, focusing on
the use of tablets and their impact in terms of the
expectations of modern learners.
Some of the successes of the projects include Muir
College matriculant Lyle Ressouw who came third in
the country for maths and was ranked third overall
in the Eastern Cape, while Mava Qolo, who attained
96% for maths and 92% for science last year, was
Top ICT link
ONE of South Africa’s most influential ICT leaders, Prof Andile Ngcaba (below), has been announced as a new Adjunct Professor at NMMU
and gave his first public lecture on 10 March.
Prof Ngcaba who serves as executive
chairman of Dimension Data Middle
East and Africa and Convergence Partners Investments has a long history of
involvement in the South African ICT
sector.
He is recognised globally in ICT circles, based not only on his active involvement in business, various global policy-making and technology development institutions, but
also as a driver of innovation and change.
8
Excellence
Taking
responsibility
Further boost for
Maths and Science
RURAL SCHOOL SUPPORT … Old Mutual’s Nceba Papuma (from left) and Marshall Rapiya hand over the
cheque to Govan Mbeki Mathematics Development Unit’s Prof Werner Olivier and Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Research and Engagement Prof Andrew Leitch to support a new initiative in the Bhisho area.
the top-achieving learner in previously-disadvantaged schools in the Cradock district, where he attended Matthew Goniwe Comprehensive School.
Mava, a BEng (Mechatronics) student at NMMU,
said the incubator school had helped him to “learn
quickly” and effectively study the complete maths
and science syllabi over the course of his matric year.
It is the 10th year the programme is being run in
Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, the sixth in Somerset
East, and the second in Queenstown.
Last year, the average percentage for maths from
the matrics in the Port Elizabeth Incubator School
was 61% and for physical science, 58% – significantly higher than the provincial averages of 42%
for maths and 51% for science.
“Of these learners, 76% achieved above 50% in
maths and 86% of them obtained a bachelor matric
pass overall,” said Prof Olivier.
He recently founded the Cortex Hub, an innovation hub in East London, employing 30 innovators,
many of whom are computing graduates from
Eastern Cape universities.
The university’s relationship with Prof Ngcaba
goes back to 1998 when he, as Director General,
launched the Department of Computing Sciences’
Centre of Excellence.
Prof Ngcaba has been actively involved
in the annual Eastern Cape ICT summit
and last year he personally sponsored a
project for student innovation using the
new Raspberry Pi device.
“It is a great honour for us as a department to have this formal relationship with
him. We look forward to many positive
outcomes of our future collaboration, and know
that he will add great value,” says Computing Sciences department head Prof Jean Greyling.
Among the 30 schools following the Mathsup
project in Queenstown in 2012, one school improved by 47%, another by 38% and another by 33%
in terms of their matric results with those teachers
coaching other teachers.
`` 600 Grade 11 and 12 teachers are currently being trained in Lusikisiki, Queenstown, Mthatha
and Somerset East while more than 400 selected
learners from under-resourced schools are attending incubator schools.
`` Altogether 210 maths and 50 science teachers
attended maths and science professional skills upgrade programmes in East London, King William’s
Town, Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage, Grahamstown
and Dutywa last year. Fifty Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college mathematics lecturers, from five colleges throughout the
province, also attended a year-long programme.
Bringing knowledge closer
BCOM (Hons) Information Systems student Rumbi
Maisva has developed a system assisting an educational mobile content site with its backlog of
about 10 500 questions.
The system automates the process of answering
questions.
The cost of accessing information is a major stumbling block for individuals who cannot afford the
costs of using modern smart phones.
MXit, as a social media platform, provides a costeffective alternative which can be accessed via older
mobile phones. An educational mobile content site
accessed using MXit is Speak to Prof Ron, where
learners from over 80 different countries submit
questions relating to science, technology, engineering, maths and innovation.
The concept was developed by Dr Ron Beyers of
the Young Engineers and Scientists in partnership
with the Meraka Institute.
Science
Technology
award
NMMU won an award for the “Technology most
likely to make an impact on public procurement”
at the inaugural Innovation Bridge event at the
CSIR International Convention Centre in Gauteng
recently.
InnoVenton’s Microalgae to Energy project, an innovative, cost-effective process for the cultivation of
microalgae that can be processed with waste coal to
produce energy, won the award.
The Innovation Bridge event is an initiative of the
Department of Science and Technology to connect
universities with potential funders and investors.
NMMU was represented by Innovation Support
and Technology Transfer CEO Jaci Barnett, who
showcased six NMMU technologies ready for investment and collaboration. The other technologies
were:
`` Weldcore® - non-destructive sampling to
determine the remaining lifespan of plant
infrastructure subject to stress.
`` Segmented turbine - a segmented wind turbine
for small-scale applications capable of improved
energy yield.
`` Advanced circuit design - circuit design solutions
for detecting and mitigating single event upsets
in digital circuits.
`` Hot Rock™ - low-risk and cost-effective system for
collection, storage and generation of energy at
small scale.
`` SunTestLab™ - a laboratory for the performance
testing of photovoltaic modules.
TALKING RUBBER … NMMU is the only university
in the country to have specific models of thermal
analysis (TA) instruments as part of the research
and development agreement signed in July 2014
between NMMU and REDISA (Recycling and
Economic Development Initiative of South Africa).
The R5-million investment comprises the Dynamic
Mechanical Analysis (DMA Q800), Differential
Scanning Calorimetry (DSC Discovery series) and
Thermogravimetry coupled with Mass Spectrometry (TG-MS Discovery series). These instruments
are used in research and development projects
in the field of rubber assessment, recycling and
beneficiation. Chemistry’s Dr Percy Hlangothi is
standing next to a DMA.
SHOWCASE … Eight BSc Formulation Science Honours students (from left) Mcquillan Moyo, Sindisiwe Bala,
Angel Magudulela, Michelle Jacobs, Wesiwe Stephen, Ndumi Koza, Nandipa Nelani, Asanda Sihewula and
Cloudius Sagandira presented their product inventions which included hair products, anti-fouling agents,
cleaning agents, wood preservatives and a bio plasticizer to their lecturers at the end of last year. They also
had to present business plans on how they plan to raise the necessary funding to break into the market.
PIONEERS … Centre for
High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy
Director Prof Jan Neethling (far left) and South
African Environmental
Observation Network’s
(SAEON) and Botany’s
Dr Tommy Bornman
both made presentations
towards the new South
African Research Infrastructure Roadmap.
Research roadmap
TWO NMMU academics, Centre for High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy Director
Prof Jan Neethling and South African Environmental Observation Network’s (SAEON) and Botany’s
Dr Tommy Bornman are both actively involved in
the development of a South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap to develop a rational plan
to guide investments around new infrastructure
allocations.
Until recently, no coherent national framework
for the renewal and placement of research equipment and infrastructure existed, and funds for research infrastructure were provided on an ad hoc
basis by the National Research Foundation. Because
such infrastructure is expensive, the Department of
Science and Technology (DST), with support from
the European Union, has initiated this roadmap.
Prof Neethling presented the meta-design report
on materials characterisation as a component of
the materials and manufacturing research infrastructure domain, while Dr Bornman presented the
meta-design report for shallow marine and coastal
research infrastructure to a DST review panel in Cape
Town at the end of last year.
The other research infrastructure areas identified in the roadmap include humans and society;
health, biological and food security; earth and environment; energy; and physical sciences and engineering.
Prof Bornman’s report proposed that the SMCRI
is to consist of a dispersed network of strategic instruments located at three sentinel sites and five
satellite sentinel sites in all the coastal bioregions of
South Africa to provide insight into real time changes associated with climate and global change.
This is based on the fact that 3 900 km of coastline makes long-term observatories in the marine
environment expensive and data collecting not feasible.
The recommendations from targeted stakeholders including 59 scientists and coastal managers
from 21 organisations were taken into account.
Regarding materials characterisation, after extensive consultation with local role players in academia, science councils, research and testing facilities, and large industry, a “Hub and Spoke” model
was proposed with an emphasis on harnessing and
strengthening existing infrastructure.
Excellence
Taking responsibility
9
Engineering the Built Environment & IT
TESTING THE LIMITS … Mechanical Engineering’s Prof Russell Phillips and Karl du Preez
took engineering students to Verneukpan in
the Northern Cape to push a purposely-built
solar vehicle’s speed to its maximum. The
vehicle, nicknamed Gonzo (bizarre or crazy),
was transported to Verneukpan, 780km
from Port Elizabeth. Gonzo was built to test a
standard solar-driven platform without any
battery storage. Testing the vehicle on the
barren planes of Verneukpan was to take
full advantage of the high solar radiation of
the Northern Cape. With temperatures in the
mid-thirties, the vehicle reached speeds in excess of 40km/h. Valuable design information
was gathered and various improvements will
be introduced to the vehicle. The Gonzo team
would ultimately like other universities to
take up similar projects and perhaps compete
against each other on an annual basis.
Health education funded
TWO key health projects at NMMU aimed at
ensuring a longer, healthier life for all South Africans received a recent joint financial boost of
R2.7m.
A research project by the Center for Community
Technologies (CCT) at NMMU under the leadership
of Prof Darelle van Greunen creating electronic
learner records using mobile technology and a
biometric device driven by solar energy, received
a significant boost with funding from the Medical
Research Council (MRC).
The CCT-MRC collaboration grant of R2.6 million
over three years is a health technology product development partnership, supported by the Depart-
ment of Science and Technology (DST) that will:
`` Change the way health research, development
and innovation is managed, funded and conducted in South Africa
`` Manage the existing DST strategic health innovation initiatives in HIV, TB, malaria, non-communicable diseases and imminently-maternal
and child health.
`` Influence local and international funding by acting as a central channel for foreign institutions
seeking to partner with South African Research
agencies.
`` The other partners involved in this school health
screening project are the national departments
uYilo E-Mobility assists services
MAINTENANCE and Horticultural Services now
have the use of three of e-mobility vehicles as a
green alternative to fossil fuel vehicles as part of a
demonstration and testing initiative by Engineering’s uYilo e-Mobility Innovation Programme.
The vehicles are loaned as a partnership agreement with Imperial Green Mobility, a company
based in Johannesburg.
Director Facilities Maintenance Melvin Syce uses
the Segway to travel short distances and often directly to the destination, due to its size and functionality as a two-wheel mobile EV unit.
The Segway allows him to get to sites quickly
through pathways, roadways, and over fields and
he does not have to park the car and walk a long
distance to the site. Furthermore, the Segway has
made a great impact within the department, as
motor vehicles are in short supply and can now,
with the availability of this vehicle, be reserved for
off-campus travel. The Segway also utilises very little
storage space.
The Taylor Dunn MX600 is used by Chief Artisan
Engineering Services Ian Kleyn in the NMMU mechanical workshop. This vehicle allows the mainte-
10
Taking responsibility
nance team to travel fully-equipped between North
and South campuses, as the vehicle has a built-in
tool box which also brings the tools closer to the
worksite.
Horticultural Services Elana Storm (above) uses
the Mule to transport various items as the vehicle
has a small load body that can handle loads of up
to one ton. The Mule is predominantly used for carting plants in bulk within the Horticulture Nursery
between different points. In the past this was done
by nursery employees, which is physically strenuous
work.
of health and basic education and the provincial departments of health and education.
In addition, a grant of R125 000 from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
was received and is aimed at using information
technology to build capacity on non-transmittable
diseases among community health care workers
(CHWs) in low-income communities in South Africa.
Combining expertise in Information Communication Technologies (ICT); health education and
communication; public health research experience and knowledge on non-transmittable diseases, can result in an effective e-Health approach.
More Famhealth facilities
A COMMUNITY computer facility was recently
opened at the Famhealth Medipark which will
also have online Maths tutors to support learners of all ages with their math problems. The lab will also include software to assist and
support persons with disabilities.
Meanwhile, the third group of 19 grade 11
learners graduated from the Famhealth-NMMU
Youth Leadership Academy – the brainchild of
Port Elizabeth School of ICT’s Prof Darelle van
Greunen and PE doctor Jeff Govender.
The programme will also include more components such as an introduction of an Arts and
Culture awareness and appreciation programme
for Grade 10 learners.
The Famhealth-NMMU Youth Leadership Academy, which started in 2012, is a comprehensive
leadership programme, based on volunteerism
that seeks to nurture ethical, competent and
visionary leaders for future positive transformation.
Since its inception, nearly 50 young community leaders have gone through the programme.
Arts
Fashion
accolades
TOP OF THE TOPS … The NMMU Madibaz Cheerleading squad won the first national cheerleading championships in Potchefstroom, run in conjunction with the inaugural tournament of Varsity Cricket. The NMMU
Samsung cheerleaders are made up of 24 talented young men and women who perform funk, contemporary
modern and hip-hop dance styles, and in addition have added gymnastics to their routine. They are choreographed by Arts and Culture’s Nicki-Ann Rayepen. The squad includes Tazminne Jansen (from left), Kelly
Murphy, Lwando Joko and Zoleka Ngebetsha, seen here with the trophy.
NMMU Fashion Design student Armand Dicker is one of the top four student contestants
at the recent Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in
Johannesburg and will now showcase at the
Africa Fashion Week.
Armand’s selection to
South Africa’s premier fashion show follows the success of many other NMMU
fashion and textile design
graduates, including Laduma Ngxokolo, of MaXhosa knitwear fame, who
recently won the inaugural Vogue Scouting for
Africa prize.
Another alumnus Maria Magdalena van
Wyk was selected as an Emerging Creative at
this year’s Design Indaba.
Student activities in the spotlight
STUDENT societies, including the Debating society, Unasa and the Ballroom Society, exhibited at the annual Highways to Byways Student Societies Expo held on all NMMU campuses recently.
The expo showcases all NMMU societies giving first-year and senior students the opportunity to join a
society of their choice by interacting with its members. Altogether 24 cultural societies fall under the
Department of Arts and Culture.
Campus Life Concert rocked
SOME 330 students performed before a capacity
crowd of 1 800 students at the annual Campus
Life Concert in the South Campus Vodacom Indoor
Sport Centre, to kick-start the Campus Life Festival.
Aimed at enhancing student life, the performances included dance, poetry, singing, choirs and a variety of others including rap and beat-boxing.
The judging panel for the evening included PE Entertainment’s Brent Williams, Port Elizabeth-based
singer and DeJavu Crew dancer Lisa Love and the
Opera House’s Xabiso Zweni.
This year’s concert, again organised by Arts and
Culture, saw the participation of Oppidani, Unitas
and Veritas students as well as diverse range of students from student societies. There was a marked
increase in the number of Oppidani students to both
perform and attend the event.
The overall winner was Onke Ngwabeni from Laboria with runner-up Charles Tlaka from South Point
and second runner-up No Genre from Kings Res.
Xanadu and Melodi residences won the Residence
Spirit Cup.
MOST BEAUTIFUL OBJECTS … Fashion design
alumnus and talented former Mohair South Africa (MSA) bursary student, Ruth McNaughton
(centre) – who last year was selected as an
Emerging Creative at the Design Indaba, has
had her creative collection showcased at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Her fashion piece,
shown on the MSA stand, was also selected as
one of the top ten Most Beautiful Objects in
South Africa (MBOISA); a prestigious award for
any designer. Photo: Simon Deiner
Taking responsibility
11
Faculty news
40 years 40 nurses exhibited
THIS year, NMMU’s Nursing Science Department
turns 40 – and is celebrating the occasion with
an exhibition which tells the life stories of 40 devoted nursing graduates, many of whom maintain
strong links with the university.
NMMU itself turns 10 this year after the merger in
2005 with the Nursing Science Department established in 1975 at the former UPE.
The “40 years, 40 nurses” exhibition features attractive ceiling-high panels, which pay homage to
the nurses, outlining where they came from, why
they chose nursing, where their careers have taken
them, and how they have made an impact, locally,
nationally and internationally. The exhibition runs till
27 March.
Among the 40 are nursing stalwarts like Prof Nita
Strumpher, who has spent 37 years teaching at the
university. Ironically, she chose to study nursing on a
whim, following friends who were planning to do the
same, but soon discovered nursing was her calling
in life.
Some of the nurses profiled have made history,
like Dr Jill von der Marwitz, who was instrumental
in establishing South Africa’s first on-campus Antiretroviral (ARV) Clinic, at NMMU. There is also Prof
Cecil Rautenbach, who was the first male nurse in
the country to obtain a Doctorate in Nursing.
Some nurses have emigrated or worked elsewhere temporarily, blazing a trail of success in other
countries, like Prof Cheryl Benn, who has headed
up various programmes and committees in New
Zealand, including being appointed to the Nursing
Council of New Zealand by the former Minister of
Health.
Also in the mix is current Department Head Prof
CELEBRATIONS … Former Nursing Science Department head Prof Dalena van Rooyen (left) and current
department head Prof Esmeralda Ricks at the Exhibition Centre on Second Avenue Campus which tells the
stories of 40 devoted nursing graduates
Esmeralda Ricks, who is passionate about researching how mobile technology can be used to enhance
community nursing, along with past head Prof Dalena
van Rooyen, who is now director of NMMU’s School
of Clinical Care Science, and part of the team working
towards NMMU’s goal of building a medical school by
2020.
“We are proud to have touched the lives of hundreds of students over the past 40 years, helping them
develop into top quality nurses, with a high work ethic
and moral integrity,” said Prof Ricks.
The department has indeed come a long way since
it first opened its doors in 1975, with just six undergraduate and 18 postgraduate students. Last year, there
were 456 undergraduates and 279 postgraduates.
Many are attracted by the department’s world-class
simulation laboratories, which house state-of-theart equipment for the various nursing disciplines,
enabling students to practise their clinical skills in
a safe environment, before working with patients.
NMMU has conducted simulation training workshops throughout South Africa and in Zambia and
the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The department has strong international ties
with the United States, Norway, Sweden and India,
and plays an active role in the various national nursing bodies.
At a local level, staff members are involved in the
training of nursing educators at Lilitha College of
Nursing, and selected undergraduates assist on the
Phelophepa train, providing primary health care in
rural areas.
Top global change
conference hosted
SOCIO-ECONOMIC and political implications of
the controversial Karoo shale gas and combating
South Africa’s acid mine water crisis using bio- and
geo-engineering solutions were among the topics
discussed at the Second Global Change Conference
hosted by NMMU at the end of last year.
Some 300 postgraduate students and their mentors from all academic institutions across the country attended the conference where 170 papers were
presented covering the likes of agriculture, carbon
cycles, conservation, education, mining, shale gas,
transformation, shale gas, climate change, urban
and rural development, economics, oceans, technology, health and ethics in a comprehensive approach to global change.
The paperless conference is part of a ten-year
Global Grand Challenge designed by the Department of Science and Technology as a project for
global science.
12
Taking responsibility
RESEARCH SUPPORT … Educational quality in East and South Africa is set to improve through a partnership
driven by Acting Dean of Education Prof Paul Webb and Germany’s Oldenburg University representatives. The
East and South African – German Centre of Excellence for Educational Research Methodologies and Management (CERM-ESA) hosted its first on-site staff development for academics across five partner universities at
NMMU in January. Altogether 47 participants from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Germany and South Africa took
part at this week-long workshop on “Research Supervision of Higher Degrees in Education”. The five partner
universities are NMMU, Kenya’s Moi University, Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam University, the Uganda Management Institute and Germany’s Oldenburg University. The steering committee (back from left) are project leaders Uganda’s Dr Proscovia Ssentamu, Acting Dean of Education Prof Webb, Moi’s Dr Julius Tanui, Oldenburg’s
Prof Dr Karsten Speck, Dar es Salaam’s Dr Kitila Mkumbo and Oldenburg’s Prof Dr Bernd Siebenhüner and
(front) Education’s Kholisa Papu, Oldenburg’s Malve von Moellendorff and Moi’s Dr Susan Kurgat.
George
DEDICATION … George Campus long-service recipients joined by George Campus principal Prof Quinton Johnson (fourth from right) included Stacey Swigelaar, Catherine Fourie, Martin Loubser, Dr Marianne Doubell,
Marius Gouws, Magda Eybers, Takalani Ramukumba and Alet van Tonder.
CREAM OF THE CROP … First-year students Luzince de Klerk (left) and Liezel Nel
(right) are both NMMU Vice-Chancellor’s scholarship recipients and will study
BCom Business Management and BCom Accounting for Chartered Accountants
respectively at George Campus. They both matriculated at Outeniqua High
School in George last year. They are joined by Business and Economic Sciences’
Prof Miemie Struwig during the recent welcome event for first-year students.
Adjunct professor
A STALWART research associate in
the university’s Sustainability Research Unit and freshwater conservation scientist
in South African National
Parks (SANParks) Dr Dirk
Roux (right) is now an
NMMU adjunct professor
in the Science Faculty.
According to Vice-Chancellor
Prof Derrick Swartz, the appointment is in recognition of Dr Roux’s
“intellectual and scholarly accomplishments … in advancing the
goals of a sustainable world”.
Prof Roux, along with several
other SANParks colleagues, is
based at the NMMU George
Campus as part of a Memorandum of Understanding between NMMU and SANParks.
“It is an honour to be associated with a dynamic institution
such as NMMU and I look forward
to continue exploring new pathways in the human-nature relationship with fellow scientists and postgrad students,” Prof Roux said.
GROWING OWN TIMBER … Postgraduate students Willem Matthee (left) and
Hannes van Zyl have attained all their qualifications at NMMU, and are now
ploughing back their knowledge, energy and expertise as part-time lecturers
on George Campus, while continuing with their PhD studies.
Willem, who holds an MSc in Botany will lecture several ecology-based modules of the Nature Conservation and Game Ranch Management programmes
and will focus his PhD on grazing strategy impact on the recovery of Karoo
rangelands. Hannes will lecture mainly in the new Higher Certificate in
Veldfire Management and will also conduct research on developing a fire risk
model for South Africa and a Fire Management-related PhD.
Green technologies
AN evidence-based report titled “The
state of green technologies
in South Africa” released
recently by the Academy of
Science of South Africa contains inputs from George
Campus.
Prof Raymond Auerbach
(right) was the researcher
for the agriculture section of the report dealing with green priorities,
the national and legal policy context,
international perspectives, implementation and evaluation.
The 12 sectors included in
the report relate to energy, water, waste, sanitation, industry,
mining, agriculture, ICT, health,
transport, building and emerging green technologies.
The chairperson of the panel
which produced the report was Prof
Eugene Cloete, DVC Research of Stellenbosch University.
DISCUSSIONS … Anathi Masebeni, outgoing chairperson of the George Campus Student Council (left) joined George Campus Principal Prof Quinton Johnson (centre)
and Chief Executive, Nelson Mandela Foundation, Sello Hatang (sixth from left), and members of the 2015 Student Council (from left) Iviwe Sawuti, Thandekile Njozela, Fiswa Vilane, Isaac Shai, Khayelihle Ndlovu, Nandipha September and Apiwe Nyanisa for a meeting at the start of the academic year. Mr Hatang discussed the
Foundation’s support for the NMMU Global Leadership Institute for Sustainable Futures and the work they will be doing together.
Taking responsibility
13
Staff
You can win
LUCKY readers can win one of three R100
Greenacres Shopping Centre vouchers and two
R100 University Shop vouchers. Just read your
talk@nmmu!
Answer the following questions
(from articles in this edition):
1. The fibre optic research e…….e (9 letter
word) of NMMU is being recognised with the
establishment of the new Centre for Broadband
Communication.
TEAMWORK … Management Accounting’s Mike Monaghan (from left), Liezel van Willing, Dr Ignis McLaren,
Cynthia Tsita and Selwyn Perrow and Wayne Leander who obtained one of the two PASS Team awards for
their excellence at the Staff Long Service Awards and year-end function.
Professional staff achieve
A NUMBER of PASS (Professional, Administrative and Support Services) employees and teams
received the first Excellence Awards at NMMU
introduced at the Staff Long Service Awards and
year-end function.
Altogether 22 nominations were considered by
the committee. The winners were ICT’ Services’
Quinten Booysen, Library’s Desiree dos Santos,
Media Services’ Patrick Genge, Finance’s Dalene
Harris, Marketing Management’s Romella Pather
and Finance’s Selwyn Perrow, who all stood out for
their excellent service, enthusiasm and for going the
extra mile.
PASS team awards went to the team for Manage-
ment Accounting and the Science Faculty Administration team consisting of Fiona Claassen, Linda
Koen, Tessa Penrith and Lynette Roodt.
Eight participants in the Future Leaders Programme for 2015 were also announced at the function.
This programme is one of NMMU’s flagship employee development programmes equipping participants with the knowledge and skills required for
senior and executive management positions. The
candidates are Prof Khaled Abou-El-Hossein Valencia Benjamin, Vuyo Bongela, Dr Jacob Maritz,
Dr Pragashni Padayachee, Peter Peters, Prof Ilse
Truter and Nonkululeko Tsita.
LONGEST SERVING COLLEAGUES … Chemistry’s Prof
Cedric McCleland (from left)
and Doyce Funcuza were
both congratulated on 40
years of service at NMMU by
Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick
Swartz. Computing Sciences’
Prof Janet Wesson and the
Disability Unit’s Prof Iona
Wannenburg received 35year awards.
SAYING GOODBYE … Joining Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz (front, centre) at the 2014 retirees function
were (back from left) Harold Marchand, Pierre Knoesen, Marius Scheepers, Prof Cedric McCleland, Nomvuselelo Lonake, Ray Venter, Dr Osmond Ngalo, Dr Sarie Snyders, Dr Malcolm Figg, Khasayi Mayiyana,
Prof Koot Pieterse, Kieviet Mali, and (front) Marlene Scharf, Petro Kritzinger, Dr Jill von der Marwitz, Dr
Sindisiwa Mbokodi, Antoinette Mynhardt and Helena Fourie.
14
Taking responsibility
2. The university’s drive to increase o….e (6
letter word) registrations included posters,
e-mails and text messages sent personally to
students.
3. The donation of a R6.2m state-of-art e……e
(6 letter word) by international Wärtsilä Ship
Power group has further boosted NMMU as
an ideal institution for offering much-needed
maritime qualifications.
Correct answers, along with your name,
surname, staff number, department and
telephone number, can be e-mailed to
[email protected] by 30 March.
Schuinvilla Pharmacy, Newton Park, charges no
additional fees. Deliveries daily to NMMU. Clinic
now available. Tel: 041 364 2109; Fax: 041 365
2474. Online orders: www.schuinvilla.co.za.
Rules
Only NMMU employees may take part in
this competition. Only e-mail entries qualify for this
competition. Staff who do not have access to e-mail
may ask a colleague to submit their entry – just include
the correct name, department and phone number of
the person entering the competition. Your full details
must appear on the e-mail entry. Only one entry per
person is allowed. The judges’ decision is final.
Condolences
THE university extends condolences to the
family and friends of the following staff and students who passed away recently:
`` Second-year ND in IT: Support Services
student Azile Maqutyana
`` First-year Pharmacy student Mavenzeke Mlata
`` ICT Services’ Jacques Wessels
`` Honorary degree recipient Dr Tembeka
Nkamba van Wyk
`` Former Liaison Services’ staff member
Jan Barnardo
`` Former Archives’ staff member Rita Fokker
We also extend our condolences to the
following staff members whose family members
recently passed away.
`` Procurement’s Thina Balakistnen
(her husband)
`` Human Resource Management’s Yonela
Dube (her brother)
`` ICT Services’ Dr Thomas Hilmer (his father)
`` Arts and Culture’s Brandon Matiwane,
(his mother)
Gallery
HELPING OTHERS … Student Counselling under the guidance of orientation
coordinator Shereene Knipp and her team trained 200 How2 Buddies over
three days to assist first-year students during orientation. Senior students were
specially selected across faculties and received intense training to equip them to
conduct small-group facilitation. Here Student Counselling’s Freda Sauls joined a
number of buddies on the South Campus library steps.
WELCOME … Sociology and Anthropology’s Dr Aubrey (Robert) Herbst (from
left), Architecture’s Boban Varghese and Architectural Technology and Interior
Design’s Nicola Pannell were among the staff who welcomed new Dean of Arts
Prof Rose Boswell (third from left).
SAYING THANK YOU … Second-year
Logistics student Mark Dolley (second
from left), first-year General Accounting
BCom student Tess Malgas, second-year
Music Education student Kylie Hughes
and second-year Pharmacy Technical
Support student Brendino Jordaan
were among the group of 14 recipients
of Coca Cola Fortune study bursaries
who met with Coca Cola Fortune’s
Leigh Swart (left) and the NMMU
Trust’s Renita Affat.
NETWORKING … Marketing Management’s Dr Marlé Van Eyk (from left),
Strategic Planning and Management Information’s Dr Florence Southway-Ajulu,
Education’s Deon Swartz and Law’s Adv Shuaib Rahim attended a braai for all
the Institutional Culture Enlivening Project (ICEP) participants, jointly hosted by
the Alumni Office and ICEP.
CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS … BA English and Psychology graduate,
full-time writer and author of three novels Isla Morley (centre) received her
Alumni Rising Star Award at an alumni event held at the South End Museum
during her visit to South Africa at the end of last year. Ms Morley, who is based
in Covina (in greater Los Angeles), was unable to attend the Alumni Awards
ceremony in November. Handing over her award is Alumni Association President
Randall Jonas (left) and Alumni Council Representative Prof Hugh Jeffery.
YOUNG ACHIEVERS … Computing Sciences
recently celebrated the achievements
of alumni and students at a breakfast
attended by staff, students, alumni and
industry partners represented here (from
left) Alumni Relations Director Paul
Geswindt (from left), Nelson Mandela
Bay Business Chamber Top 40 under 40
achievers and alumni Devereaux Joubert
and Mohammed Cassim, Alumni Rising
Star award recipients Nicholas Hafner and
Baxolile Mabinya (right) and Computing
Science head Prof Jean Greyling.
Taking responsibility
15
Sport
Madibaz
fighting
hard
FROM rugby to squash, NMMU’s Madibaz
sportsmen and women are performing well.
Its netball players are aiming for an unprecedented seventh title in a row, as are its squash
players (fourth title), while its cyclists continue
to achieve at the highest level.
Bestmed-Shukuma-Madibaz club cyclist
Conrad Viljoen recently claimed a dominating
fourth victory at the Daily Dispatch SPAR Cycle
Tour in East London, and the squash team got
off to a winning start in their chase for a fourth
league title.
While this season’s FNB NMMU-Madibaz
squad have only won one of its five encounters
thus far, the university’s Young Guns (under-20
players) won their first-ever match against
Pukke in recent weeks.
This victory augurs well for the future since
the present Madibaz XV is also a young side.
“There is no denying that the effort is there.
The boys are really trying,” says coach David
Maidza of the team which narrowly lost to log
leaders Shimlas 21 - 23 in the dying seconds of
the match. They beat newcomers Central University of Technology (CUT) in their first home
game.
The next home game will take place on 23
March.
SA Champ
HUMAN Movement Science honours student Edgar
Katushabe (below), achieved a first place in the
Men’s Junior Equipped category with a bench press
of 175kg at the recent South African Bench Press
Championships held in Durban. Education student
JC Chantler achieved second place in the Senior
Men’s Unequipped Bench Press category with a
bench press of 140kg.
Edgar was also awarded the Men’s Junior
Equipped Trophy, the
C-League unequipped
trophy and the Most
Improved Men’s Lifter
Trophy for 2014 at the
Eastern Cape Powerlifting Awards at the end
of last year.
16
Taking responsibility
WATER BABIES … Marketing and Corporate Relations’ Shani Adams (from left) and students Pontsho Pitsi,
Nishkah Swart and Khanyisile Mapalala were among those to participate in the latest Learn to Swim classes
presented by the NMMU Swimming Club. The participants trained twice a week for 45 minutes over five
weeks in the NMMU Fitness and Aquatics Centre, South Campus.
SPEEDY SWIMMERS … First-year student and
Nedbank Madibaz Swimmer Alard Basson (right)
came third in the 100m Butterfly for Men in a
time of 55.22 seconds. With him is Olympic gold
medallist, Chad Le Clos who won the event in a
time of 52.31s in an International Grand Prix event
recently in Stellenbosch.
EIGHTH TITLE ... Human Movement Science’s Dr
Lynn Slogrove took her eighth title in the recent
Humewood Golf Club women’s championship. Dr
Slogrove is a former SA and EP hockey star.
FIRST … Simon Harmer is Madibaz Cricket Club’s first
Protea Test Cricketer. He also became the first Proteas spinner to take seven wickets in a Test on debut
thereby contributing to the recent Proteas series victory against the West Indies. “We are overjoyed with
Simon’s selection and his subsequent performances
in his first Test,” remarked Madibaz Cricket Manager
Riaan Osman, who has since been appointed as
Deputy Director: Madibaz Sport Marketing. The
Madibaz Cricket Club organised a function to honour
Simon.