VC RESHAPES WALTER SISULU ACADEMIC AGENDA WITH VISION 2040+

iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu is reshaping its teaching, research, innovation and community engagement around three strategic areas that include Food Futures, One Health, and Justice, Governance and Leadership Futures.

Unveiled at the Vision 2040+ strategic launch at the Mthatha Campus, the long-term strategy positions the University as an institution rooted in the Eastern Cape while contributing knowledge and solutions to African and global challenges.

Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Thandi Mgwebi said Vision 2040+ represents a deliberate effort to reset, reaffirm and recommit the institution to its future ambitions, while recognising its history and confronting institutional practices that could stand in the way of its strategic direction.

“The reset could require intentional disruptions of some arrangements, of some practices and habits that may be inimical to the strategic focus that we seek,” said Mgwebi.

At the centre of the strategy is a commitment to focus the University’s academic and societal contribution on challenges that directly affect communities. Food Futures places food and nutritional sovereignty at the centre of an interdisciplinary agenda that brings together agriculture, technology, nutrition, culture and local knowledge.

“One Health brings together human, animal and environmental health to respond to the realities confronting rural communities, including climate change and socioeconomic pressures. The approach reflects the University’s intention to strengthen the connection between knowledge production and the complex challenges experienced by the communities it serves,” said Mgwebi.

She said the third strategic area, Justice, Governance and Leadership Futures, places ethical leadership, accountable governance and capable institutions at the centre of transformation.

“The strategy also emphasises the development of graduates who lead with integrity, think critically and respect evidence,” she said.

Chair of Council Professor Tembeka Ngcukaitobi said the University’s future growth must remain connected to its fundamental responsibility of expanding access while strengthening academic quality.

“We are building a university for everyone, widening access must go hand in hand with academic excellence. The university must create opportunities for students who may otherwise no have access to higher education, while simultaneously raising the quality of teaching, scholarship and postgraduate education to world standards,” he said.

He also highlighted ethical leadership, accountability and responsible financial stewardship as essential to institutional growth, particularly in an environment where resources are limited.

“Our resources are limited. We must find ways of using them for the betterment of the institution,” he said.

Vision 2040+ therefore places transformation beyond institutional restructuring, positioning leadership, governance, academic excellence and community impact as interconnected elements of the University’s future.

Mgwebi said the launch itself is not the measure of success, the real test begins with implementation.

She added that strategy positions iYunivesithi Walter Sisulu as a university of place, purpose and possibility rooted in the Eastern Cape, responsive to the needs of its communities and contributing knowledge and solutions to challenges facing Africa and the world.

By Anita Roji