Languages: 
Walter Sisulu University Vice-Chancellor & Principal, Professor Rushiella Songca delivered her first university address since she occupied the position.
This address, which was the first of its kind, took place at the Butterworth campus where she tabled her plans for the 2022 academic year going forward.
Her address emphasised on the consolidation of campuses and rationalisation of faculties for quality and impactful education.
“Our journey began last year around this time, February 2021 to be exact. This is when the new management team was ushered in and we immediately finalised our vision, an impactful technology infused African university in pursuit of excellence.”
WSU’s Strategic Plan 2020 – 2030 speaks to the consolidation and rationalisation of faculties and programmes, which would result in a revised number of faculties and academic programmes.
The configuration of faculties is going to be implemented in second half of 2022, while the consolidation of Faculties will be implemented in 2023. Faculty configuration will see the university move from 12 faculties to 6, which are:
- Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology,
- Faculty of Business and Management Sciences,
- Faculty of Law, Justice and Public Administration,
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences,
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Natural Sciences
“We cannot continue with duplication of programmes or losing out on our accreditation of our programmes. We must ensure that we enhance the capacity of staff members, and via our programmes that they obtain their highest qualifications. This rationalisation and consolidation process is going to create that environment, it is a vehicle that is going to enable us to achieve those aspirations,” said Songca.
Amongst the benefits of this process, Songca mentioned: “A strong academic core; consistently high-quality programmes; consistency in provision of support, facilities and infrastructure; and an equitable distribution of workloads and resources.”
She further stated that WSU took a decision to pursue excellence and that if it were to succeed, it was not going to be business as usual in the institution.
For WSU to become an impactful technology-infused African university as stated in the Vision 2020 – 2030, it needs to promote academic excellence in undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
The Vice-Chancellor further stated that Vision 2030 can be achieved through the improvement of the quality of student experience, ensuring a sustainable and viable institution and by developing and sustaining efficient, effective and relevant corporate governance and management systems.
“In order for us to operationalise our strategic plan we had to develop operational plans, so that each and every unit has them. Some units have completed their operational plans, and others will do so before the end of March,” said Songca.
Addressing the current state of affairs where engagement and tackling internal issues was concerned, Songca condemned the perpetual use of protests and unrest which gave the university an “unpalatable” reputation.
“I plead with you that you cease using strikes and wars as your first option. As a new management we have an open-door policy, and we continue to engage with the Institutional ISRC through our IMC, and it is completely heart-breaking when student leaders refuse to engage and opt for strikes,” she stated.
As part of the university’s drive to ensure academic excellence, Songca alluded to the ongoing enhancement of living and learning spaces for students, implementation of mentorship programmes, and the implementation of programmes geared towards building graduate attributes.
Central to the improvement of infrastructure are Information and Communication Technology hubs, laboratories, a new state of the art building for the Ibika Faculty of Education, as well as multiple residence renovations.
“In addition, we need to revamp our systems and student support processes. That is also central and important in realising our Vision 2030. And of course, we need to revamp our WSU infrastructure in particular, our learning spaces, and residences”, she said.
In a bid to improve graduate employability, Songca stated that university management had agreed to send watermarked qualifications, which have been withheld due to debt, to prospective employers so that they may see that a student is indeed qualified in their respective field.
In closing Songca pleaded with staff and students to work together towards improving the image of the institution and striving for academic excellence.
The VC’s full speech can be watched on the official WSU YouTube Channel.
By Anita Roji and Yanga Ziwele
