Taking UCT research into the world

By engaging with communities outside of UCT, the university is fulfilling its most important transformative role. Addressing participants at the Social Responsiveness Symposium - and the launch of the 2013 Social Responsiveness Report - on 24 February 2014, Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price said if any testimony were needed to the commitment to transformation across the university, it could be found in the sphere of social responsiveness and engaged scholarship.

"We often risk thinking of transformation and our transformation agenda as being primarily about the demography of the student and staff bodies. In doing so we often forget that our most important transformative role is in engagement with the communities outside the university, and how we change those communities."

The symposium culminated in the launch of the 2013 Social Responsiveness Report, which had teaching and forms of engaged scholarship as its focus, compared to the research focus of previous years. Other highlights included a talk on the role of public intellectuals, and examples of how individuals and departments are making their work more publicly accessible; as well as examples of capacity building with communities and government officials.

• To read more about the Social Responsiveness Symposium, and the university's work in surrounding communities, read the March 2014 edition of Monday Monthly
• To find out more about UCT's engaged scholarship, go to the Social Responsiveness website: www.socialresponsiveness.uct.ac.za
• Alternatively, download a copy of the 2013 Social Responsiveness Report for yourself