Next Generation Professoriate back at Zevenwacht

The Next Generation Professoriate (NGP) cohort recently gathered at Zevenwacht for a writing retreat a year after its previous visit. In March 2020 the writing retreat was held a couple of weeks before a National State of Disaster was declared and a lockdown due to COVID-19 inaugurated. A memorable year has passed, but enthusiasm levels at the retreat were as high as ever.

The retreat followed the usual format, with NGP members arriving on the Monday morning and beginning work in the conference area at Zevenwacht, which has spectacular views of Table Mountain and False Bay and allows easy social distancing for participants.

The traditional morning run included Frank Matose, Robert Morrell and Zarina Patel. The route includes a lot of gravel roads and hill climbs between the vines. Nosipho Mzenzi of Zevenwacht knows the routines well and is always available to sort out small difficulties and calm turbulent waters.

We were fortunate to be joined by former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) for Transformation Professor Loretta Feris – the first time that a DVC has joined the cohort for a writing retreat.

Here are some impressions of the retreat from those who attended.

• “It was a very productive retreat – thank you to the NGP space and resources to enable this to happen. I find these retreats to be incredibly useful and well timed. If it were not for this retreat, I have no doubt that I would not have been able to meet my impending deadline.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to have attended the retreat and I am looking forward to the next one and the consequent boost in my productivity.”

• “General appreciation for being provided a quiet and relaxed space to focus on work that promotes my scholarship.”
• “It is always a pleasure to go on the writing retreats. There is no excuse not to work, all one needs to do is wake up, exercise, eat and work. Moreover, all an academic needs to do is to fulfil their duties with mission discipline and combat precision.”

The atmosphere of the writing retreat was light and playful, yet productive. And everybody was very happy to see old friends again.