Inaugural lecture by Professor Odendaal and other updates

Dear colleagues and students

The next lecture in the UCT Inaugural Lecture series will be delivered by Professor Nancy Odendaal on Tuesday, 24 October 2023. Read about this and other recent developments on campus.

1. Inaugural lecture by Professor Odendaal

The fourth University of Cape Town (UCT) Inaugural Lecture for the month of October will be delivered by Professor Nancy Odendaal on Tuesday, 24 October 2023 at the Snape Teaching Studio 3B, Snape Building on upper campus at 17:15. The lecture is titled “Reframing African Smart Urbanism”. Through this lecture, Odendaal, the director of the School of Architecture Planning and Geomatics, will counter mainstream claims that the standardised smart city represents a panacea for intractable urban problems.

• RSVP for the lecture by Professor Odendaal.

2. Welcoming the newly-elected SRC

The UCT incoming Students’ Representative Council (SRC) for the 2023/24 term of office has been constituted following the elections held from 18 to 22 September 2023. A total of 8 049 students, 30.50% of the student population, voted.

The Economic Freedom Fighters Students’ Command won 10 seats, followed by the Democratic Alliance Students Organisation with three seats, and the South African Students Congress and ActionSA Students’ Chapter with one seat each.

The constituting meeting of the 15 SRC portfolios was held on Friday, 13 October 2023.

The new SRC’s term of office will run from 1 November 2023 to 30 October 2024.

• View the new SRC members and their portfolios.

3. Please configure wired devices on campus by 24 October

If you connect your computer, laptop or other device on campus using a network cable, you will need to configure the device by Tuesday, 24 October 2023 to avoid losing internet access. This is a result of ICTS implementing Network Access Control (NAC) mechanisms in October, to enhance network security on campus and to comply with a range of local and international standards and legislation.

• Read the ICTS web article for full information and instructions.

Please note that this does not impact wireless devices.

4. New inductees to the College of Fellows

UCT inducts permanent academic staff members into the prestigious College of Fellows each year as recognition for their original and distinguished academic work that deserves special acknowledgement. Being inducted into the UCT College of Fellows is among the highest accolades an academic staff member can receive. The four permanent UCT academics who have been awarded a fellowship this year are Professors Liesl Zühlke, Thomas Scriba, Tom Moultrie and Wendy Burgers.

The College of Fellows also recognises outstanding scholarly work by young academics who have made significant independent contributions to research in their field, with the College of Fellows Young Researcher Award. The young academics recognised this year are Associate Professors Nastassja Koen and Ursula Rohlwink; and Drs James Keaveney, Kate Webb, Moses Basitere and Portia Malatjie.

• Read the full VC Desk: Welcoming new inductees to the College of Fellows.

5. Nominations for VC’s Excellence Awards closing soon

There are only a few days left to nominate teams or individuals who have gone beyond the call of duty for the Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards. The awards recognise the contributions that teamwork, collective action, collaboration and leadership make towards the sustainability of the university.

These awards will be made in three categories: global citizenship, service excellence, and transformation. All professional, administrative support and services (PASS) staff are encouraged to apply or nominate colleagues for the Global Citizenship Award and the Service Excellence Award, while all staff at UCT involved in work related to transformation are invited to apply for or nominate colleagues for the Transformation Award. Nominees can be whole teams.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, 20 October 2023.

• Read more on the guidelines and criteria for the awards.
• Download the nomination form.
• Read the full VC Desk: Nominations open for VC’s Excellence Awards 2023.

6. Campus-wide Wi-Fi audit underway

ICTS consultants have begun a campus-wide audit to check wireless coverage and confirm that equipment is functioning properly. The audit will extend into 2024 and will cover all buildings on campus, including classrooms, staff offices, labs and residences. Wi-Fi coverage will not be impacted at all during these checks. For more information on this audit, please visit the ICTS website.

7. UCT merchandise pop-up shop launched on upper campus

The UCT official merchandise clearance pop-up shop was launched earlier in October 2023 as an interim arrangement. The pop-up shop is located at the Steve Biko Students’ Union Building, Cissy Gool Plaza on upper campus and will be operational until the end of November 2023 or while stocks last. Trading hours are from 10:00 to 15:00 on weekdays, excluding public holidays. Payment can be done via debit cards, credit cards or p-cards. Prices and combo specials are valid while stocks last. Returns can regrettably not be accommodated.

• Read more about the pop-up shop and available merchandise.

Communication and Marketing Department

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements