Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
Health Sciences get the grad rolling
12 December 2011 | Story by Newsroom
It fell to the Faculty of Health Sciences to stage the opening ceremony in UCT's December 2011 graduations, capping, on the morning of Monday, 12 December, the first band of the around 5 250 students who will graduate this week.
The faculty drew to a close the studies of those who had finished their MBChB degrees and their bachelors of science in, respectively, audiology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech-language pathology. The faculty will host a second ceremony on Saturday, 17 December.
And as dean, Professor Marian Jacobs, explained after the ceremony, the faculty's graduations are always special. Unlike most other faculties, these students have been in the same classes - they studied together, had fun together - for anything between three to six years, said Jacobs, hugging a graduate she's known, she shared, since the student was just four years old.
The ceremony also marked the presentation of the Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Leadership in Africa to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, just the second recipient. Tutu could unfortunately not attend, so the award was made in absentia.
UCT will host a further 11 ceremonies this week, the next being that of the Faculty of Humanities this afternoon at 15h00. This will be the first of four ceremonies hosted by the faculty over the week.
This afternoon, Mary Burton, associated with the Black Sash since 1965, will also receive an honorary doctorate in social science. Di Oliver, another Black Sash stalwart, will receive UCT's first Chancellor's Medal.
Download the citation the for Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Leadership in Africa to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
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Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu: 1931–2021
On Sunday, 26 December 2021, the University of Cape Town learned of the passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, 90. We say goodbye to a man who taught us the power of joy to fight injustice and evil.
“Archbishop Emeritus Tutu, as he graciously aged, never lost his vision for a just and free South Africa.”
– Archbishop Emeritus Njongonkulu Ndungane
Stories from the UCT archives
It took UCT seven years to award the second Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Leadership in Africa - a reminder not only of the prestige of the accolade, but also of how few and far between worthy recipients have been.
12 Dec 2011
Caught up in the demands of their studies, students are often slow to volunteer for extra-curricula activities. To counter this, the university's student leadership hosted a week-long drive to foster a sense of social responsibility among their peers.
05 Sep 2011
In his valedictory lecture at UCT's medical school on 13 February, Professor Solomon Benatar of the Department of Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences, stated that the health of whole populations - in South Africa and globally - is <i>the</i> major crisis and challenge for humanity in the 21st century.
20 Feb 2008
With workmen in the background reminding guests of the newness of the hosting Wolfsohn Pavilion, the mood at the IIDMM headquarters was festive last Wednesday as Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah arrived to open an HIV centre there named in Tutu's honour.
09 Feb 2006