Page 2 - DUT CONDUIT Dec 2021

Professor Sibusiso Moyo: Deputy Vice- Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement
As we end 2021, I borrow from one of my favourite books on values, “TheValuesCompass:What101CountriesTeachUsAboutPurpose, Life and Leadership” by Dr Mandeep Rai. There are two classes of values which fit in well with an end of year message. The first one is this focus and reflection on “Connection Values, which are described as values that shape our relationships with friends, family, colleagues, neighbours and strangers”. They apply in both our work and home environment. So use this holiday as a checkpoint to ask yourself how you would want to be remembered in terms of your contribution to the DUT Community, Family, Friends and those you interact with.
The second echelon of values are the “Core Values, which define our
core personality and motivation in life”. There are many who might have, for one reason or another, faced many challenges and adversity. Just remember to self-introspect, re-energise and try to find opportunities in whatever situation you find yourself in. Life in itself is complex and brings to the fore all types of seasons. Sometimes we celebrate, win, fail, mourn etc. but such is the way our universe was created. On the leadership front are also other types of challenges and as the “10 Day MBA” short course taught me recently, there are 4-types of people one has to lead within the higher education environment (I think this applies to any other organisation). There are categorised as follows: “Low relationship and high output; low relationship and low output; high relationship and low output and then high relationship and high output”. This is according to Prof TE Cloete, Facilitator of the Executive Leadership Programme offered through Stellenbosch. In 2022, aim for the 4th quadrant, which is to use your value system to build excellent professional relationships and produce high output at the same time! ENVISION2030 under the Stewardship perspective gives us guidance on what we value as a DUT Community. Help us build a better DUT Brand that drives excellence and a value system that we want to be remembered by. At least we will have in our DUT Memoires, the first time DUT got ranked by the TIMES Higher Education World University Rankings,
as the year 2021.
We are proud of our staff who continue to make such a positive contribution to our University and the world. This exciting publication features the Co-leader of DUT’s Supporting Undergraduate Research Excellence (SURE) project, Dr Anisa Vahed. She is currently a visiting Fulbright Research Scholar at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Prescott, Arizona, where she is engaging with a network of US colleagues on her Fulbright project titled ‘Advancing the Undergraduate Research-Teaching Nexus’. In this edition, she shares her experience and also shares more on her opportunity she had to engage with undergraduate students who demonstrated their knowledge and skills in multidisciplinary project-based research.
Another exciting feature is on academic, motivational speaker, Dr Celeni Nyide, who speaks on his passion about driving the transformation agenda through his engagement at DUT and the communities he serves. He reveals more on his vision for the future which revolves around community development through education.
Also, read all about DUT’s newly named innobiz DUT Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which now serves as an umbrella centre for all entrepreneurial units within the University, as well as the sterling graduation accolades of some of our DUT staff at the recent Spring Graduation.
DUT has embraced, ENVISION2030, which is guiding us towards a decade of improving lives and livelihoods. Our strategic perspectives are: · Stewardship · Systems and Processes · Sustainability · Society. Being people-centred and engaged, innovative and entrepreneurial, is part of our DNA. Our environment is changing and DUT is positioning itself so that our people can participate productively in the development of our region, country and the world. Together we can continue to find ways to drive our futures through ENVISION2030, with the exciting and rare opportunities it provides!
Last but not least, my personal best wishes to the entire DUT community this festive season. I should also take the opportunity to thank our Vice-Chancellor & Principal, Professor TZ Mthembu and the
DUT Management Team for steering us in the right direction through 2020 and 2021, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.
May you and your loved ones stay blessed and be re-energized to face 2022! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.
Noxolo Memela: Communications Manager
As the year 2021 comes to an end, we must utilise this time to reflect and look back whilst looking into the future.
Despite being embattled with the COVID-19 pandemic we are grateful for the blessings that the Lord almighty bestowed on us not just as individuals but as the University community and as South Africans. First of all, before I proceed any further, I would like to thank all our colleagues at the University for their continuous contributions towards our brand (DUT) especially the Communications and the Corporate Affairs team. It is unarguably proven that globally we are all facing a rather difficult time that just when we think we might be overcoming the challenges the pandemic has imposed on us; we get hit by the different variants.
One of the most serious challenges for anyone, is being insecure about anything and the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to lead even the strongest people into insecurity. Insecurity not only on health issues but finances, possibility of losing someone we know due to the virus and the unpredictable future of institutions that we use or need to succeed as individuals and a university, to name but a few. These insecurities are created by the need that comes with the increase in infections and emergence of a new variant. However, let me not dwell on the negativity and focus on how we managed to excel as a University in many aspects of our business.
As we head into 2022, let us view the year ahead as another opportunity to do right, regardless of being faced with a pandemic or not. I can feel that 2022 will be another one of those years, for the Durban University of Technology, South Africa and globally. Our university will continue to excel and make the headlines, for reasons that will make the entire DUT community proud. Our research and entrepreneurship centres will continue to produce the best success stories as they have been doing in 2021. The achievements of 2021 are perhaps a sign that DUT is a force to be reckoned with. Not only is the University producing the best entrepreneurs and research but our alumni continue to excel in leadership roles (former SRC Secretary general- Avela Mjajubana selected to the NYDA board, Acting Vice-President DUT Convocation- Angel Mkhethi Sibisi appointed as Director: Marketing and Communications KZN Department of Trade and Investment, Buka Magwaza and Cherise Elisha-both excelled in Microbiology symposium in KZN), these are not the only alumni and students that have excelled the list is endless but it is great to note that all of them are products of our University.
So it is safe to say that it has not all been doom and gloom. We value the contributions of our academics in the classroom, the safeguarding of our institution by our Executive Management, the guidance from our Council, the desire and love to choose and make DUT their preferred institution of higher learning by our students and most importantly, the steering of our university in the right direction by our team members on the ground at operational level alongside their line managers- we salute and thank everyone for their immense contributions to our DUT home. I personally hope that those who have selflessly invested towards the betterment of the life of DUT continue to do so in 2022 and beyond. To those who did not particularly have a good year in 2021, may 2022 wipe off all your sufferings and tears from 2021, may 2022 prove to be the best year of your entire existence. May opportunities and goals that did not present themselves or succeed in 2021 do the opposite in 2022. Also remember that at some point in our lives, we all go through some form of downtime but it is up to us to rise and embrace the time we have been given and the opportunities presented to us.
Wishing you and your families a blessed, peaceful and healthy festive season. May 2022 be a year of abundance, joy, peace and productivity.
EDITORS’ Corner
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Vice-Chancellor and Principal: Professor Thandwa Mthembu’s End of the Year Message A LONG AND A CHALLENGING 2021
The year 2021 has been a long and a challenging one; a difficult and a sad one. Life itself is just too difficult. Whoever said it could ever be easy? Many of us lost so many of our loved ones. May their souls rest in eternal peace. We experienced and lived in different sorts of pain and frustration. We might have contemplated throwing in the towel at some point, feeling valueless, useless and helpless. But, we chose to live on and, perhaps, live the legacies of our departed. The VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world is an integral part of this difficult life. We, nevertheless, continued enthusiastically with multi-modal learning, more especially online learning.
University education is not only about its mechanical aspects, but its
socialising aspects, too. Cultures and behaviours must be reshaped and
moulded accordingly. After university education, the man or woman who
grew up in Nkandla must eventually have a more refined, complex and
sophisticated conceptual framework and belief system. University education
is not just about the tangible output as in the certificate, diploma or degree.
It must also be about lasting, life-changing and two holistic outcomes and impacts in his or her life. His or her state of mind, demeanour and behaviour must be starkly different from those of people he/she grew up with who never had similar opportunities. Otherwise, what is university education all about then if it leaves this man or woman static, unmoved, unshaken and unchanged.
It is in this context that the now Council-approved ‘Policy Choices regarding Vaccination of students and staff’, and visitors and service providers, too, is a bold attempt at safeguarding the
quality and the integrity of the education we offer, together with its socialising aspects. This is not only good for DUT, but for our region and our country. We had our fair share of proud and exciting moments, too. Contrary to this narrative, right at the beginning of 2021 we demonstrated our stewardship, our innovative and entrepreneurial flair, and our institutional resilience and sustainability. Just tell me: how many organisations and universities were able to give their staff a 6.5% increase as our Council did at the beginning of 2021? So many could not afford any increases at all.
This happened despite the fact that DUT’s 2021 allocations from DHET in terms of both block grants and earmarked funds had been cut. No miracle. Just astute governance, leadership and management. Do I need to refer to even more national and international accolades we received during the course of 2021 than we received in 2020? No miracle. No favour. No largesse to DUT. Pure excellence. We dared to dream. We lived those dreams. We dared to plant some seeds. Now is the moment to enjoy the harvest and
the fruits. We now need to be gentle with ourselves. Let us take it easy. Let us replenish. Let us reinvigorate. Let us rest. I now wish each and every DUT person, and our families and friends, too, a restful festive period. Let us celebrate responsibly and safely. COVID-19 has not only estranged us from our past lives; it is now part of our lives. Let us not be complacent. God bless each and every one of us in the DUT community, our family and friends. God bless South Africa.
(excerpts taken from the Iminingo-Vice-Chancellor’s Communiqué)