Page 41 - DUT Excellence S2 Dec21

MAGUBANE’S BOOK EXPLORES LOVEIN THE THE ERA OF MAGUBANE’S BOOK EXPLORES LOVEIN THE THE ERA OF EMERGING SCHOLARS DIALOGUE SERIES
VICE-CHANCELLOR AND AND PRINCIPAL PROFESSOR THANDWA MTHEMBU DOES KEY NOTE AT LAUNCH OF OF OF Professor Thandwa Mthembu Vice-Chancellor and and Principal at the the Durban University of Technology (DUT) delivered the keynote address at at the the first discussion at at the the DUT Dialogue Series for Emerging Scholars a a a a platform created by the the Office of the the DVC: Research Innovation and and Engagement (RIE) Prof Sibusiso Moyo and and Head of the Research and Doctoral Leadership academy (RADLA) and and GenderJustice Health and and Human Development Prof Cheryl Potgieter The DUT Dialogue Series for for Emerging Scholars is a a a a a platform that aims to provide an opportunity for emerging scholars academics and and leaders leaders to engage on scholarly and and leadership matters that impact the higher education sector Prof Prof Moyo welcomed Prof Prof Mthembu and sketched his major contributions to higher education in the past three decades as as a a a a a Leader and Vice-Chancellor She indicated that the audience were very interested in in in in his presentation on on “Leading Complexity in in in in Higher Education” and the wealth of experience he he he had to share In his introduction Prof Mthembu stated that hopefully at at at the the end of of his talk staff would be be able to assess whether they “belong” at DUT Prof Mthembu’s primary argument was that people at at a a a a a a University need to understand what their role is He reminded the the audience that that he he has has often emphasised that that a a a a a university needs the right people sitting in in in the the right right seats and playing their roles right right Prof Mthembu said staff and students at DUT should be aware of of their own personal identity culture and behaviour He used Abraham Maslow’s psychological theory the the the Hierarchy of Needs and the the the Maslow identity grid to locate his talk He explained that the “Maslow Identity grid would help each one of the the attendants and many others who were not present to determine whether they belong at at a a a a a university let alone at at DUT Maslow’s hierarchy has five stages of needs from the the lowest to the the highest which which motivates human behaviour The lowest which which is physiological includes human need for example water food shelter and the highest need need is is self-actualisation Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs thus helps us to understand identity and and career development within a a a a university setting He defined identity as the fact of being who or or what a a a a person or or thing is culture as as the ideas customs and social behaviour of a a a a a a particular people or society and behaviour as the way in which one acts or conducts oneself especially towards others “I am going to describe the the people who belong in in these different blocks Your test after I have finished explaining what happens fin in in in each each of of these blocks will be for each each one of of you to determine where you belong ” In Physiology & Safety we have people who are stuck in the physiological needs wanting to to eat to to drink water These are the types of people who are not not shy because they could not not get their NSFAS allowances to burn the the whole university just because they couldn’t eat eat whatever they needed to eat eat So the the university may as well burn down because they they didn’t eat they they don’t care about any of of us In terms of of staff the people who belong in this block is is the academic who graduated a a a a a a a a number of years ago and is only interested in in the the cheque they are just here to to get money to to feed their families It is the the the the alumni who expect the the the the university to give them jobs and tenders They make many claims about favours they made
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