THE WORLD OF SDS
AS PROFESSIONAL LEADERS, WE ASPIRE TO CO-CREATE A HOLISTIC UWC STUDENT EXPERIENCE FOR CRITICAL GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP. students to be goal-directed as change agents. This tagline is echoed in the Charter of UWC Graduate Attributes and Goal One of the University’s Institutional Operating Plan 2016-2020, the Holistic Student Experience. It is a strengthsbased approach that keeps in line with the SDS ethos.
UNITING TO HELP FUTURE-READY STUDENTS SHINE Through six departments, Student Development and Support (SDS) delivers an integrated service to our students. Our work over the last five years has been guided by our clear strategy and informed by the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Institutional Operation Plan 2016-2021 – with successful results.
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TUDENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT SHOULD ESSENTIALLY BE EVERYONE’S BUSINESS IN
HIGHER EDUCATION. The growth and the increasing demand for this function over the last few decades in the higher education landscape has been propelled by the need in the world for multi-skilled, adaptable, innovative global citizens to tackle the challenges of the 21st Century. As a central institutional function or Division, whether you call it student affairs, as in the United States, or student development and support, as in Europe,
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Our Journey: 2016-2020
this field in higher education has seen the development of an essential service in the education of students worldwide, including developing countries such as South Africa by dedicated professionals. At UWC, the work that SDS does is guided by our Vision Statement: “As professional leaders, we aspire to co-create a holistic UWC student experience for critical global citizenship”. Coupled to this is our tagline ‘Creating Your Future’, a call to encourage
Our services are delivered through six departments, namely: Office for Student Development; Campus Health and Wellness; Centre for Student Support Services; Financial Aid; Sport Administration; and Residential Services. Through our departments, we have achieved several goals and gained much recognition over the last five years. This includes being named the Greenest Campus nationally three times; identified as one of the best Career Services three times; launching a Co-curriculum record, the Media Society that had led to the establishment of uDubs Radio; recognised internationally through our UWC Creative Arts Choir through its national and international awards; leading our rugby team to win the Varsity Shield; increasing our mental health services as well as support and advocacy programmes for gender-based violence or gender equity, including a policy on sexual violence. Typically, student development and support services include but are not limited to most of the co-curricular activities necessary to support and develop students holistically. At UWC, these are considered co-curricular activities, which are programmes and learning experiences that complement the formal teaching and learning of the academic project without earning credit points and which reflects a range of substantial participation and initiatives of students during their study years. In the context of multi-cultural academic
