DVC’S CORNER BY PROF PAMELA DUBE

A MOMENT OF REFLECTION

PROF PAMELA DUBE, DEPUTY VICE-CHANCELLOR: STUDENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT, UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE

I WRITE THIS ARTICLE with mixed feelings about the time that has come and the future that is beckoning. Because of that, I have taken an unusual step of approaching this article as a reflection of many signifi cant moments, and our achievements specifically in sport at this wonderful institution.

MY JOURNEY BEGAN on 1 December 2015 when I parked my car in the open parking bay at the back of the Main Administration Building after a lonely drive to campus. I was entering uncharted waters as I began my term as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Development and Support (SDS). I was not sure what to expect and my only certainty was my contract of association with UWC containing the key responsibilities that I was asked to strategically undertake to continue with the excellent work that was happening within the SDS Division. This was the start of my official and professional relationship with UWC as a site of opportunities and progress.

I INSTANTLY CAME TO REALISE that I related to and shared the institutional values about the ways in which we view students and their agency, and these commitments were reflected in many different framework documents and plans. Shortly after my arrival at UWC I was greeted by the #MustFall movements which were reverberating across the higher education sector, led by students demanding total transformation and challenging the status quo. There was literally no time for deep five-year strategy thinking or planning as the new Institutional Operation Plan 2016— 2020 also demanded attention. But there was time for me at least to get to know my colleagues and what they were responsible for and to meet student leadership.

THE FOCUS AT THAT TIME was to think through practical steps and efforts to deal with the evolving situation on campus and get to understand the unique UWC experience in this context. We had to work together as the UWC community to restore confi dence and deal with fears and uncertainties about how the university would look after the challenging circumstances on campus and its relations with the outside world. Given how things were, there was a reason to be cautiously optimistic because we were faced with an unprecedented reality. In the midst of all the engagements and negotiations, I kept energising myself by reading and engaging with students and my staff about the many successes within the division that I was entrusted to lead, which kept me hopeful and optimistic about what was possible.

THIS ARTICLE will by no means comprehensively cover the entire period of my association with UWC but aims to highlight some of the signifi cant achievements, which is a risky proposition as we have witnessed many and wide-ranging successes and it is not a simple exercise to distil and package them for this article. Having said that, it is important to acknowledge that these achievements were (and continue to be) made possible by the extraordinary abilities, commitment and dedication of our UWC students and staff.

THERE IS SO MUCH I can write about in relation to what students have achieved and what the SDS team has contributed over the last few years but I will reserve that for later and get back to the focus area of the Blue and Gold Magazine by citing some key sports achievements. I state the obvious that South Africa has talent that must be nurtured and I agree with the Rector and Vice-Chancellor that we offer opportunities to showcase talent and open the doors of higher education to all, regardless of each individual’s background circumstances. Without any sense of conceit I can boldly say that UWC has made an indelible mark in creating opportunities for many sportsmen and women and thousands of students who came to the institution underfunded or not funded at all but who managed to work hard to achieve curricular and co-curricular honours. I wish to take this opportunity and go down memory lane to remind us of our steady progress and what the different sporting codes have achieved over the years, especially at the level of Varsity Sport competition, which is the pinnacle of university sport in South Africa. Some of the honours that made us really proud to be part of Udubs were:

2015 Varsity Men’s Football Champions

2015—2016 Varsity Beach Volleyball Champions

2015—2022 USSA Dance Sport Champions

2016—2017 Varsity Shield Champions

2021 Varsity Women’s Football Champions

2022 Varsity Men’s Rugby 7s Champions

THE VICE-CHANCELLOR’S COLUMN highlights what Banyana Banyana’s victory means for UWC and the impact it has in uniting the country, and how we are encouraging more women involvement through initiatives like the She-Bobo programme.

COUPLED with these successes, we have very good developmental co-curricular programmes that are comparable to the best in the higher education sector and we do not rest on our laurels but keep pushing by embracing innovation and digital influence as part of the cornerstone of co-creating possibilities. We introduced our new SDS branding this year and specifi cally the tagline – learn.become.thrive. This places SDS at the centre of the holistic student experience in terms of our commitment to provide co-curricular programmes and student success as broadly defi ned, including comprehensive support that addresses all transitional stages of the student journey from high school to fi rst year and proceeding to the senior years, graduation and preparations for transitioning to the world of work.

SPECIFIC EFFORTS to support athletes with sports bursaries, healthy nutrition programmes, academic support initiatives and related assistance are part of our SDS strategy within the IOP 2021—2025 and the introduction of the delivery model will further assist us to effectively measure our achievements.

AS THE CURTAIN DRAWS DOWN on this phase of my career, I will remember my time at UWC fondly and the unique privilege I enjoyed to interact with and learn a lot from our students and their agency and creativity that always promotes a vibrant campus atmosphere. You will hear our students singing, dancing and ululating whether the UWC teams are winning or losing because of their positive spirit and pure joy at seeing UWC in the game. I am deeply honoured and appreciate the support and teamwork displayed by colleagues in various contexts across campus. I can sincerely say that we continue to achieve because we believe in our collective strength and in working together purposefully to deepen and expand our success stories.

LET US CONTINUE TO LEARN, BECOME AND THRIVE! B+G