VICE CHANCELLOR FOREWORD FROM THE

In 2022, the University of Pretoria (UP) embarked on the last phase of a five-year strategic plan that will lead us to 2025 and beyond. Efforts over the past four years to achieve our strategic goals were rewarded with an increase in student access and success; high-quality research for greater societal impact; global recognition; diversity, equity and inclusion; and institutional sustainability. Examples of these can be found throughout this report.

As we advance towards and beyond 2025, we will continue to strive to meet our goals for the greater good and benefit of society as a whole. Our well-educated, skilled graduates and relevant transformative research are key agents and drivers of sustainable inclusive development.

Growing young talent

The University continued to see an increase in applications, with 46 854 undergraduate applications that meet minimum requirements received. This was 870 more than for 2021. We are still one of the largest contact universities in South Africa with 54 466 students enrolled in 2022.

UP remains the university of choice for high-achieving students. Two exceptional school-leaving achievers – based on their Grade 12 results and their potential for success – are studying at UP through the ViceChancellor’s Distinguished Merit Awards (VCDMAs). Gauteng’s overall top performer of 2021, Kristen Erasmus, who received nine distinctions, was one of the recipients of the awards. Mongiwa Hazel Ntuli, aged 15 years, is our youngest recipient of a VCDMA.

For the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions, the University hosted in-person graduation ceremonies. We awarded 13 555 qualifications (2021: 13 593), of which 333 were to doctoral graduates and 1 822 were for master’s degrees.

Two notable graduates deserve mention. At 25, Mathias Shunmugam (bottom right) is the youngest PhD holder in the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies’ 105-year history. Karabo Maleka (bottom left) is the first black student to graduate with a PhD in speech pathology from UP. She was inspired by her late grandmother, who was a nurse, to pursue a career in the health sector.

Preparing our students for work

Preparing learners for automation, digital platforms and other innovations is the cornerstone of their education for a future that is already on our doorstep.

Ongoing efforts to make our students future-fit has earned the University international recognition. In the 2023 QS World University Rankings, UP is now ranked second in South Africa and 190th in the world according to the Employer Reputation indicator. This indicates that we produce graduates who understand the world of work and can make a valuable contribution right from the start.

Strengthening work-integrated-learning is an important feature of our curriculum transformation and programme design, as we prepare students for the future. Increasing focus is being placed on embedding innovation, entrepreneurship and digital literacy into the broad suite of student competencies. In 2022, some key developments in this area were:

Centre for the Future of Work: This newly launched Centre looks at all the new ways of working and seeking fulfilment in our work. Through research, we intend addressing issues like youth unemployment, the gig economy and better ways of flexible and hybrid work.

Digital Capability Laboratory: Launched towards the end of 2022, this laboratory will help students with the requisite skill-set to thrive in the evolving world of work. The laboratory is part of the European Union’s (EU) Erasmus+ SUCCESS Project, an initiative that researches ways to tackle youth unemployment and boost student employability in South Africa. UP is one of six higher education institutions involved in this Project.

Smart learning resources: UP’s Forensic Anthropology Research Centre has set up a comprehensive facility to help other departments in the Faculty of Health Sciences with the 3D-printing of replicas of bones and organs. Besides improving research methods and the teaching of students, this facility can open up the job market for students who can do 3D-image processing and 3D-print items for medical doctors.

Building capacity in Africa

Through our Africa Global University Project (AGUP), we focus on building an institution that is internationally recognised for research excellence and engaged scholarship, while contributing to social and economic development in South Africa, Africa and the world.

This initiative aims to strengthen UP’s participation in numerous networks to influence the collaborative development of higher education and research in Africa and globally.

One of the many developments during 2022 was the launch of the African Centre for the Study of the United States at UP (ACSUS-UP). This is the second ACSUS centre to be opened in Africa. ACSUS-UP’s core activities will include research in various cross-cutting disciplinary areas, namely geopolitics and geostrategy, food security, water and energy, one health, inequalities, social justice and human rights.

The National Research Foundation (NRF) has granted R10 million towards formalising the South Africa-Canada University Network (SACUN), which aims to help Canadian universities formulate their Africa strategies and partner with African universities. UP Vice-Chancellor Prof Kupe was nominated as the lead South African Vice-Chancellor of SACUN.

UP is also the South African coordinator of the South Africa-Sweden Universities Forum (SASUF). In 2022, the SASUF 2030 programme resumed, with UP hosting a virtual meeting. The first call for collaborative proposals was launched in September 2022.

Strengthening financial sustainability

The South African higher education sector continued to deal with the challenge of declining state funding, increasing regulation of tuition fees, rising student debt and challenges related to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). Growing alternative sources of funding has become increasingly important.

On a positive note, the University’s fundraising is on an upward trajectory. In 2022, we raised R250 million against a target of R170 million. Our first Giving Day Campaign, held on 25 July 2022, raised over R19 million from over 400 donors. The event will be held again in 2023, with a view to it becoming an annual feature as part of our initiatives to support UP students financially.

Another significant milestone is the launch of the UP US Charitable Foundation and the University’s Charitable Trust in the United Kingdom.

The University’s advancement performance has been recognised in the Annual Survey of Philanthropy in Higher Education (ASPIHE) where UP’s total income represented the largest institutional philanthropic income of all universities in South Africa.

Underpinning research impact

As one of South Africa’s premier universities, we are also one of the largest producers of research in the country. More importantly, our research matters because it is aimed at changing lives, as we strive to achieve greater societal impact by creating knowledge that addresses local and global challenges.

The University strengthened its position in the world rankings in 2022. UP registered its best performance ‘to date in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings where it was placed among the top 150 universities in the world. UP remained highly ranked in many subjects, including being in the top 100 globally in areas like Law, Mineral and Mining Engineering and Veterinary Science in the THE Subject Rankings for 2022..

Our best performance is also in the impact and sustainability rankings run by THE and Quacquarelli Symonds, where we are ranked joint second in South Africa with the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Developing reputation

As the first post-pandemic year, 2022 saw numerous initiatives and projects being launched to strengthen our reputation for quality, relevance and impact. A small sample is listed here.

Pan-African Cancer Research Institute (PACRI): Funded by UP, the South African Medical Research Foundation (SAMRC) and the National Research Foundation (NRF), PACRI aims to consolidate existing cancer research resources to provide a platform where multidisciplinary teams will tailor treatments to individual patients, thus facilitating precision oncology treatment. The Centre will be headed by UP’s Professor Zodwa Dlamini, who holds the SARChI Chair in Precision Oncology and Cancer Prevention.

National Biosecurity Hub: The hub is an initiative of the Department of Science and Innovation’s Agricultural Bio-economy Innovation Partnership Programme. It will facilitate collaboration to help prevent, reduce and manage crop and animal disease, and other matters related to food safety in South Africa. It will be coordinated by Innovation Africa @UP.

Centre for Language Learning: The Centre aims to develop the English language skills of international students to strengthen their ability to study and work in an English-speaking environment. There are plans to expand the number of courses offered by the Centre. The launch event included ambassadors from 17 countries, including Switzerland and the USA.

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) South Africa

Officially launched in March 2022 at the University’s Future Africa Campus. Hosted by the Albert Luthuli Leadership Institute at UP, the SDSN South Africa Network is chaired by Professor Tawana Kupe, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University.

Welcoming our new Chancellor

The University was honoured to appoint Emeritus Justice Sisi Khampepe as the new UP Chancellor for a five-year term with effect from 28 June 2022. Justice Khampepe embodies all the values which we espouse at UP, and we are truly grateful to have this extraordinary South African icon as our Chancellor.

I would like to pay tribute to Prof Wiseman Nkuhlu who ended his term of office as Chancellor in June 2022. After 15 years, he leaves behind an indelible legacy and an institution that is stronger than ever before, having benefited from his valuable contribution as one of the most influential South Africans of our time. We are deeply grateful that his stature elevated the standing of the University in South Africa and globally.

Prof Tawana Kupe Vice-Chancellor