From the Alumni Desk Dear Tukkie reader, What a year 2021 has been! We hope that you have kept yourselves and your families safe and we pray that the effects of COVID-19 have been very minimal on you. With all the challenges faced by the world in general, and our institution specifically, we have had to find new ways to keep our University running efficiently, while staying in touch with you, our alumni. Here are highlights for the year, some of which are found in the magazine:
Quality outcomes The Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings by Subject for 2021 has placed UP as the leading university in South Africa for four subjects: Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies; Engineering (Electrical and Electronics); Mathematics; as well as Accounting & Finance. Furthermore, our School of Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and IT, Veterinary Science Faculty as well as the Law Faculty are ranked number one in Africa. The Department of Zoology and Entomology in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences has been ranked 45th globally for its research and impact by the University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP). The Department of Zoology continues to be number one in Africa in this ranking, which is for the 2020/2021 period.
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Launch of the LeadUP podcast series The Alumni Relations Office recently launched the LeadUP Podcast series, which is a spin-off from the LeadUP webinars. The podcast, in which alumni and friends of the University share their stories and leadership lessons, aims to inspire listeners to be a force for positive change, and to add our collective voice to global conversations to help find solutions to some of the challenges we face as a continent and broader global society. New episodes are available every second Monday at www.up.ac.za/leadup or on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
MAIL & GUARDIAN 200 young South Africans list Over the years, UP has had staff members, students and alumni featured on the list, furthering the University’s aim to produce citizens who are not only suitably qualified, but also committed to using their skill sets in service of the communities they live and work in. This year, we have seen an increase in UPassociated individuals on the list, from 18 in 2020 to 22 in 2021.
The first Nobel Prize Dialogue in Africa In May, UP hosted Africa’s first Nobel Prize Dialogue, the theme of which was ‘The Future of Work’. Broadcast online from the University’s Future Africa institute and campus, the event featured five
Nobel Prize laureates. It aimed to bring science and society closer, and stimulate creative thinking by gathering a unique group of laureates, opinion leaders, policymakers, students, researchers and the general public.
UP hosts President Cyril Ramaphosa and French President Emmanuel Macron Africa is capable of manufacturing safe and effective vaccines – it just needs the support to do so. This was the abiding sentiment at the ‘High-level dialogue on manufacturing vaccines in Africa’ that was led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and French President Emmanuel Macron, and hosted at the University of Pretoria’s (UP) flagship Future Africa institute and campus. The event, which was broadcast online, was part of President Macron’s first state visit to South Africa.
Growing international partnerships In recent months, UP strengthened its academic and scientific research collaboration with Ghent University in Belgium and Michigan State University in the US, and became the first university in Africa to sign an institutional agreement with Cornell University, also in the US, to facilitate academic exchange and collaborative research on sustainability. We also formalised our partnership with Leeds University in the UK, to collaborate on, among others, food systems research.
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