Desk Degrees, awards and competitions
One of UP’s goals is to strengthen its social responsiveness and impact in society.
UP dominated this year’s Absa Gradstar Top 100 with 19 students making it onto the list, the most from any other institution. Vaschel Naidoo, a fourth-year BCom LLB student at UP’s Faculty of Law, made it into the Top 10 of the Finest. Entrants from the University represented 60% of this year’s top five of the Ernst & Young Young Tax Professional of the Year competition, which is open to students from universities all over the world and is mainly directed at finding future tax leaders. UP also held a luncheon at its Future Africa institute and campus in honour of the 18 alumni, students and associates who were included on the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans list. This year, proceedings were kept to a minimum in an effort to adhere to COVID-19 protocols. Chancellor Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu awarded 1 380 degrees, diplomas and certificates to graduates in absentia during the virtual spring graduation ceremony. Of the 1 380 qualifications conferred, 167 were doctorates and 473 were master’s degrees.
Court victory The Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication at UP won a court case that not only brought justice for a young woman who was abused eight years ago, but also set a precedent to allow symbol-based court testaments by plaintiffs who are unable to communicate in any other way. During the course of the pandemic, there has been talk of the “great reset”. Indeed, we are living though a time of extraordinary change. Yet having so competently adapted to and navigated its way through uncharted territory, it seems increasingly likely that here at UP, we will soon be able to cast tired phrases like “the new normal” and “business unusual”, which have peppered the global discourse for much of the past year, from our everyday usage. The Alumni Relations Office will continue its efforts to keep in touch with you, and urge alumni to stay in contact with us. If you haven’t yet done so, please join the UP Alumni Connect platform. Let me take this opportunity to wish all Tukkie readers a wonderful festive season and a spectacular new year. Please stay safe – I look forward to reconnecting in 2021. Yours sincerely Ms Samantha Castle Senior Manager: Alumni Relations
University of Pretoria | TUKKIE 3
