2. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

2.1 The Vice-Chancellor’s Perspectives

Wits University turned 100 in 2022. The Wits Centenary Year had been incredibly successful and unprecedented. Staff and Students, Councillors, Alumni and Friends of Wits have all played a pivotal role in ensuring that Wits’ Centenary is celebrated and commemorated in a fi tting and memorable way. There is no doubt that all the initiatives, events, and celebrations will be etched in Wits’ history for years to come and that Wits’ academic and research excellence and prowess will continue to grow and thrive for the next century.

This year has also marked the end of the Wits 2022 Strategic Plan. The University is accordingly gearing itself towards imbibing and implementing the new 2033 Strategic Plan. The Wits 2033 Strategic Framework provides an ambitious vision for how Wits can harness its intellectual talent and resources across disciplines, institutions, sectors and geographic boundaries to change our world for good.

Our Purpose is to make a positive impact on society through creating and advancing global knowledge and nurturing graduates who lead with integrity.

Our Strategy is to do this by:

- Advancing academic excellence; - Enabling social impact; - Fostering a shared identity; and - Ensuring our sustainability.

These pillars are underpinned by excellence, innovation, collaboration, collegiality, impact, and people-centredness, as well as Wits’ values. With the above in mind, the University’s plans and areas of focus for 2023 are set out below and largely pivot around the new Strategic Plan.

ADVANCING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

The implementation of the University’s Blended

Teaching and Learning Plan for 2022 was highly successful. We were able to return more students to campus post-COVID but also retain the gains made during the pandemic in relation to blended learning. Where feasible, asynchronous learning took place online and experiential learning was conducted in person.

The focus in 2023 will be to increase the number of fl exible and lifelong learning opportunities; adopt blended teaching and learning for all theory courses; use blended student support initiatives; promote the scholarship of teaching through development and professionalization of teaching and teachers; strengthen institutional capacity for curriculum development and renewal; support program development and curriculum practices in line with national and global standards, including innovative techniques and

technologies; promote student, teacher, curricular, and “spatial” readiness for 21stcentury learning; expand the effective use of digital technologies to enable the provision of formative feedback and diverse assessment tasks amongst many other initiatives.

On the enrolment front, we remain committed to increasing our post-graduate numbers while incrementally decreasing our undergraduate numbers. We will also roll out a number of targeted initiatives to increase enrolments in the areas of STEM. As we do each year, we aim to improve our throughput and graduation rates.

ENABLING SOCIAL IMPACT

In 2022 Wits academics continued conduct pioneering and innovative high-quality research. A record number of 15 significant discoveries were made and a growing number of high-quality publications indexed by the Web of Science – the ISI index were published.

The Wits Innovation Strategy, which was developed this year is now firmly in place and we have established the Wits Innovation Centre which aims to enable and foster innovation within Wits which will have societal impact. The Post Graduate Strategy which has been developed aims to provide a swift, secure and stimulating experience for postgraduate students. There will also be a focus in 2023 on modernizing research systems, building integrated funding solutions and driving innovative research with societal impact. The Research Strategy will focus on the development of a framework to support existing research activities in the University. Special attention is being paid towards growing talent; maximizing the use of time; enabling more Post Doc fellowships; training of research management and administrative staff and encouraging research with impact without overlooking curiosity driven research. To this end, we aim to enable an environment, where research addresses the challenges that impact society and tackles future global challenges from the perspective of the Global South.

The Internationalisation Strategy is also being refreshed but still focuses on merging bottomup formed collaborations, with the development of strategic institutional collaborations. The matrix of strategic partners range from our highly active relationship with the University of Edinburgh to some of the less active ones. Emphasis is also being placed on international student recruitment.

FOSTERING A SHARED IDENTITY

We continue to make appointments of Black and Female staff in areas which are underrepresented and through programmes such as the Diversifying the Academy and the Female Academic Leadership Fellowship, continue to support and promote the progression of Black and Female staff.

We have also continued in our efforts to increase the number of women in Science with Doctoral Degrees.

We have appointed a Deputy Vice-Chancellor: People Development and Culture who in 2023 will focus on conducting an institutional culture review; a review of staff development initiatives; a revisiting and refocusing of social justice imperatives and the review of policies and process relating to staff, amongst other initiatives.

We will also roll out key programmes to enable the early career development of academics, with the Dean of Students focusing on interventions to foster a positive and holistic student experience in 2023. This will be done within the context of the Student Success Framework which pivots around four key areas, namely academic success, health and wellness, material needs and personal development.

Initiatives include:

• The roll out of co and extra-curricular activities as pathways to student development; • Student support programmes to drive active citizenship and advocacy which enable a culture of dialogue and debate within the University; • Programmes assisting new first year students to successfully make the transition to

University life; • Programmes to promote positive health and wellness programmes;

• The re-organisation of student support units to improve support to students and the student experience;

• Programmes which expose students to a cosmopolitan student life and experience that fosters a sense of belonging and the development of life-long friendships and networks, while addressing residence culture by entrenching living and learning communities as an integral part of residence life.

Efforts are also afoot to entrench the Wits. For Good brand across the University, Johannesburg and in South Africa by the end of 2023.

SUSTAINABILITY

While we remain stable, we continue to anticipate a shrinking revenue stream given the prevailing economic challenges in the country and globally. To this end, the University has and will continue to introduce initiatives to drive third stream income.

We continue to be proactive in dealing with students on issues relating to accommodation and fees by advancing funds to students, where appropriate. The structural problems in the system, however, continue to exist and will constrain the University for years to come. The vast majority of our students still fall within the ‘missing middle’ and so do not qualify for NSFAS. In terms of student accommodation, we have managed to increase student accommodation with assistance from the State although, financing for private accommodation supply does remain an issue, particularly in relation to students who no longer qualify for NSFAS funding.

In relation to broader issues of sustainability we plan to formulate the Campus Sustainability Project for implementation in 2023 and beyond. This will ensure progression towards the area of Sustainable Development Goals.

CONCLUSION

The commitment to the mission of producing excellent graduates with an eye for positive social impact remains paramount. Driving this imperative while simultaneously building towards a more sustainable institution is critical. As the Senior Executive Team, we can only do so with the support and cooperation of staff, students, alumni, friends of Wits and through mutually beneficial strategic partnerships with the right organisations.

Professor Zeblon Z Vilakazi Ph.D., MASSAf, FAAS, FRS Vice-Chancellor and Principal

2.2 The Teaching and Learning Plan

The Wits Learning and Teaching Plan 2020-2024 will be entering its fourth year of implementation in 2023.

The Plan has seven focus areas, namely:

1. Increasing flexible and life-long learning opportunities 2. Enhancing academics as university teachers 3. Strengthening institutional capacity for curriculum development and renewal 4. Diversifying assessment methods 5. Expanding post-graduate education 6. Expanding innovative formal and informal learning spaces 7. Using data analytics to promote student success

In 2022, as COVID-19 restrictions were reduced and ultimately lifted, Wits courses were offered in blended mode, combining in-person and online teaching and learning. Every course had a site on the learning management system (LMS) introduced in 2021, ulwazi, which ensured that students could easily access announcements, educational resources, online assessments and marks, as well as communicate with academic staff and one another.

In 2023 blended learning will continue. Each course will blend temporal, spatial, pedagogical and technological dimensions in ways that are appropriate for that course, depending on a number of parameters, including learning outcomes, the particular students for whom the course is designed, the nature of the discipline and the resource requirements. Considerable support to strengthen blended course design will be available to academic staff from learning designers and academic support staff in the Centre for Learning, Teaching and Development and in Faculty Teaching and Learning Units. In addition, several new programmes will be offered in a fully online mode for students who are not able to attend on-campus educational activities. The quality of these fully online courses will be assured using the rubrics and standards for online courses developed by the internationally respected Quality Matters, in which Wits has a membership.

In addition to increasing flexible learning opportunities, to address another part of focus area one, increasing life-long learning opportunities, we plan to consolidate the administration of short courses through a single short course ICT platform and a site on the Wits website where prospective students will be able to search for any short course, regardless of which Wits entity offers it. In addition, some short courses will be marketed as microcredentials, which may be awarded verifiable digital badges that students can use on their social media profiles and digital resumes. Focus area 4, diversifying assessment methods, will be significantly advanced through the implementation of the new Senate Standing Orders on the Assessment of Student Learning (SSOASL), which were approved by Senate in 2022. The new standing orders both enable and can drive more pedagogically sound, diverse, inclusive and innovative assessment aimed at promoting more effective student learning and increasingly valid measures of their achievement of learning outcomes. Academic staff will be able to access learning opportunities offered by Wits academic and academic support staff on diverse forms of assessment and how to better integrate assessment into course design and align it with learning outcomes.

A new Strategic Plan for Postgraduate Research Training will be implemented in 2023. In 2022 a review and benchmarking study of postgraduate supervision at Wits and other universities was conducted. Based on the study and in support of the strategy, learning opportunities for academic staff related to postgraduate supervision will be coordinated and expanded to form a ladder of learning. The learning opportunities will cater for supervisors with different levels of experience and allow for different models of supervision. In addition, new courses will be developed to help postgraduate students enrolled for research degrees acquire key knowledge and skills required to conduct research.

With the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions on venue use, expanding innovative learning spaces will receive increased attention. While the pandemic prevented us from conducting large lecture classes, we do not plan to return en masse to this teaching approach. Rather, there is now an increased understanding of the value more interactive forms of teaching in smaller groups. In 2023 we will therefore identify, furnish and equip a number of spaces that can accommodate small to medium size (20-50) groups of students. In 2022 we created several informal learning spaces. In 2023, a number of informal learning spaces are being planned where students can study, alone or with peers, or relax and socialise outside of scheduled classes.

For several years, Business Intelligence Services (BIS) has been providing data related to indicators of student success. This data is presented to the institutional Student Success

2.3 The Enrolment Plan (2020 – 2025)

The year 2023 sees the University entering the fourth year of the six-year enrolment plan. The plan charts the size and shape of the student enrolment, student success and throughput rates, and staffing arrangements. Although Covid-19 has had a profound impact in necessitating a transition to the online delivery of teaching, learning and assessment; in 2023 we are carefully considering the blend of online and on-site activities.

The drivers underpinning the plan include governmental requirements and the National Development Plan, the Wits 2023 Strategic Framework and particularly the imperative of being a research-intensive University within a differentiated Higher Education system; and Financial Balancing and Sustainability.

In mid-term review for the period 2023-2025 of the major targets in the plan include:

• A total enrolment headcount of 44 000 students by 2025 • Of the 44 000 students in 2025, 4320 will be part-time and distance (online). The University plans to grow part-time undergraduate students from a base of 1 200 in 2018 to 1692 in 2025 • Distance from a zero base in 2018 to 2628 in 2025. An effort will be made to grow online registrations aggressively to generate additional funding • Achieve a 42.5% proportion of contact postgraduate enrolments by 2022 • Achieve a 50% proportion of enrolments in Science Engineering and Technology (SET) over the planning period.

The total UG and PG contact headcount will stabilise to approximately 44000 by 2025. The headcount of undergraduate contact enrolments (excluding the UG part-time) will reduce to 23 491 in 2023 and will remain stable for the period to 2025, whilst the headcount of contact postgraduates will increase from 14 788 (excluding online) in 2020 to 16 470 in 2023 and thereafter remain stable until 2025.

The transition to a higher proportion of postgraduates is being carefully managed to ensure financial and organisational stability. The undergraduate contact numbers are being managed down steadily from 2020 through 2022 controlling for the compound effect of the reduction of the first-year, first-time entering (FYFTE) students feeding through to the second and subsequent years of study.

As a research-intensive university, that has developed a PG strategy, the institution will continue to draw its postgraduate applicant pool from its own undergraduate graduates, as well as from the system as a whole (other local and international universities). The University achieved a growth of approximately 3330 postgraduates from 2014 - 2018. Therefore, the further increase of 1072 postgraduates from 2020 to 2023 is regarded as achievable although the concomitant improvement in throughput graduation makes the necessary growth in postgraduate numbers a challenge.

The improved funding granted to the University by DHET in 2017/2018 was budgeted and spent as intended. This funding was used on multiple line items to provide capacity for faculties to accommodate the greater number of postgraduates. The supervisory capacity and the administrative support base will be increased using full-time permanent and part-time temporary staff including visiting academics. In addition to increasing the staff and supervisory capacity, the University plans to increase infrastructure capacity such as laboratory space and resources to accommodate the greater numbers of postgraduates. An audit of laboratory and other bottleneck resources has been undertaken to facilitate planning.

2.4 The Research, Innovation, Internationalisation and Postgraduate Training Plan

The Wits 2033 strategic framework which kicks-off its guidance in 2023 provides a clear purpose for Wits, namely “to make a positive impact on society through creating and advancing global knowledge and fostering graduates to be leaders with integrity”. This challenge has been accepted with enthusiasm and consequently four strategies have been developed after extensive consultation processes. The strategies are for research, innovation, postgraduate training, and internationalisation; and although distinct they are harmonised around the provision of new knowledge to make a positive impact in society.

Their collective focus and harmonisation are illustrated in Figure 1 and by these extracts from the four strategies:

1. Our PG training goal is to produce socially engaged postgraduate thinkers and innovators equipped to use knowledge for change in the country, in Africa and across the world, 2. Our internationalisation goal is to make Wits the “go-to” African university for international partners by attracting and retaining high-quality researchers, and to provide our students an opportunity to develop a global view, 3. Our research goal is to produce increasing amounts of research with impact, where it is understood that research with impact includes discovery research, translational

research, and innovative research,

4. Our innovation goal is to successfully deploy new ideas or methods to benefi t society. 5. Our internationalisation goal is to make Wits the “go-to” African university for international partners by attracting and retaining high-quality researchers, and to provide our students an opportunity to develop a global view, 6. Our research goal is to produce increasing amounts of research with impact, where it is understood that research with impact includes discovery research, translational

research, and innovative research,

Our innovation goal is to successfully deploy new ideas or methods to benefi t society.

Figure 1: collective focus and harmonisation of four distinct strategies

The overarching aspiration of these strategies is to create an environment that supports high quality research and innovation undertaken by postgraduate students supervised by experienced academics, which produces tangible and intangible contributions that benefit society. These graduate students will use their knowledge and global perspectives to solve complex problems using evidence-oriented approaches in their communities. They will carry knowledge into the world and use it for the benefit of the communities in which they work and live.

More specifically the strategic activities planned for 2023 are described below.

Strategic Activities to Develop and Support Talent

Several carefully designed programmes will support talented people from across the developmental spectrum to increase the capacity to produce high quality research. The Early Career Academic Development (ECAD) and the Female Academic Leadership Fellow (FLAF) programmes will help to grow new talent and have a strong transformative effect on the talent base. The Vitamin C programme will encourage and support mid- career academics to apply for NRF C-ratings indicating that they are established and independent researchers. Finally, the Distinguished Professors and A-rated Deferred Retirement programmes will attract and retain talent at the high end to mentor up and coming academics.

Strategic Activities to Develop and Support Multidisciplinary Collaborations

Collaboration, especially cross-disciplinary collaboration, often promotes excellence in research and innovation and allows people to tackle difficult research questions. Thus, the Internationalisation Strategy will continue to develop strategic partnerships, using the new five step partnership maturity model. It is hoped that the space created by this means will enable bottom-up partnerships. The Seed funding programme that aims to promote collaboration development with the strategic partners will continue in 2023.

However, in the University there is also plenty opportunity to collaborate, but due to the size and complexity the organisation it is often difficult for people to find such opportunities. Thus, a simple need and opportunity brokering website on the intranet is being developed.

Strategic Activities to Enhance Postgraduate Training

The following broad categories of activity will be pursued in 2023 to enhance PG training at Wits:

• Responding to and implementing the outcomes of the CHE PhD review conducted in the 2021-2022 period. • Implement programmes that facilitate interdisciplinarity, innovation and an inclusive graduate culture. • Modernise information systems and infrastructure to enable evidence-based interventions through the extension of Oracle Student Information Management

System. • Increase the availability of and access to bursary funding by extending the use of the recently launched student funding portal. The funding portal developed during 2022 that brokers funding opportunities and funding needs will be expanded and used more extensively. • A start will be made on introducing a more extensive support programme for

PG through the provision of methodology training, statistical support and writing development. Progress will also be initiated in developing cohort programmes and committee supervision.

Strategic Activities to Enhance Innovation

The first standalone innovation strategy at Wits was finalised in early 2022. It defines innovation is very broad terms to include “multidisciplinary approaches to interact with industry, government, academia, society and/or the environment … [with] outputs that are either tangible (products or ‘things’) or intangible (processes, services, policies, or ideas).” The strategy also aims to create an innovative mindset amongst Wits researchers and students.

Strategic activities will include support for research-led and researcher-led innovation. This will embrace finding solutions to problems; creating societal and economic benefits; influencing policy; developing new and improved products, refining services and processes; filing patents and other forms of protected IP; and creating start-up and spinout companies. The innovation outcomes will be viewed through four lenses: research translation; external engagement; entrepreneurship and commercialisation.

Resources will be invested into the creation of the Wits Innovation Centre (WIC) that will provide seed funding for innovative activities; fellowships for PhD students following innovative work; solutions for industry related problems; opportunities to develop entrepreneurial skills in academics and students through short courses and mentorship; and support for outreach activities and policy engagement opportunities.

The WIC will have a fee-based corporate membership that will provide funding. In return, members will receive priority access to innovations, start-ups and students.

Strategic Activities to Enhance Research Management and Administration (RMA)

The benefit of proactive and informed research management can be profound on the priority features of research, innovation, and PG training. The complex and completive world of funding is best exploited with the help of well-trained research managers and administrators. A two-pronged attack will enhance the current RMA capacity: training and devolution. Training and professional recognition will be encouraged. Additionally, the growth in RMA capacity will be encouraged across the University especially in faculty, schools and research entities, thus devolving the support. The benefit of having specialised 2.5 Council’s Objectives for 2023

The Council of the University of the Witwatersrand sets institutional objectives for each calendar year, which reflects the institution’s strategic governance priorities. The objectives are informed by the University’s progress towards its mission and strategic goals, and provide direction for the functioning of the Council, the Senior Executive Team, and Senior Management.

1. Council determined that for 2023:

• Research impact: Wits will use its intellectual prowess to translate its research into at least one innovative technology/social innovation or commercial initiative and/or enterprise by the end of 2023. • Advance the public good: Wits’ mandate to advance the public good should be visible through two through key initiatives that will be championed by the Senior

Executive Team. To this end, Wits will work with the relevant public, private, civic and academic stakeholders and entities to: o Enable the provision of quality, innovative healthcare that benefits patients over the next ten years and; o address unemployment and inequality through nurturing graduates who are ethical. employable, entrepreneurial, and innovative. (SET will provide a measurable target for no i) • Financial Sustainability and Governance: Wits’ financial sustainability should be foregrounded by the imperatives set out the in the strategic framework. The SET was tasked with providing specific deliverables for 2023 which reflect this commitment. The

University, through the Senior Executive Team, should diversify its income streams, grow its financial reserves (Net Surplus) by at least 2% as compared to budget, by the end of 2023 and achieve an Unqualified Audit Outcome annually.

• General Sustainability:

o Climate change: Through research, teaching, policy engagement and continual assessment of its own practice, Wits will endeavour to play a pivotal role in a just and equitable transition to a zero-carbon economy for the city, region, country, continent and the world. o Institutional Culture: Through various channels and platforms, Council will promote and encourage an ethos of honesty, collegiality, respectfulness, and accountability by all staff within the University. o Governance: The Council will ensure it upholds the principles of good governance within its own structures but also support the University in strengthening its governance and efforts in contributing to policy development in a meaningful way.

The Council objectives should be read in the context of the new Strategic Framework - Wits 2033: Changing Our World. For Good which espouses Wits’ vision and mission, as well as the University’s values, principles, and institutional intent.

Council’s 2023 commitments follow below:

• Council affirms its responsibility to govern the University as determined by the Higher

Education Act and the University’s Statute, • Council acknowledges the University’s role as a public higher education institution, committed to academic and research excellence, social justice, and that it is working to advance the public good, • Council recognises:

o The centrality of the University to South Africa’s long-term development goals, o That the University will create and advance collaborative cross-, trans-multi and interdisciplinary knowledge (discovery, applied and innovative) from the perspective of

Africa and the Global South, and o That the University will pursue an innovative blended teaching and learning approach.

• Council will make decisions that promote and protect the long-term sustainability, inclusiveness and autonomy of the University, • Council will ensure and enable academic freedom within the University and will champion institutional autonomy. • Council will discharge its statutory responsibilities by:

o Ensuring that executive management gives sufficient attention to the financial sustainability of the University, including systems of financial control and planning, and that transparency in determining the budget is given priority, and effectively monitored; o Ensuring that all Council committee members fulfil their obligations with integrity and to the best of their ability;

o Ensuring that all reports required by legislation (for example, the Annual Report /

Annual Financial Statements) are submitted timeously and provide an accurate and factually correct reflection of the business and sustainability of the University; o Ensuring that all rules and policies, and the approval thereof, are made in the best interests of the University; and o Ensuring compliance with the senior appointment procedures as determined by the University, to serve the best interests of the University.

• Council will support management in its pursuit of academic excellence and the promotion of the Wits experience by: o Monitoring the success and throughput of students; o Overseeing the agreed upon enrolment size and shape; and o Encouraging an environment that is consultative and inclusive.

• Council affirms that it will strive to ensure that a safe environment is created for the expression of a multiplicity of views and that it enables the creation of an environment free of prejudice, gender and race discrimination; where debate, critique and the diversity of

views are valued. To this end, Council will continue to drive transformation as an overall and ongoing objective with particular goals in relation to staff and curriculum to be prioritised. • Council will ensure that structures for interaction and engagement with students are available and operate efficiently and optimally to address relevant and appropriate issues in a proactive manner. • Council commits to take into account student and staff wellbeing when making decisions or when considering relevant policies.

Over and above this, Council has approved an Institutional Scorecard, which identifies the Key Performance Indicators for 2023, and which are premised on the strategic priorities of the University.

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