Re-imagining University Engagement within the context of a responsive,

responsible and transformative universityPresented By

Prof P.E. Lukhele-OlorunjuCHE/USAf Conference 06-08 October 2021

Table of Contents

q Introduction: ReimaginingqUnderstanding Concepts:• Re-imagining University Engagement:

What? • Responsive; Responsible;• Transformative University• What? How? Why?ØExamples: South African universitiesØConclusion.

UNIVERSITY MANDATE

Why University Engagement?Mandate:Teaching and Learning, Research and

Engagement (Communities, Societies/ Scholarship): local, national, regional, continental and global.

Current situation/Re-imagined situation

Understanding Concepts

Responsiveness (to what and why?),

Responsibility (to whom and why?),

Transformation (in what way and why?).

RESPONSIVE UNIVERSITY: STAKEHOLDERS

What is a responsive university? Who are university stakeholders ?

(Wood, 2015).Funders; Donors; Students; Staff; Governing Councils;Communities.

RESPONSIVE UNIVERSITY

qResponsive to development needs:• Technological advances (4IR);• Current challenges eg. Pandemic &

Vaccines• Sustainability of universities (Funding);• Decolonization of universities• Engagement with Communities• Students (employability and Skilling);• National challenges (inequality, Strikes)qHow do all these relate to Engagement?

RESPONSIBLE UNIVERSITY

What is a responsible university?

Higher Education goals and objectives (Higher education Act 101 of 1997).

7 Features of a responsible university (Ford,2013)

Promoting all - round education.

Contributing to society.

RESPONSIBLE UNIVERSITY

qActs on development needs:• Technological advances (4IR);• Current challenges (pandemic &

Vaccines);• Sustainability of universities (Funding);• Decolonization of universities;• Engagement with Communities;• Students (employability and Skilling);• National challenges (inequality, Strikes).qHow do all these relate to Engagement?

RESPONSIBLE UNIVERSITY

Ref: BusinessTech Online (2021) ‘30 of the most in-demand skills that will help you get a job in the next five years‘. Available at: https://businesstech.co.za/news/technology/521358/30-of-the-most-in-demand-skills-that-will-help-you-get-a-job-in-the-next-five-years/

TRANSFORMATIVE UNIVERSITY

§ Transformative University:§ What; How; Why and When Should

universities transform?§ October 2010; 2015 Transformation

Summits.§ 2019 October “Reinventing South Africa’s

Universities for the Future” Conference.§ South African history and transformation

of older universities (pre 1994).• Transformation: Gumede (2016; 2020).

UNIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT§ New universities (post apartheid era) embrace

transformation.

§ UMP as a hub of transformation: Strat Plan.• NWU, Faculty of Arts: Centre for Corporate Social

Responsibility Vision.

• Cornel Hart (2021): Six Values of Community Dev/CE:

§ Transformation from engagement creates a ripple effect.

UNIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT

§ Example of ripple effect:Communities: villages around/ Industries/Business/ Societies/ Students &StaffRe-imagining a university willing to workwith above Communities (Public/ Private/international) through engagement: TheResult is, Knowledge transfer within thesectors;sectors introduce new approaches/ newtools/ new concepts to how universities canperform/ transform.

UNIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT

• Universities have transformed into digitalspaces.

• The Bill of Rights of South Africa’sConstitution; (RSA, 1996).– SA Government expenditure on Education:

About 7% of GDP and about 20% of total state expenditure.

• The NDP 2030• Universities and regional and international

agreements:– The African Agenda 2063– Sustainable Development Goals: relevant research!

• Goal 1(Poverty); 4(Quality Education); 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure); 10 (Reduced Inequalities); 11 (Sustainable cities and communities); 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions).

UNIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT

Ref: Hart, C (2021) Cross Sectoral Engaged Partnerships: Transformative Power of Higher Education to Deliver Effective Societal Impact” Keynote Address on Division for Social Impact Annual Social Impact Symposium 2021

UNIVERSITY ENGAGEMENTConclusion:• Reimagining does not mean overhaul but

bettering the system to improve communities, livelihoods, environment, students etc.

• We need to approach reimaging university engagement in a responsive, responsible and transformative manner and hope to achieve HEIs that are positive evolving tools.

• Different needs continue to arise some without warning and universities have to embrace them.

• Universities to continue reinventing themselves. • A cycle that should begin from all stakeholders:

need/response/responsible/transformation:• Re-imagining is a process an not an event!!

Na gode

Thank you; NgiyabongaEnkosi; Inkomu

Ke a leboga; Ro livhuwaDankie