Page 76 - Transformation Indaba Report

six overArChing AreAs

Six overarching areas emerged from the breakaway discussion sessions, namely:

1. Student-centered / holistic student-centric approach
2. Transformation – conceptual framework; plan; institutional architecture; implementation; accountability/reporting; M&E
3. Transformative institutional culture
4. Mandela identity in the context of university transformation
5. Academic project - epistemic access, success and renewal
6. Nelson Mandela University in the context of digital transformation

Breakaway contributions relevant to the six themes: within the academic environment. Support Services can
tap into the capacity of academic staff.
• What does it mean to be student-centered? Mandela
(graduate) attributes must influence curriculum. Curricu- • How relevant are Mandela University’s programmes
lum content to embrace the value system. (offerings), given our student profile? Is there a way to
track the relevancy, after student leaves Mandela Uni-
• Holistic student support and holistic student development. versity?
Holistic approach to drive student health, safety, and
wellness. • Collaboration culture between academic and support staff:
devise strategic ways of collaborating fully to assist/
• Comprehensive and integrated student recruitment support our students. Not have an us-them attitude.
approach. A partnership bringing all sections involved in
student recruitment. • Students with special needs must feel they belong to the
university and not only to a particular unit.
• How to renew ourselves as staff/have stewardship over the
‘discomforts’ our students face? • How responsive are our core curricular programmes to the
needs of our students?
• Empower student for life beyond the university. Continual
career counselling as preparation for life beyond universi- • Need to empower ourselves to better respond to the
ty. Navigate both university and life outside/beyond uni- changing student profile. Staff need to be sufficiently
versity sensitive to students’ social dynamics. Can’t interpret the
new student using old systems?
• Student engagement as a responsibility of all staff/
divisions. Not only focus on elected student leadership. • Need to continually remind our students of institutional
values; and show the link between values and our pro-
• Standardisation/consistency across all faculties for post- grammes. Are we doing enough to highlight the values?
graduate support lacking. Students should enjoy the same Especially, on social media. Show module content and the
experiences, and experiences of Mandela University link to the values. Citizenship is often misunderstood.
values. An example: the proposal defense process. Some
students defend their own proposals, and some students • Big gap between when the student graduates and when
are excluded from the defense process. Leads to conflict they enter the work environment. Creating “Future
in the student space and between supervisor and student. Forward” – to prepare senior students who will enter
At least be unified at policy and principles baseline. world of work. To help them take the values of Mandela
University into their work environment. Tracking progress.
• Some postgraduate students are excluded from Mandela
University due to a perceived lack of supervisors – we • Cultivation of student leadership development should be
have inclusivity and diversity as values. We may have the responsibility of all sections of the university business.
expertise elsewhere in the institution. Need to deliberately
search within the whole institution for the relevant exper- • Cultivate African values in our residences. To transform our
tise. Gatekeeping problem? - supervision of postgraduate residences into African student communities. This is being
students. Develop a database of colleagues who possess formalised.
supervision-related skills but don’t necessarily sit in the
relevant faculty. Maybe a guest lecturer? • Produce an ‘agent that is ethical’ that comes through
Nelson Mandela University, for society.
• Integrate staff and their capabilities to aid the student

NelsoN MaNdela UNiversity • traNsforMatioN iNdaba • 2022 70