University of Mpumalanga celebrates 10 years of academic activities
The University of Mpumalanga celebrated its 10th anniversary with the Dr Enos Mabuza inaugural annual lecture. During the ceremony, Prof David Mabunda was also honoured with the title of Professor Emeritus.
The University Of Mpumalanga (UMP) held a ceremony to celebrate its 10 years of academic activities on Friday February 23.
The UMP enrolled its first cohort of 169 students in February 2014 in three programmes, namely bachelor of education (foundation phase teaching), bachelor of agriculture in agricultural extension and rural resource development and a diploma in hospitality management.
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The ceremony included the conferment of the title of Professor Emeritus to the first chairperson of the UMP Council, Prof David Mabunda, the inaugural Dr Enos Mabuza annual lecture on education and the naming of the library and information services building after the first UMP vice chancellor, Prof Thoko Mayekiso.
Welcoming the guests, the UMP chair of council, Sabelo Mahlalela said, “Today is a very special day in the history of the union of UMP. What contributes to this is the fact that we are celebrating and embracing key landmarks and milestones.”
Mayekiso shared the UMP’s academic journey. She said universities are by definition social institutions. As centres of learning, they are established to be the forefront of identifying the social and economic developmental challenges and opportunities of their societies.
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“As social institutions, they tend to reflect their societies. Once universities share some degree of commonality, they tend to be distinct in character and orientation. Universities are no different in that regard, even within one country the imperatives of size and shape and under the broad concept of differentiation, informed the developmental trajectory of higher education institutions.
“It is precisely because of this reason that the University of Mpumalanga was intentional from the get go, that it will become an authentic African university. Not just a university, located geographically in Africa, but one that recognises affirms and entrenches the African experience and context in the academic project,” said Mayekiso.
