Farr, Burton re-elected to head new UCT Council

UCT HAS elected a new 37-member Council for the period 2002 to 2005. The Council, which is the University's highest decision-making body, held its inaugural meeting on July 3, re-electing their two senior office-bearers, Tony Farr as the Chair and Mary Burton as Deputy Chair.

Farr was unanimously re-elected Chair of the Council. He was first elected Chair of Council in 1999. Burton, who is an alumna of UCT, was also re-elected as Deputy Chair. She was a Member of Council from 1990 to 1996 and from 1999 to 2002. It is the second time that the Council has been elected in terms of the new University of Cape Town Act, promulgated in September, 1999. This UCT Act describes the University's goal as "striving to be a world-class African university" and defines the powers of the University and its major office-bearers.

Although the Council is the highest decision-making authority of the University, the Senate, boards of faculties and the many committees with responsibility for specific areas, also contribute to governance at the institution.

The UCT Council's membership, prescribed by legislation, includes members drawn from the City Council, those appointed by central government, elected by the Senate, by convocation, by donors and the Students' Representative Council.

There are 16 new names featured among the various constituencies (their names have been marked*) of the new Council. The full list is:

Minister of Education

• Rhoda Kadalie, Director of the Impumelelo Award programme at IDASA.
• Father Michael Lapsley, Director of the Institute for Healing of Memories.
• Ebrahim Patel, General Secretary of the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union, who also serves on the National Committee of COSATU.
• Tina Eboka*, Divisional Director (Water, Environment and Forestry Technology), CSIR.
• Hermione Cronje*, advocate, Assets Forfeiture Unit.

Convocation

• Mary Burton, former Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 1995-1998.
• Dr Jocelyne Kane-Berman, Head of the Western Cape Provincial Department of Environmental and Cultural Affairs and Sport.
• Peter Leon, a practising attorney and politician.
• Jeremy Gauntlett, an advocate at the Cape Bar.
• Geoffrey Budlender*, attorney specialising in land and housing rights, social welfare rights and HIV/AIDS.
• Trevor Petersen*, Managing Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Cape Town.

Students' Representative Council

• Khanyisa Fatyi, President of the SRC.
• Matthew Gibson, Secretary General of the SRC.
• Robert Magotsi, member of the SRC and postgraduate student.

Academic, Administrative and Support Staff

• Professor David Aschman*, Department of Physics.
• Lesley Shackleton*, Director of International Academic Programmes Office.
• Lewelyn Aranes*, Chair of NEHAWU at UCT and champion for human rights.

Ex Officio

• Professor Njabulo Ndebele, Vice-Chancellor.
• Professor Wieland Gevers, Senior DVC.
• Professor Martin West, DVC.
• Professor Cheryl de la Rey*, DVC.
• Professor Martin Hall*, DVC.

Senate

• Dr Gillian Finchilescu*, lecturer in the Department of Psychology.
• Professor Sue Harrison*, Head of Department, Chemical Engineering.
• Professor Daya Reddy, Dean of Science.
• Professor Kit Vaughan*, Hyman Goldberg Professor and Head of Department, Human Biology.

Donors chosen by Trustees

• Tony Farr, Chair of the Western Cape Advisory Board of Standard Bank (SA) and Director of Standard Bank (SA).
• Garth Griffin, international business consultant and former Managing Director of Old Mutual.

People elected by Donors

• Peter Bieber, Chair and Trustee of a number of pension funds and trusts.
• Richard Rosenthal, a lawyer specializing in statutory drafting.

By City Council

• Owen Kinahan, City Councillor and civic campaigner.

Appointments Committee

• Khayisa Balfour*, Communications Manager, SCAT, an independent funding and development agency.
• Dr Abdul Barday, Chair of the Groote Schuur Hospital Board.
• Monwabisi Kalawe*, Regional Manager, Cape Town International Airport.
• Ndoyisile Miti*, Chief Director Metropolitan Education, Western Cape.
• Reverend Chris Nissen*, Managing Director of Umoya Fishing and Vice-President of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industries.
• Crispin Sonn, businessperson with a keen interest in higher education institutions.

(There will be an interview with the Chair of Council, Tony Farr, as well as short biographies of the new Council members in a forthcoming edition.)

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