HoDs on strategy

Strategy: Dr Max Price addresses HoDs.

On 30 April, UCT's heads of academic departments gathered at the Baxter Theatre Centre to discuss Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price's seven strategic goals, endorsed by the University Strategy Forum.

The workshop is part of an intensive consultation process around the strategic goals. These centre on transformation, internationalisation, research, UCT as an Afropolitan university, the size and shape of the institution, and social responsiveness.

Price started the session on a light note, saying he understood the reluctance of HoDs to grapple with strategic planning, especially if they were unconvinced that strategic plans would affect their academic roles and outputs.

"A strategic plan should modify those things we do. But not everything we do and do well needs to be explained in terms of the strategic plan," he added.

"But we do need to ask: What will we be doing differently in five years? What can we do better to make UCT a destination of choice for students, postdocs, young researchers and senior academics? How can UCT adjust its activities to meet the social and developmental needs of the country?"

Price said the raison d'être of a university is to "address the social and developmental problems and to understand and improve the world around us".

"The seven strategic goals will suggest how, from the centre, we'll provide institution-wide guidance to heads of departments."