UCT "alums" reflect on affirmative action

Former deputy vice-chancellor Professor Martin Hall, former vice-chancellors Njabulo S Ndebele and Dr Stuart Saunders, and a string of UCT scholars are among the contributors to the recently released The Next Twenty-five Years: Affirmative Action in Higher Education in the United States and South Africa

The book looks at both the past and the prospects for affirmative action in higher education in the two countries, but also tackles the role of higher education in a globalised world and the everyday issues in the classrooms.

Hall, now vice-chancellor of the University of Salford in the UK, shares editor duties with David Featherman of the University of Michigan and Marvin Krislov of Oberlin College in the US. Ndebele penned one of the title's two forewords.

Described as a "penetrating exploration of affirmative action's continued place in 21st-century higher education" and a "must-read for anyone who cares about the future of higher education in diverse democracies", the book brings together essays and papers from influential scholars, educators, university leaders and public officials.

These include UCT's Professor Neville Alexander, Dr Zimitri Erasmus, Professor Haroon Bhorat, Emeritus Professor André du Toit, Dr Elaine Salo, Professor Ian Scott, Professor Crain Soudien and Associate Professor Nan Yeld, as well as Saunders and former transformation manager Nazeema Mohamed.