Campus announcements
UCT graduation under way and other updates
06 April 2018 | Campus AnnouncementDear students and colleagues
This campus announcement aims to inform members of the University of Cape Town community about:
1. UCT graduation under way
Approximately 5 200 students will be capped in 14 graduation ceremonies, which got under way on 3 April and will run until 10 April 2018. Some of the highlights during the ceremonies include the awarding of 67 doctoral degrees and two honorary doctorates. The honorary degrees will be conferred on Professor Brian O’Connell, former rector and vice-chancellor of the University of the Western Cape, and Justice Yvonne Mokgoro, the first black woman to be appointed to the Constitutional Court in post-apartheid South Africa.
- Visit the April graduation feature page...
- Watch the graduation live stream...
- See the graduation schedule...
2. UCT whistle-blowing hotline
UCT has a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and corruption. The UCT Fraud and Corruption Policy was approved by Council in 2017 and in line with the policy all allegations of fraud and corruption are investigated and acted on. A new service provider responsible for the UCT hotline, Whistle Blowers Pty (Ltd), was appointed with effect from 1 January 2018.
UCT’s registrar, Mr Royston Pillay, has provided an update on a sample of the cases reported through the UCT whistle-blowing hotline. A total of 18 unique allegations were reported and concluded in 2017. Each allegation was investigated and an official response was provided via the hotline once the matter was finalised.
Should your department or group require a presentation on how the UCT whistle-blowing hotline operates, please contact Mr Shai Makgoba, the director of Risk Compliance and Relationship Management, on 021 650 2754.
3. UCT’s BBBEE status
The amended Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) codes that came into effect on 1 May 2015 significantly changed the manner in which the BBBEE status level is calculated.
The number of BBBEE points required to achieve a BBBEE level significantly increased. Thus, far-reaching changes have materially affected UCT’s existing BBBEE status and will continue to have an impact on industry as companies and institutions are assessed against these requirements.
In 2016 UCT’s overall BBBEE score was 38.85 points, making the university non-compliant. The 2017 overall estimated score had increased to 57.59 points, but it was apparent that it would take time for UCT to improve its BBBEE scorecard. It is estimated that the BBBEE verification process of the year ending December 2017 will conclude in July/August 2018.
There is an urgent need for the Graduate School of Business (GSB) and other departments to retain the capability to generate third-stream income via contracts with the private sector and government, which requires the university to be BBBEE compliant.
UCT believes that BBBEE is not simply a way to redress the wrongs of the past, but a pragmatic strategy that aims to realise the country’s full economic potential.
4. Renaming of unofficial transcript on PeopleSoft
The unofficial transcript on PeopleSoft Student Self-Service has been renamed the academic record. Please note that the PDF version of the new academic record is only available to students. Staff are still able to view the old style unofficial transcript, including the newer business intelligence publisher transcripts on PeopleSoft, via the Records and Enrolment component.
The change in layout and naming convention arose from the need to ensure that students can use their academic record for funding purposes, for postgraduate study applications and for employment purposes in the case of qualifiers awaiting the conferral of their degrees. The academic record is still not an official transcript, which will still have to be requested from the Student Records Office via the standard transcript request form.
The Application for Change of Curriculum (ACA09) form on the UCT Student Administrative Forms link has been updated to reflect this change.
5. VC clarifies unfortunate comment on UWC
On 21 February 2018 public presentations were held as part of the selection process for a new UCT vice-chancellor. Following a presentation by Professor Vivienne Lawack, one of the deputy vice-chancellors at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), an unfortunate question was asked by former UCT Council member Dr Heidi Raubenheimer. Prefacing her question by stating that she was “addressing the elephant in the room”, she said that people looked down on UWC and went on to ask why they should not.
Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price has written a letter to UWC stating that this question was deeply regrettable and did not reflect the views of the UCT Council or the executive.
Communication and Marketing Department
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