Teaching and Learning Awards and other updates

Dear students and colleagues

This campus announcement aims to inform members of the University of Cape Town community about:

1. Teaching and Learning Awards

Nominations for the 2019 National Excellence in Teaching and Learning Awards – the most prestigious South African awards in teaching and learning – are now open. The 2019 call for nominations is broader than usual and is not limited to the winners of the university’s own teaching awards.

• Read the DVC Desk on the National Excellence in Teaching and Learning awards.

2. Autumn graduation 2019

Since Wednesday, 10 April, UCT has been celebrating its graduates from all faculties and acknowledging their hard work and dedication. When the graduation ceremonies draw to a close on Thursday, 18 April 2019, over 5 000 students will have been capped, including 70 doctoral degrees and 383 master’s degrees. The daily ceremony videos will be uploaded to the Graduation April 2019 page, along with stories of inspirational graduates, graduation news articles and photo essays, and videos highlighting the graduation speakers, all in celebration of the achievements of our students.

• View the Graduation April 2019 feature page.

3. VC’s reflection on the first quarter of 2019

In a recent VC Desk, Vice-Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng reflected on the busy and productive first term of the 2019 academic year. There have been many developments throughout the university, including the autumn graduation season, which has been filled with stories of incredible inspiration, determination and outstanding academic achievements. Three reports were recently completed, namely the Institutional Review: 2008–2018, the final report by the Institutional Reconciliation and Transformation Commission (IRTC) and the university’s Transformation Report 2018. The VC has also been spending time in UCT residences in order to reshape the relationship between the university leadership and students.

• Read the VC’s reflections on the first term of 2019.

4. Reminder: Naming of UCT buildings proposals

Members of the wider UCT community are reminded that they are welcome to submit proposals to the Naming of Buildings Committee for the renaming or naming of buildings on campus. The cut-off for submissions is 17:00 this Friday, 19 April 2019. Proposals on the following are invited:

• Renaming of buildings that are currently named. In this instance the proposal must be accompanied by a motivation that convincingly makes the case for why the current name should be removed, proposes a new name and motivates the rationale for adopting the new name.
• Naming of buildings that are not currently named, such as the New Lecture Theatre.

Please send proposals to namingproposals@uct.ac.za. Please note that the committee will likely receive many proposals and as such it might not be possible for them to reply to all emails received.

• Read the VC Desk on the naming of UCT buildings.

5. Transformation Report 2018

The Transformation Report 2018 has just been completed. The report not only focuses on demographics but also addresses the need for institutional culture change. As a university we are committed to transformation that is actionable and measurable and that builds on how the university community teaches, learns, researches and coexists. Therefore the university completes a report on transformation every year to more accurately frame our thinking about challenges and experiences at UCT to better accomplish real change at the university.

• Read the DVC Desk on the Transformation Report 2018.

6. Two Oceans Marathon road closures

The Two Oceans ultra- and half-marathons will take place in Cape Town over the Easter weekend, with the races finishing on the UCT rugby field on upper campus.

The following road closures will be in effect:

• On Thursday, 18 April, Madiba Circle East will be closed from 09:00, with traffic officials assisting to control traffic until Tuesday, 23 April.
• On Friday, 19 April, two fun runs will take place. The first, starting at 11:00, will cause delays between 11:00 and 11:30 when entering and exiting upper campus. The second, starting at 12:00, will cause delays on the south side of upper campus.
• South Entrance from the M3 will be closed from 03:00 to 15:00 on Saturday, 20 April (race day). Expect delays coming up from the north side.
• P1, P5 and P17 on upper campus will be closed from 18:00 on Thursday, 18 April, until Sunday, 21 April.

The following parking areas will be closed for UCT and available as prepaid parking only on Saturday, 20 April (race day):

• Upper campus P6, P7, P8, P15, P16 Tennis Court area and Madiba Circle West will be used as prepaid parking. P10, P11, P12 and P14 and P17 will be reserved for UCT parking disc holders only.
• Middle campus P1, Economics and All Africa House will be used as prepaid parking. P2 will be reserved for Two Oceans Marathon Committee members.

7. UCT Mathematics Competition

Traffic is likely to be congested on upper campus from 17:00 on Thursday, 25 April, as more than 7 500 school learners from 162 high schools in the Western Cape will be arriving for the 2019 UCT Mathematics Competition. The objectives of the competition are to popularise mathematics among Western Cape high schools, identify promising students and offer them opportunities for further development of their mathematical talents.

8. University Electoral Commission

The University Electoral Commission (UEC) was appointed on 10 April 2019 by the Institutional Forum to oversee and monitor the national and provincial government election process on UCT campuses. The university community is asked to note the special electoral rules and code of conduct that apply to university students, staff, external individuals and political parties. All political parties and structures wishing to campaign on campus have equal access to do so but are required to display a UEC accreditation card when campaigning on campus.

• Read about the University Electoral Commission.
• Read the special electoral rules and code of conduct.

For more information, please contact the UEC servicing officer, Christine Immenga, at christine.immenga@uct.ac.za.

Communication and Marketing Department

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements