Campus announcements
TB Davie Memorial Lecture and other updates
22 July 2020 | Campus AnnouncementDear colleagues and students
This campus announcement aims to inform the UCT community about recent developments on campus.
1. The 2020 TB Davie Memorial Lecture: Professor Ravi Kanbur
This year’s TB Davie Memorial Lecture, hosted by the Academic Freedom Committee, will be organised by Professor Ravi Kanbur, who researches and teaches in development economics, public economics and economic theory at Cornell University in the United States. Professor Kanbur will explore the implications of rising economic inequality for academic freedom. The lecture will take place on Wednesday, 5 August on the Microsoft Teams online platform. Please register online to attend the lecture.
2. Interrogating undergraduate student mobility
Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng will host the next event in the Unleashing the new global university series, entitled “Undergraduate student mobility: are virtual experiences a realistic substitute?” on Monday, 27 July 2020 at 17:30. The discussion will interrogate what the most valuable aspects of the international experience are for students, and for which of those can creative virtual alternatives be found.
Unleashing the new global university is a series of virtual events in which the university invites innovative, international and local speakers to have challenging conversations that help us rethink global collaborations for a sustainable and equitable planet.
3. Update from Council on recent developments
The newly elected chair of Council, Babalwa Ngonyama, has reflected on the past few months at UCT, UCT’s successes, Council’s vision for the future and its commitment to proper and good governance of the university. She has also commented on the IRTC Report, the Report of the Professor Bongani Mayosi Panel and the Report of the Ombud.
The UCT executive has affirmed their commitment to leading the university as a team in the best way possible.
4. COVID-19 update
UCT has 92 reported COVID-19 cases as at 21 July 2020. Included in this total is 71 non-health sciences staff members and 21 students (with eight being Faculty of Health Sciences students on clinical platforms). A total of 47 staff recoveries has been reported, while eight members of the campus community (seven staff, one student) have sadly passed away.
UCT is providing the latest information relating to the pandemic daily through the university’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 webpage. The page has a FAQs section that is regularly updated and provides answers to questions that have been received in relation to UCT’s response to the pandemic.
5. UCT Conference Management Centre virtual events support
The UCT Conference Management Centre (CMC) offers a one-stop-shop for conferencing. Even with the complexities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, the CMC offers virtual events and hybrid models. There are specialist services in all areas – from accommodation and registration to the latest technology solutions and design, everything is offered in-house.
6. ICTS extended scheduled maintenance
Please note that on Sunday, 26 July 2020, Information and Communication Technology Services (ICTS) will perform scheduled maintenance from 07:00-17:00. Unless advised to the contrary, staff and students should note that no ICT services will be available for the duration of the maintenance slot. Please remember to consult the scheduled ICTS maintenance slots for 2020 before planning any teaching, conferences, meetings, and other activities that require ICT services.
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