Recent Council decisions and other updates

Dear colleagues and students

The University of Cape Town (UCT) Council met on Saturday, 15 October 2022 and, among other items on their agenda, discussed recent governance-related issues at the university. Read more about this and other developments.

1. Update on UCT governance-related matters

Council undertook to establish a panel of five independent members to investigate key matters relating to the recent developments. The investigation will focus on circumstances related to the departure of a former UCT Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, as well as matters related to executive relationships and resignations within and beyond the UCT executive management team. Council is expected to receive a report by the end of the year.

• Read the communication by the Deputy Chair of Council: Council’s decisions on recent developments at UCT.

2. Launch of the UCT Conversation Series

UCT will launch a Conversation Series on Monday, 24 October from 10:00 to 12:00, with a focus on anti-racism. The series aligns with the work of the UCT Dismantling Racism Strategy, which forms part of the UCT Inclusivity Strategy. It is through scholarly debate and intellectual engagements that UCT, as a leading academic institution, can advance social justice.

Please join the launch of the conversation series on 24 October.

• Read the DVC Desk: Launch of the UCT Conversation Series.
• Join the launch (on 24 October)

3. Amathuba training webinars

UCT first-year courses will be launched on Amathuba from 2023. The Centre for Innovation in Learning & Teaching (CILT) is hosting training for staff and students to familiarise them with the different tools and functionalities available on the new learning platform. Guided training sessions have already begun for teaching staff and course administrators whose courses will be on Amathuba from next year.

• Find out more about the guided training options and visit the Amathuba training page to sign up.

Additional training formats will be available for teaching teams, including general Amathuba webinars and Amathuba-orientated Design Studio course. As part of CILT’s suite of Amathuba training, guided training sessions for faculty administrators who own academic student support sites started this month. CILT will also be releasing more Amathuba training guides and videos for administrators of on-campus student services and support, including student housing, societies and sports clubs.

• View the Amathuba ‘Getting Started Guide’ and external tool guides available on the CILT staff resources webpage.
• Watch a virtual tour of an Amathuba course site navigating you through how the platform can support face-to-face teaching and learning at UCT.
• Book a quick 15-minute tour with a CILT staff member to take you through the functionality of an Amathuba course site.

From November 2022, UCT Zoom licences will no longer be subsidised by the university. Teaching staff who hold educational plan licenses can either retain them at their own expense, at an annual cost of R350, or downgrade to the free basic plan.

• Read an article on a comparison between the Zoom educational plan and basic plan and what to do if you want to renew your license.

4. Master’s/PhD parking discs for 2023

All master’s students and PhD candidates interested in obtaining parking discs for P18 on upper campus for 2023 are invited to add their details to an online list. An annual parking fee applies. The online form will only be available from Tuesday, 1 November 2022. Please note that there is a limited number of bays available and only the first 100 students will be given discs. Once this number is reached the allocation process will be closed.

5. UCT Leadership Academy Colloquium

The UCT Leadership Academy Colloquium took place on Friday, 14 October 2022 and was a hybrid event. It was a massive success and provided an opportunity to reflect on the Leadership Academy’s aim to foster knowledge of African leadership to impact global leadership, re-imagining leadership in a Pan-Africanist environment and to consider the generational legacy that is desired.

Valuable insights were shared by panellists from the Durban University of Technology, Tshwane University of Technology, Stellenbosch University, the University of the Western Cape, and the African Leadership Academy.

The second part of the Leadership Academy Colloquium will focus on “Mapping Learning Pathways for the Realisation of Graduate Attributes” and will take place on Friday, 21 October 2022 at Avenue House.

Communication and Marketing Department

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements