DSA Welcome Festival and other updates

05 February 2025

Dear students and colleagues

The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Department of Student Affairs (DSA) will host the annual DSA Welcome Festival on the Green Mile, upper campus, on Thursday, 13 February 2025. Read more about this and other recent developments on campus.

1. DSA to host Welcome Festival

DSA invites all new and returning students to the annual DSA Welcome Festival on Thursday, 13 February 2025, at the Green Mile, upper campus. This flagship event will run from 10:00 to 16:00 and is designed to introduce students to the diverse and enriching student life opportunities available at UCT.

The DSA Welcome Festival will showcase the extramural activities available to students, including cultural, creative and career-aligned student organisations. Students may also interact with the support services on offer, including Student Wellness Services, Student Governance and Leadership, Residence Life, Financial Aid and more.

There will be food trucks available with various items on sale, as well as a line-up of local artists, DJs and student performances to keep students entertained.

2. International Mother Language Day celebration at UCT

UCT will host the International Mother Language Day (IMLD) celebration on Thursday, 27 February 2025 at the Hasso Plattner d-School Afrika, middle campus. IMLD is celebrated globally on 21 February and it highlights the significance of linguistic diversity and the preservation of indigenous languages.

This year’s theme, as determined by UNESCO, is “The Importance of Preserving Indigenous Languages and Promoting Multilingual Education”.

The event will feature panel discussions on language-related matters, led by UCT staff and distinguished guests from the Pan South African Language Board and the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources. This is a unique opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions that will shape the future of teaching, learning, assessment, research and communication at UCT.

Staff, students and the broader UCT community are invited to embrace the richness of multilingualism and cultural diversity at UCT. There will be vibrant cultural performances, celebrating the community's diversity of languages and traditions.

For more information, please contact Zukiswa Zono.

3. (Y)our UCT Campus Nexus studio exhibition

The exhibition is an initiative of the University Building and Development Committee (UB&DC) managed through its Design Review Committee (DRC), and supported by the Campus Planning and Design (CP&D) division of the Properties and Services Department, will host the inaugural (Y)our UCT Campus Nexus studio from Monday, 10 February until Friday, 14 February 2025 at the d-school Afrika. The exhibition will take place in the multi-purpose spaces on the lower level and will be open daily from 09:00 to 15:30.

The exhibits will focus on the landscape and natural surroundings of (Y)our campus, the built environment and the spaces between, transportation and access, shared heritage, transformation, community and spirituality. The event also forms part of the commitment to engaging on how spaces are perceived and used.

The exhibition is a creative platform for UCT community members to share their ideas, designs and proposals in an open, collaborative setting that values respect and inclusivity. The studio space will be used as a gallery where participants can ‘exhibit’ concepts, sketches, models and proposals that reflect and shape the Campus Nexus and its urban design framework.

There will be three interactive co-creation workshops with the following themes:

Monday, 10 February: Heritage, transformation, community and spirituality
Tuesday, 11 February: Landscape, the natural surroundings and accessibility
Wednesday, 12 February: Buildings and the spaces between

The workshops will also incorporate elements of design thinking and will take place during lunchtime, from 12:30 to 14:00.

Entrance is free.

For more information, please contact Megan Dick.

4. UCT Shuttle service to be impacted by SONA

Students and staff are advised that all UCT Shuttle routes may experience delays between 17:45 and 19:30 on Thursday, 6 February 2025 due to the State of the Nationa Address (SONA).

There are various road closures planned in the vicinity of UCT.

For more information, please visit the route maps and timetables page on the UCT website, or consult the UCT Shuttle app (download on Google Play or App Store).

View the schedule of road closures.

5. Reminder: Next intake for designing with AI course

The Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) at UCT’s Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) has announced the 2025 schedule for its Designing with Artificial Intelligence (AI) short course.

This six-week online course provides participants with the skills to integrate AI into teaching, learning and research. The curriculum covers the history of generative AI, its applications in education and ethical considerations in its use.

The course comprises three cohorts: Cohort 1 (3 February–16 March 2025), Cohort 2 (7 July–17 August 2025), and Cohort 3 (1 September–12 October 2025).

With interactive webinars and coaching sessions, the course costs just R5 500. UCT staff get a 30% discount, ie R3 850. All postgraduate students from any institution are entitled to a 50% discount, ie R2 750. Please request a discount voucher code before making payment.

For more information visit the website or send an email.

6. Reminder: Call for applications: DHET Future Professors Programme

Early and mid-career academics are invited to apply for the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) Future Professors Programme (FPP) – a prestigious initiative designed to prepare outstanding scholars for professorship across disciplines.

Academic staff are encouraged to apply for this opportunity. Eligible candidates should hold a doctorate, demonstrate a record of academic achievement, and be permanently employed in an academic role or an equivalent academic appointment.

Once applications are received, an internal selection process will follow, where a maximum of five nominees will be submitted to the DHET for consideration.

The deadline for submission is Tuesday, 25 February 2025. Please email your application to the University Capacity Development Programme team.