Professor Joan Hambridge has been appointed director of the School of Languages and Literatures for the period January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2007. Hambidge, based in the school's Afrikaans and Netherlandic Studies section, is no novice to the administrative side of academia, having just completed a term as deputy dean in the humanities faculty. Top of the to-do list in her latest post, says Hambidge, is to open up new markets and opportunities for the languages offered in the school. "The bottom line is I want to make people at UCT aware of the importance of languages," she says.

Edwina Goliath, director of the Student Development Office, will take up a seat on Council this year as the member elected by the university's professional and administrative support staff. She fills the vacancy left by previous incumbent, Chupe Serote, who resigned at the end of 2004. Goliath boasts a long track record on university structures, having served on groups like Senate, the Institutional Forum, the steering committee of the Black Caucus, and the electoral college convened in 1999 to appoint a new UCT chancellor. Although not representing any particular cause or ticket on Council, she's keen to push the issue of transformation, says Goliath. Her term runs until June 30, 2008.

Royal Sechaba has been awarded a three-year contract to provide food services to all catering residences from January 1, 2005, as recommended by the tender evaluation committee.

In November 2004, the vice-chancellors of the Universities of Cape Town, Stellenbosch and the Western Cape met the premier and the MECs for health and finance, and their heads of departments, to discuss key questions relating to the future functioning of university health science faculties and their relationship with provincial health services.

The UCT Retirement Fund is holding Member Investment Choice road shows, starting on Moday Feb 21, 2005. Dates, times and venues can be found on the file "Investment Roadshow 02/03-05" under the heading "What's New" on the UCTRF website at http://www.uctrf.uct.ac.za/.

The Council has noted with gratitude a gift of a tapestry to the university by Emeritus Professor George Ellis upon his retirement.