UWC ranked among the best
THE UWC is a higher education Goldilocks story, it said, as it was old enough to have established itself, yet young enough to believe there was a better way.
It is in that spirit that it earned a place in the top 150 on the Times Higher Education Golden Age Universities Ranking 2019.
“The University of the Western Cape sees itself as an engaged university – a nexus of research, teaching and learning that responds to the needs of a society in transition in critical and creative ways,” UWC’s rector and vice-chancellor Professor Tyrone Pretorius said.
“These are exciting times for higher education, and we are proud to be recognised for our contributions as we grapple with the complex issues facing the world – issues like global climate change, poverty, inequality and the clash of cultures.”
The Golden Age ranking uses Times Higher Education (THE) data to cast a spotlight on the best universities established for more than 50 years, but less than 80 years – universities old enough to have established themselves on the global academic scene, but young enough to have a fresh and dynamic approach.
Chief knowledge officer at Times Higher Education, Phil Baty, said the ranking took its name from what was a golden age in global higher education, characterised by rapid university expansion and increasing investment in research.
“They make up a unique group of higher education institutions that have embedded academic practices but that have not been around for hundreds of years,” Baty said.
The research rankings have consistently ranked UWC as one of the top 800 universities in the world.
UWC opened its doors in 1960, offering limited training to coloured students for lower positions in schools, the civil service and other institutions – exclusively in Afrikaans.
In that first year, the teaching staff numbered only 17 – and the student body was only 166 strong.
“UWC is proof that we don’t have to let our history determine our future. For decades, we fought to overcome an oppressive system, and establish our place in the world.
Today, we have top researchers working on the largest and most powerful scientific instruments in the world, and produce graduates who engage with matters that matter to society,” Professor Pretorius said.