UWC celebrates 60th anniversary in extraordinary way
THE University of the Western Cape (UWC) is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year amid extraordinary circumstances.
“UWC’s motto, Respice Prospice (looking back, looking forward), reminds us of the foundation the university has built out of the Struggle against apartheid, forging its way to becoming a world-class learning and teaching, research-led university. This foundation also underscores UWC’s role in the space of social justice,” said UWC’s acting rector and vice-chancellor Professor Vivienne Lawack.
The University has come a long way – from a bush college to an intellectual home of the left in the ‘80s. It played an integral part in the anti-apartheid project and contributed to building a democratic South Africa in the ‘90s.
UWC played a crucial role in the negotiation and drafting of the interim Constitution of South Africa. Today, it is a leading institution dedicated to tackling the challenges of the 21st century, in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Goals.
“We had planned an incredible launch on our birthday, on March 25, for a milestone built on social justice, community engagement and graduate employability, but all our planning was brushed aside by the Covid-19 pandemic. We were forced to think differently about our future – while staying true to the values of our past.”
The Covid-19 outbreak has been a catalyst for innovative thinking, at all institutions of higher learning – and UWC is leading the way.
“In this challenging period, UWC scientists have helped decode the genome of Covid-19 to find answers to curb its spread and contribute towards finding a vaccine,” says Lawack.
“Our researchers have examined the impact of the pandemic and the lockdown on South African society, from big business to spaza shops. And our academics have worked to keep the public informed of the latest developments in the battle against Covid-19, and what it means for all of us.”
UWC continued to seek solutions in the face of adversity, as it strove to complete the academic year amid immense challenges. “The university pioneered a virtual graduation ceremony during lockdown, so that graduates could celebrate their hard work and achievements. The #NoStudentsWillBeLeftBehind campaign aims to address the need of 30% of our 24 000 students, who do not have the resources for flexi-learning. This is UWC’s commitment to graduate employability and to producing the next generation of South African leaders.
“UWC is committed to community engagement and is keenly aware of the role it has to play, as an anchor institution, in Cape Town,” Lawack said.
The university’s dedication to urban renewal was demonstrated with the establishment of a state-of-the-art Community Health Sciences building, in the heart of the Bellville CBD.
“I am very proud of the University of the Western Cape,” said Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who served as UWC chancellor for almost 25 years.
“Under the exceptional leadership of Professor Jakes Gerwel, and then Professor Brian O’Connell, it was transformed from a marginalised ‘bush college for Blacks’ into a deracialised centre of academic excellence, with an acute social conscience. The courageous commitment of the university community to the parallel values of intellectual growth and justice was second to none. Since I stepped down as chancellor, it has been thrilling to see the institution continue to grow under a new generation of leaders. May God richly bless my dearly beloved UWC and all her people, past and present.”
As the university extends its anniversary plans through the year, in service to others, it wishes to honour alumni, former and current, students and staff, generous donors and all other stakeholders who contributes to all that UWC has become, and remains – a place to grow, from hope to action through knowledge.
UWC launches its anniversary virtually today at: http://60.uwc.ac.za/
It has been thrilling to see the institution continue to grow Desmond Tutu former chancellor