Aiming to reach hew heights

NEW vice-chancellor Chris Nhlapo is going ahead with his plan to take Cape Peninsula University of Technology to new technological heights.

The “smart chancellor” plans to revolutionise CPUT to enable it to respond to the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, known as Industry 4.0, participate in South Africa’s National Development Plan, and help the country meet its sustainable development goals.

“I am crafting a totally new strategy for the institution. My plan is to build a smart university; we want it to harness great ideas, and ensure that we value all voices. This oneness is about unity,” he said.

“Our people should leverage technology to ensure we are effective and efficient. As we speak now, all our meetings are paperless. This is where the world is going. We have to have smart teaching and learning, smart research and innovation and smart operations as an institution. People must feel that we are really a university of technology.”

Referring to achievements at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he said: “The magic is... is in technology; we make things happen, we make sure our research is for the benefit of people.”

Nhlapo plans to build on achievements made during CPUT’s 10-year advancement programme that ends next year, but is intent on achieving much more in the following decade.

“We will (be) looking at graduates and issues of employability, and not depending on our government subsidy and our products.

“Science, engineering and technology still make up about 50% (of CPUT’s programmes) but it is about the complete human being when learning.”

Two nanosatellites developed at the university have been launched into space. The ZACube-1 (TshepisoSat) was launched on November 21, 2013, and the ZACube-2 on December 27 last year.