University of KwaZulu-Natal

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN; Zulu: INyuvesi yakwaZulu-Natali, Afrikaans: Universiteit van KwaZulu-Natal) is a university with five campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.[7][6] It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville.[1]

University of KwaZulu-Natal[1]
Other name
UKZN
MottoInspiring Greatness
TypePublic
Established1 January 2004 (1 January 2004) (as merger of UN (est. 1910) and UDW (est. 1960s))[1]
Academic affiliations
AAU
ACU
HESA
ChancellorReuel Jethro Khoza[2]
Vice-ChancellorNana Poku[3]
Academic staff
1,328[4] (2016)
Students46,539[4] (2016)
Undergraduates24,897[5] (2007)
Postgraduates3,807[5] (2007)
Location
Durban, Westville, Pinetown and Pietermaritzburg
,
KwaZulu-Natal
,
South Africa[1]
Campus5 campuses[6] Westville Campus (Main campus), Nelson. R. Mandela School of Medicine, Howard College Campus, Edgewood Campus and Pietermaritzburg Campus
Colours    Black and red
Sporting affiliations
Varsity Cup
Websiteukzn.ac.za

History

The university was formed by the merger of the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville, in 2004.

The Council of the University of Natal voted on 31 May 2002 to offer the post of Vice-Chancellor and University Principal to world-renowned medical scientist and former Medical Research Council President – Professor Malegapuru Makgoba, who assumed office on 1 September 2002. He was entrusted with leading the University of Natal into the merger with the University of Durban-Westville. In so doing, he became the last Vice-Chancellor of the University of Natal. Professor Makgoba succeeded Professor Brenda Gourley as Vice-Chancellor.[8]

Having served a brief stint as the interim Vice-Chancellor in 2004 he was formally appointed as the founding Vice-Chancellor of the newly merged University of KwaZulu-Natal. He was installed at a ceremony on 30 September 2005.

Professor Makgoba served two five-year terms of office and retired in 2015. His tenure, however, was plagued with controversies. Makgoba is said to have created a "culture of hostility"[9] at the university that resulted in an exodus of world-class academics.[10] He was succeeded by Dr Albert van Jaarsveld.

The main clock tower of Old Main Building, on the Pietermaritzburg campus.

University of Natal
Main article: University of Natal

University of Durban-Westville
Main article: University of Durban-Westville
The Memorial Tower Building on the Howard College Campus in Durban, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Organization

The university is governed in accordance with the Higher Education Act of 1997,[11] and its constitution is specified in the Statute of the University of KwaZulu-Natal,[12] as approved by the South African Minister of Education and the Parliament of South Africa.

In the statute, the university consists of:

  • the chancellor (the titular head). The first chancellor of the merged university was Dr Frene Ginwala. It is currently Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.
  • the vice chancellor (the executive head)
  • two or more deputy vice chancellors (currently there are five full and one acting)[13]
  • the registrar (responsible for registering students)
  • the council (responsible for governance of the institution as a whole)
  • the senate (responsible for governance of academic activities)
  • the students representative council (responsible for students representation)
  • the institutional forum (responsible for advising the council on matters of human rights and equality)
  • the colleges (currently there are four)
  • the academic and support staff
  • the students
  • the convocation (all the alumni and some others)

Academic structure

The university is made up of four colleges, which are in turn made up of several schools.[14] In most cases, a subdivision is spread across one or more of the university's campuses. For example, the Chemistry is in both the Pietermaritzburg and Westville campuses.[15]

College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science
  • School of Engineering(all)
  • School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences
  • School of Chemistry and Physics
  • School of Life Sciences
  • School Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science

College of Health Sciences
  • School of Clinical Medicine
  • School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences
  • School of Health Sciences
  • School of Nursing and Public Health

College of Humanities
  • School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics
  • School of Arts
  • School of Social Sciences
  • School of Applied Human Sciences
  • School of Built Environment and Development Studies
  • School of Education

College of Law and Management Studies
  • Graduate School of Business and Leadership (Business Management Association in cooperation with Hampton College Durban)
  • School of Accounting, Economics and Finance
  • School of Law
  • School of Management, IT and Governance

An institute built in cooperation with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute is the new KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV, opened in 2012. It is on the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine campus.

Campuses

The university is geographically divided into five distinct campuses,[16] which partially correspond to its managerial and academic divisions. Two campuses (Edgewood and the Medical School) house specific academic divisions (education and medicine respectively), but the remainder of the university's academic divisions span Howard College, Pietermaritzburg and Westville.

Pietermaritzburg campus
UKZN Pietermaritzburg Campus

Pietermaritzburg campus was the main location of the University of Natal and its predecessor, the Natal University College, until the opening of the Howard College campus in Durban. This campus contains the university's oldest structure, Old Main Building, built in 1912.[16] Pietermaritzburg campus offers a broad range of academic degrees and is the only UKZN campus providing training in agriculture, theology and fine arts.[16]

Howard College campus

Howard College campus was the Durban location of the University of Natal until the 2004 merger. It is located on the Berea Ridge. and is situated in a thriving environmental conservancy. The campus was opened in 1931, having been donated by Mr T. B. Davis, in honor of his son, Howard Davis, who died in the Battle of the Somme during the first world war.[17] Howard College offers a wide range of degrees, with a large engineering department consisting of Electrical engineering and Chemical engineering. The College of Humanities and College of Law and Management are also positioned on this campus together with the Centre For Creative Arts (CCA) and the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre which host annually the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), Poetry Africa, Time of the Writer and the creative dance festival JOMBA! which is produced by the FlatFoot Dance company.

Westville campus
UKZN Westville Campus

Westville campus is in an environmental conservancy in Westville, about 10 km west of Durban.[16] It was formerly the site of the University of Durban-Westville before the 2004 merger. Westville offers a range of degrees, and will soon be the main home of the disciplines of commerce and management.[16]

Nelson Mandela medical school

Nelson Mandela medical school campus, created in 1950, was originally a racially segregated part of the University of Natal reserved for non-white students.[18] [16] It was one of the few tertiary institutions legally allowed to provide education to black people under apartheid. It was granted Nelson Mandela's name on its 50th anniversary in 2000. The medical school is the home of health sciences.

Edgewood campus

Edgewood campus is located in Pinetown, about 20 km west of Durban. The buildings originally formed the Edgewood College of Education, which was incorporated into the University of Natal in 2001.[16] Edgewood is the main location of the university's Faculty of Education, current Dean is Prof Thabo, youngest Dean in South Africa and P-rated NRF researcher.[16]

Student life

UKZN is home to various student organizations such as debating unions, film clubs, poetry societies, and sports teams.

The UKZN Rugby team - The UKZN Impi - features in the highly contested Varsity Cup national rugby competition, and the Howard College Debating Union competes in both the World Universities Debating Championships[19] as well as the South African National Universities Debating Championships.

UKZN established the Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) in 1996.[20] The CCA is a multi-disciplinary arts organisation based within the School of Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It coordinates several respected annual festivals, providing students with access to creative platforms and interesting opportunities aimed at developing their artistic talents. The four main festivals organized by the UKZN CCA are:

  • Time of the Writer[21]

The UKZN Time of the Writer festival invites international authors to take place in a variety of roundtable discussions, readings, seminars, book launches, and developmental programmes such as workshops, master classes and motivational talks. The festival has been running since 1998.

First held in 1979, The Durban International Film Festival is one of the oldest and largest film festivals in southern Africa.[23]

The UKZN Poetry Africa started in 1997, and features performances, readings, and book-launches from some poets

Law clinics

UKZN has two law clinics, one in Pietermaritzburg and one in Durban, that provide free legal assistance to those that are unable to afford it. Specializing in the areas of HIV and AIDS, Family Law, and social justice matters, the UKZN law clinics are considered to be among the leading law clinics in the country.[26] The law clinics also provide a practical training environment for final year law students, who are mentored by the clinic's experienced practitioners. Both clinics also engage directly with the communities throughout the province through regular outreach initiatives, where the students and legal practitioners travel to various remote, impoverished communities with the intention of providing access to justice for those that are most vulnerable.

Ranking

UKZN was ranked fourth out of the universities in South Africa by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings[27] and sixth by the QS World University Rankings in 2018.[28] UKZN has historically had a very strong reputation in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and is ranked first in the country for physical sciences and engineering, second for computer science, and third for mathematics.[29] The university has also produced a number of prominent entrepreneurs and innovators. It was ranked first in Sub-Saharan Africa in Q4 2020 by the amount of venture capital funding raised by Unicorn startups founded by UKZN's alumni.[30]

Internationally, UKZN is ranked in the 401-500 bracket by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, and in the 701-750 bracket by the QS World University Rankings 2018.[27][31] As of March 2021, it was ranked in the 801-1000 bracket by the QS World University Rankings.[31]

See also: Rankings of universities in South Africa and Rankings of business schools in South Africa

Controversies
Main article: Controversies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

There have been a number of controversies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal since its foundation.

Firstly, there have been several staff strikes and student protests,[32][33][34][35][36] with some protests from 2009 onward involving police intervention and the use of riot control measures, as well as violence on the part of some strikers.[37][38]

Secondly, there have been a series of legal and disciplinary actions taken by senior university management against academics for speaking in public about the university.[39][40][41][42] These actions have drawn wide criticism from academics and from organisations such as Cosatu and UNESCO.[43]

They were also the cause of a 2008 staff strike.[32]

Notable alumni

For alumni of the previous institutions see:

  • Category:University of Natal alumni
  • Category:University of Durban-Westville alumni

See also

References
  1. "History of the University of KwaZulu-Natal". University of KwaZulu-Natal. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  2. "UKZN appoints new chancellor | Witness". News24.com. 19 October 2021. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  3. "Vice-chancellor Professor Nana Poku". University of KwaZulu-Natal. Archived from the original on 1 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  4. "University of KwaZulu Natal Annual Report 2016" (PDF). University of KwaZulu-Natal. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  5. "University of KwaZulu Natal". Southern African Regional Universities Association. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  6. "Choice of campuses". University of KwaZulu-Natal. Archived from the original on 22 December 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2007.
  7. "CHE | Council on Higher Education | Regulatory body for Higher Education in South Africa | Education | Innovation | University | South Africa". che.ac.za. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  8. "Professor Malegapuru William Makgoba". Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  9. Macfarlane, David (14 January 2011). "Controversial UKZN audit under wraps". The Mail & Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  10. Saunderson-Meyer, William (31 January 2020). "Malegapuru Makgoba and the white bonobos". Politicsweb. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  11. Parliament of South Africa (1997). "Higher Education Act" (PDF). Government Gazette. 390 (18515). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2008.
  12. Parliament of South Africa (2005). "Statute of the University of KwaZulu-Natal" (PDF). Government Gazette. 684 (29032).
  13. University of KwaZulu-Natal. "Executive of the University of KwaZulu-Natal". Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  14. UKZN. "Schools". Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  15. UKZN. "School of Chemistry". Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  16. "About UKZN". UKZN. Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  17. "Campuses". University of KwaZulu-Natal. Archived from the original on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  18. Digby, Anne (2013). "Black Doctors and Discrimination under South Africa's Apartheid Regime". Medical History. 57 (2): 269–290. doi:10.1017/mdh.2012.106. ISSN 0025-7273. PMC 3867842. PMID 24070349.
  19. "ukzn-graduate-a-judge-at-international-debating-championships". Archived from the original on 4 March 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  20. "About the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal)". UKZN Centre for Creative Arts. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  21. "UKZN Time of the Writer". Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  22. "UKZN Durban International Film Festival". Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  23. "Durban International Film Festival". Archived from the original on 4 July 2012.
  24. "UKZN Jomba". Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  25. "UKZN Poetry Africa". Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  26. "UKZN Law Clinic". Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  27. "University of KwaZulu-Natal". Times Higher Education (THE). Archived from the original on 29 November 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  28. "Top 10 Universities in South Africa 2018". QS World University Rankings 2018. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  29. "South Africa's best universities to study maths, science and technology". BusinessTech. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  30. "Rating of unicorn universities in Q4 2020". Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  31. "University of KwaZulu-Natal". QS World University Rankings 2018. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  32. Dell, Sharon (14 November 2008). "UKZN staff prepare for strike". The Witness. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  33. Mbonambi, Gugu (9 March 2010). "March disrupts lectures on KZN campus". The Mercury. Archived from the original on 24 April 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  34. Subramoney, Thrishni (9 September 2011). "UKZN management to take action against strike". East Coast Radio. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  35. Ndlovu, Sinegugu (31 March 2011). "Campus turns into battlefield". The Mercury. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  36. "Campus turns into battlefield". Sapa. 30 March 2011. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  37. "UKZN Student Protest Turns Ugly". The Mercury. 24 March 2009. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  38. MAGWAZA, NOMPUMELEL (24 March 2009). "Blind student hurt as protest turns ugly". The Mercury. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  39. McKune, Craig (20 January 2009). "Management shows contempt for academic freedom at UKZN". South African Journal of Science. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
  40. "FXI distressed by disciplinary action against two UKZN Professors". NTSEU. Archived from the original on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  41. Gower, PRIMARASHNI (15 March 2008). "UKZN academics question senate probe". Mail and Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  42. "Controversy and transformation at UKZN". Science and Development Network. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  43. Hlongwane, Agiza (7 December 2008). "Clean up your act, UKZN warned". Sunday Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
  44. "Ex Varsity prop/hooker John Smit's blazer available at auction Mon,17 March 2014". UKZN. 30 March 2020. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
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