CUT's Welkom and Bloemfontein Campuses opened their gates and officially welcomed students, staff, and parents to the 2017 academic year. The campuses held their official opening on 26 and 28 January respectively. 

In his welcome address, Prof. Henk de Jager, Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal congratulated the students for choosing CUT as their intellectual home. “You have joined thousands of students who have made CUT a home away from home. I know that we have committed and dedicated staff to support and ensure that you become successful in all you do here at CUT." CUT is currently among the top performing universities in the country. In November 2016, the pass rate was 75 percent with a graduation rate of almost 25 percent; putting CUT among the best six of the 26 universities in the country. Its enrolment status for first-year undergraduate students is 3 764 and the overall headcount of all students stands at 13 902. 

 

He said that in 2017, the university will embark on the new theme: ‘The Human Project’, with a focus on staff, students and other stakeholders to enhance human reconciliation drive at the university. “Management’s vision is to motivate, enhance a team spirit, enhance student success in their studies and guide staff to achieve their full potential. It is our vision to instill an institutional culture where people are valued and forms of unfair discrimination are uprooted whilst promoting a culture that embraces diversity, non-racialism, non-sexism and human dignity for all,” he said. He mentioned that the 2016 theme was embraced and implemented successfully. “We have embraced the 2016 theme of the year of innovation and entrepreneurship with many accolades and achievements which the department of higher education and training has recently praised CUT as the leader in the country pertaining to interventions in innovation and entrepreneurship. We envisage 2017 theme as another successful endeavour for CUT,” stated Prof. de Jager. 

 

He also touched on the #FeesMustFall campaign and said management, was in support of the free, quality and decolonised education for academically and financially deserving students and those in the missing middle. “As management, we have the responsibility to ensure and enhance the sustainable responsibility of the university in order to deliver quality academic and research programmes and services to our students, staff, and community at large staff,” he concluded. 

Images 

1: Welkom Campus - CUT Chancellor Madam Justice Mahube Molemela and Prof. de Jager (middle) warmly welcomed to the campus by Welkom SRC members, from left: Motsamai Mokoena, Zimema Jabulani, Marcus Mandries, Segopolo Martin, Dumisani Ubisi, and Biggy Koiee. After the event, the executive team engaged with parents and students outside the Boet Troskie Hall. 

2: Prof. Henk de Jager, Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal with new CUT family from Ficksburg. From left: Dintle Makoaba persuing NDip in Building; Dipuo Matsipa, NDip: Somatology; Daisy Dasilva, also enrolled in the NDip: Somatology programme, and Teboho Makoaba, mother to Dintle (far left) who accompanied her daughter to the official opening. 

3: Jeandré Olivier from Kimberly in the Northern Cape, who will be studying Computer Networking, took up the opportunity to talk to Prof. de Jager after the opening in Bloemfontein.