Institutional Operating Plan (2010-2014) the now.pdf · Institutional Operating Plan (2010-2014) University of the Western Cape SeptemberSeptember 200920092009 Draft IOP as a framework

Institutional Operating Plan (2010-2014) University of the Western Cape SeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptember 2009200920092009 Draft IOP as a framework document for consideration Draft IOP as a framework document for consideration Draft IOP as a framework document for consideration Draft IOP as a framework document for consideration by COUNCILby COUNCILby COUNCILby COUNCIL

Institutional Operating PlanInstitutional Operating PlanInstitutional Operating PlanInstitutional Operating Plan (2010(2010(2010(2010----2014)2014)2014)2014) University of the Western Cape

Draft for COUNCIL

Page 2222 of 54545454

2025 Vision2025 Vision2025 Vision2025 Vision

In keeping with South Africa’s need to make the best use of In keeping with South Africa’s need to make the best use of In keeping with South Africa’s need to make the best use of In keeping with South Africa’s need to make the best use of its talent pool and to be globally competitive, UWC will be its talent pool and to be globally competitive, UWC will be its talent pool and to be globally competitive, UWC will be its talent pool and to be globally competitive, UWC will be (and will be widely(and will be widely(and will be widely(and will be widely recognised as) a vibrant intellectual space recognised as) a vibrant intellectual space recognised as) a vibrant intellectual space recognised as) a vibrant intellectual space where people engage with matters of real significance at the where people engage with matters of real significance at the where people engage with matters of real significance at the where people engage with matters of real significance at the highest levels of competence. It will have: highest levels of competence. It will have: highest levels of competence. It will have: highest levels of competence. It will have:

• a successful first degree programme attracting a successful first degree programme attracting a successful first degree programme attracting a successful first degree programme attracting students from a range of backgrounds and nationalities students from a range of backgrounds and nationalities students from a range of backgrounds and nationalities students from a range of backgrounds and nationalities

• rerererespected postgraduate and research programmes in spected postgraduate and research programmes in spected postgraduate and research programmes in spected postgraduate and research programmes in strategically selected spheres strategically selected spheres strategically selected spheres strategically selected spheres

• a substantial place in the knowledge economy in a substantial place in the knowledge economy in a substantial place in the knowledge economy in a substantial place in the knowledge economy in partnership with other research institutions, industry partnership with other research institutions, industry partnership with other research institutions, industry partnership with other research institutions, industry and the state and the state and the state and the state

• a wella wella wella well----developed set of productive relationships with developed set of productive relationships with developed set of productive relationships with developed set of productive relationships with otheotheotheother academic and research bodies, government at r academic and research bodies, government at r academic and research bodies, government at r academic and research bodies, government at various levels and the professions, andvarious levels and the professions, andvarious levels and the professions, andvarious levels and the professions, and

• a mature and growing network of active partnerships a mature and growing network of active partnerships a mature and growing network of active partnerships a mature and growing network of active partnerships with other universities, globally and in Africa. with other universities, globally and in Africa. with other universities, globally and in Africa. with other universities, globally and in Africa.

Through its activities and practices, UWC will strive to be an Through its activities and practices, UWC will strive to be an Through its activities and practices, UWC will strive to be an Through its activities and practices, UWC will strive to be an effeceffeceffeceffective partner in the larger national project of building a tive partner in the larger national project of building a tive partner in the larger national project of building a tive partner in the larger national project of building a sustainable and equitable nonsustainable and equitable nonsustainable and equitable nonsustainable and equitable non----racial, nonracial, nonracial, nonracial, non----sexistsexistsexistsexist, democratic, democratic, democratic, democratic, , , , multimultimultimulti----linguallinguallinguallingual society, where people use their freedom to good society, where people use their freedom to good society, where people use their freedom to good society, where people use their freedom to good effect and honour their responsibility for hard work, social effect and honour their responsibility for hard work, social effect and honour their responsibility for hard work, social effect and honour their responsibility for hard work, social justice and njustice and njustice and njustice and nurturing the environment. Based on this vision, urturing the environment. Based on this vision, urturing the environment. Based on this vision, urturing the environment. Based on this vision, UWC will also have a significant role in the new era of Africa’s UWC will also have a significant role in the new era of Africa’s UWC will also have a significant role in the new era of Africa’s UWC will also have a significant role in the new era of Africa’s development.development.development.development.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 3333 of 54545454

PREFACE PREFACE PREFACE PREFACE

This Institutional Operating Plan (IOP) for 2010 -2014 provides a broad framework for action

across the institution over the next five years. It outlines eight strategic goals that the

institution will work towards. These arise from our mission and vision. They therefore give

substance to our distinctive role as a public university in South Africa’s emerging democracy

and as a leading centre of higher learning. We are committed to being an effective partner in

the national project of building an equitable society capable of holding its own in the broader

knowledge society and have proceeded with our planning in the belief that the state and

other partners will join us adequately in rising to the challenge.

This IOP builds on many achievements and takes further priorities identified and initiatives

introduced in earlier documents. It therefore continues a process of strategic intent initiated

by the university in response to the state’s commitment to recapitalize UWC and to position

it to play a leading academic role in the national project. While this plan therefore aims to

build on the strategic intentions of the previous IOP (2005-2009) it also foregrounds what

we need to do over the next five years in pursuit of our mission and to put us on track to

achieve our 2025 vision. To do this we need to be able to build on our achievements as an

institution so that we strengthen what we are doing well and ensure that these practices

become part of our institutional operation and culture. However, we also need to develop

and implement projects for change that will either address our weaknesses or enable us to

embrace new ideas and practices that move us closer to our vision. Each of the eight goals

captured in this document lists strategies aimed at achieving both these objectives.

The eight goals that will guide UWC’s work over the next five years are:

• To strategically attract, retain and enable the development of students in line with

our vision and mission, paying particular attention to growth in business, natural and

health sciences and post graduate studies.

• To provide opportunities for an excellent teaching and learning experience that is

contextually responsive to the challenges of globalization and a society in transition,

and which enhances students’ capacity as change agents.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 4444 of 54545454

• To enhance UWC as a significant research and innovation university, regionally and

internationally engaged and connected to the public sphere.

• To attract, retain, diversify, and develop excellent talent to enable UWC to realize its

vision and achieve its strategic goals.

• To develop a strong and diversified financial base to allow the university to make

bold moves when opportunities present themselves and provide a buffer against bad

times.

• To shape the internal and external standing and profile of UWC as a vibrant

institution through the use of diverse communication and marketing strategies to

support our goals.

• To strategically influence and develop the campus and surrounding areas, and

develop and maintain a modern coherent physical and information communications

technology (ICT) infrastructure.

• To give effective leadership at all levels in order to maintain and develop a vibrant

and viable institution of high repute.

Strategic planning has shaped the development of the university over the last ten years and

is recognized as essential to the achievement of common goals across a complex,

multifaceted organization where the knowledge project must be free to develop and grow.

This IOP aims to provide an aligned framework to guide planning across all academic and

support divisions within the university and to foreground priority concerns for the institution

that will require concentrated and synergized effort by the different levels of organizational

leadership. This document will therefore frame a further set of plans intended to guide, in

alignment with the strategic intentions of the IOP, the direction and functioning of the

university’s academic and administrative divisions to deliver or support the meeting of its

core mandates. To this end, this framework will be used to inform a set of eight tactical

rolling plans to guide the roll-out of the IOP goals through the areas of executive

responsibility in the institution. In addition, the framework will inform operational plans in

each of the seven faculties and university administrative divisions.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 5555 of 54545454

The goals and strategies outlined in this plan reflect a synergized framework of intent. They

have been informed by the deliberations and emerging decisions from a number of

institutional leadership development and planning processes that have taken place over the

last three years. In 2006 the Rector initiated a planning process to strengthen leadership

capacity, by focusing and aligning our leadership energies and refining and deepening our

understanding of the university’s vision and the requisite culture to leverage strategic

change. This set in motion a series of workshops between 2007 and 2009, first with the

strong commitment of the Executive and the Deans, complemented by a broader collection

of institutional leaders and managers and 12 groups of invited task team members

respectively.

The planning process entailed diverging and converging input solicited through a

combination of electronic questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, group contact,

consultative workshops and expert advice. This process yielded valued feedback from

multiple constituencies and active, visible Executive and Deans’ guidance to clarify

boundaries, identify synergies, constraints, risks and frameworks and refine and articulate

proposed strategies. The 12 task teams, each chaired by a member of the Executive or one

of the Deans brought together different institutional role players whose deliberations

resulted in 12 reports that have been used to inform the compilation of this IOP for the

period 2010-2014. A core team, supported by senior management and input from Deans,

filtered the recommendations for possible interdependencies and foregrounded high priority

projects for cross-group planning and special funding. The level of realism of several

strategies were then tested against financial models and assumptions, and individual

engagements with Deans towards considering the implications of the strategic intentions

around changing the size, shape and mix of the student population and academic

programme. This IOP is different from the previous plan in as far as it summarises strategic

intent and serves as a framework document. It will be kept alive by the tactical rolling plans

which will each contain the detailed implementation strategies and will inform and be

informed by faculty and divisional plans. This IOP therefore reflects a rich collection of

emerging ideas, critical thinking, informed planning and reflective practice.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 6666 of 54545454

SECTION 1: FRAMING THE IOP (2010SECTION 1: FRAMING THE IOP (2010SECTION 1: FRAMING THE IOP (2010SECTION 1: FRAMING THE IOP (2010----2014) 2014) 2014) 2014) ---- UWC AS AN ENGAGED UNIVERSITY UWC AS AN ENGAGED UNIVERSITY UWC AS AN ENGAGED UNIVERSITY UWC AS AN ENGAGED UNIVERSITY

The engaged university is the informing theme of this plan. In exploring configurations of the

modern university and possible future scenarios for UWC for the last IOP, we dismissed the

notions of the market-driven university and of the Historically Disadvantaged Institution

(HDI), with its pervasive deficit discourse. In some insidious ways, both were seen as

threatening the intellectual project in a society in transformation. The term “engaged

university” on the other hand could be given meaning well-aligned with our mission.

Engagement resonated with our unfolding sense of ourselves and of the ways in which we

were facing the challenge of being an excellent university in a global environment at the

same time as we were responsive to the social and economic development imperatives of

our country.

UWC has the disadvantage and advantage of having been an HDI. It has a long record of

underfunding, particularly in meeting the needs of some of the most educationally

disadvantaged students, and of an equivocal status which has not been conducive to

developing a strong financial support base. It is in a location which was designed to

separate it from the mainline life of the city. And its sympathy with the poor communities

which it was set up to serve and contain has meant that community support has been

confused with community engagement. On the other hand, it has a remarkable record of

getting the most out of limited resources, it has enabled generations of ill-prepared students

to succeed, it has a deep community network, has given real meaning to the value of

diversity in all its manifestations, and, through its long-standing insistence on an intellectual

role in transformation, it has a sophisticated sense of what it means to be an engaged

university. The rapidly changing environment of democratic South Africa and the global world

order places all meanings of engagement under pressure, so the concept is a dynamic one

covering the informing ethos as well as specific programmes with measurable outcomes. For

it to be useful to us it is necessary to unpack some of its meanings and some of what it does

not mean.

In international debates, the concept of the engaged university is sometimes placed in

binary opposition to the notion of the ivory tower. That is not particularly helpful as it seems


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 7777 of 54545454

to fix what is a dynamic set of relationships and to imply a university which has an agenda

set entirely from outside. The quality of the relationships in fact shifts with changes in the

environment: e.g. the ongoing redefinition of transformation, the challenges of South Africa’s

reintegration into the global economy, and (at the time of writing) the global economic crisis.

On the second issue, it is clear that the knowledge project does not thrive in a command

economy and that South Africa has a particular need for innovative ways of addressing

issues in the economy and society. Universities have to be free to set the knowledge

agenda, and they can do so best in an ongoing engagement with the local and global society

in which they operate. The tensions in this engagement are particularly stimulating to the

intellectual endeavour. Engagement thus becomes an integral part of the healthy

functioning of the university rather than an external deliverable. Universities are a long-term

investment, but it is through sustained engagement that we find focus and that the findings

even of “blue sky” research can be imaginatively related to the needs of the society so that

possible applications for the public good can be explored.

UWC speaks of itself as an “engaged university” in an attempt to avoid constraining modern

alternatives and to define a high-level intellectual role in a society in rapid transition. As the

term has been used with several other meanings internationally, it is necessary to explore

our understanding of it and give due weight to the less tangible elements of ethos as well as

to the aspects which are more readily monitored.

Engagement is integral to the ethos of the university in the following examples:

(a) Excellence in teaching and learning. The commitment to excellence in teaching and

learning by a South African institution which is committed to meaningful access

involves a particular kind of engagement, in and outside the classroom with students

of varying backgrounds and life experience. This engagement, core to the ethos of

the institution, is necessary if we are to help students to succeed academically, find

themselves in a complex and changing world and enlarge the number of

communities to which they belong and can relate. Pursuing such excellence requires

ongoing commitment to the scholarship of teaching and learning.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 8888 of 54545454

(b) Excellence in research. Sustaining excellence in research requires sustained

engagement with the international research community. However, research

excellence is generally augmented by appropriate engagement with national issues,

and often by an understanding of the conditions of life of local communities and

interaction with communities. Multiple engagements promote a mindset which is

alert to the possible applications of research findings.

(c) Multiple responsiveness. Starting with its experience as an HDI in the struggle for

freedom, UWC has a history of engagement with national needs, and was itself

significantly transformed from its apartheid identity at the same time as it was

becoming more effective as an agent of transformation. The ongoing engagement

with national needs implies negotiating the tensions of the national transformation

project like those between local social and economic improvement and global

competitiveness, academic literacy and the use of advanced technologies and the

urban and the rural. It also involves ongoing responsiveness to the complexities of a

learning environment enriched and challenged by its multicultural and multilingual

nature.

(d) Embedded culture of sense-making. Engagement is not intellectually easy. The

challenges of understanding the dynamics and needs of a society with a long history

of neglect require a deep and sustained commitment to making sense of a complex

and sometimes contradictory society and avoiding binary simplifications. The

confidence to generate and use knowledge in the interests of bettering South African

society and our economic competitiveness is nurtured in an equitable environment,

privileging critical accountability, openness and innovativeness, and supportive of

grappling with the tensions between valid demands.

(e) Making a sustained difference for a better society. Engagement with the society is

partly at least to change it. This requires a long-term vision, dynamic leadership, and

a willingness to try and change mindsets to emphasise new possibilities of behaviour

and achievement and to give priority to ethical credibility, human rights,

environmental sustainability, ecological responsibility, and building a sense of a

future. The knowledge that emerges from this engagement holds ongoing

transformative potential.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 9999 of 54545454

However, these ethos aspects are difficult to report on and are often presented in reductive

ways which fail to do justice to the engagement.

Three kinds of engagement and interface, all of which require management of the dynamic

interplay between social and economic priorities, are more readily identifiable as

engagement and have measurable results.

1. Service engagement of students and staff with communities through service learning,

internships and supervised voluntary work.

2. Innovation engagement of research teams with industry and government in ongoing,

dynamic entrepreneurial relationships which build the economy.

3. Public engagement through major knowledge-sharing activities such as public

intellectual activities, museums, galleries, educational centres, reserves, and cultural

and sporting events.

All of these enhance, rather than detracting from, the validity and significance of academic

work, e.g. through enrichment of students' learning (community engagement), helping to set

and shape the research agenda and bring new opportunities and perspectives to the table

(triple helix partnerships between academe, government and industry), stimulating

innovation and building institutional capabilities to manage these new relations, sensitising

internal communities to balance different priorities (building critical citizenry) and helping to

make a sustained difference in various fields (e.g. education, justice, environment, health).


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 10101010 of 54545454

MISSION AND CORE VALUES MISSION AND CORE VALUES MISSION AND CORE VALUES MISSION AND CORE VALUES

The University of the Western Cape is a national university, alert to its African and

international context as it strives to be a place of quality, a place to grow from hope to action

through knowledge. It is committed to excellence in teaching, learning and research, to

nurturing the cultural diversity of South Africa, and to responding in critical and creative

ways to the needs of a society in transition. Drawing on its proud experience in the

liberation struggle, the university is aware of a distinctive academic role in helping build an

equitable and dynamic society.

This broad statement of our mission is underpinned by the following values:

1. We nurture democratic leadership and innovative problem-solving. This means that

we honour and promote conscious, values-based, integrative leadership as a key

means of aligning action with principled vision, and of creating a caring, productive

and respectful culture.

2. We respect and strive for excellence in teaching and learning and in research. To this

end, we encourage a reflective culture among all members of the university

community, rooted in taking responsibility for excellence. More formally, we critically

review what we have done and assess ourselves, applying our own and international

benchmarks, and using the results to make us more efficient and effective. Finally,

recognising that we need to differentiate in order to excel, we aim to be leaders in

niche areas of excellence while maintaining good standards overall.

3. We cultivate a socially responsive, people-centred approach to education which

encourages our graduates to engage with the challenges of the day and make

powerful contributions to building an equitable and sustainable society. To this end,

we interact and work with each other and with external players, building robust

partnerships within which we are able to address tough issues, speak directly about

concerns, and develop ideas and proposals in terms of a sophisticated sense of

realities.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 11111111 of 54545454

4. We expect high standards of integrity, ethics and respect from one another across

the institution. Accordingly, we are committed to equity, diversity and fairness, and

seek to nurture and build on our diverse cultural heritage. We honour collegiality and

a climate of critical professionalism among staff. And we promote high standards of

service provision which require continuous improvement.

5. We place a high premium on collaboration, team work, accountability and shared

responsibility. Accordingly, we work with each other and with external groups in ways

that are mutually beneficial, mutually empowering, mutually responsible, and that

speak of caring and connection.

6. We seek to communicate well within the institution, informing one another of the

what we are doing, giving due prominence to achievements, drawing one another to

significant intellectual, cultural and sporting events on campus, and equipping one

another to speak with confidence about the university to external audiences.

7. We seek the perspective of others and value their good opinion. Accordingly, we

acknowledge a communal responsibility to promote an appropriate image of UWC

through the reflective ways in which we respond to others and to the major

challenges facing our society, through the confident and ethical ways in which we

conduct our relationships, and through the pride with which we speak about the

university’s vision and its achievements.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 12121212 of 54545454

SECTION 2: GOALS AND STRATEGIES SECTION 2: GOALS AND STRATEGIES SECTION 2: GOALS AND STRATEGIES SECTION 2: GOALS AND STRATEGIES

We seek to manage our academic programmes and campus life so that all our students

have the opportunity to obtain the highest levels of knowledge and skill to equip themselves

to participate with confidence in our emerging democracy and global knowledge economy.

UWC, in line with the national imperative, is committed to contributing towards greater

access to higher education. In short we are challenged to respond responsibly to the need

for growth across the higher education sector, especially in areas of scarce skills, and to

provide a quality learning experience for all our students. Both of these imperatives require

of us careful and innovative thinking so that we are able to balance the dynamic operational

tensions between opening up new opportunities and enhancing the quality of our present

offerings. These challenges of broadening meaningful access are deepened in an

environment constrained by our underperforming school system and limited state resources.

Placing the student at the centre of the academic project gives focus to our endeavours and

provides us with the best way of managing these tensions to provide students with an

environment where they have a rich range of opportunities and are supported to participate

to their full potential in their studies and as active university role players.

In the previous IOP (2005-2009) the university had begun to re-think the role of student

development within the university, resulting in the restructuring of the division for Student

Affairs to Student Development and Support under the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student

Development and Support. These structural changes signalled both a conceptual shift to a

more holistic approach to supporting students and developing their potential as well as a

prioritising of our student development responsibilities in pursuit of our strategic goals. We

have continued to make important progress in this area including continuing with the

realignment of institutional structures to take forward our goals. Perhaps one of the most

Goal 1: To strategically attract, retain and enable the development of students in line with

our vision and mission, paying particular attention to growth in business, natural and

health sciences and post graduate studies.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 13131313 of 54545454

important of these was the realignment of various student development services under a

Centre for Student Support Services.

These developments have also contributed to the articulation of a much clearer conceptual

framework to improve service. The strategies outlined in this IOP build on achievements and

respond to ongoing challenges. They are conducive to developing an enabling learning

environment for students where a strong academic programme is enhanced through

interventions outside the formal classroom that add a valuable dimension to the student’s

holistic development. The university believes that this co-curriculum is central to our

graduates developing those attributes that will enable them to pursue their careers with

confidence and play a meaningful and responsive role in society.

The systemic imperative to improve access and increase the pool of suitably qualified

graduates in business and science has resulted in an enhanced enrolment mandate for

UWC. This enrolment growth will be strategic to align institutional capacity and available

resources with the broader goals and academic project of the institution. Growth will be

primarily in the areas informed by both the vision and mission of the institution and the

external regulatory environment.

The challenge for the future is to meet enrolment targets from 2010 and adequately

reshape the student academic profile. Challenges in reaching the enrolment objectives

include the competitive environment which has no consideration of past inequities, the

image of the university, UWC not being an institution of first choice for a large percentage of

academically strong matriculants, the declining pool of eligible candidates, the new school

leaving certificate and the resulting changes in admission requirements and our students

being among the most financially poor in the South African higher education sector.

Retention of students is strongly affected by economic circumstances, academic progress

and personal adjustment.

Between 2004 and 2009 UWC experienced a growth in student numbers from 14 185 to 16

300. To soften the impact of the incorporation of the school of Oral Health as well as the

new mandate to be the sole provider of undergraduate Nursing in the Western Cape, the

university initially limited growth in several areas. Significant progress has been made in key


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 14141414 of 54545454

areas related to enrolment management. The establishment of a Student Enrolment

Management Unit (SEMU) will assist with the recruitment, assessment, placement and

retention of students. The development of the full functionality of the Student Enrolment

Management System (SEMS) will enable SEMU and faculties to monitor provisional and final

selection of students relative to targets in real-time and to intervene where necessary and

further equip the university to plan and coordinate enrolment efforts.

The risk factors are multifaceted and are influenced by a number of realities and

experiences. An over-arching reputational risk exists if the university does not create a

desirable living and learning experience, and therefore is unable to attract good students.

Failure to meet enrolment targets will have a negative financial impact and will impact on

the distribution of resources. There is an operational risk that systems will not provide the

efficient application process necessary to secure good potential students. Similarly, a risk

exists that the business intelligence systems do not quickly identify students who may need

additional academic or other support. The institution also faces a reputational risk if

graduates do not enter the workplace as capable people who are quick to learn. Safety and

security issues pose the risk of dissuading potential students and staff from coming to UWC.

Strategies Strategies Strategies Strategies

UWC will:UWC will:UWC will:UWC will:

1.1.1.1. Pursue a holistic, strengthPursue a holistic, strengthPursue a holistic, strengthPursue a holistic, strength----based approach to the development and support of based approach to the development and support of based approach to the development and support of based approach to the development and support of

students students students students

The University will build on the holistic, strength based approach to the development of

students even in a time of seriously inadequate schooling. This is aimed at student

ownership of their learning and at achieving attributes where graduates hold beliefs and

values consistent with democratic citizenship and are responsive to both work and living

environments. Programmes and interventions must explicitly be based on relevant and

desirable student learning and development outcomes and sophisticated ways of achieving

them. Each programme and intervention must provide evidence of its impact on the

achievement of student learning and development outcomes. In addition, we will promote


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 15151515 of 54545454

and support alternative and creative activities linked to the holistic development of

students.

Student co-curricular engagements will enable the development of desired graduate

attributes. The university’s commitment to building a vibrant socio-cultural intellectual

climate will inform these attributes. Partnerships with external stake-holders will be formed

to ensure that development, growth and academic programmes will have explicit

components of relevant, transferable and useable skills and prepare students for contextual

realities. To evaluate and measure success we will strengthen the quality assurance

framework at UWC to monitor the progress of the relevant offices, departments, and units.

Reasonable practice at other similar institutions nationally and world-wide will be reflected

on and guide our strategies.

2.2.2.2. Change the size, shape and mix of the student population and aChange the size, shape and mix of the student population and aChange the size, shape and mix of the student population and aChange the size, shape and mix of the student population and academic cademic cademic cademic

programmeprogrammeprogrammeprogramme

The University has been mandated by the Department of Education (DoE) to change the

shape, size and mix of the student body as a means of increasing access and contributing to

meeting national human resource goals. To facilitate access and strategically balance

enrolment shifts in relation to capacity, strategic academic goals and quality educational

experience, the university foresees an increase in the overall headcount from 16 300 to

peak at approximately 19 000 to 20 000, expressed as a First Time Equivalent (FTE)

enrolment of approximately 16 000 by 2014. In terms of a Ministerial mandate UWC’s

funded teaching input load would have been 33 000 by 2010. It is envisaged that a

carefully considered growth plan per degree level and a shift towards postgraduate studies

will yield a teaching input unit load of approximately 36 000 by 2014. It would require each

faculty to reconsider its internal mix of students and to strategically identify and plan its

areas of concentration and its own undergraduate and postgraduate growth path in relation

to its academic and research goals and in alignment to the university’s strategic goals. In

order to achieve the above, special recruitment and retention strategies will be devised to

address the current shortfall on enrolment targets, especially with regard to first-time


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 16161616 of 54545454

entering students in Science and Business and achieve a critical mass of postgraduate

students in selected niche areas. Second semester intake as well as current outreach

projects will receive special attention. Dedicated funds and scholarships will be made

available to attract and retain postgraduate and undergraduate students and additional

funding sourced. Current marketing and recruitment strategies will also be revisited and

expanded beyond the current focus on schools as a feeder system. Institutional profiling,

branding and marketing will be addressed as a matter of urgency. Marketing and

recruitment efforts will be coordinated and special attention given to the ongoing

improvement of the website and establishing a commanding web presence. A dedicated

recruitment strategy will be developed for international students with particular emphasis on

those from the African continent, India and China.

3.3.3.3. Improve management and administrative sImprove management and administrative sImprove management and administrative sImprove management and administrative support services upport services upport services upport services

People and systems must be better aligned to the strategic growth imperative. The university

will develop and implement special strategies to improve the integration, coordination and

efficiency of student administration services. The reporting functions of the Marks

Administration System (MAS) will be enhanced to provide a tracking system and assist with

retention. The establishment of a one-stop integrated and student-focused administrative

service will be accelerated. There will be ongoing enhancement of aspects of the integrated

Student Enrolment Management System (SEMS) projects to automate work processes and

maintain data integrity. Success with SEMS, MAS, and the management information system

and business intelligence, as well as an enhanced Call Centre and an electronic document

management solution will greatly enhance efficiency in transaction cost and faster, more

effective communication and feedback. Risks will be managed carefully. Regular monitoring

and review of the enrolment and redesigned business processes will take place.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 17171717 of 54545454

Our mission places excellence in teaching and learning at the forefront of our commitments.

This requires ongoing attention to the viability of our academic offerings and their relevance

to the internal and global needs of South Africa, and to addressing the issues with a bearing

on students’ ability to complete their studies efficiently and to maximum benefit. In the

pursuit of excellence, then, the university aims to offer a supportive and stimulating teaching

and learning experience for students that will help them equip themselves to respond

creatively to the needs of our society as critical and responsible citizens. To achieve this

goal, we will continue to give sophisticated attention to the internal and external issues that

hamper progress in a volatile environment. Apart from the inherent importance of address to

these issues, we recognise that they place UWC and the higher education system at risk.

The previous IOP (2005-2009) captured in some detail those issues that were of immediate

concern and rendered the institution especially vulnerable, particularly at a time of

substantial change in the national higher education system. We have made important

progress towards addressing these concerns and improving on areas identified for attention.

Several structural changes in the management and delivery of the university’s teaching and

learning mandate have been especially important in this regard. These have included: the

appointment of an internationally respected Deputy Vice Chancellor: Academic; the

establishment of a Teaching and Learning Unit and the appointment of a Director; the

restructuring and consolidation of a Centre for Student Support Services with a new Director;

the establishment of the Senate Teaching and Learning Committee supported by Faculty

Teaching and Learning Committees; and some exciting additions to our physical

infrastructure.

While these developments signal a trajectory of ongoing improvement, there are a number

of areas where progress has been slow and we have not managed to reach our anticipated

Goal 2: To provide opportunities for an excellent teaching and learning experience that is

contextually responsive to the challenges of globalization and a society in transition, and

which enhances students’ capacity as change agents


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 18181818 of 54545454

objectives. Most of these areas of concern are related to the apparently deepening crisis of

the schooling system and its signal failure on a large scale to prepare students adequately.

To remain true to our mission and public mandate we must find (and are committed to

finding) creative and sustainable ways to respond to this challenge and to contribute to

meeting national aspirations for meaningful access. The intake must have a good success

rate and graduates must be able to participate with confidence and insight in the

‘knowledge economy’ if the access and success are to be meaningful. That requires an

extraordinary set of interventions. Given the scale of the problem, we are mindful of how

much is required to achieve this and of the demands on resources that it implies.

Sustainable address to what is nothing less than a national crisis requires significant

changes in national policy and resource allocation and a research partnership between the

sector and Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) for ongoing understanding

of the issues. We have planned in good faith assuming that we are part of that complex

process and that the national government will provide appropriate support for the additional

measures that will be necessary to keep the national programme on track.


UWC will: UWC will: UWC will: UWC will:

1.1.1.1. Improve and professionalise teaching and learning across the institution Improve and professionalise teaching and learning across the institution Improve and professionalise teaching and learning across the institution Improve and professionalise teaching and learning across the institution

Attention will be focused on enhancing the status of teaching and learning at the institution

and improving the quality of teaching and learning. Key to taking forward this objective will

be the strengthening of the centralised unit for teaching and learning under the leadership

of the Director of Teaching and Learning and the development of a Teaching and Learning

Strategic Plan aligned with the IOP (2010-2014). This unit will provide leadership in the role-

out of this plan and to supporting faculty structures focused on addressing teaching and

learning issues across departments. Improving practice and professionalising the teaching

function in higher education will be prioritised through the provision of formal and informal

training opportunities for academic staff and rigorous research to enhance the scholarship

of teaching and learning at UWC. Greater infusion of technology into the curriculum and


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 19191919 of 54545454

strengthening the exciting work already started by the e-learning division is also a necessary

part of this developmental process.

2.2.2.2. PromotePromotePromotePromote the desired attributethe desired attributethe desired attributethe desired attributes of a UWC graduate through the formal curriculum of s of a UWC graduate through the formal curriculum of s of a UWC graduate through the formal curriculum of s of a UWC graduate through the formal curriculum of

academic programmes and through informal learning experienceacademic programmes and through informal learning experienceacademic programmes and through informal learning experienceacademic programmes and through informal learning experiencessss outside the outside the outside the outside the

classroomclassroomclassroomclassroom

In the previous IOP (2005-2009) defining the desired characteristics of our graduates was

recognised as a challenge requiring attention if we were to create a learning experience for

students that would provide opportunities for them to equip themselves with the kinds of

skills and knowledge necessary for their future careers and role as citizens. This challenge

remains and must now be deepened to embed the nurturing of these attributes in the

curriculum, so that programme design, teaching practice, learning activities and assessment

tasks are aligned to facilitate and promote the development of the desired attributes.

Similar attention will be given to what happens in student development initiatives outside

the formal classroom so that the services designed to support student participation take

further the development of the desired attributes. The university believes that such learning

is strongly shaped by academic programmes and extracurricular activities which enable

students to engage with the different communities of which the university is part. This focus

on community engagement as key to developing the desired attributes among our graduates

will remain a priority for the institution.

3.3.3.3. Develop a more responsive teaching and learning environment which promotes and Develop a more responsive teaching and learning environment which promotes and Develop a more responsive teaching and learning environment which promotes and Develop a more responsive teaching and learning environment which promotes and

enhances flexible learning enhances flexible learning enhances flexible learning enhances flexible learning

The university will continue to implement measures designed to further improve and develop

the teaching and learning environment. Initiatives will be focused on creating a more

vibrant intellectual culture on campus where students and staff benefit from critical debate,

high levels of scholarship and creative academic endeavours. The prioritised focus on the

teaching and learning environment will also include the continued development of the

campus, paying particular attention to the physical and ICT infrastructure. New

developments will continue to be orientated towards providing physical and virtual spaces


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 20202020 of 54545454

where individual and group learning can take place and where flexible teaching and learning

approaches can be effectively practiced. Progress will be reflected through high levels of

student satisfaction.

4.4.4.4. Improve opportunities Improve opportunities Improve opportunities Improve opportunities for all students to succeed in their studies through a for all students to succeed in their studies through a for all students to succeed in their studies through a for all students to succeed in their studies through a

responsive teaching and learning process that is able to address the learning needs responsive teaching and learning process that is able to address the learning needs responsive teaching and learning process that is able to address the learning needs responsive teaching and learning process that is able to address the learning needs

of all studentsof all studentsof all studentsof all students

The previous IOP (2005-2009) drew attention to the importance of recognising the

connection between student success and the capacity of the teaching and learning process

to meet the different learning needs of students, especially when these needs arise from

severe educational disadvantage and poverty. The holistic, student-centred approach we

have espoused requires of us that the organisation and delivery of our academic

programmes create the greatest opportunities for effective and sustained student

participation and personal responsibility for learning for the full duration of their studies. In

addition, we are committed to paying greater attention to strengthening and aligning our

teaching and learning support processes and mechanisms. Over the next five years

particular attention will be given to improving and institutionalising tutoring programmes for

students and to building the capability of our newly initiated student tracking system to

enable staff to identify, monitor and respond to students at risk. National and international

‘best practice’ continues to show the importance of the first year experience for student

success. In a context such as ours this experience appears to be even more important for

long-term success. The university will prioritise teaching and learning support interventions,

including those orientated to building the confidence and academic literacy skills of

students, in the first year of study.

A particularly critical issue that needs attention is the future of foundation and extended

curriculum programmes. With a long history of mainstreaming academic development, UWC

embraced the notion of foundation programmes as of considerable relevance and has

pursued them, and the related extended programmes, with enthusiasm, imagination and

success. As programmes of this kind would seem to be needed by a rapidly increasing


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 21212121 of 54545454

proportion of the university’s intake in the light of problems in the schooling system, it is

important to notice the issues that will receive attention in the period ahead:

• Foundation programmes and extended curricula are significantly more staff-intensive

and resource-intensive than other undergraduate programmes, yet state funding for

them is allocated from designated funding rather than through the subsidy formula

and significantly lower than for the others. This creates a resources burden for the

institution which cannot be sustained.

• The numbers requiring foundation programmes have risen exponentially and are still

on a growth trajectory. However, there is very limited room for financial reallocation

within the system. Unless the funding for these programmes is revised they will

become unaffordable.

• Foundation programmes require specialist skills, yet these are hard to develop or

sustain in a climate of uncertainty. After nearly six years these programmes are still

in project mode. That makes staffing largely a matter of short-term contract

employment, which is conducive neither to attracting the best people nor to

encouraging them to undertake research or longer-term commitment.

• Universities face difficulties in employment law when people have been employed

full-time on contract for more than three years. In the first instance, they qualify for

some benefits after three years and full benefits after five, adding 30% to the staffing

bill.

5.5.5.5. Provide a dynamic and relevant academic programme that is contextually Provide a dynamic and relevant academic programme that is contextually Provide a dynamic and relevant academic programme that is contextually Provide a dynamic and relevant academic programme that is contextually responsive responsive responsive responsive

Our ability to produce graduates with the kind of knowledge and skills required to participate

confidently in the global knowledge economy means that we must remain committed to

offering academic programmes that are contextually responsive and enabling, promoting the

attributes that we aspire to in our graduates. The programmes must also be of the highest

quality. We will therefore ensure that the different elements of our academic planning and

review processes, such as course planning and programme review, facilitate the ongoing

alignment of courses and programmes with the strategic goals of the university and promote


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 22222222 of 54545454

the desired attributes. Closer alignment of the academic programme with the strategic

goals of the university will enhance our ability to make more efficient use of our resources.

6.6.6.6. Strengthen and enhance our administrative procedures and practices to better Strengthen and enhance our administrative procedures and practices to better Strengthen and enhance our administrative procedures and practices to better Strengthen and enhance our administrative procedures and practices to better

support the organization and delivery of our academic programmes and student support the organization and delivery of our academic programmes and student support the organization and delivery of our academic programmes and student support the organization and delivery of our academic programmes and student

participation participation participation participation

The university will continue to work towards improving our administrative procedures and

practices so as to better support students and staff and the teaching and learning process.

Particular attention will be focused on the continued development of initiatives already

underway such as the Marks Administration System and the associated Student Tracking

System to identify and monitor students at risk. The university will also pursue the

development of further business intelligence (BI) processes aimed at eliciting information

that can be used to understand better student participation and throughput trends and plan

specific interventions when necessary. These BI processes will be linked to and aligned with

other BI processes developed across the institution.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 23232323 of 54545454

In the university’s mission the commitment to excellence in research recognises knowledge

as the driver of our core mandate as a national university. Striving for excellence must

therefore revolve around understanding and taking forward the university’s role as a centre

for advanced knowledge production and scholarship. In the previous IOP (2005-2009) it

was asserted that UWC aims to be a significant research and research development

university. To this end a number of strategies were outlined that focused on objectives

regarded as critical to improving our research capacity. In particular, we focused on:

organizational realignment to better support research development and management,

especially to mitigate the vulnerability of the research funding environment; the continued

development of our distinct research niche areas through widened partnerships and

increased collaboration; and improving the quality of our postgraduate programme.

Important progress has been made towards the achievement of these objectives, including

processes aimed at institutionalizing our research functions through strategic appointments

and the revision of key policies to inform and frame our research activities. Our research

output and quality has improved and we have received national recognition for the

excellence of several programmes. We are also able to demonstrate improvements in the

quality of our postgraduate programme, evidenced through improved graduation and

throughput rates, and have made considerable progress in the development of our research

niche areas.

This progress shows the soundness of our strategic intentions and reaffirms a trajectory of

ongoing improvement. However, we remain challenged by a number of factors that place the

university at risk, financially, reputationally and strategically. The research funding

environment remains vulnerable, especially in the context of a global economic crisis and a

national environment which gives high priority to social development goals and job creation.

Research and development capacity in the country is declining, with an ageing profile of

Goal 3: To enhance UWC as a significant research and innovation university, regionally and

internationally engaged and connected to the public sphere.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 24242424 of 54545454

productive researchers and a failure to attract and retain sufficient scholars to replace them

and allow for growth in the system. At an institutional level our research output still remains

below the Department of Education’s required target, rendering us dependent on an

additional research development grant in the order of R7 million, as part of our subsidy. All

indications point to the termination of the practice of the research development grant in the

near future which means that our research subsidy will significantly decrease unless our

accredited research outputs increase more rapidly than they have done in recent years. New

regulatory measures such as the requirements of the new Intellectual Property Act for the

establishment of a Technology Transfer Office must also be met.

While this context presents many challenges it also creates opportunities for the university

to excel in areas that will place it at the cutting edge of the production and transfer of new

knowledge in key fields, nationally, regionally and internationally. We are committed to

expanding the number of niche areas of excellence that constitute our distinctiveness and

show our responsiveness to societal concerns. In addition to continuing to institutionalize

and develop our research capacity, these new opportunities require strong intellectual

leadership on a broader front: leadership that is able to envisage what may be possible

through innovative, critical and rigorous scholarship, whatever the constraints.

A further set of opportunities that will be pursued vigorously in the period of this IOP relates

to the challenge of innovation: the movement from the point of invention to the point of sale

or public beneficiation. Our efforts in this regard are supported by the emerging national

innovation system and legislation which makes us responsible for protecting any intellectual

property which arises from publicly funded research.

The major risk in not pursuing niche development and innovation would be dissipation of our

energies and resources so that we do not have enough to make a real impact. With this

would go a serious restriction of our capacity to respond to and address issues of national

importance.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 25252525 of 54545454

StrategiesStrategiesStrategiesStrategies

UWC will: UWC will: UWC will: UWC will:

1.1.1.1. SystematicalSystematicalSystematicalSystematically continue to identify, establish and align its distinctive research niche ly continue to identify, establish and align its distinctive research niche ly continue to identify, establish and align its distinctive research niche ly continue to identify, establish and align its distinctive research niche

areas and structures areas and structures areas and structures areas and structures

The university will give more directed attention to the strengthening and development of

distinctive niche areas of research excellence across all faculties. Central to the

development of strong niches will be the strategic alignment of institutional resources,

human, financial and physical, towards the enhancement of these research entities.

Immediate attention will be given to the establishment of a clearly-defined policy to guide

the process of operationalising these research niches as specialised structures. From the

perspective of quality management and ongoing strategic alignment the regular review of

established entities will (among other things) evaluate what may be needed to improve their

capacity and standing, or perhaps whether they should be closed. The overarching intention

will be to establish a critical mass of cutting edge research entities appropriate to a research

university. The broader academic programme will be aligned to them, fostering

undergraduate interest and promoting the development of new and related areas of

expertise. The research niches will create excellent ongoing opportunities for graduate and

postdoctoral study and for productive partnerships with research teams elsewhere and with

industry in an innovation context.

2.2.2.2. Increase existing collaboration and establish additional research partnershipsIncrease existing collaboration and establish additional research partnershipsIncrease existing collaboration and establish additional research partnershipsIncrease existing collaboration and establish additional research partnerships

The university is committed to intensified research collaboration and an extended network

of local, national, regional and international partnerships as essential to building our

research enterprise. Accordingly, with ring-fenced institutional support, we will work towards

the establishment and expansion of strategic partnerships in niche areas and emerging

niche areas. We will also give attention to finding ways of increasing resources for research

through greater collaboration and partnerships, and of enhancing the university,

government, industry and civil society nexus through our research.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 26262626 of 54545454

3.3.3.3. Improve our research capacity through realignment of internal research funding Improve our research capacity through realignment of internal research funding Improve our research capacity through realignment of internal research funding Improve our research capacity through realignment of internal research funding

resourcesresourcesresourcesresources

In line with our commitments under Goal 1 to increase the number of postgraduate

students, to meet our envisaged targets for staff with doctoral degrees and to increase our

accredited publication outputs, internal research funds will be strategically redistributed for

ring-fenced funding towards the achievement of these goals. Funds will also be directed

towards endorsed research development programmes that are established in partnership

with external funding agencies, such as the NRF. Finally, the university will work towards

creating greater opportunities for emerging researchers. The overarching intention of this

IOP will be to align the university’s internal research funding resources with its strategic

goals and support the development of research excellence in our staff and post-graduate

students.

4.4.4.4. Give systematic attention to the development of innovation capacity and innovation Give systematic attention to the development of innovation capacity and innovation Give systematic attention to the development of innovation capacity and innovation Give systematic attention to the development of innovation capacity and innovation

relationshipsrelationshipsrelationshipsrelationships

Knowledge transfer is increasingly seen as a vital part of a university’s responsibilities and

innovation partnerships as crucial to expanding the national research resource base.

Supported by the emerging National Innovation System, national legislation on intellectual

property and the Department of Science and Technology, we will seek to place UWC as a

significant innovation player, contributing both to the development of the economy and to

high-end research production. To do so the university will take the following steps: (a)

Finalise a comprehensive policy for the protection of Intellectual Property (IP) and its

commercialisation. (b) In support of our intention to promote innovation, establish a

Technology Transfer Office with appropriate administrative, technical and legal support. (c)

Continue pursuing relationships with partner institutions, business organisations and

various levels of government with a view to establishing innovation industries in close

proximity to the university and possibly to establishing a science park. (d) Build on existing

partnerships with commerce and industry and seek to establish new ones with a view to

research support and the commercialisation of our IP.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 27272727 of 54545454

5.5.5.5. Continue to enhance the research environment through establishing a desired Continue to enhance the research environment through establishing a desired Continue to enhance the research environment through establishing a desired Continue to enhance the research environment through establishing a desired

rrrresearch culture and improving the administration and management of our research esearch culture and improving the administration and management of our research esearch culture and improving the administration and management of our research esearch culture and improving the administration and management of our research

enterprise. enterprise. enterprise. enterprise.

An ethos of engaging in ground-breaking, cutting-edge research and publishing in leading

international journals has to be strongly encouraged as must the publishing of books and

chapters through leading publishing houses. The university will pursue a range of measures

aimed at promoting a more rigorous research culture informed with this ethos at the

institution. Central to this will be the review and alignment of the university’s research

incentive grant scheme to promote research production among emerging researchers and

those already at the cutting edge of their discipline. Similarly, as a source of inspiration to

new and developing researchers, the university will aggressively market our research

achievements (of individuals - both students and staff – and research niche areas) within

and outside the university. A dynamic university website is seen as crucial to the success of

this endeavour. The desired research culture must also be informed by the appropriate

ethics for engaging in research, especially to protect the reputation of the university as a

centre for high-quality research. The university will therefore seek to promote an awareness

of the highest ethical standards, principles and issues in the conduct of research through

the ongoing review and application of its research ethics policy to ensure that ethical

concerns are adequately addressed in all research carried out at or by the university. The

success of a research-driven institution is also inextricably linked to efficient and effective

supporting and administrative departments such as the Research Office, the Finance

Division, the Human Resources Division, the Division of Postgraduate Studies and the

Student Administration Division. Particular attention will be given to securing sufficient

capacity for these sectors and for the relevant University Committees, and to seeking their

full alignment to supporting the research enterprise.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 28282828 of 54545454

6.6.6.6. Continue to iContinue to iContinue to iContinue to improve the quality of our postgraduate programmes and position mprove the quality of our postgraduate programmes and position mprove the quality of our postgraduate programmes and position mprove the quality of our postgraduate programmes and position

postgraduate studies more prominently within the institutionpostgraduate studies more prominently within the institutionpostgraduate studies more prominently within the institutionpostgraduate studies more prominently within the institution

The commitments captured under Goal 2 towards improving teaching and learning across

the institution have relevance for postgraduate students as well. These strategies will

therefore be pursued in support of all our students, including those engaged in postgraduate

programmes. However, as was recognised in the previous IOP (2005-2009), providing

excellent postgraduate study opportunities must involve giving attention to strategic

interventions designed to specifically strengthen those practices and institutional processes

that contribute to successful postgraduate study. Over the next five years expanding and

improving the quality of our postgraduate offerings will remain one of the university’s core

strategic goals. Institutional efforts towards enhancing and centralising support for

postgraduate students through the appointment of the Director of Postgraduate Studies will

be taken further with the development of a strategic plan for postgraduate studies. This plan

will build on initiatives already started over the last five years and will largely involve

strengthening and institutionalising many of the interventions initiated by the Post Graduate

Enrolment and Throughput project (PET). Particular attention has been focused on improving

the training of postgraduate students, the development of improved supervision practices,

improving communication and access to information, developing dedicated and vibrant

spaces for these students, and improving the management and quality assurance of our

programmes. These interventions will continue to be pursued. In addition the university will

prioritise improving access to funding for postgraduate study, including funding for post-

doctoral fellows. The university also intends to align more closely its post-graduate

programme offerings with its research niche areas and will therefore engage in strategic

marketing to generate awareness of its distinct offerings and attract those students best

suited to successful study in these areas.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 29292929 of 54545454

The university recognises that in order to provide excellent teaching and learning

opportunities, to perform at the highest levels in terms of knowledge creation and innovation

and to have a culture of highly professional service delivery, its most important focus is its

human capital, reflected through its talent pool and the knowledge base of its staffing

complement. The achievement of the university’s vision and more specifically the strategic

goals of this IOP therefore depend largely on our ability to attract, retain and develop quality

staff at all levels on the basis of the excellence and relevance of their knowledge and skills

and on their capacity to realise their full individual capabilities. UWC is committed to deploy

staff wisely, develop their capacity, create conditions in which they are able to work

optimally, and reflect on performance to address difficulties and acknowledge achievement.

A central objective for the institution over the next five years is to establish a more

professional workforce. To achieve this staff must have the appropriate knowledge, skills

and experience to undertake the tasks assigned to them. Equally importantly, they should

feel confident to carry out their work and demonstrate the commitment and values which

they bring to their job. Improving professionalism relates, therefore, to training and

development and to the introducing and reinforcing of professional behaviour, further

supported by an appropriate system of recognition.

The university’s vision for its staff and its overarching objectives in this area for the next five

years build strongly on commitments made and strategies initiated in the previous IOP

(2005-2009). We have made good progress and are now challenged to build on what has

been achieved and give focused attention to those areas where progress has been slow or

which make us especially vulnerable.

Goal 4: Goal 4: Goal 4: Goal 4: To attracTo attracTo attracTo attract, retain, diversify, and develop excellent talent to enable UWC to realize t, retain, diversify, and develop excellent talent to enable UWC to realize t, retain, diversify, and develop excellent talent to enable UWC to realize t, retain, diversify, and develop excellent talent to enable UWC to realize its vision and achieve its strategic goals.its vision and achieve its strategic goals.its vision and achieve its strategic goals.its vision and achieve its strategic goals.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 30303030 of 54545454

In a context of dynamic change,,,, the national and international higher education markets in

which the university operates have become increasingly competitive in terms of attracting

and retaining people. Poorer institutions such as UWC have more difficulty in attracting and

retaining staff at the highest levels. The university has adopted a Rewards Foundation

Strategy that strives to attain both internal and external equity which includes benchmarking

with other higher education institutions in South Africa. Progress has been made with the

implementation of the Strategy and the process is being phased-in as budget allows within

the university’s financial framework and consistent with the strategies articulated in Goal 5

of this document. Staff cost has been managed within the national norms. Affordability in

relation to staff remains a key risk for the university. This includes the threat of losing good

staff and our ability to attract appropriate staff at affordable cost.

Attention has also been given to managing people more strategically. The intention has been

to find a better fit between resource allocation, individual competencies and expertise and

institutional needs. Contract appointments have also received attention and, amongst other

developments, the phasing in of benefits for contract staff has been formalised.

The university has an established Employment Equity Forum which has been active in

addressing the challenges of building our equity and diversity profile. Considering the

national context and the difficulties faced in attracting people who are in high demand, the

institution has made reasonable progress with employment equity. UWC has unambiguously

stated that it stands to benefit vastly from conscious, dedicated efforts to diversify its

staffing profile and to do so in ways that shape its relevance and its ability to respond to

contextual and emerging challenges. Preparing the next generation of black and women

academics as well as support staff will remain a key focus area. This objective is also taken

further in other parts of this IOP where attention is given to the development of teaching and

learning and research capacity, and on the development of a new generation of UWC

leadership.

It has been recognised that realignment of roles, structures and operational processes is

required to better meet the needs of the organisation and to narrow the gaps created by

fragmentation. This has resulted in some reconfiguration of both the academic and


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 31313131 of 54545454

administrative support sectors. In 2007 a Performance Development System (PDS) was

implemented for support and administrative staff and progress is being made in building a

culture which supports continuous improvement. As the process of implementation

progresses leadership will shape a system that may link performance to incentives.

Academic staff is currently reviewing the PDS for academic staff for future implementation.

These initiatives are regarded as important to developing greater accountability frameworks

across the institution and to supporting the need for succession planning noted in Goal 8.

During the past number of years dedicated attention has also been given to establishing

positive industrial relations. The formal relationship between the university and the staff

union has matured and is underpinned by clear and open communication. Leadership

values this relationship and will continue to build on it.

Risks that will impact on the institution’s success in terms of maintaining and improving its

talent include inadequate financial and people resources to implement a comprehensive

people strategy; failure on the part of leadership to facilitate, manage and align our staffing

goals across all faculties and divisions and to monitor progress; as well as a lack of

commitment and buy-in from UWC staff to the university’s strategic direction with the

associated culture of change that is required. This IOP pays particular attention to

addressing these risks through the strategies articulated across the eight goals.



1.1.1.1. Pursue staff growth approaches to support areas of strategic importance in Pursue staff growth approaches to support areas of strategic importance in Pursue staff growth approaches to support areas of strategic importance in Pursue staff growth approaches to support areas of strategic importance in pursuit of pursuit of pursuit of pursuit of

optimum fit.optimum fit.optimum fit.optimum fit.

In support of the above the university will develop a comprehensive People Strategy that

supports the institutional goals taken forward in the IOP. This will include attention to

appropriate staff and leadership planning at the different levels. As integral to this strategy

the university will emphasise the role of intellectual leadership, effective management

processes and professional administrative service. The importance of creating an


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 32323232 of 54545454

“employment brand” which attracts and retains talent will be prioritised. This will form part

of the coordinated branding and staff recruitment efforts taken forward in Goal 6.

The university will aim to find the optimum fit between resource allocation, individual

competencies and expertise as well as institutional needs. Greater emphasis will be placed

on the people planning capability across the university to support the strategic direction of

faculties and divisions.

2.2.2.2. Pay dedicated attention to employment equity, diversity, staff development and Pay dedicated attention to employment equity, diversity, staff development and Pay dedicated attention to employment equity, diversity, staff development and Pay dedicated attention to employment equity, diversity, staff development and

talent managementtalent managementtalent managementtalent management

Effective leaders, able to understand the connections between their own and institutional

objectives are key to the IOP. An integrated multi-faceted leadership development strategy

has been identified as a key area for attention in both the academic and administrative

sectors in order to establish a leader driven organisation.

UWC will pay ongoing attention to identifying and developing staff through effective talent

management and succession planning strategies to enhance our capabilities in teaching

and learning and research and professional service provision.

The Performance Development System (PDS) will be used to enhance learning processes,

involve and engage all staff in people development issues and embed a culture of

performance that link people management, professional support and focused development

to the attainment of strategic goals. UWC will focus on the design and implementation of a

specific strategy to actively develop the next generation of academic and support staff as

well as develop and implement a staff qualification enhancement plan to be monitored

annually. Key to success in this area is enabling individuals to better understand their

individual roles in relation to broader strategies. The PDS supports the university’s vision of

being a learning organisation.

The institution recognises that transformation and the facilitation of change is a conscious

and deliberate process and will pursue an approach to equity and diversity that is nuanced

and that gives effect to the institution’s mission that diversity enriches the workplace and

the experience that is offered to both students and staff. We will aim to embed equity,


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 33333333 of 54545454

diversity and internationalisation as enriching elements of our institutional culture into staff

development initiatives. Building on the progress to date and aligned to the IOP, a new

Employment Equity Plan for 2010 to 2014 will be designed and implemented.

3.3.3.3. Refine its current reward strategy and extend it to include all staffRefine its current reward strategy and extend it to include all staffRefine its current reward strategy and extend it to include all staffRefine its current reward strategy and extend it to include all staff

UWC strives to offer affordable tertiary education to students and the main sources of

income are received through state subsidies and tuition income. This places staff

remuneration under tremendous pressure. Staff cost remains the largest budget item and

requires very careful monitoring. Whilst being fully aware of its financial realities the

university also recognises the need to achieve a position where reward keeps pace with

higher education market changes. This will receive continued attention.

The university will continue with the implementation of a comprehensive reward model

which includes both intrinsic and extrinsic components of reward that attends to, amongst

others: remuneration; benefits; learning and development opportunities; quality of work life;

recognition; incentives; internal and external fairness and equity; market positioning and the

need to attract and retain scarce skills. Such a transparent and flexible remuneration

strategy may include a Total Cost of Employment (TCOE) model and competitive conditions

of employment that also recognises strategic effort and excellence.

4.4.4.4. Pay attention to creating a conducive climate in support of staff effectivenessPay attention to creating a conducive climate in support of staff effectivenessPay attention to creating a conducive climate in support of staff effectivenessPay attention to creating a conducive climate in support of staff effectiveness

The contextual challenges for the university (as captured in this IOP) and its strategic

objectives in pursuit of its vision have resulted in the university moving towards a more

complex operating environment. The leadership focus of the IOP acknowledges this and

gives particular attention to the culture of change required. The university recognises the

importance of establishing an institutional culture of collaboration where a shared sense of

purpose forms the cornerstones in the establishment of the desired culture. This also calls

for co-location of certain complementary and cognate departments and services and new

work practices to address incoherence and fragmentation of staff and various functions

across campus.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 34343434 of 54545454

It is recognised that people policies and practices will play a central role in reinforcing and,

where necessary, reorienting staff behaviour. Professional conduct will be best supported

through positive rather than negative reinforcement. In doing so, the university will continue

to position itself as a learning organisation which is open to critical self-reflection and to

change.

Attention will be given to the development of a conscious (‘awareness with a purpose’)

leader-led institutional work culture and climate transformation strategy aimed at promoting

desirable behaviour and work achievement whilst embracing service orientation in support

of people and student centeredness. Such a strategy will also introduce and utilise

communication structures and processes as means of enhancing inclusiveness and

professionalism and will build specifically on the strategy of establishing integrated

communication across role-players captured in Goal 6. The university recognises the

importance of sound employee relations practices and future strategies will build on the

progress and success of the last number of years. Employee ‘wellness’ and work-life balance

is also identified as an area for ongoing attention and is key to establishing the desired

institutional culture.

The university believes that people plans and policies giving effect to its strategies in this

regard, must acknowledge and support its role as an engaged university in the different

ways articulated at the beginning of this document. People planning must therefore be

conscious of and responsive to the institution’s unfolding sense of itself and of the ways in

which UWC takes forward the challenge of being an excellent university in a global

environment responsive to the social and economic development imperatives of our country.

5.5.5.5. Critically reflect its human resources and admin support services to support the Critically reflect its human resources and admin support services to support the Critically reflect its human resources and admin support services to support the Critically reflect its human resources and admin support services to support the

strategic people planning focusstrategic people planning focusstrategic people planning focusstrategic people planning focus

The university is fully aware of the fact that a key strategic issue is the need to constantly

plan and develop all aspects of people planning in ways that assist in realising the

university’s overall objectives. This requires ongoing monitoring and review of all aspects of

people planning in relation to institutional goals. An Operational Action Plan will be

developed and implemented to enhance transactional service delivery in respect of people


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 35353535 of 54545454

processes which will consider aspects such as: a people systems review to ensure the

optimum availability of people information; a review of the people component of the UWC

website to ensure optimum accessibility to people policies and information; the

development and introduction of a user focussed system of people metrics to assist in

people decision-making and measure the effectiveness and efficiency of UWC people

practices; and reviewing policies and processes as necessary to support the implementation

of our strategic goals.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 36363636 of 54545454

The previous IOP (2005-2009) resulted in the university achieving financial stability. The

new challenge is to build on this strength taking into account the various changes in the

landscape of higher education. New challenges are emerging that require interventions from

a strategic and operational perspective and will have major financial consequences.

Distributable reserves are currently inadequate to provide for significant adverse unplanned

events or to enable the university to address new challenges and opportunities. Third

stream income is currently performing well but is expected to come under pressure as

grantors and donors become susceptible to the downturn in global economies.

Risk factors to consider include the pressure for higher financial demands on a limited

resource base, coupled with a downturn in the economy and student resistance to fee

increases. It is critical that UWC builds up reserves to enable the institution to deliver on the

growth mandate in terms of sufficient infrastructure, academic staff, support staff and

systems alignment and to be able to respond to new challenges and opportunities. The

institution must not overextend itself through excessive leverage. Currently the university is

not in a position to fund major capital projects on the basis of additional borrowing. Projects

will be selected based on strategic significance.



1.1.1.1. Maximise efficiency and optimisationMaximise efficiency and optimisationMaximise efficiency and optimisationMaximise efficiency and optimisation

As a general principle, revenue generation from the university infrastructure must be

maximised. Coupled with this, cost-reduction and efficiency initiatives will be implemented.

Control mechanisms and policies will be strengthened to understand the financial

implications of decisions made in service departments. Mechanisms will be evaluated to

Goal 5: To develop a strong and diversified financial base to allow the university to make

bold moves when opportunities present themselves and provide a buffer against bad

times.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 37373737 of 54545454

improve control over procurement. Staffing needs have to be weighed against remuneration

costs. In order to facilitate efficiency, robust systems that generate credible data need to be

developed. It is also crucial that partnerships are entered into with other higher education

institutions to share resources and leverage additional support. Both internal and external

debt will continue to be vigorously managed. Strategies for improving the recovery of student

debt will be further developed. Opportunities for letting our infrastructure to third parties will

be maximised.

2.2.2.2. Grow and diversify the revenue baseGrow and diversify the revenue baseGrow and diversify the revenue baseGrow and diversify the revenue base

Financial models have shown that the two most significant factors that could contribute to

growth in the revenue base are student fees and third-stream income. In this light, student

growth will be monitored in terms of its financial implications. Student fees will be set at

levels with institutional sustainability in mind. Fee differentiation practices will regularly be

reviewed in relation to cost, programme development and sustainability. Institutional fund

raising capacity will be improved significantly to facilitate growth in third-stream income.

There will be an enhanced focus on alumni for institutional development.

3.3.3.3. Increase the revenue from commercialisation and UWC EnterpriseIncrease the revenue from commercialisation and UWC EnterpriseIncrease the revenue from commercialisation and UWC EnterpriseIncrease the revenue from commercialisation and UWC Enterprise

A separate commercial entity will be created to accommodate the need for specific

commercial enterprises. Policies will be developed for this commercial enterprise.

Remuneration strategies will be reviewed in relation to the needs and constraints of an

innovation environment. In line with national legislation IP and other intellectual capital will

be managed for maximum benefit. Incubation systems will be explored with other parties for

the successful planning and implementation of innovation type programmes. Careful

attention will be paid to the encouragement and regulation of academic entrepreneurship

and consultancy. Public and profession–specific partnerships will actively be sought

specifically linking the institution to government and industry.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 38383838 of 54545454

4.4.4.4. Aim for alignment betAim for alignment betAim for alignment betAim for alignment between budgets and strategiesween budgets and strategiesween budgets and strategiesween budgets and strategies

The institution will continue to review and refine the alignment of the IOP and the five year

finance plans. Expenditure patterns will be monitored and reviewed to assess synergy with

the strategic imperatives. The pursuit of alignment and integration of people and systems

will progressively be embedded in the institutional culture. Business intelligence for strategic

planning must be relevant, available and up-to-date. A general principle of efficiency

(transaction costs) is crucial given the anticipated financial constraints. The identification

and management of risks will enable the university to plan accordingly. Monitoring and

review of the financial planning will happen annually, and the planning must allow for

flexibility for corrective interventions.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 39393939 of 54545454

UWC is at a critical stage in its development. It has become a significant force to be

reckoned with in teaching and research, and is playing a vital intellectual role in the

development of our nation and continent. On the other hand, it carries the burden of having

been an apartheid tribal college and is often taken at a discount as a mere college or HDI.

Many alumni are justly proud of their alma mater, but others still view it with some

ambiguous feelings as a place where they came to protest or when they were not permitted

by law to get into another university. UWC now has a very substantial record of achievement,

placing it in the upper group of universities in South Africa and the continent. Its reputation

has to catch up. Until it does, UWC will regularly be short-changed and its graduates given

less respect than is their due. Attention to UWC’s standing and profile is thus of vital

importance over the next five year period. An image of UWC as first rate and expected to do

great things must be shared by the internal university community, the general public,

government, the media, and our peers nationally and internationally.



1.1.1.1. Expect leaders at all levels Expect leaders at all levels Expect leaders at all levels Expect leaders at all levels to to to to take responsibility for interpreting visiotake responsibility for interpreting visiotake responsibility for interpreting visiotake responsibility for interpreting vision and n and n and n and

achievementsachievementsachievementsachievements

In their actions and public presentations, leaders at all levels at UWC will strategically and

consistently interpret the bold vision of the university and steps taken towards realising it.

The aim is to build and sustain internal and external confidence and to inform the life of the

university with shared purpose. This will be conducive to all members of the UWC

community, including alumni, buying in and contributing to developing the institution’s

reputation. For this strategy to succeed there must be ongoing attention to leadership team-

Goal 6: To shape the internal and external standing and profile of UWC as a vibrant

institution through the use of diverse communication and marketing strategies to support our goals


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 40404040 of 54545454

building and to communication in ways that register progress, build confidence and nurture

a rooted and growing sense of the implications and possibilities of our vision.

The following specific commitments will be among those in the detailed plan: (a) Rector’s

semesterly briefings of leadership (managers, chairpersons, directors, SRC, deans,

executive) on progress and challenges, with special briefings when particular challenges are

faced. (b) Leadership development opportunities will be sought and used and succession

planning will be undertaken as a sign that we are confident about the future. (c) We will

have a multi-faceted campaign to keep alumni in the loop (360°, Convocation meeting to

coincide with prestige lecture and tour of campus, special place on web, chapters to meet

with special effort to get local leadership, e.g. mayor, Chamber of Commerce, MECs for

Education and Health, for at least one special occasion of general community interest per

year, availability of UWC branding material). (d) We will make excellent strategic use of our

current media (On Campus, Perspectives, Web, special occasions). (e) The Public Affairs

group (ODPA, International Relations, Recruitment, Faculty PA reps etc) will receive regular

briefings

2.2.2.2. Communicate vision and achievements in strategically targeted waysCommunicate vision and achievements in strategically targeted waysCommunicate vision and achievements in strategically targeted waysCommunicate vision and achievements in strategically targeted ways

The bold vision of UWC and progress in attaining it will be communicated to internal,

national and international audiences, including alumni and honorary graduates, through

regular coverage with a strategic edge in a range of print and electronic media, internal and

public.

This communication programme will be ambitious, precisely targeted, and widely owned.

Among those targeted must be students, alumni, honorary doctors and recipients of special

awards, as well as with donors, business organisations and partners, feeder school

principals, heads of other institutions, government leaders and local and international

partners, keeping them in the loop on developments at the university. The programme must

build confidence in the university and assist it to compete effectively for staff, students and

resources. The Executive, Deans and section heads, along with Alumni/Convocation


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 41414141 of 54545454

leadership, and the SRC will be involved as far as possible in detailing and planning the

programme and they will be active in implementing it.

3.3.3.3. Actively seek robust relationships and partnerships Actively seek robust relationships and partnerships Actively seek robust relationships and partnerships Actively seek robust relationships and partnerships

The university will actively seek robust relationships and extensive, mutually beneficial

partnerships with business and business organisations, community groups, government at

various levels and other universities, locally and internationally.

These relationships and partnerships will be conceived and used to enhance the university’s

capacity, reputation and resources as an institution which adds considerable value

nationally and internationally. Specific attention will be given to making the most of our

current activities relating to these constituencies and to drawing the constituencies into a

set of partnerships which are aligned with the needs and opportunities of South Africa in a

globalising world.

The following relationships are of particular importance: (a) Innovation relationships with

business, as these demonstrably contribute to the growth of the economy and to enhancing

the region’s capacity to train more people at top level through the intellectual stimulus and

bench space which innovation activities should provide. (b) Service-learning relationships

with communities, as these contribute to the educational enterprise while offering service,

and equip our graduates to be more immediately useful in building our society. (c) Active

international partnerships, strategically chosen and developed. (d) Cooperative relationships

with research councils and donors, working with them to enhance achievement of mutually

agreed goals. (e) Specific partnerships with City, Province and central government

departments on issues where we have a good deal to offer and can get practical support. (f)

Cooperative relationships with our Western Cape partner institutions involving support for

one another in building high-level capacity here and making the province the most sought

after for higher education. (g) Relationships with schools and the general public fostered

through activities like public interest events (e.g. sports matches, public lectures, concerts,

stage performances), the careers fair and open days, as well as through public facilities like


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 42424242 of 54545454

the nature reserve and its related environmental programme, the Mayibuye Centre, and

perhaps an art gallery and science centre. As this strategy covers a range of our activities

which need to be aligned: (a) The Rector will have a Partnerships Advisory Group to help

bring strategic direction and find synergies. (b) The Partnerships Advisory Group will work

with ODPA to organise any activities deemed necessary, including an annual half-day

workshop between the UWC people involved in leading innovation, service learning, student

development, international relations, government partnerships, and national university

cooperation.

4.4.4.4. Give prominence to highGive prominence to highGive prominence to highGive prominence to high----end achievements and enhance reputationend achievements and enhance reputationend achievements and enhance reputationend achievements and enhance reputation

The University will give prominence to its achievements in quality research and public

intellectual engagement, and will systematically enhance its strong reputation in these

fields. Among other things this will involve: (a) an extensive, well-advertised programme of

events of a general interest nature on campus, showcasing what UWC does and drawing the

general public as well as the university community to participate (ODPA and Deans); (b) full

use of the leading figures we have on campus and those who are drawn to visit, making

every effort to achieve good (and, where relevant, long-term) media engagement which gives

public prominence to our niche areas (ODPA and Deans) and means that our experts are

eagerly sought after for comment and longer contributions; (c) more effectively aligning

UWC’s international and local partnerships with our niche research interests (IR and Deans

with VC-Academic); (d) generating full coverage for major research findings, awards and

publications, making sure that their significance is clear (Specifically assigned academic

staff members, one from each faculty, to bring the latest news to ODPA and interpret its

significance); (e) developing the Nature Reserve and EERU, Mayibuye and other potential

facilities as major public engagement and school visit sites in the region.

5.5.5.5. Sustain a vigorous national and international campaign of recruitmentSustain a vigorous national and international campaign of recruitmentSustain a vigorous national and international campaign of recruitmentSustain a vigorous national and international campaign of recruitment

The University will have a vigorous, ongoing campaign of recruitment aimed at making UWC

the first choice of an increasingly excellent and diverse group of students and staff, both


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 43434343 of 54545454

nationally and internationally. Related commitments include: (a) building and maintaining an

exciting web presence; (b) promoting a good general reputation and visible public presence;

(c) excellent service and communication by faculties, student affairs and HR in dealing with

applications and enquiries; (d) conscious enlisting of local and international alumni support;

(e) dedicated visits to schools and ongoing communication with them about the university’s

standing and achievements; (f) drawing the full range of schools to campus for

Environmental Education or Science Education or Historical Work at Mayibuye; (g) building

strong international exchange partnerships and making full use of programmes such as

NEPAD and the Norwegian study abroad programme to bring international students to

campus; (h) having informative and attractive material available for all key areas and using

it.

6.6.6.6. Establish an integrated communication strategy across roleEstablish an integrated communication strategy across roleEstablish an integrated communication strategy across roleEstablish an integrated communication strategy across role----playersplayersplayersplayers

UWC will have an integrated communication strategy on strategic issues employing existing

resources to full advantage through finding and using synergies. This strategy will be

coordinated byODPA, and will involve faculties and all institution-level groups, including

International Relations, HR, Student Recruitment, Student Development and Support, the

SRC, Residence Administration and Sports Administration. This wide involvement will assist

in securing ongoing buy-in and participation from faculties and departments. Related

commitments include: (a) Each faculty dean appoints a person to highlight the really

significant and newsworthy achievements in and of the faculty and to interpret their

significance. These faculty PA people will meet quarterly with the head of media in ODPA to

evaluate progress and to strategise. Annually there will be a report from the group to Senate.

(b) Maintaining efficient technology channels, including the website, email and a common

repository for documents. (c) Agreement on strategies as proposed by any of the groups

concerned.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 44444444 of 54545454

7.7.7.7. Build Build Build Build a a a a strong Alumni Relations Programme strong Alumni Relations Programme strong Alumni Relations Programme strong Alumni Relations Programme

UWC will establish a strong Alumni Relations Programme in partnership with Convocation to

build pride in the institution and secure a long-term base of support. Related commitments

include: (a) setting up an excellent database which tracks alumni progress and can serve to

locate alumni, reach individuals on the basis of specific interests, engage alumni assistance,

give publicity to success, and provide evidence of the workplace value of UWC qualifications;

(b) mounting a targeted communication programme building on the current social activities

of Convocation and on 360˚ and the work of the Alumni Office; (c) starting a professionally

directed programme of giving and bequests in support of UWC.

8.8.8.8. Pay careful attention to Pay careful attention to Pay careful attention to Pay careful attention to a a a a coordinated branding programmecoordinated branding programmecoordinated branding programmecoordinated branding programme

The university will establish a standing working group on Branding Opportunities, to review

practices and opportunities at least once a quarter. The group will be chaired by a person

appointed by the Rector. It will consist of members from Development, Public Affairs,

Alumni, International Relations, and Recruitment as a start, but should grow to include

people responsible for public affairs in faculties and other strategic units. Annually, there will

be a meeting chaired by the Rector to set priorities for the following 12 months.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 45454545 of 54545454

The quality of UWC’s buildings, grounds and surrounding areas profoundly affects the quality

of the entire institution. The five years covered in the 2010-2014 IOP will see a continuation

of the unprecedented building, refurbishment and renewal programmes of 2007-2009.

During the 2008 and 2009 academic years the university spent more than R600 million on

new buildings and the upgrade of existing facilities, including the new School of Public

Health and Life Sciences buildings, the refurbishment of major academic teaching and

laboratory spaces, and the construction of the East link entrance road, parking and

additional sports fields.

Several more major infrastructural projects, as well as an ambitious programme of

renovation and deferred maintenance and a set of space management strategies are

already envisaged against a 15-year horizon. These will be aligned with the broad

institutional goals and strategic academic and research priorities as described in the IOP.

The developments over the next 5 years will take the rationalisation of campus space into

precincts a lot further, and the systematic infrastructure renewal process will allow us to

provide appropriate accommodation for growth and consolidation. The outcome will be an

even more appealing campus environment that is urban in scale and density, and marked

by distinctive facilities for innovation and learning, living and working. The improvement of

the campus and its environment should enable the Bellville region to attract and retain

significantly more talent and accommodate advances in information technology, to the

advantage of the educational institutions and of the City.

A number of internal and external imperatives which have been factored into the IOP drive

the need for change. Some of these forces are outside the direct control or influence of the

university and will require ongoing strategies to partner with and lobby external agencies.

Goal 7: To strategically influence and develop the campus and surrounding areas, and

develop and maintain a modern coherent physical and ICT infrastructure.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 46464646 of 54545454

These include UWC’s mandate within national plans for a substantial increase of

undergraduate and postgraduate enrolment; growing competition to attract and retain

excellent students, teaching staff and researchers ; national imperatives concerning

knowledge transfer and innovation which require dynamic relationships with business,

professions and government agencies to advance the prosperity of the region; and changes

in the regulatory environment that require sustainable environments that are readily

accessible, health and safety compliant, secure, and operationally manageable.

Several issues, if left unattended, may pose strategic, financial, reputational, operational

and compliance risks to the university’s infrastructure. The first relates to competition for

strategic land use. UWC is exceptionally well located in the centre of metropolitan Cape

Town. The main campus is close to Cape Town International airport and two national

freeways. It has rail and transportation routes on its doorstep. It is also well served by a road

system which brings traffic from all sectors of the City in the West and increasing numbers

from the developing areas to the south and east. However, it is cut off from the major urban

centre in Bellville and from the mainstream life of the city by the Bellrail container depot.

The long southern edge of that depot bordering Modderdam Road presents strategic

opportunities to expand towards Bellville and participate in transforming the whole area into

a model post-apartheid space. The University is committed to working with the larger

community including the university on-campus constituents, the City of Cape Town,

provincial and national authorities, regulatory, environmental and business groups, other

HEIs and the local communities to discuss physical development issues like this which are

of strategic and mutual concern. Failure to achieve appropriate land use and corridor

development conducive to the academic and innovation project would have long-term

adverse consequences, not only for UWC, but for the regional innovation strategy and the

possibility of revitalising the strategically placed Bellville CBD and its surrounding residential

areas.

The second strategic risk pertains to UWC’s holding capacity. Of the total 1,038,812 m² of

land, 40% is zoned for Academic and Non Academic activities, 21% for Residential, 25% for

Sports and 14% for Roads, Parking and places of arrival. The 416,483 m² presently zoned


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 47474747 of 54545454

for Academic and Non Academic activities has a potential holding capacity for 416,483 m²

of building should it be developed to an urban collegiate density of 1 m² of building on 1 m²

of land. This suggests that our potential for growth on campus is limited to between 50-

100% if development is controlled to a reasonable density. We unquestionably need more

space in the medium term and will continue actively to explore the acquisition of additional

land.

A third risk is reputational, contractual and financial. It pertains to our capacity to deliver

new capital projects on time, within budget, honouring contractual commitments to funders

and sponsors and managing the institutional knock-on costs associated with these projects.

As a matter of high priority, we will attend to developing in-house capacity to plan and

manage projects.

A fourth risk pertains to operational efficiency and greater accountability. Space data and

space management information needed for strategic decision making is not available in a

particularly useful form, leading to inefficient space management and reporting. As a result

it is unacceptably difficult to identify strategic risks, plan and budget for maintenance

priorities and devise mechanisms to manage different scenarios better, let alone to commit

the institution to a bold infrastructure renewal programme with a medium-term perspective.

In addition, consistent with the national move to greater accountability and transparency,

universities are required to improve operational efficiency and have comprehensive

reporting capabilities. This aspect of business intelligence will receive focused attention.



1.1.1.1. Cultivate a reintegration of the region throughCultivate a reintegration of the region throughCultivate a reintegration of the region throughCultivate a reintegration of the region through innovation partnerships, urban innovation partnerships, urban innovation partnerships, urban innovation partnerships, urban

renewal strategies and closer links with local communities.renewal strategies and closer links with local communities.renewal strategies and closer links with local communities.renewal strategies and closer links with local communities.

The university’s stewardship role extends well beyond campus. UWC’s interest in the

campus-city environment is grounded in the desire to be a good regional partner, develop a


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 48484848 of 54545454

positive, appealing and sustainable environment around the campus and transform its

metropolitan sub-region into a distinct and vibrant people-oriented space that is urban in

scale and design, offering attractive conditions for living, working, learning, and playing.

UWC will promote and influence the design and development of the Bellville sub-region as a

modern urban centre accommodating a premier science park for regional innovation, and

providing reasonable space for us to grow. This will require us to strategically lobby for new

developments in locations that will contribute to defining, consolidating and adding vibrancy

to the campus and its surroundings. We will maintain our dialogue and long-term

relationship with national and local authorities, CHEC institutions, industry and neighbouring

communities on the issue of land use and local planning with a view to identifying

opportunities and providing appropriate policies and strategies for sub-regional

development.

When our surrounding neighbourhoods are safe, clean, attractive and provide student and

staff accommodation, social services and cultural and recreational facilities, our capacity to

offer a transformative education will be considerably enhanced. We will carefully determine

the level of expenditure which we can afford to acquire and regenerate off-campus facilities

to contribute to City plans for the Modderdam and Symphony corridors.

2.2.2.2. Create a distinctive built environment and implement major capital projects within a Create a distinctive built environment and implement major capital projects within a Create a distinctive built environment and implement major capital projects within a Create a distinctive built environment and implement major capital projects within a

coherent, intecoherent, intecoherent, intecoherent, integrated zoning and investment strategygrated zoning and investment strategygrated zoning and investment strategygrated zoning and investment strategy

UWC will identify the appropriate future use of its land for buildings, green and recreational

space and transport in ways that balance projected growth, competition for land and

environmental concerns. The master plan for the campus will be expanded in the interests

of greater coherence. Faculties and administrative units are reorganised in precincts,

prefabs are cleared, existing buildings are progressively revamped and transformed, human

movement and traffic flow is rationalised, and the planned growth of the institution is

provided for. We will concentrate on relatively dense, energy-efficient, environmentally

friendly and flexibly designed developments of high quality which are aesthetically

appealing. They will improve facilities and give us a competitive edge in attracting staff and

students. New buildings will be designed to address physical space needs, heighten the


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 49494949 of 54545454

visual impact of the university from the road, achieve better functional efficiency and explore

and showcase responsible approaches to environmental impact. Major capital projects are

planned for this period and more developments are under consideration. High priorities are

a strategically located one-stop student services building and an ongoing programme of

improving the residences. A new challenge is securing land on the main corridors to the

campus, both to provide for future needs and to influence the development of the region.

We will launch a major capital campaign that targets private and donor funding and will

continue to seek state funding for new building construction, renovations, deferred

maintenance and to support a land use plan.

3.3.3.3. Optimise classroom and space use and address infrastructure needs and backlog Optimise classroom and space use and address infrastructure needs and backlog Optimise classroom and space use and address infrastructure needs and backlog Optimise classroom and space use and address infrastructure needs and backlog

maintenance by actively replacingmaintenance by actively replacingmaintenance by actively replacingmaintenance by actively replacing and renewing existing infrastructureand renewing existing infrastructureand renewing existing infrastructureand renewing existing infrastructure

Our plans will be informed by a need to have appropriate, technology-enabled spaces of the

highest quality for teaching and learning and to have laboratories that comply with best

practice and health and safety regulations. To this end we will progressively identify capital

projects for refurbishment and align these to the strategic plan, promote and manage the

status and effective use of classrooms and laboratories, and bring under-utilised spaces up

to standard to realise the full potential of the buildings.

UWC will systematically improve efficiency and effectiveness of use. This will achieved

through more effective management and appropriate allocation of classroom and office

space. Management technology in all new buildings and major renovations projects on

campus will help considerably. Where possible, buildings will also have space to promote a

culture of reading, discussion and debate, and staff and postgraduate interaction. We will

seek to have an integrated and imaginative approach to the provision of student

administrative and support services with desirable use patterns in mind.

Through an integrated approach to operations and services the maintenance programme

will establish priorities, encourage the rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of buildings,

reduction in energy and water consumption and processes for the upgrading, maintenance,

and operating of facilities.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 50505050 of 54545454

4.4.4.4. Maintain an inventory and space data and align resource management with strategic Maintain an inventory and space data and align resource management with strategic Maintain an inventory and space data and align resource management with strategic Maintain an inventory and space data and align resource management with strategic

planningplanningplanningplanning

Inefficient use of space dramatically affects the budget and drains resources sorely needed

in other areas. We will promote and encourage efficient use of space by updating and

maintaining accurate, accessible and reliable space data and a space inventory to enable

effective decision-making. We will also implement and manage effective space management

policies to identify space surpluses, shortfalls and priority accommodation requirements and

progressively bring facilities up to date in terms of technology, general function and

appearance. We will set up a physical planning unit which will, among other things, maintain

the tools of space management, implement effective space management policies, analyse

current space use in the light of national norms and of the need to provide for growth, and

create and identify means of generating third stream income to fund development.

5.5.5.5. Support a stable, modern Information and Communications Technology Support a stable, modern Information and Communications Technology Support a stable, modern Information and Communications Technology Support a stable, modern Information and Communications Technology

infrastructureinfrastructureinfrastructureinfrastructure

UWC is committed to a major programme of technology-enabled management and learning.

We will systematically improve infrastructure and systems and our capacity to use them to

maximal advantage. Among other things we will seek to have the most advantageous new

technology in all new buildings and major renovations. In the period covered by this IOP we

will upgrade and expand the campus network and use ICT as a strategic instrument,

supported by an integrated management information system and business intelligence, to

enhance our business functions, greatly improve access to learning and research material

and facilities, and deliver lower cost information resources.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 51515151 of 54545454

In a rapidly changing environment, success in attaining ambitious goals depends

significantly on leaders who hold the vision before colleagues, are able to interpret their

context, seek practical alignment of strategies, values and culture, and recognise the

responsibility to create a climate conducive to realising the vision. Leaders articulate and

share vision, eliciting its meaning in context. They are strategic and do not shy away from

practical implications. And they are aware of their role in shaping perceptions and bringing

about changes of attitude. While keeping the group’s focus on the vision, leaders have to

make the necessary connections to recognise opportunities for realising it, follow up (often

over long periods), see the implications of developments for different strategic goals, find

ways of securing or redistributing resources to support practical developments, embed the

new functions in firm procedures, and give publicity to what is being achieved - thereby

helping to create new opportunities. UWC’s striking progress over the past few years has

depended on a dynamic shared vision, a capacity to create a supportive climate, and

vigorous strategic management.

In preparing this IOP, we have been very much aware of the significance of leadership at

different levels in the institution. The process has drawn on and heard the voice of a large

range of committed senior academics and managers. What has become particularly clear

as the process has unfolded is that leadership in a university always has both an intellectual

and an organisational dimension. Such leadership is evident in a willingness to engage with

new and established ideas and situations in fresh ways. This requires negotiating the

tensions in the society that manifest themselves in complex opposed perspectives and

competing imperatives. In these circumstances, good leadership breaks out of tired

binarities, is ready to entertain the unorthodox, and seeks and usually finds fruitful new

approaches to issues and challenges. Taking forward the goals of this IOP requires such

leadership.

Goal 8: To give effective leadership at all levels in order to maintain and develop a vibrant

and viable institution of high repute

Goal 8: To give effective leadership at all levels in order to maintain and develop a vibrant

and viable institution of high repute


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 52525252 of 54545454

UWC UWC UWC UWC leadership will: leadership will: leadership will: leadership will:

1.1.1.1. Consistently provide clear direction for the institution in pursuit of iConsistently provide clear direction for the institution in pursuit of iConsistently provide clear direction for the institution in pursuit of iConsistently provide clear direction for the institution in pursuit of its vision and its ts vision and its ts vision and its ts vision and its

strategic goals.strategic goals.strategic goals.strategic goals.

Vision is easily lost and leadership is easily dissipated in mere compliance. UWC leaders are

committed to playing a dynamic and strategically directed role which is evident in various

ways. They are recognised by their clear and repeated articulation of the vision and

strategic goals in ways nuanced to their different intellectual and organisational roles. In

their practice and through consultation and debate they build and nurture an organizational

climate characterized by high levels of trust and loyalty to the institution and commitment to

effective and efficient work, shaped by a shared understanding of our role within the larger

vision of an engaged university. They initiate and manage ongoing processes of planning to

guide the organisation in pursuit of its vision and strategic goals. They effectively

communicate and share information with all roleplayers across the institution. And they are

committed to making all university structures and processes work to enhance the desired

institutional culture and reflect the attitudes, values and behaviours that underpin this

culture. Dynamic leadership is also underpinned by the security of good governance and

accountability frameworks. Through transparency, accountability, responsible decision-

making and respect for diversity, UWC leaders facilitate the effective management and

oversight of the institution’s core business systems and processes to ensure that they are

aligned to and operate to support its strategic goals. They effectively manage strategic

interventions and changes, paying particular attention to existing or potential risks for the

institution.

2.2.2.2. Build and nurture a culture of change within the institution Build and nurture a culture of change within the institution Build and nurture a culture of change within the institution Build and nurture a culture of change within the institution

Institutional inertia is inimical to the kinds of transformation that are necessary for South

Africa’s success. Our commitment to transformation involves nurturing a culture of change

at UWC to create a climate for the sustained development of new and applicable knowledge

that enables us to make meaning of and address the complex challenges of our world. It

requires proactivity in shaping the culture consistent to the values and strategic direction,


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 53535353 of 54545454

identifying and implementing strategic changes across the core functions on a firm

foundation of appropriate planning, and building institution-wide networks and communities

of practice which promote a sense of the importance of these changes in practice.

Leadership will strive to embody the desired culture. An effective culture of change will be

based on a deepened understanding of the complex nature of higher education institutions,

where the necessary autonomies of academic practice are respected within a framework of

accountability and responsiveness to the challenges of our world.

3.3.3.3. Take every opportunity to develoTake every opportunity to develoTake every opportunity to develoTake every opportunity to develop their own capacity and to prepare a new p their own capacity and to prepare a new p their own capacity and to prepare a new p their own capacity and to prepare a new

generation of leadershipgeneration of leadershipgeneration of leadershipgeneration of leadership

Leaders who have ceased to learn cease to lead. Where leaders are committed to learning

the development of the institution follows. As a learning organisation, UWC is committed to

initiating, developing and sustaining efforts to build its leadership corps. This requires

recruiting, nurturing and retaining leaders at all levels – gifted people with the

understanding and competence to give substance to our vision. This implies a keen sense of

the value of diversity. UWC will create a framework for succession planning, encourage

knowledge transfer between generations and will place a strong emphasis on mentoring and

coaching. Leaders will devote time to develop future leaders and provide constructive

dialogue and feedback.

4.4.4.4. SSSSecure the alignment of all parts of the university to its strategic goals ecure the alignment of all parts of the university to its strategic goals ecure the alignment of all parts of the university to its strategic goals ecure the alignment of all parts of the university to its strategic goals

Lack of synergy and alignment dissipates energy and resources. Leaders at all levels are the

key to bringing about alignment which honours and promotes the core project of the

university. They are able to interpret the meaning of the strategic goals in their particular

areas and to understand and exploit the synergies across the institution, making it possible

for us to achieve more with what we have. Alignment is thus about the most fruitful use of

our human and physical resources. The university will promote teamwork and personally

adjust actions and performance development frameworks to support larger goals across

functions and help others to do the same and cascade these into all levels.


Draft for COUNCIL

Page 54545454 of 54545454

5.5.5.5. Promote reflective and accountable practicePromote reflective and accountable practicePromote reflective and accountable practicePromote reflective and accountable practice

Unreflective practice makes accountability a managerialist imposition rather than an

opportunity for deeper understanding and improvement. Leadership retains the initiative in

giving meaning to processes of monitoring and evaluating progress. We are committed to

the kind of joint ownership of the academic project which seeks indices of organisational

achievement and a clear sense of roles and responsibilities. Our progress on our own terms

is enhanced by the ways in which we select and use appropriate benchmark and measures

of institutional success. We are committed to receive and use feedback to learn from

failures and successes.

Documents

Institutional Operating Plan (2010-2014) the now.pdf · Institutional Operating Plan (2010-2014) University of the Western Cape SeptemberSeptember 200920092009 Draft IOP as a framework