Campus Principal
A message from the Campus Principal
This message was writen by Professor Christo Fabricius on his appointment as Campus Principal in January 2008.
Dear colleagues, students and friends of the NMMU George Campus. I am excited to return to Saasveld after an absence of 17 years, because I believe the George Campus of NMMU has a great future. I came here because I am passionate about bringing together people, finances, infrastructure, goodwill and nature (the five types of capital that make the world go round) and believe the resulting blend will be something better than just the sum of the parts. As Campus Principal, I hope to be a facilitator of such synergy.
Since my arrival and long before that, I have read, listened, taken notes, and spoken to staff, students and possible partners. I am constantly learning, but know that the George Campus has huge potential. How do I know this? Firstly, our small size helps. We are compact enough to be a model for small, ‘new generation’ universities in our society. We are able to teach, learn, do research and work with our local community at a small scale, but can make a big difference. Secondly, we can break new ground by working across conventional academic disciplines, and do amazing things that other organizations are just talking about. The Saasveld Campus’s proud Natural Resource Management history is matched by a youthful School of Business and Social Science, so we can easily teach, and do research, at the meeting point between the Natural and Business sciences, at the point called “Management”. We can easily spearhead very effective and new ways to teach, learn and do research. Thirdly, we are motivated by a strong vision of a sustainable future. Our business is, and has always been, sustainability; the management of social, economic and ecological systems to benefit both nature and people, in the long run. We work, learn and think long term, for the future of our children and generations after them. There is only one good planet and we are on it and in it, and have to look after it. Yes, we have one of the most beautiful campuses in the world, and people therefore want to spend time here. But that alone is not enough.
At the George Campus, we are serious about three values: Respect; Excellence; and Humaneness.
‘Respect’ means we have a high regard for ourselves, our fellow humans, and the environment. We see the good in everyone and give them the recognition they deserve. Not only humans, but also the plants, animals, water and soils making up our ecosystems must be respected and looked after. We respect planet Earth and strive to be responsible citizens.
‘Excellence’ means we always work hard and give our very best. It’s a competitive world out there, and we have to either shine, or be left in the dark. George Campus staff and students go for the highest standards in teaching, learning, research, and in our daily lives. We are professionals, who act professionally.
‘Humaneness’ means we care, cooperate and reach out to one another, even to people we don’t know. We work together, knowing that this will bear fruit in the long run.
Within these values, four priorities will keep us very busy over the next five years.
Priority one is to make sure that our programmes and operations remain of the highest national and even international standards, and that our research becomes strong and well known. This will help our students to easily find work, anywhere. We must continue to bring in experts with practical knowledge, but also attract famous academics and leaders to help us. Our buildings, grounds and facilities, information technology and financial systems must be top-notch. We have to maintain strong and close links with our colleagues in Port Elizabeth and in other universities, and monitor our achievements.
Priority two is to develop a stimulating and vibrant student life, where the social and academic aspects of student life are inter-connected. We have to work closely with our student leadership, to ensure that our students are motivated to work and live together in harmony, and to act responsibly and professionally. We must bring our institutional values into the classroom and into the ‘third curriculum’ outside the classroom.
Priority three is to make a big effort with staff development. We want to help those colleagues who want to improve their qualifications, and strengthen our teaching, research and administrative skills through ongoing training. We must also increase the diversity of our staff by bringing in people with a broad range of cultural backgrounds and with an assortment of world views. This will help us achieve greatness by fuelling new ways of thinking and doing.
Priority four is physical planning and campus development. We have to look at the quality of our residences and student facilities, develop them to their full potential and raise funds to achieve this. We must also take a new look at our grounds and facilities, to ensure that they become a model for sustainable campuses world-wide. We would like to introduce the best environmental practices by searching for new ways to use energy and water more wisely, manage waste, and develop the lay-out of our grounds so they not only provide recreation, but also protect our magnificent plant and animal life, and unique ecosystems.
In all of this there must be strong teamwork between our staff, students, academic partners and business stakeholders. We have to form alliances and reach agreements, and constantly look for opportunities to form lasting relationships that are good for the George Campus and our partners. If everyone agrees that these are our priorities and this is the way to go, then we can go far. The George Campus of NMMU is great, and has huge potential to become even greater.
Let’s work together to make this new university come together.
Christo Fabricius
Campus Principal: NMMU George Campus
| Contact Information | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prof Christo Fabricius | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||
Top