Nelson Mandela University

Through Vision 2030, Nelson Mandela University (hereafter referred to as “the University”) reaffirms its commitment to change the world through life-changingeducational opportunities, innovative research, and transformative engagement. The University carries a significant responsibility to embody the legacy andethos of its iconic namesake, the late Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, and his lifelong struggle for a non-racial, nonsexist, democratic society where all citizens are treatedwith respect and dignity. The University strives to promote social justice and the public good by nurturing socially conscious graduates who make a positive impact on society as responsibleglobal citizens and leaders. The University is also widely recognised for its engaged scholarship, which seeks to cocreate pioneering, African-purposed solutions to complex global challenges. This is part of a broader strategy to reconfigure the University in alignment with a reimagined and non-paternalistic paradigm of engagement that can more meaningfully contribute to alleviating human precarity.

Nelson Mandela University (hereafter referred to as “the University”) embraces the significant responsibility of embodying the legacy and ethos of our iconic namesake, in particular, his lifelong struggle for a non-racial, nonsexist, democratic society where all citizens are treated with respect and dignity. As a socially embedded higher education institution, the University continuously strives to promote the public good through humanising learning and teaching, innovative research and innovation, and transformative engagement. Our strategic aspirations have been crafted against the global, continental, and national development goals articulated in the United Nations 2030 SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs), the African Union Agenda 2063, and the South African 2030 National Development Plan (NDP) respectively. This ensures that the University is poised to change the world by generating cutting-edge knowledge that contributes to sustainable futures.

As an institution of higher learning, Nelson Mandela University remains committed to serving the public good by changing the world for the better through advancing social justice and sustainability. In doing so, the University seeks to adapt withagility to the changing and complex landscape of post-school education and training in South Africa and globally. This by implication requires a measured and holistic approach to tackling persistent challenges such as a flailing national economy, increased student enrolments accompanied by growing expectations for expanded support, as well as intensifying global competition for talent and funding. Over and above these considerations, the University faced the additional and unheralded challenges wrought by the COVID-19 global health crisis in 2020, which affected every aspect of university life across the world. The core academic missions of learning and teaching, research, innovation, internationalisation and engagement have been significantly impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as have other dimensions of campus life. These factors compelled a swift yet integrated response to ensure the completion of the 2020 academic year while remaining mindful of the moral imperative to advance social inclusion and ensure that no student was left behind in the rapid transition to hybrid and remote emergency learning necessitated by the national lockdown.

As the only university in the world to carry the name of Nelson Mandela, our institutional identity and mandate, learning and teaching, scholarly endeavours, innovation and engagement are underpinned by our namesake’s values and principles. During 2019, Nelson Mandela University focused on implementingkey strategic redirections emerging from our revised Vision 2020 strategy, the Vice-Chancellor’s inaugural address and the Listening Campaign across all campuses, faculties and divisions in Port Elizabeth and George. The University’s positioning strategy is a critical precondition to thrive within the context of the prevailing volatile, complex challenges confronting the higher education sector across South Africa, the continent of Africa and globally. Challenges include policy uncertainty, slow economic growth, increased enrolments and growing student expectations for expanded support, rigorous accountability and regulatory requirements, and intensifying global competition for talent and funding. Key institutional strategic trajectories in 2019 were:• The transformation of health sciences education, which took major strides when the Department of Health gave approval to the University to establish the tenth medical school in the country. This approval unlocked progress on several fronts.An accreditation site visit by the Council on Higher Education and HPCSA in November was another extremely significant milestone towards offering the first year of the MBChB curriculum at Nelson Mandela University in 2021.• The Ocean Sciences strategy for 2020-2025, which is continuing to evolve and develop, supporting the faculties to develop inter- and transdisciplinary academic qualifications, short learning programmes, research endeavours and partnerships.This will position the University as a premier destination of choice on the African continent for ocean sciences.• Revitalising the Humanities, which is integral to Nelson Mandela University’s overall academic strategy. There were several significant developments over the ..

In 2018, Nelson Mandela University celebrated the centenary year of the birth of our iconic namesake, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. This provided us with a significant opportunity to foreground how the University is interpreting what it means tocarry Mandela’s name, especially as it relates our institutional identity and mandate, our curriculum and scholarly endeavours, our engagement and partnerships, as well as our institutional culture and transformation agenda. The University’s positioning strategy is a critical precondition to thrive within the context of the prevailing volatile, complex challenges confronting the higher education sector nationallyand globally. Such challenges include policy uncertainty, slow economic growth, increased enrolments and growing student expectations for expanded support, rigorous accountability and regulatory requirements, and intensifying global competition for talent and funding. Against this background, it is of paramount importance that the University continuously reflects on whether institutional strategy is fit-for-purpose. This was the focus of considerable reflection during 2018 as part of a comprehensive review of the University’s Vision 2020 strategic plan, from which six strategic prioritiesemerged to guide planning and resource allocation from 2018 to 2020, namely to:• Embrace a distinctive educational purpose and philosophy that contributes to student access and success. • Develop and cultivate an engaged, innovative scholarship culture that generates knowledge recognised for its contribution to sustainability.• Foster an affirming, transformative institutional culture that promotes diversity and social cohesion.• Enhance long-term financial sustainability through responsible resource stewardship.• Position the University as an employer of first choice by investing in talented, high-performing staff.• Provide and sustain enabling systems and infrastructure that promote an exceptional experience for students, staff and key stakeholders.• Concurrently, Council mandated four game-changing development trajectories for the University to ensure that ..

The Annual Report for 2017 will provide a more detailed narrative of the highlights, successes, innovations and challenges in respect of the University’s strategic trajectory and the impact thereof on our core mandate of promoting student access for successthrough quality, life-changing teaching and learning, research and engagement.

The events associated with the #FeesMustFall student protests in 2015/2016 have effectively served as a change catalyst. The Higher Education sector have used the opportunity to reflect, review and innovate around both the core and support functions associated with institutions of higher learning. Despite some negative experiences associated with the #FeesMustFall student protests, the leadership of NMMU together with the academic and support employees collectively ensuredthe completion of the 2016 academic year. Innovative teaching and learning methodologies and modalities were developed and implemented to ensure that the student could successfully complete the 2016 academic year. This change trajectory align with the outcomes we continue to pursue as part of our Vision 2020. Despite the challenges experienced in 2016, we can proudly report that the overall institutional performance was positive. Enrolment increased, the average success rate of students exceeded the national norm, and the number of degrees and diplomas awarded exceeded that of 2015, with a record number of Masters and Doctoral students graduating. Implementation of initiatives were geared at enhancing the living and learning experiences of students and improving their retention and success. Significant resources have been committed to the expansion of student accommodation, the provision of financial support, student transport and improving accessibility for students with disabilities. Enhancing of information communication and technology infrastructure that supports blended learning, accessibility and connectivity that enable students to access online learning resources. 

This annual report will provide an overview of the key achievements, innovations and operational challenges identified in 2015, as well as how ongoing challenges being managed and mitigated by the various Institutional governance structures.

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is a comprehensive university, constituting seven faculties located across six campuses, five in Port Elizabeth (Eastern Cape) and one in George (Western Cape). As a comprehensive university, NMMU provides a diverse range of educational opportunities across general-formative, professional/vocational and career-oriented academic programmes, and is ideally positioned to facilitate the integration of post-school education and training via alternative access routes, such as articulation from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges. Being ideally positioned on the Eastern shores at the Southern tip of the African continent, NMMU is in the process of expanding its academic offerings and research projects to include Marine and Maritime Studies, in alignment with South Africa and Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy associated with the “blue economy” that focuses on marine and maritime spatial planning and development. The NMMU student headcount has increased to 26 630 in 2014, compared to 26 408 in 2013, of which 22 912 (86%) are enrolled for undergraduate programmes and 26 287 (98.7%) are contact students. Our student profile is 53% female and 60.5% African, 23.7% White, 14.0% Coloured and 1.8% Indian, with a permanent staff complement of 1 734 serving our students in their academic, professional andsupport services roles. Council is satisfied with the demographic and equity profiles, under the circumstances, whilst acknowledging the need for continuous improvement in this regard. This annual report will provide an overview of the key achievements, innovations and operational challenges identified in 2014, as well as how these challenges have been managed to reduce Institutional risk.

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is constituted of seven faculties located across six campuses, five in Port Elizabeth (Eastern Cape) and one in George (Western Cape). The student complement for 2013 totalled 26 411 and an average permanent staff complement of 1 699. NMMU, as a comprehensive university, provides a diverse range of educational opportunities across general-formative, professional/vocational and career-oriented academic programmes, and is ideally positioned to facilitate the integration of post-school education and trainingvia alternative access routes such as articulation and recognition of prior learning. These programmes, together with our co-curricular activities, provide our students with a holistic learning experience, both within and beyond the classroom, to develop the necessary professional competence and capacity to navigate the challenges of life and work as responsible citizens of the twenty-first century.

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is constituted of seven faculties spanning across six campuses located in the Eastern and Western Cape, with a student body currently totalling 26 640 and an average permanent staff complement of 1 669. Our nature as a comprehensive university places NMMU at acompetitive advantage, both geographically and in relation to the knowledge domains reflected in the diverse range of educational opportunities being offered, ranging from general-formative, professional/vocational and career-oriented academic programmes. These programmes, together with our co-curricular activities, are geared towards unlocking their human potential and providing them with a learning experience, both within and beyond the classroom, which will help them navigate life and work and prepare them for the challenges of the knowledge society.V2020 Strategic Plan – Integrated Transformation Plan The core pillars of teaching and learning, research and engagement are underpinned by the institutional values of respect for diversity, excellence, integrity, ubuntu, responsibility and respect for the natural environment. Vision 2020 (V2020) Strategic Plan is the Integrated Transformation Plan (ITP) NMMU setting out a roadmap towards achieving the eight strategic priorities aligned with its mission and vision.Council Performance Objectives: 2012At its first meeting of 2012, the following performance objectives for Council were approved for the 2012 financial year: Strategic Plan: Vision 2020o Oversight of management‟s achievement of the operational alignment to the strategic plan. Academic Excellenceo Ensuring Improvement of Average Student Throughput Rates and Research Output in line with National Benchmarks. Improving Quality of Student Lifeo Ensuring the development of vibrant Culture of Living and Learning on campuses. Improving Quality of Staff Lifeo Ensuring ..