University of the Witwatersrand

Wits has a proud tradition of academic and research excellence and continues to build on this. It is an ambitious institution and aims to be one of the top 100 universities in the world by 2022 (its centenary year). Wits University is renowned for its intellectual leadership and its commitment to nurturing critical thinkers, creative innovators, problem-posers and problemsolvers. Its strength lies in its pursuit of academic and research excellence. Wits is currently ranked in the top 250 Universities in the world by the Times Higher Education (2008). With its more than 100,000 graduates in its 86-year history, Wits has and will continue to make its mark nationally and internationally.

THE UNIVERSITY’S STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AS OUTLINED IN THE WITS 2010 STRATEGIC PLAN ARE SUMMARISED AS FOLLOWS: • To develop our reputation as a research driven university and hence enrich our undergraduate teaching; • To develop graduates with high level and scarce skills to meet the needs of society in the sciences, engineering and technology; • To develop strategic partnerships that will make Wits an active, committed, creative, innovative force that advances the public good; • To become the university of choice for excellent individuals and in so doing attract top academic leaders from all sectors of our society and other countries; • To achieve a position of financial strength by developing sustainable third stream income supplemented by building our reserves and endowment funds.

The Council of the University of the Witwatersrand governs the University in terms of the 1997 Higher Education Act which constitutes the principal legal framework for the operation of the Council and directs Councils to ‘govern all public higher education institutions’ subject to the Act, the law, and the institutional statute of the University. Council governs the University in close consultation with other governing bodies including the Senate and the University Forum who advise the Council on issues affecting the University. The Senate is accountable to the Council for regulating all teaching, learning, research and academic functions of the University as well as other functions delegated to it by the Council. Council also consults with the student body through the student representative council. All major decisions regarding the operation of the University, present and future, its academic standing and direction, its financial well-being, its social and political positioning, must be considered by Council. In addition, Council is the employer of all personnel of the University and is therefore responsible for all academic, administrative, support staff and consultant appointments. Council also appoints the Vice-Chancellor and other senior management officers and takes responsibility for their performance and conduct.