Golden staff who have earned their stripes after 35 and 40 years at Unisa are back, Prof Johan Potgieter (Private Law, 40 years), Louis Sutherland (University Estates, 35 years), Prof Barney Erasmus (Vice-Principal: Operations), Elsa Dreyer (Student Assessment Administration, 35 years), and Prof Ivan Rabinowitz (English Studies, 40 years); and front, Prof Johannes Shole (Tuition and Facilitation of Learning, 35 years), Alida Roos (Planning and Coordination of Study Material, 40 years), Nonnie van Wyk (Library Services, 40 years), Prof Mandla Makhanya (Principal and Vice-Chancellor), Lisa Curtis (Student Admissions and Registrations, 35 years), and Bertram van Reenen (Tuition and Facilitation of Learning, 40 years)
Forty years in a job might seem like a lifetime to many but for some, it’s just one part of their life. This proved to be the case for five Unisa staff members who reached this milestone and were awarded for their long service on 24 October 2012.
Prof Johan Potgieter, Department of Private Law, considers his time at Unisa to be rewarding. “I will be ever grateful to Unisa for the privilege of spending forty most rewarding years in its fold since 1973. Without a doubt, the most important factor that ensured a happy and fulfilling career for me, were the people of the university, from all levels and divisions, with whom I have had the privilege to interact. In this regard, I wish to single out my exceptional colleagues of the Department of Private Law. It is especially the wonderful esprit de corps of this department that has made it such a pleasure to work at Unisa.”
Having served under six Unisa principals in her four decades, Alida Roos, Directorate for Planning and Coordination of Study Materials, has seen many changes since 1973. “I have proudly seen how Unisa has grown into a famous monument, providing tertiary education to students unable to afford or attend full-time classes.” To cope with the challenges in this time, Roos said her survival kit had been loyalty to Unisa, endurance, and doing her work as if it were for the Lord.
Thinking back, Prof Ivan Rabinowitz, Department of English Studies, remembers the joy of speculative engagement and the opportunity to pursue ideas as the two most important features of his years at Unisa. “The most memorable part of my forty years is that I have had the singular good fortune to work with colleagues who possess the gift of intellectual flexibility; colleagues who have the courage to engage in imaginative reflection and genuine debate.”
For Nonnie van Wyk of Library Services, the most memorable part of her forty years has been the opportunity to come up with innovative ideas such as radio-frequency identification (RFID) and being part of major corporate projects like the Redeveloped Project, which entailed redesigning the library’s structures, processes, role profiles, job descriptions and leadership framework in terms of sound organisational design principles.
Considering himself fortunate to be in the service of an institution whose aim is to empower individuals through teaching and learning is Bertram van Reenen of the Department of Tuition and Facilitation of Learning. “I would like to think that I made a small contribution to this ideal. Serving students was made so much easier by the realisation of what this university stands for, which is the model of empowering the masses by informing and skills transfer.”
*Source: Focus, November 2012
