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Prof Asmal thanks Unisa for his copy of the five-year publication
Dr Anna Mokgokong with
Prof Pityana
Prof Pityana shares a moment with Archbishop George Francis Daniel
Prof Makhanya, Prof Pityana, Prof Asmal, Judge President Bernard Ngoepe & Archbishop Daniel
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Academic celebration of five years post-merger
Unisa further celebrated five years post-merger with its first 2009 autumn graduation ceremony, which was the event for the conferment of two honorary doctorates. The evening celebrated the merger and progress through the keynote address by Prof Kader Asmal, Professor Extraordinary, Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape. Prof Asmal was the key driver during the merger process in his capacity as Minister of Education. His address focused on the theme "The merger: social engineering or educational necessity?"
Giving first an overview of the thinking behind the mergers of various higher education (HE) institutions, Prof Asmal stressed that the primary purpose of the mergers was educational, with a view to creating HE institutions that were "sustainable and responsive to both national and global needs."
According to Prof Asmal, the merger between the old Unisa, Technikon South Africa and Vudec (the distance education arm of Vista University) to create a single dedicated distance education institution had various benefits, including developing a clear focus and strategy for the role of distance education in contributing to national and regional goals. This aim has seen application in the new Unisa adopting a new model for distance education, namely open and distance learninig (ODL). Prof Asmal applauded Unisa for this development, which is a major shift from the traditional correspondence model as it recognises "the importance of social interaction in the education/learning process."
Unisa also paid tribute to two outstanding contributors to the betterment of society, exemplifying the university’s values of excellence, integrity, and social justice and fairness. The recipients were Dr Anna Theresa Masamo Mokgokong and Archbishop George Francis Daniel.
Dr Anna Theresa Masamo Mokgokong
Dr Mokgokong received the degree of Doctor of Commerce (honoris causa) in recognition of her outstanding entrepreneurial spirit and demonstrated leadership capabilities within the corporate sector and corporate citizenship.
She is the President of the International Women’s Forum Business Sciences, and serves as Chairperson of the Small Enterprise Development Agency and as President of the South African Women Enterprise Network. She served as Deputy Chairperson of the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers appointed by former President Mbeki. Dr Mokgokong delivers diverse papers at many conferences and has received various awards, including The Star Group Leading Women Entrepreneur of the World Award (1998) and Business Woman of the Year South Africa (1999). She was the Chairperson of the Council of the University of South Africa from January 2003 to December 2004 and made valuable contributions during the merger period.
Dr Mokgokong was a finalist in the Ernst & Young Leading Entrepreneur of the Year Award competition in 2005 and in 2007, was the recipient of the SA Black Management Forum Presidential award for Women in Leadership. She served on the Council of the University of Pretoria, and currently serves as member of the Advisory Committee of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the same university. In 2008, she received the Chancellor’s Medal from the University of Pretoria for her outstanding entrepreneurship and for her contribution to society.
Archbishop George Francis Daniel
The degree of Doctor of Literature and Philosophy (honoris causa) was conferred on George Francis Daniel, former Archbishop of Pretoria, for his long-term commitment to justice and peace, his work in the field of ecumenism and for spending his life in the service of humanity.
Ordained Archbishop of Pretoria on 3 August 1975, one of the first tasks he undertook was to implement the racial integration of the seminaries. This was in line with his continuous commitment to a just society at a time of opposition and severe curtailment of human rights. This dedication to justice is also evident in the Archbishop’s negotiations with the then Transvaal Education Department to open Catholic schools to all races. Once again, this endeavour was based on his adherence to the message of peace and reconciliation as proclaimed in the Gospel. In addition, Archbishop Daniel is committed to ministering to those in prison. Already, as a young priest, this was a vital area of service.
Of paramount importance to the Archbishop is his dedication to ecumenical dialogue. He served on the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity for 18 years, during which time he attended ten plenary meetings in the Vatican. He has been involved in formal ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church of the Province of South Africa, with Pentecostals, Church Unity Commission (Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists), Lutherans and the Dutch Reformed Church. In addition to his ongoing service at board level for numerous organisations, Archbishop Daniel is currently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of St Augustine College, Johannesburg, and the Catholic University in South Africa. Archbishop Daniel continues to inspire and to lead many others in the path of openness and catholicity in the true meaning of the word. |
