Unisa’s Dean of Students appointed to USAf Transformation Strategy Group

Amongst others, one of the priorities that the TSG will be pursuing in 2018 deals with assessing the integrity and functional effectiveness of university governance structures, with the emphasis on the Institutional Forum (IF) and student governance. “Equally, the emphasis on institutional culture, with a particular focus on the design of universities around students and staff (with residences and curriculum as primary foci), is another priority area for 2018, which is of great interest to me,” said Chalufu.

With experience in student affairs and services (currently Chalufu serves as the Deputy President of the Southern African Federation of Student Affairs and Services) and his current role as a member of the IF at Unisa, Chalufu is hoping to make a meaningful contribution to the work of the TSG in general.

Dr Sibusiso Chalufu, Unisa’s Dean of Students, was recently appointed by Universities South Africa to form part the Transformation Strategy Group.

Chalufu is ready and armed with knowledge and skills to do justice to his new appointment. “I am looking forward to be part of this group to tackle what I believe is one of the most critical aspects in our country and in the higher education sector in particular. As one of the speakers alluded to in a workshop that I recently attended, transformation in higher education is likely to be the next #hashtag—and we should not find ourselves caught by surprise again.”

The Transformation Strategy Group was formed to advise the Board on how to accelerate and deepen transformation within the university sector, and to develop short and medium and long-term strategies to address transformation matters in the sector. The group also advises the board on emerging good practices, and on practices with a possibility to undermine transformation in the sector.

*By Kirosha Naicker