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Culture
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| The Absa National Youth Music
Competition is an event for young, aspiring musicians
of South Africa. The Absa Competition is the premier classical,
instrumental music contest in the 14 – 19 year age
group. The competition comprises a development programme,
which is making a difference in the lives of gifted young
musicals from impoverished backgrounds. This will remain
one of the focus areas in the coming year. |
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Culture Week
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| Every year, the Arts and Culture
Department presents a culture week, which comprises students
competing in various art disciplines for prizes. The events
are very well attended by all students and are instrumental
in the development of arts and culture at the university.
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Choral Conducting
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| The Choral Conducting Program
was introduced after the need for formal education in
choral conducting was identified, especially in the African
communities. Choir singing forms an integral part of millions
of South Africans, but more specifically the African traditional
culture and can be regarded as one of its most important
social pastimes. This programme is supported by the RMB
Foundation. |
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Student career counseling
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| Thanks to BHP-Biliton the SCCDC
is enabled to suitably equip both its under-resourced
campuses with appropriate career resources, which in turn
play a fundamental part in underpinning its career guidance
and counselling programmes and services. Some of the engagements
with the community are already well under way while others
are being developed. The support and partnership provided
by BHP-Billiton are greatly valued by SCCDC in reaching
its preventative and developmental goals regarding community
involvement. |
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Bursaries
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Many students are studying
at NMMU with the aid of bursaries and most of these
students would not have had the opportunity to acquire
the skills that are helping them change South Africa
for the better if it were not for this aid. The Trust
works with generous benefactors and companies to
ensure that students are offered ample opportunities
to receive bursaries.
There were more than 80 funders involved in supplying
students with bursaries in 2007.The Trust gave
R 12, 6 million to the university for bursaries last year, money
that had come from donors and invested in the Trust.
Deputy VC Academic Prof Christo van Loggerenberg:
"Demand will always exceed supply in the case of bursaries, the
demographics of the Eastern Cape are such that there will always be
many students with great potential who are in need of financial help
to study further."
The Vodacom/NMMU Postgraduate Scholarship is worth approximately
R900 000. The NMMU is the only tertiary institute in the country to
receive funds from the Vodacom Foundation for its postgraduate
bursary department. Vodacom's total contributions to the university
(including sports sponsorships) amount to about R2 million per
annum. Education is one of the key focus areas of the Vodacom
Foundation through which recipients are empowered to contribute
significantly to South Africa=92s economy and to meet the challenges
of the global economy.
"...we shall build a society in which all South Africans, both black
and white, will be able to walk tall, without and fear in their
hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity ... a
rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world."
- Nelson Mandela, Inaugural Address, Pretoria 9 May 1994
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The Rupert Gesinstigtingbeurs
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| Die Rupert Gesinstigting awarded
a bursary worth R1 00 000 to the top post-graduate student
at NMMU for the first time in 2006. Dr Anton Rupert was
the Chancellor of the former University of Port Elizabeth
from March 1977 to November 1982 and so to honour the
close relationship between himself and former president
Nelson Mandela, the NMMU Trust approached the Rupert Gesinstigting
to sponsor this bursary, with academic merit as its only
criterion. |
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Vodacom NMMU scholarships
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Some 87 postgraduate masters
and doctoral students have benefited significantly as
a result of assistance from the Vodacom Foundation and
NMMU. The masters and doctoral studies scholarship was
co-founded in 1999 by the Vodacom Foundation and the former
UPE and recently Vodacom’s contributions to the
postgraduate studies of previously disadvantaged students.
These bursaries are awarded through the Academic Development
Scholarships Programme which is aimed at providing previously
disadvantaged graduates who have potential, an opportunity
to do postgraduate studies with the view of possibility
joining the university’s academic staff. Currently
17 scholarship recipients are part of the university’s
academic staff. Since 2003 a total of 37 bursaries have
been awarded to disadvantaged students for study at NMMU.
The Vodacom total contribution to NMMU exceeds R2 million
per annum.
Over and above the postgraduate bursaries, Vodacom also
provides undergraduate student financial aid, and sponsors
student affairs, sport, HIV/Aids initiatives on campus
and the Vista Campus Clinic. |
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The Supplemental Instruction Programme
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| The Supplemental Instruction
(SI) programme is a student academic assistance programme
that increases student performance and retention. Fundamental
features are that it is voluntary, student driven, cost
effective, and focuses on high risk courses rather than
high-risk students. The SI facilitators are senior students
themselves, who have successfully completed the course
concerned and have received intensive training in the
principles of non-directive facilitation of small groups.
One of the successes of the programme is that it has
been endorsed and centrally funded by the university
as a retention scheme with a unique role in the transformation
process. This financial investment by the university
suggests that the programme is highly valued, especially
in light of the recent cuts in the government subsidies
allocated to tertiary institutions in South Africa.
The Abe Bailey Trust contributed towards this project.
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Computer labs
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Aberdare Cables relaunched
the Aberdare Computer Laboratory by replacing 100 of the
200 computers in the lab, situated on the South campus.
The computer lab was first installed in 2002, when Aberdare
Cables installed computer workstations at the university
for the students’ general use. Since then, thousands
of students, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, have
made use of the computers in order to research, study
and complete and print assignments.
Absa upgraded the existing Absa Computer Laboratory on
the South Campus and established a second laboratory on
the 2nd Avenue Campus. The first Absa Computer Laboratory
was launched in 2002 when Absa made a substantial contribution
of desktop computers with Internet access to the university.
The labs enable students to complete online research,
and to compile essays and theses electronically. The JD
Group also contributed to the setting up of this laboratory. |
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Old Mutual refurbishment of lecture halls
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Old Mutual upgraded the
lecture hall, chairs, notice boards and IT
equipment and screen of the Old Mutual Lecture Halls
at NMMU so that students could learn in a more pleasing
and comfortable environment, with access to the latest technology.
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Disability Office - Computer programme for partially sighted
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The newly formed disability
office, housed within the Organisational Transformation
and Equity Department at NMMU, received a computer programme
that will aid its 25 partially sighted students to work
more effectively on computers. The Fuchs Foundation sponsored
this programme. It is donations like these that have enabled
all of our students to study effectively and achieve their
very best, ensuring themselves and our country a brighter future.
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Diverse Community Projects
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The Albert Wessels Trust and
the Toyota Foundation donated substantially towards four
diverse projects at NMMU that focus on academic research
and community development. The funding went towards the
Child Witness Protection Programme, the Walmer Township
Schools Project, the microbiology department, who are
conducting research on the fungi that grows on corn products,
and the Sterkspruit project ,which is a community based
initiative focusing on empowerment and community upliftment.
Picture here at the cheque handing-over ceremony are from
left to right: Dr Benesh Munilal Somai of the NMMU Microbiology
Department, Therese Boulle, a project manager in the NMMU CDU
Department, Renita Affat of the NMMU Trust, Tony Henebrey of
Toyota SA, Prof Ana Naidoo, Dean of the Faculty of Education
and Karen Hollely, a lecturer in the Child Witness Protection Programme.
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Library upgrading
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Bidvest's Lionel Jacobs said
when they first saw the NMMU main library it was dark and
dingy and not conducive to reading and research and so contributed
R 250 000 towards its upgrade. He said the Group was firmly
committed to NMMU as the university was equipping students with the
skills set needed to be global players, and Bidvest was looking for
that kind of talent in all of its companies.
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Information Commons (iCommons) at the NMMU South Campus Library
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An Information Commons or iCommons comprises an integration of services and support offered to students and academics by librarians, information technologists and instructional technologists. Within this Centre, students and academics work together in an open space, have access to high-end technologies and receive centralized assistance for both research and technology. The South Campus Library at NMMU serves the largest group of students (46.5%) on campus and therefore required an iCommons to enable students to have a space where they could work on assignments.
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The new icommons room |
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New student counselling centre - Missionvale Campus
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NMMU’s Missionvale Campus opened their new student counselling centre in 2008, with funding received
from BHP Billiton. The Centre is there to assist students and scholars to choose a course of study which appeals to them and fits with their future
career aspirations.
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Dr Xolani Mkhwanazi (BHP Billiton Aluminium
Southern Africa); Prof Christo van Loggerenberg (NMMU Deputy Vice Chancellor: Academic) and Khaya Matiso (NMMU Missionvale Campus Principal)
cut the ribbon leading into the new computer room at the student counselling centre.
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New van for disability students
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The NMMU Trust is extremely proud to be associated with a ground-breaking project that will enable disabled students to move around campus with ease. Total has sponsored a fully equipped van with a lift for students in wheelchairs. The NMMU Trust believe that this is the beginning of a promising partnership with Total.
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Zakithi Zama from Total and Kotie Grove with the new van for disabled students |
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