UCT Alumni News 2014/2015
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UCT ALUMNINEWS 2014/15 UCT IKEY TIGERS win Varsity Cup HUMANITIES DEAN SAKHELA BUHLUNGU VC Max Price unpacks ON MARIKANA the admissions policy UCT ALUMNI NEWS 2014/2015 CONTENTS Foreword from the Vice-Chancellor 2 News from your alma mater 4 Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation Funds Partnership to seek African Science Solutions 7 UCT celebrates 20 years of democracy 8 A tribute to one of the greatest sons of the soil 10 Remember Marikana 12 Mark Solms on Wine, Land and Transformation 14 An Admissions Policy to expand diversity 20 Always Believe in Magic 22 MISSION New chapter for retiring Humanities Dean 24 Bill Frankel and Wendy Ackerman receive Vice-Chancellor’s Medals 25 UCT aspires to become a premier academic UCT bids a fond farewell to our “Ambassador-at-large” 26 meeting point between South Africa, the rest Growth spurt for ecologist’s career 28 of Africa and the world. Taking advantage of UCT Alumni Awarded Global Social Venture competition Award 29 expanding global networks and our distinct Carl Manlan’s African Dream 30 vantage point in Africa, we are committed, Rashid Domingo, MBE – Through adversity, to the stars 31 through innovative research and scholarship, to UCT’s programme for enhancing research capacity reaches new heights 32 grapple with the key issues of our natural and UCT’s School of Dance, 80 years on 34 social worlds. We aim to produce graduates whose Development and Alumni Department – Executive Director’s report 2014 36 qualifications are internationally recognised and locally applicable, underpinned by values of We salute our donors 38 engaged citizenship and social justice. UCT will Events in pictures 48 promote diversity and transformation within our First Baxter warden celebrates 100th birthday 54 institution and beyond, including growing the Alumni Chapters and affinity groups 56 next generation of academics. Obituaries 58 Editor’s corner 60 Editor Photographers Produced by the Elle Williams Michael Hammond Development and Je’nine May Alumni Department Production Assistant Raymond Botha Noma Hadebe Kagiso Boinamo UCT Alumni news is the Axel Unger annual magazine for UCT Writers Alumni. It is also available Helen Swingler Designer online at www.uct.ac.za/news/ Abigail Calata Banss Design Lab publications/misc Yusuf Omar Elle Williams UCT ALUMNI NEWS 2014/2015 FOREWORD FROM THE VICE-CHANCELLOR The past twenty years of our history have been awe inspiring. We have transformed from a country built on racial privilege and oppression to one founded on the values of human rights and human dignity. To be sure, challenges still abound, but we have a firm footing on which to erect a nonracial democratic society in which each individual can realize their true potential. Your alma mater has over the years tried to play as positive a role as possible in this remarkable transition. The University of Cape Town is in a very different place from where it was 20 years ago. Our student population has not only grown significantly, but now truly reflects the diversity of our country with approximately 20% of students coming from the rest of our continent and the wider world. We know that we still have some way to go to achieve the same results in our academic complement, but we are confident that we are moving in the right direction. Throughout these 20 years, UCT has not only continued to produce excellent graduates who can hold their own anywhere in the world, but has consistently climbed up the global rankings to become the leading African university in the world. This has served to reinforce our conviction that transformation and excellence not only need to coexist but complement each other. The cultural milieu and symbolic landscape of your university now also reflects more meaningfully its place in a democratic South Africa on the African continent. In 2014 we held a memorable concert on the ‘green mile’ to commemorate our twenty years of freedom. We used the occasion to celebrate the life and legacy of the founding father of our democracy and in his honour renamed Rugby Road, Madiba Circle. We believe that it is a fitting tribute to the great contribution that Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela has made to our journey towards a just, inclusive and UCT Vice-Chancellor ‘apartheid state’ and instituting sanctions against it. The university I am sure that our alumni will take pride in the fact that our nonracial society. Dr Max Price management was called upon to endorse this resolution. Not only Ikey Tigers won the Rugby Varsity Cup again ... for the second In keeping with our deep commitment to nonracialism and did this stance of the SRC divide the university, it also alienated time in the seven years since the competition started. If you have inclusivity, UCT took the bold decision last year to change many of our alumni. not already seen the video of this dramatic victory in the final few its admissions policy from one that applies affirmative action Upholding our proud traditions of academic freedom, the seconds of the game, I strongly urge you to do so. It makes for exclusively by race, to one which recognizes other forms of university management accepted the right of the SRC to support the riveting viewing and brings to the fore the ‘never-say-die’ attitude disadvantage, while ensuring that the agenda of transformation resolution - even if the SRC was not speaking for the university - while that our alumni all over the world have become renowned for. and diversity is not compromised in any way. This has not been at the same time facilitating a debate on these very tough issues to We remain proud of you and take immense pleasure from the without controversy (and opposition) but UCT remains steadfast try and find solutions that would foster tolerance and understanding great contributions that you are making in your different spheres. in its belief that we have to take the lead in creating the kind of rather than further dividing people. At the same time, the university UCT will continue to produce the kind of graduates who will society envisaged in our Constitution where equality and dignity management made it clear that it could not support the resolution go on to play leading roles in society. And we will embrace the are the building blocks of our new democracy. as it did not reflect a shared institutional position. challenges which lie ahead in the next phase of our democracy. Your alma mater was severely tested in the past year, on its These actions did not please everyone but if a university cannot Our graduates will continue to grow the knowledge economy, commitment to protecting the space for debate. The SRC of be a place where differences of opinion not only exist side-by-side with a commitment to social justice. 2014 supported a resolution by the BDS Campaign calling for but where robust debate takes place, then it would have lost its the isolation and boycotting of Israel, including labelling it an raison d’être. 2 3 UCT ALUMNI NEWS 2014/2015 UCT launches new neurosciences initiative VC Max Price to A major neurosciences initiative has been launched at UCT’s Hussey said: “Neurosciences is the new frontier of medical research head Worldwide Faculty of Health Sciences in partnership with Groote Schuur at UCT. Through this initiative, we aim to make a contribution not academic hospital complex. The Neurosciences Initiative will bring only in South Africa, but in Africa and globally. The initiative will Universities together clinicians and researchers from a wide range of specialities, address the needs of our continent’s people and open new ways for fostering collaboration in the treatment of a number of neurologi- Africa to contribute to the global body of knowledge in this rapidly Network cal disorders, including stroke, central nervous system infection and advancing field.” STORY BY ABIGAIL CALATA trauma, among others. The vision of the Neurosciences Initiative has been made reality PHOTO BY MICHAEL HAMMOND An ideal site has been identified at Groote Schuur Hospital in through a R25-million financial donation from UCT alumnus Cape Town. The facility will be developed to include the aca- David Barnes and his wife Ursel Barnes, and fundraising efforts will Dr Max Price, UCT Vice- demic departments of key neuroscience disciplines, laboratories, continue in order to finance the development of this state-of-the- Chancellor, recently took a neuroimaging facility, and specialised, multidisciplinary clinics, art facility. over the reins as Chair of which will complement and enhance the existing clinical activities Head of the Division of Neurosurgery, Prof Graham Fieggen the Partnership Board of at Groote Schuur. said: “The majority of people suffering from common neurological the Worldwide Universities The CEO of Groote Schuur Hospital, Dr Bhavna Patel said: disorders live in low and middle-income countries. There is a need Network (WUN), a collection “Groote Schuur Hospital is proud to be a part of this initiative in to understand these disorders within the context of our own conti- of 16 research-led universities providing a clinical neuroscience service to its patients. We would nent. We cannot simply import models from the Global North.” committed to building global like to thank the university for the contribution to this hospital UCT Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof Danie Visser said: “UCT is research communities by facility, which will be world-renowned in clinical service, teach- excited that this initiative will integrate the laboratory, clinic and supporting collaboration. ing and research. Our partnership can only grow in strength going community, so that clinicians and researchers can collaborate to forward.” offer rapid translation of contemporary treatment options.” The Partnership Board is The initiative will advance care and transform research and teach- The launch of the Neurosciences Initiative in Cape Town on 23 responsible for the network’s ing in the neurosciences in Africa by drawing together an array of March 2015 was hosted by UCT Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price policy and comprises expertise in neurosurgery, neurology, neuropsychology, neuropsy- and attended by the University of Oxford Vice-Chancellor Prof presidents and vice- chiatry and neuroimaging.