Faculty of Human Sciences
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HISTORIC OVERVIEW n the 44 years of its existence, fi rst as a College of Ad- Bornman. The College at that point in time had 189 en- Ivanced Technical Education (1966 - 1979) then as Vaal gineering students, 15 members of staff and hostel ac- Triangle Technikon (1979 - 2003), Vaal University of Tech- commodation for 60 students. The College was one of nology has grown in stature as a higher education six Colleges of Advanced Technical Education (CATEs) institution, drawing students from all over the country. It established in South Africa during the 1960s to train ap- is one of the largest residential Universities of Technolo- prentices as part of manufacturing development after gy, with about 17 000 students. This position enables it to World War II. make a substantial contribution to the development of human resources in the region and country. 1967 The then Minister of Education, Arts and Science, the The campus boasts excellent facilities conducive to Honourable Jan de Klerk, inaugurated the College on learning, research, recreation and sport, art and culture, 22 September 1967. and community engagement. Lecture halls, laborato- ries, a number of auditoriums and offi ces are situated 1971 on 4.6 hectares. Three satellite campuses extend the Dr Isak Steyl was appointed as the Director of the Insti- services of the University, at Secunda, Ekurhuleni and tution. Upington. An extension to the main campus is located in Sebokeng on the old campus of Vista University. Be- 1975 sides the four faculties, various departments serve the The construction of new buildings commenced, provid- students, catering for their various needs. ing students with a new library, gymnasium, laborato- ries, lecture halls and a new wing for the Department It is physically located some 68km South of Johannes- of Commerce and Management. The College was thus burg in the small town of Vanderbijlpark, on the banks of able to double its student intake and to expand the cur- the Vaal River – one of the largest rivers in South Africa. riculum. Relevant industries with which VUT has partnered in- 1978 clude: Steel, Mining, Petrochemical, Agriculture, Tourism, Student enrolment reached the 3 000 mark, Staff to- Power Generation, Water and Waste Water Manage- talled 137. ment, Manufacturing, Retail and Services. 1979 The Centres of Excellence in Research and Innovation Colleges were renamed Technikons in accordance with are: the Advanced Technical Amendment Act no 43. As a consequence, The Vaal Triangle College for Advanced • Centre for Renewable Energy and Water; Technical Education became known as the Vaal Trian- • Centre for Alternative Energy; and gle Technikon. • Centre for Sustainable Livelihoods. 1981 A brief look at the past will serve to highlight some The Vaal Triangle Technikon continued to expand. An signifi cant developments in the history of the VUT: additional hostel opened its doors and it accommoda- ted 140 more students. 1966 The Vaal Triangle College for Advanced Technical Edu- 1984 cation, established according to the Advanced Techni- The introduced Laureatus qualifi cation (equivalent to cal Education Act No 40, opened its doors to the com- PhD) and in the same year a Department of Educational munity with its fi rst Principal appointed being Mr CAJ Technology was established. Vaal University of Technology | Graduations 2017 | Page 4 HISTORIC OVERVIEW 1986 registering. Of the overall student population, 63.4% were The Gold Fields Library was completed and fi nally the Black students. The Vaal Triangle Technikon awarded the Technikon boasted a library which satisfi ed the needs of fi rst Doctorates in the Faculty of Applied and Computer students and staff.African students were admitted to the Sciences and the Faculty of Management Sciences. Vaal Triangle Technikon for the fi rst time in 1986. This trans- formation was championed by Dr Isak Steyl. 1998 The Research Directorate at the Vaal Triangle Technikon, 1987 was established to develop a research culture among The Vaal Triangle Technikon established its fi rst satellite academic staff and students. campus in Secunda. The campus offered part- time classes in Safety Management and Electrical 1999 Engineering. Student numbers reached 6 000. Prof Theo Shippy was appointed by the Minister of Edu- cation as an Interim Vice-Chancellor and Rector. 1991 Dr Isak Steyl retired from the Vaal Triangle Technikon af- The transformation of the institution was marked when ter 20 years of service. Prof Attie Buitendacht joined the the language policy was changed from Afrikaans to Vaal Triangle Technikon as the Rector. English as the offi cial language of instruction and com- munication. The fi rst Doctorates were awarded in the 1992 Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences and the Dr Peter du Plessis joined the Vaal Triangle Technikon as Faculty of Management Sciences. the Rector. The demographic profi le of students at the Technikon changed as more Black students continued 2000 to register for further studies. Out of 8000 registered stu- The Vaal Triangle Technikon’s students traditionally found dents, 75% were White while 25% were Black. a voice through Radio Tritech. The Vaal Triangle Tech- nikon established an international offi ce to actively en- 1995 gage in exchange partnerships and create ties with a The Vaal Triangle Technikon established two additio- number of tertiary institutions abroad. nal satellite campuses in Upington called the Northern Cape Satellite Campus, majoring in Agricultural- and 2001 Tourism Management and the Ekurhuleni Satellite Cam- A Technology Station for Composite Materials was es- pus, majoring in ICT. Prof Piet Swanepoel was appointed tablished to assist the composite industry in product de- as the Acting Rector of the Vaal Triangle Technikon. The velopment and the use of state-of-the-art technology. Vaal Triangle Technikon awarded the first B-Tech degree. 2002 1996 On 6 September the fi rst-ever Honorary Doctorate Prof A T Mokadi joined Vaal Triangle Technikon as in Humanities was awarded to Archbishop Emeritus Vice-Chancellor & Rector. Mr Mosima “Tokyo” Sexwale Desmond Tutu, and the unveiling of the hall, henceforth was inaugurated as the fi rst Chancellor of the Vaal Trian- to be known as the Desmond Tutu Great Hall, took gle Technikon. The fi rst Master’s Degree – Magister Tech- place. nologiae in Electrical Engineering was awarded. The Convocation of the Vaal Triangle Technikon was formally 2003 established. The Desmond Tutu Lecture Series was instituted. The Inau-gural Address was given by Judge Albert“ Albie” 1997 Sachs of the Constitutional Court. The second address Student enrolment reached its highest level with 14 627 in the series was presented by Dr Clem Sunter, Chairman of the Anglo American Chairman’s Fund. Vaal University of Technology | Graduations 2017 | Page 5 HISTORIC OVERVIEW 2004 the Vision, Mission and strategic direction were devel- In terms of the National Plan for Higher Education (2001), oped for the institution. The strategic direction is cen- the Vaal Triangle Technikon offi cially became the “Vaal tered on Core Activities; Clients; Financial Security and University of Technology”. VUT Culture. Research and Innovation Areas were iden- tifi ed, namely: 2005 VUT awarded Honorary Doctorates to the following re- • Alternative Energy with a focus on Fuel Cell cipients: Technology; • Renewable Energy and Water; An Extraordinary Professorship to Prof Martin Hinoul (Busi- • Sustainable Livelihoods; ness Development Manager: K U Leuven Research & • Materials and Mineral Technology; Development), Legal Studies to Adv Pansy Dikeledi Faith • Innovation Product Development and Tlakula, CEO: Independent Electoral Commission of Advanced Manufacturing Technology; SA (IEC) and Sport Management to Dr Molefi Oliphant • High Voltage Studies; (SAFA). • Plant Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology; and 2007 • Centre for entrepreneurship. Prof Irene Moutlana joined VUT as its fi rst woman Vice-Chancellor and Principal. This signifi ed a landmark Prof Gordon Zide, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: appointment in the history of the University but also in Governance and Operations, initiated the VUT Inte- the history of the country. Her fi rst fi ve-year infrastructure grated Transformation Plan (2009-2015), which led to the plan included the following: establishment of the Social Justice and Transformation Unit. The VUT Integrated Transformation Plan (2009-2015) The development of a new Faculty of Engineering was approved by the VUT Council on 16 September Building;New lecture theatres to seat 3000 students; 2010. A Teaching and Learning Centre and laboratories for both Engineering and the Faculty of Applied and Com- The Vaal University of Technology was awarded a tender puter Sciences; Disability Unit and African Languages by the Public Administration Leadership and Manage- Centre; Expansion of residential accommodation both ment Academy (PALAMA) to offer Post Graduate Certif- on the main campus in Vanderbijlpark (400-bed) and in icate in Executive Leadership programme to the senior Sebokeng (300-bed) at the Educity Campus; and managers at the National Government Departments. The development of a New Faculty of Education in Sebokeng. 2010 The National Department of Communications donated 2008 studio equipment valued at R2.4m to the VUT FM. The The Next Generation of Scholars Programme was devel- new VUT FM studios at the VUT Isak Steyl Stadium were oped and implemented as part of the University’s com- unveiled by the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Irene mitment to develop research and build future Black Moutlana on 17 November 2010. VUT inaugurated its fi rst academics for the University and the nation. female Chancellor, Adv Faith Dikeledi Pansy Tlakula, and Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission 2009 of South Africa (IEC). VUT Management, under the leadership of Prof Irene Moutlana, the Vice-Chancellor & Principal, engaged in 2011 the process of crafting a new vision and mission to en- VUT became the fi rst UoT to host the National Footwear sure that VUT aligned itself to its new status as a University and Leather Cluster (NFLC) and signed a Memorandum of Technology.