M a y 2 0 0 7 This is the third edition of UCT News Update, a twice yearly publication of the UCT Fund News that provides information about developments at the University of Cape Town to alumni and Update other friends of the University. INSIDE From the Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s Desk I can hardly believe that it has been six months since the ship Program to be re-launched. This is a unique initiative in USA Alumni Events, page 2 UCT events in New York and Washington D.C. during my delivering much-needed management skills to senior public last visit to the States. I was delighted to make contact with health sector officials. so many of you. For more about our U.S. events, please see page 2. We began the 2007 academic year with a strong enrolment of 3,500 new students, bringing our total student enrolment Happily, I have the opportunity to visit again from May 6-17. to around 22,000. With nearly 4,000 students from abroad, We hope that this trip will help us to establish regional chap- UCT remains the place-to-be for international students. ters in the U.S.: please let us know if you are willing to keep Growth is partly due to increased interest from U.S. stu- in contact with UCT graduates in your area, arrange social dents, thanks to the growing trend in your country to make functions and disseminate UCT news. Various receptions international experience a core part of the curriculum. UCT have been planned in California (see page 8 for details), and Residences have kept pace with student demand, with the I hope to see many of you at these events. You should have opening this February of the new Graça Machel Residence received an invitation by now, but if not, please contact Tina for women students. Barsby at the UCT Fund, Inc. (email: [email protected] UCT Grads in America’s Cup, or tel: 413-658-5675). Let me end by thanking you for your continued involvement page 3 in the life of the University through alumni events—whether Recent developments on campus include the selection of on campus or in the U.S.—and for your generous support UCT as the South African institution to host the third compo- of UCT in 2006. nent (the first on African soil) of the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). Also in With very best wishes, the health field, UCT received a R16-million boost from The Thandabantu Nhlapo, Atlantic Philanthropies to enable the Oliver Tambo Fellow- Deputy Vice-Chancellor Golda Selzer Centre opens, page 6 Thandabantu Nhlapo chats with Essey Woldemariam and Brook Tekie in Washington D.C. 2 U S A E VE NTS l-r: Former UCT Fund Director Neville Isdell (’66) with Justin Goldblatt (’01) with Stuart Barton (’99) and David Berman (’83) with Antony Karabus (’86) from current UCT Fund Director, Vincent A. Mai (’63) and Helena Barton (’97) Toronto Maurice Luntz (’52) New York City Dinner Around 40 UCT alumni and their guests joined UCT Fund Directors and the UCT Executive for a dinner in midtown Manhattan in early Novem- ber 2006. The dinner brought together a broad range of alumni from the 1950s through 2005. Former UCT Fund Director Michelle le Roux (’95) Thandabantu Nhlapo with guests Michael Pettit (’96) and Craig Mullett (’89) and his wife, Sarah Prevett. “The Voice” Delights D.C. Gathering Vice-Chancellor Ndebele was delighted to catch up with alumni, as well as former Study Abroad students from The George Washington University, at a mid-November gathering last year in Washington, D.C. A reception before the “Acoustic Africa” concert, featuring acclaimed South African musician, Vusi Mahlasela, drew around 30 alumni and guests. l-r: Baaba Welsing, Ignatius Dotsey (’02), Georgina Sperber (’95) and her husband, Joseph Professor Maurice Lipper and his wife, Bethe, with Thandabantu Nhlapo, Njabulo Ndebele, Essey Sperber, chat to UCT’s Director of Development, Jim Professor Ndebele Woldemariam and Brook Tekie McNamara NYC Alumni Enjoy Sounds of Ladysmith Black Mambazo On March 10th, a group of 70 alumni gathered for an informal reception at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts before a performance of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the award-winning vocal group from South Africa. Alumni at the reception before the show Sue Phillips Solomon (right) met up with Shannon Norwitz (left). AL U M N I I N T H E N EWS 3 Study Abroad at UCT Spurs Award-Winning Play News of… In The Continuum, co-written by Danai Gurira, a Charles L. Edelstein (MBChB ’79) is Professor of former UCT Study Abroad student, was named one of Medicine at University of Colorado Health Sciences the Best Plays of 2005 by The New York Times. Center, Denver, Colorado. He is Attending Nephrolo- gist, Director of the Renal Hypertension clinic and has In 1999, Danai spent a semester abroad at UCT. It NIH supported research groups studying acute kidney was in Cape Town that Danai, then a Psychology injury and polycystic kidney disease. major, realized she should change direction: that she needed to pursue the dramatic arts in order to tell Af- Peter Heydenrych (MBA ’72) is Chairman and CEO rican stories. Danai went on to gain an MFA in Acting of Corporate Finance Associates, headquartered in from The Tisch School of the Arts. Los Angeles, California. It is a 50 year old Investment Banking firm serving middle-market companies. His In The Continuum, co-written and performed by Da- wife, Helena Heydenrych (BSc ’69), is a Managing nai and Nikkole Salter, centers on two women, living Director at Corporate Finance Associates where she worlds apart in South Central, L.A. and Harare, Zim- directs the firms Business Research and Analysis Photo: James Leynse babwe, who are forced to grapple with HIV diagnoses. Department. They have a married daughter, Susan, Nikkole Salter (front) and Danai Gurira (rear) The New York Times described the show as “One of who is an attorney in Portland, OR and a son Michael appear in In The Continuum, which dramatizes the the highlights of the fall off-Broadway season! Moving, (MBA ’04) who is a senior Business Development spe- devastating problem of HIV/AIDS in Africa and the smart, spirited and powerfully funny! Danai Gurira and cialist with UPS. United States from a woman’s perspective. Nikkole Salter are flawless!” Daniel Kunene is professor emeritus in the Depart- In The Continuum toured Zimbabwe and South Africa in 2006, playing at both the Baxter and Market Theatres. ment of African Languages and Literature at the Uni- The U.S. leg of the tour ends with performances at the Goodman’s Owen Theatre in Chicago, May 25 – June versity of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his MA and 24, 2007. PhD from UCT. He is still very active in research and creative writing, and gives talks on a regular basis on the cultures and oral stories of South Africa. Du Bois Institute Hosts Former Vice-Chancellor Michael J. Pravetz, PhD (’77) is Research Analyst Mamphela Ramphele with the Department of Public Health in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After his doctorate at UCT, he obtained Dr. Mamphela Ramphele will deliver the McMillan-Stewart Lectures at the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African an MBBCh (Wits ’82) and was awarded an LLB with and African American Research at Harvard University, from April 24-26, 2007. distinction from UNISA in May 2006. Dr. Ramphele, who has a PhD in social anthropology from UCT, was appointed Vice-Chancellor in 1996. A former Dr. Dalene Swanson, BSc, HDE, BEd, MEd (Cape managing director of the World Bank, she currently chairs Circle Capital Ventures, an investment company in the Town) completed her PhD at the University of Brit- health, communications technology and industrial sectors. ish Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, with a disserta- tion in mathematics education, set in post-apartheid South Africa. Her dissertation has been awarded the 2006 American Educational Research Association UCT Grads in Challenge for America’s Cup Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award (Curriculum Studies Division); 2006 Illinois Distinguished Qualita- South African America’s Cup Challenger Shosholoza re- tive Dissertation Award; 2005 Canadian Association of sumed its campaign for yachting’s biggest prize this month, Curriculum Studies Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation with no fewer than five UCT graduates aboard the sailing Award; and 2005 UBC Professor Ted Aoki Outstanding team. Shosholoza is the first South African boat to com- Doctoral Dissertation Award in Curriculum Studies. pete in the event’s 155-year history. UCT alumni on the sailing team are Michael Giles (Con- Alumni in the News celebrates the struction Management), Charles Nankin (Business Sci- achievements of people in the UCT ence), and Joe Heywood, Alex Runciman and Ken Venn community. If you’ve been in the Alex Runciman is one of five UCT (all Mechanical Engineering). UCT Chemical Engineer- news lately, let us know. Submit graduates aboard Shosholoza, the ing graduate, Ed Mthandi, is software engineer on the an article, news update or event South African boat making a bid for Shosholoza Design Team. the 2007 America’s Cup. announcement to Tina Barsby at [email protected] 4 CAMpus C O N Nec TION S Annual General Meeting Chemical Engineering 1978–1982 Reunion of Convocation The Faculty of Engineering & the Built Envi- ronment was delighted to welcome 15 alumni The Annual General Meeting of Convocation and the from across the world at a December 2006 Alumni Association was held in mid-December 2006. Reunion for 1978–1982 Chemical Engineering Dr Cynthia Sikakana from Health Sciences spoke on graduates.