NDABA MAY 2006.pmd - University of KwaZulu-Natal

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UKZN achieversPicture: Vicky CrookesGift of the GiversbursariesThe 2006 Gift of the Giversbursary and scholarshipholders were presented toDr Sooliman, founder of theorganisation, at a function on thePietermaritzburg campus. Thishumanitarian and disaster relieforganisation has contributedR1.3 million towards scholarshipsand bursaries for undergraduatestudents in the agricultural fields.Dr Sooliman expressed his pleasureat being involved with the Schoolof Agricultural Sciences and Agribusinessand congratulated therecipients. He emphasised theimportance of agricultural developmentin Africa and commented that“seventy percent of economies inAfrica depend on agriculture” andtherefore, “we want agriculture tocome right to the top”.- Vicky CrookesThe 2006 bursary and scholarship holders with Dr Sooliman (left-right) Nonhlanzeko Mthembu, Thandi Msomi,Nqobile Nkosi, Dr Sooliman, Pam Neubert, Michelle Brown, Cindy Moon, and Nkosi Mkwanazi.Global leadersUKZN students Rebecca Arangiesand Amy Juliet Morrow are two ofthe six South African students whohave been named 2006 GoldmanSachs Global Leaders.For five years, the Goldman SachsGlobal Leaders Programme hasidentified and developed some ofthe world’s most promising futureleaders. The UKZN students areamong 100 outstanding secondyearstudents selected from over 70of the world’s top colleges anduniversities.Goldman Sachs Global Leaders,who represent more than 40 countriesto date, are chosen preciselybecause they already know how tomake a difference in the world. Inaddition to their academic achievements,many have already begun tofind solutions for problems acrossthe globe. Amy Morrow, for example,initiated a public awarenessand community outreach programmein the Tongaat, Kwa Zulu-Natal area in 2005. This initiativehas subsequently been namedHIVACT and takes the form of aschool society that focuses on Aidsawareness and education in theschool and community. Continuedmonitoring and research of itseffectiveness is done.“Global Leaders are extremelytalented academically and havealready shown proven leadershipabilities and a strong interest inglobal affairs,” said Stephanie Bell-Rose, President of The GoldmanSachs Foundation, as she announcedthe 20 US and Canadian2006 Goldman Sachs GlobalLeaders. “Goldman Sachs and IIEcreated this programme to help thesepromising young people developtheir leadership skills and goals ata critical juncture in their academiccareers in order to become evenmore effective agents of change.”Each Global Leader receives a$3 000 grant for educationalexpenses. In addition, 50 of thisyear’s 100 Global Leaders,including Ms Morrow, have beenselected to participate in theannual Goldman Sachs GlobalLeadership Institute, July 8-14,2006, in New York City. At theInstitute, they will spend time withrenowned leaders from the private,public and nonprofit sectors,learning about leadership andglobal issues.stThe 1 st LEAP Academy 2006EVOLVING policy, legislativeframeworks and other environmentalfactors have redefinedthe notion of leadership inHigher Education. No longercan university leaders andmanagers slip into an administrativecareer stream withoutspecialist training. Theleadership and managementfunctions of the modern HigherEducation institution demandparticular knowledge and skillsthat cannot be developed fullythrough the process of osmosisby which past and currentgenerations of university administratorshave had littlechoice but to learn their jobs.The LEAP Academy, which isfunded by the Carnegie Corporation,reflects the University ofKwaZulu-Natal’s proactiveapproach to building the leadershippipeline. Ms Reena Budree,Co-Project leader for LEAP, saysthat the Academy is intended tofill a very serious trainingvacuum by providing up-to-date,cutting-edge and locally relevanttraining for new and emergingleaders and managers within theUniversity.The Academy incorporates ongoingshort professional developmentworkshops and seminars,networking opportunitiesand culminates in a 4-day interactiveworkshop.Presenters are experts in theirfield drawn from South Africaand where possible internationally.The Academy is aimed at existingand aspirant Deans, DeputyDeans, Heads of Schools andDirectors of Support Divisions.The response to the first call forparticipants was phenomenal.Applications are submittedthrough the Deputy Vice-Chancellor/ Head of the Collegeof operational unit.The first Module on 29 Mayheld at the University InnovationCentre, entitled AcademicPlanning, was presented byProfessor Nthabiseng AudreyOgude, Deputy-Vice Chancellor(Academic) at the NelsonMandela Metropolitan University.Professor Ogude.Professor Ogude is an accomplishedacademic and researcher.When she became the first blackwoman to obtain a doctorate inanalytical chemistry at WitsUniversity in 1992, she did notsee it as something to be proudof: “Instead, I found it sad, andalmost ridiculous,” she reflects.“It reminded me of the historyof this country more thananything else. It says somethingabout South Africa that it tookthat long for a black women toachieve something like this.”The second session on 12 June2006 was on Partnership Developmentand Institutional Advancement,presented by ProfessorMahlubi Mabizela, ResearchSpecialist in the Education,Sciences, and SkillsDevelopment (ESSD) ResearchProgramme of the Human SciencesResearch Council (HSRC).There was also a workshop byMs Shelagh Gastrow entitled“Exploring the Donor World”.Shelagh Gastrow is the ExecutiveDirector of Inyathelo: TheSouth African Institute forAdvancement which she helpedto establish in 2002.Professor Mahlubi Mabizela.The next module on ResearchPlanning and Development is on26 June. Presenters includeProfessor Cheryl De La Rey,Deputy Vice-Chancellor Researchat the University of CapeTown, Gerhad Moolman andAndrew Kaniki from the NRFas well as Professor AhmedBawa.6
UKZN achieversScientist elected toWHO committeeInternationalrecognitionProfessor and senior scientistin the department of Paediatricsand Child Health,Anna Coutsoudis has been electedonto two prestigious groups. Shehas been elected to serve on theTechnical Steering Committee ofthe World Health Organisation’sChild and Adolescent HealthDepartment.The Technical Committee reviewsthe policies, activities and budgetof the department. Recommendationsfor research and developmentand programme implementationprovide the WorldHealth Organisation with anindependent assessment of theDepartment’s activities, saidProfessor Coutsoudis.Professor Anna Coutsoudis.PioneerA UKZN lecturer has broughttogether two of the oldesttraditional healing techniquesand aspects of drama to devisea combination course that shebelieves will help unlockpeople’s true potential, as wellas create an awareness of imbalanceswithin the body.Dr Pamela Tancsik, a lecturer atthe Opera School says she hopesthe concept of PranaDrama willhelp people adopt a differentattitude to stress and ways ofdealing with it.PranaDrama merges aspects ofHatha Yoga, Ayurveda anddrama. While researching theconcept Dr Tanscik said shediscovered that yoga was includedas part of the curriculumat most UK and US dramastudios. While PranaDrama isnew to Durban and SouthAfrica, it could benefit peoplefrom all walks of life. “Althoughthus far I have had drama studentsin attendance, the asanasand postures help with innerstress and particularly peoplewho are in crises.”Dr Tancsik also hopes to helppeople cope with pain in theirlives: “Pain is viewed with anegative attitude by society, butthe course promoted a differentapproach to dealing with it.When doing the exercises youmight experience pain that youHer second appointment is to serveas the South African representativeof a technical co-operation projectbetween the National EnergyCorporation and the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA)based in Vienna. The IAEA hasinitiated a large programme ofresearch into “using isotopes toassess nutrition intervention programmesrelated to HIV/Aids inAfrica”, explained ProfessorCoutsoudis. “In March this year, DrGurpreet Kindra from the Departmentof Paediatrics and I attendeda meeting at the IAEA in Vienna todiscuss our particular project whichwill examine the impact of providingbreastfeeding HIV-infectedwomen with nutritional supplements.”Professor Coutsoudis serves onnumerous local, national andinternational bodies and is highlyrespected for her research inbreastfeeding and HIV and Motherto-Childtransmission of HIV. Sheis currently an advisor to theDepartment of Health on nutritionpolicies.would otherwise ignore. Theidea is to use the pain experiencedas a window to showthe imbalances within yourbody. The exercises are designedto show you the realityof your body.”When Dr Tancsik is not impartingknowledge to students,she writes and performs inpuppetry in her spare time.For more information on thenext PranaDrama Course call DrPamela Tancsik on 082 4031-707.- Beverley SigamoneyProfessor Henda Swart.THE internationally-acclaimedjournal Utilitas Mathematica hasdedicated its latest volume toUKZN Professor of MathematicsHenda Swart in appreciation of herresearch and service to mathematics,in particular graph theory,in South Africa.Professor Swart, who is a fellow ofthe Royal Society of South Africasaid that she is “overwhelmed andhumbled by knowing that the threeguest editors and 48 fine mathematiciansfrom Australia, Canada,South Africa, Thailand, the UK andUSA, have dedicated good researchpapers to me”. The special editionwas prepared without her knowledge.She says that the honour willinspire her to rededicate herself tocontributing to the development ofgraph theory. This includes collaborationwith the fine graphtheory group at UKZN and coresearchersfrom abroad, as well ashelping undergraduate and postgraduatestudents discover the joysof mathematics.Professor Swart introduced the firstundergraduate course in graphtheory offered in South Africa in1980. She recalls that “the subjectis so exciting that it drew studentsinto research projects”. Three ofher more than 20 postgraduatestudents have been rated by theFoundation for Research andDevelopment. She established theGraph Theory Research Group atUKZN, which is now under theable leadership of Professor PeterDankelmann. She feels that “it isvery important that we work as agroup and involve our students inour research”.Having introduced an undergraduateand an honours course incryptography, Professor Swart hasattracted students from both mathematicalsciences and computerscience. She is involved in jointresearch with her peers fromUKZN, Israel and the USA.She is the recipient of numerousscholarships, including the VacuumUnion Scholarship which enabledher to be awarded the first doctorateof science in Mathematics atthe University of Stellenbosch.As part of her community involvement,Professor Swart has servedon the board of prism (PlannedRoute into Science and Mathematics),which provides postmatrictutoring to enable studentsfrom disadvantaged communitiesto be admitted to the University.She also served the ‘Bright Future’educational project in Eshowe forsome years. The project preparesmatriculants for examinations byoffering free tuition during theJanuary and June vacations.- Bhekani Dlamini7
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NDABA MAY 2006.pmd - University of KwaZulu-Natal

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