CUT Annual Report 2008

8Community Engagement
The CUT espouses the three values of higher
education, of which community engagement
is one pillar. The CUT envisages the meaningful
integration of community engagement (CE)
with teaching and learning, and with research
in a structured environment. The Science Park,
together with its Community Services Office, is
seen as a major vehicle for community engagement,
functioning as a bridge between the expertise resident
in CUT and the community, facilitating the transfer of
technology to entrepreneurs, local non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and the community at large.
The Community Engagement Office is managed from
the Office of Technology Management, which falls under
the direct management of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor:
Academic. She is supported in this assignment by the
Institutional Community Engagement Committee.
The following categories of community
engagement receive attention by CUT staff and
students:
• CE as an element of the formal academic activities;
• Support of new entrepreneurs via the Science Park;
• Support of business and industry;
• Support of government-driven CE initiatives;
• CE by the Office of Community Engagement (primar
ily civic support);
• CE via Student Services and the various res idences.
Community engagement at the CUT is seen as
a double-tiered system. In one mode, service
learning is integrated into the curricula of
mainstream academic programmes, while the
other consists of extracurricular community
service projects. To date, seven servicelearning
modules have been developed in
the faculties, whilst the extracurricular
community service projects are co-ordinated by the
Community Engagement Office.
Apart from service learning, the following CE
activities received special attention:
• Continuous Professional Development Accreditation
Seminars
• Saturday School and Winter School Projects
• Science Park and Commercial Centres
• Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing
(CRPM)
• Tshumisano Product Development Technology
Station (PDTS)
• CUT State Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab)
• Civic Responsibility Support
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