CUT Annual Report 2011

CUT ANNUAL REPORT 2011 | 25
COUNCIL AND SENATE
The University Council is the highest decision-making body at Central University of Technology, Free State and consists of thirty members.
Sixty percent (60%) of the members are external members.
The very nature of any university’s business is long-term. While there is a need for short- to medium-term development gains,
these opportunities must not redefine the University’s longer term goals of developing and deploying human or intellectual capital
in the interests of socio-economic development, within a very competitive global economic context. As the transformation position
paper stresses, the transformation of the University is a long-term goal where its engagement with staff and students is constantly
redefined. The participation of staff and students in these engagements must be supported, encouraged and stimulated. The nature
of the University’s transformation requires steady and determined development of its capacities – especially its human resources and
infrastructure – to consistently deliver the desired outcomes.
Building on the notions of the role of a university of technology in development, CUT has Vision 2020 conceived and has begun to
implement its five key principles:
• As a technological university, innovation is essential to the vision as well as social and technological innovation are central to
academic, skills development and research programs.
• Measuring the result is also fundamental to the vision – CUT is not about quantity and generalities but about measurable
performance, outcomes and impact subjected to systematic and robust monitoring and evaluation.
• Socio-economic and entrepreneurship is at the heart of everything the institution does – CUT’s endeavours in knowledgeproduction
and human capital development have to be relevant and aligned to the agenda of improving lives in the Free State
province, the central region and South Africa as a whole. In a nutshell, the vision as an engaged university guides and grounds us
into partnering with business, government and the broader society – the golden quadrilateral that binds public policy, innovation
and commercialisation of scientific and technological ideas for creating greater prosperity.
• CUT’s geographical location and the local and regional comparative advantage as a result of the location also matter. The location
should reflect and shape CUT’s agenda and priorities because the university exist primarily to address the needs of the communities
in the province, region and country. Primarily, local and regional development should be the epicentre of the university’s revolution.
• Finally, quality and excellence are the glue that holds everything together. CUT has to strive and thrive in providing the best services
in education and training, research, innovation and entrepreneurship development.