VUT_Report 2018_Finale

VAAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
ANNUAL REPORT 2018
The Vaal University of Technology is of the firm belief that
sustainable development is a long-term commitment and
remains committed to sustainable development practices that
contribute to a sound and healthy environment, economy and
society, thereby safeguarding the interest of present and future
generations. Therefore, Council is cognisant of the importance
of reducing its environmental footprint whilst enhancing the
social and economic development of the University.
Sustainability in the tertiary education sector comes about
through the relationship between its academic enhancement,
meeting the needs of the community it serves and its financial
viability. It needs to be noted that sustainability reporting is not
regarded by VUT as information and reporting at year end but
is integrated with other aspects of the business processes and
managed throughout the year.
The following aspects of sustainability have been included in the
report:
Inclusivity of stakeholders in achieving sustainability and the
legitimate interests and expectations of stakeholders is taken
into account in decision-making and strategy. Inclusivity also
means that we take a constructionist approach to decision
making at all levels. It also means that the process of decision
making adopts a team approach to ensure that all voices are
heard and contribute to decision making in a “bottom up”
approach. That way we are making use of collective intelligence
to achieve the vision, goals and objectives of the University.
This is not to obfuscate the view and practice that, all portfolio
managers must lead their units and take responsibility for
envisioning and strategy making. But the emphasis is on servant
leadership as we evolve and construct the genetic code of the
agile and innovative University.
epistemologies and ontologies of doing business similar to the
shifts in the tectonic plates of all our assumptions about our
managerial, educational, racial, pedagogical, technological and
linguistic transformation (Brookfiled, 2000:139).
Community engagement. The VUT is a University that is located
within it immediate, national and continental community.
The following questions guide our community engagement
initiatives:
1. Who is the community?
2. How do we engage with the community?
3. How does the community benefit, educationally,
socially, economically and technologically?
4. How does the community engagement and engaged scholarship
inform our tuition research and innovation and the manner
in which we engage with undergraduates, post graduates
and post-doctoral fellows in what we regard as engaged
scholarship?
Our Community Engagement projects are also critical in our
curriculum renewal programs so that we remain a relevant
University in terms of the graduates that we produce.
The VUT envisions sustainability in terms of the
following model:
Innovation, fairness and collaboration are key aspects of any
transition to sustainability. Innovation at VUT has provided
new ways of doing things; fairness is vital to the University
because social injustice is unsustainable; and, collaboration is a
prerequisite for large scale change, however, it should not
amount to anti-competitiveness.
Social transformation is being redressed from the past and is
integrated within the broader transition to sustainability.
VUT has realized that integrating sustainability and social
transformation in a strategic and coherent manner can give
rise to greater opportunities, efficiencies and benefits for both
VUT and society. For us, transformation is a transformation in
perspective, in a frame of reference, in personal and institutional
paradigms of those involved to change from the past to the
present and the future – it is a paradigmatic change of our
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