Our students are enjoined to engage and respond to the issues raised in the column which will be released weekly, every Friday morning. Written responses, comments and letters are encouraged as it is my intention to use this space to promote dialogue, robust engagement, promote a battle of ideas, and thus creating a possibility for the surfacing of divergent perspectives with the ultimate aim of deepening and sharpening our own thought processes and assumptions on a wide range of issues concerning student life.
Welcome to Mandela University
I wish to congratulate the first year students on their admission to our university and also a warm welcome to our returning senior students
Preparation for success begins on the first day of the university calendar. Your appetite to work hard, staying disciplined, managing your time, and having a resilient work ethic will be required for you to stand the test of time as far as university success is concerned. In essence, be fully prepared to take ownership of the consequences of your actions.
Our goal as Mandela University is to provide a conducive environment for learning and living. We strive to create a socially conscious student. Thus, within the available resources at your disposal, do your best in your academics but also get involved in extra curricular activities such as sport, music, student leadership, student entrepreneurship and other relevant activities that will mould and expose a unique citizenship out of you and they help plough the seed for rediscovery and serve as a bedrock for self-re-invention in the ever changing world driven by rapid technological revolution.
Conclusion
The purpose of a university is amongst others to cultivate and impart in its students independent and engaged thinking, harness curiosity to create imaginative yet grounded and exuberant human beings who will lay bare their talents and capacities to the service of humanity with profound humility.
It is perforce relevant to end this inaugural issue with a counsel from Amilcar Cabral and hopefully it will inspire and hone our characters as the broader student community. Cabral (1965) expresses the significance of education by opining that we should “learn from life, learn from our people, learn from books, [and] learn from the experience of others. Never stop learning.”