Farewell to South Africa and going forward

The tour is all over and the team met on Monday for a debriefing and to plan our dissemination activities. Keep an eye out for branch and regional events, an article in Newslink, the official tour report, and two working sessions at the 2013 AUA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Edinburgh!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the institutions who hosted us while we were in South Africa and who made our tour so valuable:

• University of Pretoria
• Tshwane University of Technology
• Council on Higher Education
• University of Johannesburg
• Varsity College
• Higher Education South Africa
• Cape Peninsula University of Technology
• University of the Western Cape
• University of Cape Town
• University of Stellenbosch

Special thanks go to our contact at ITS Evula, Peet du Plessis, who helped co-ordinate the tour.

Thanks must also go to the tour leader, Helen Uglow, whose hard work made the tour so successful.

We will leave you for now with one final picture of the beautiful Jacaranda trees at the University of Johannesburg:

Day Nine: University of Stellenbosch

Our final visit of the tour was to the University of Stellenbosch, located about an hour outside Cape Town. Stellenbosch is quite different from the other institutions that we visited; most notably because of its dual language policy which means that some of the teaching at undergraduate level is done in Afrikaans, leading to a lower percentage of black, coloured and indian students than at other universities.

The majority of our meetings at Stellenbosch were separated out by theme and the individual groups all had highly informative mornings. Theme one was particularly interested in the substantial outreach programmes that the university runs and their attempts to attract black, coloured and indian students to apply, often in spite of the language policy.

A brief tour of the campus concluded the morning before we were hosted to a South African Braai for lunch.

Day Eight: University of the Western Cape and the University of Cape Town

Monday morning was spent at the University of the Western Cape where we all gained an insight into the three themes. At this stage in the tour we were all consolidating the information gained from other institutions and fine tuning the areas we wanted to examine. The discussions ranged from the outreach work being done to improve school leavers' grades in mathematics to the political history of the institution, and from the need to positively manage the political energy of the students to the performance and leadership development programmes offered to staff. Unfortunately we did not have time to tour the beautiful campus but we caught a glimpse of some of it:

The afternoon saw the team visiting the University of Cape Town where we again engaged in wide ranging discussions touching on all of our chosen themes. As with all of our visits there simply wasn't enough time to answer all of our questions and we continued to gain new insights into the Higher Education sector in South Africa.

Days Six and Seven: weekend off in Cape Town

We were lucky enough to have the weekend to enjoy Cape Town. The members of the team covered quite a lot of ground between us: from Table Mountain to the Botanical Gardens, Robben Island to some retail therapy, various museums to exploring the V&A Waterfront. The conclusion that we all came to is that one weekend is simply not enough time to explore everything that this beautiful city has to offer!

Day Five: Cape Peninsula University of Technology

On Friday our stay in the Pretoria area ended as we flew down to Cape Town for the remainder of the study tour. On our arrival in Cape Town we were welcomed to Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and explored our themes from the perspective of a university of technology.

CPUT was formed in 2005 from a merger between two technikons: Cape Technikon and Peninsula Technikon. Our discussions touched on the challenges faced by merged institutions, the future of applications to universities with the planned introduction of a central application system, the educational opportunities available to staff, as well as many other issues. Our visit concluded with a tour of the open campus which enabled us to understand the challenges of providing a secure environment for students whilst welcoming the general public to the area.

Day Four: Pilanesberg Game Reserve

Today saw the team make an early start on our day off as we headed to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve which is north west of Pretoria. We spent the morning on a game drive and were lucky enough to see plenty of animals, including some of the big five!! Highlights included seeing a leopard (very hard to see), a rhino, giraffe, zebra, elephants and the heads of some hippo!

Day Three: Varsity College, University of Pretoria, and Higher Education South Africa

On Wednesday 14th the team started the day by splitting into two: seven of us went to Varsity College, a private higher education provider, while the other three went back to the University of Pretoria for a tour of their sports facilities. Both groups had very interesting experiences with the group at Varsity College gaining an understanding of the place of private providers in higher education in South Africa and the group at the University of Pretoria having the opportunity to see their extensive and impressive sports facilities.

The whole group reconvened at the Client Services Centre at the University of Pretoria where we spoke to members of the Student Administration team about the challenges they have faced since creating the centre in 2002. This was an area of great interest to members of the team due to the discussions in many UK institutions about the creation of a 'one stop shop' for student inquiries.

We spent the afternoon at Higher Education South Africa (HESA) which is the South African equivalent of UUK and aims to promote the interests of the higher education sector. It was interesting to speak to an organisation that could provide an overview of higher education in the country and a wider context for our visits to universities. Our discussions touched on the challenges faced by the sector, changes in the pipeline for the future such as the development of a central application service, as well as the role of HESA in representing a diverse group of universities.

Day Two: University of Johannesburg

Tuesday saw the team heading to the Kingsway Campus of the University of Johannesburg where we were welcomed very warmly. After a brief introduction to the university we split into our theme groups and had two one hour meetings with relevant staff. All the meetings were thoroughly informative and we were able to gain a feel for the nature of this institution and the challenges it has faced and currently faces.

After a lovely lunch which was hosted by the Registrar we drove to the Soweto Campus of the university. Our tour of the campus was rather interrupted by some torrential rain but we were able to see the investment that had been made recently and the potential for future development before returning to the Kingsway Campus for a tour.

In the evening we were hosted by the Division for Internationalisation and learnt about the university's plans for increasing international exchanges and collaborations. After our meeting we were entertained by the Internationalisation team (pictured below) and enjoyed a delicious dinner and engaging conversation.

Our second day in South Africa was a joy. All the people we have met have been so welcoming and enthusiastic, and have gone out of their way to make our visit a success!

Day One: University of Pretoria and Council on Higher Education

The team met at our hotel in Pretoria on Sunday night for an orientation meeting prior to our first visits on Monday, followed by dinner at a local restaurant.

Monday morning saw an early start as our visit to the University of Pretoria commenced at 8am (standard working hours in South Africa are earlier than in the UK). We were given a very warm welcome at the university and went straight into a busy programme of meetings that had been organised for us by the staff there. After a brief introduction to the history of the university, which gave us some context for the rest of the day, we were introduced to staff who have particular knowledge about the admissions process and the challenges facing universities in South Africa at the moment. Following this we split into two groups to explore the themes on 'life beyond the classroom' and 'professional development', with a short break for coffee and a chance to chat informally with staff between sessions.

The morning programme finished with a visit from Tshwane University of Technology and an insight into the different challenges faced by the technical universities in South Africa, in particular in relation to employability of graduates and the use of work integrated learning (work placements).

At lunch we were welcomed to the university by the Vice Chancellor and Principal, Professor Cheryl de la Rey, and had the opportunity to mingle informally with staff. We then walked across the campus and took the opportunity to admire a number of buildings, including the chapel, pictured below:

Our day's programme at the University of Pretoria concluded with a presentation on 'Enterprises: University of Pretoria Trust' but we will be returning to the university on Wednesday for a tour of the sports facilities and Client Service Centre.

The last visit for the day was to the Council on Higher Education where we had some wide ranging discussions on the challenges facing higher education in South Africa and some similarities with the UK sector.

All in all we have had a very successful first day and the welcome we have received has been wonderful.

Introductions

Here are short introductions to each member of the team!

Helen Uglow Tour Leader
I am the Deputy Secretary at the London Business School, where my remit is to provide support in the areas of corporate governance and planning. My work includes committee and subsidiary company secretariat services, licencing and accreditation, legal and regulatory compliance, business performance reporting and sustainability. I love combining work and travel, and the opportunity to lead this study tour fulfils a long-held desire to visit and learn more about South Africa.

Caroline Baugh Leader Theme 1: Getting in to university
I graduated in 1997 with a BA (Hons) Marketing degree. I have worked in the Higher Education sector since then undertaking a variety of roles working in both undergraduate and postgraduate research and teaching at several key universities. I am currently a Project Manager at Imperial College London providing financial and administrative support to the Petroleum and Minerals Group. This includes the management of a Petroleum Engineering PhD and Masters programme.

Sally McKinley Theme 1
Employed at Brunel University providing support on quality and standards assurance, programme approvals, academic appeals, and disciplinary procedures. Enthusiastically support the AUA and am Deputy Convenor for the International Higher Education Network (IHEN). The South African Study Tour is so exciting and I look forward to observing and scrutinising potential partners' good practice in the selection and entry of students, their collaborative arrangements, their educational objectives and strategies and their compatibility with other UK institutions.

Sarah Moffat Theme 1
I currently work at Royal Holloway as the Senior Faculty Administrator in the School of Biological Sciences. I have responsibility for all administration within the School and manage a team of 5 staff, as well as having oversight of the budget. I have worked in HE for over 5 years in various roles and have a particular interest in Admissions. I am looking forward to learning about the HE sector in South Africa and exchanging ideas on best practice.

Will Naylor Leader Theme 2: Life beyond the classroom
I work at the Quality Assurance Agency - the UK equivalent of South Africa's Higher Education Quality Committee. My current role is Deputy Director in QAA's Reviews Group. I am responsible for all the reviews of publicly-funded universities and colleges in England and Northern Ireland. I am delighted to be part of the AUA trip to South Africa because it will allow me to learn more about the South African higher education system and hopefully also draw some inspiration for meeting the challenges we face in the UK.

Iain Puller Theme 2
I am originally from Scotland and went to the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. After two years as a Student Sabbatical officer, I loved working with Student Societies and the activities that they do so much that I am now the Societies Development Coordinator at the London School of Economics Student Union. In my role I get to see, help and develop student societies which is thoroughly rewarding and I wanted to come on the tour to see how student societies operate in a different culture and environment.

Elizabeth Williams Theme 2
Goldsmiths, University of London. Subject Librarian - Academic research support for the History Department/The Centre of Cultural Studies/Theatre and Performance, Special Collections. Academic liaison, managing book fund budgets, research support and workshops, staff supervision and training. Visiting Lecturer and seminar leader in History department. To explore the challenges facing students as they undertake courses and prepare to enter the workplace and further study in South Africa and abroad.

Marcella Keher Leader Theme 3: Professional development
Director of Operations, University of Birmingham. In my current role I am responsible for the support services across a large college and line manage 230 staff who deliver across specialist and generalist services. I am interested in joining the Study Tour to explore different approaches to professional development. I am also keen to develop my knowledge of the South African education system and to initiate contacts that could be further developed once I return home.

Rebecca Boyle Theme 3
Currently working as a Departmental Administrator for the Department of Geography at the National University of Ireland Maynooth. I feel that the socio-economic and political challenges faced in the past and present by Ireland and South Africa provide great potential for mutual learning on comparative bases. Embarking on the Study Tour I hope to investigate the development opportunities for mid-level personnel and the willingness of this cohort to pursue, evaluate and determine their own professional advancement.

Linda Hockley Theme 3
University of Hull. I recently took up the post of Director of Student Services to lead a Directorate comprising a merged number of student services, with a view to developing a more student-friendly, consistent and responsive environment for students. The Student Experience is at the heart of our University's Vision, and I am keen to explore this emerging focus for Higher Education and approaches to related professional development further. The tour offers an excellent opportunity to investigate both areas from an international perspective.

Tour itinerary

Here is a brief outline of our itinerary while we are in South Africa:

Sunday 11th November - arrival in Pretoria and orientation meeting

Monday 12th November - visits to the University of Pretoria and the Council on Higher Education (CHE)

Tuesday 13th November - visit to the University of Johannesburg

Wednesday 14th November - visits to Varsity College, the University of Pretoria, and Higher Education South Africa (HESA)

Thursday 15th November - day trip to the Pilanesberg Game Reserve

Friday 16th November - fly to Cape Town and visit to Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Monday 19th November - visits to the University of the Western Cape and the University of Cape Town

Tuesday 20th November - visit to the University of Stellenbosch and the end of the tour

Meet the team (well, most of us anyway)

From left to right: Marcella Keher, Helen Uglow, Will Naylor, Linda Hockley, Sarah Moffat, Caroline Baugh, Iain Pullar, and Elizabeth Williams. The other two members of the team were unable to attend for the photograph: Sally McKinley, and Rebecca Boyle.

Welcome to our blog!

Today we held our pre-departure meeting in London and finally met each other after a few weeks of exchanging emails. It was great to meet the members of the group and discuss our plans for the tour of South Africa!

The introduction to South Africa and its higher education system by Professor Calie Pistorius was immensely useful and his enthusiasm was infectious. The afternoon was spent discussing what we wanted to focus on in our themes: getting into university, life beyond the classroom, and professional development; as well as the practical arrangements for the trip.

We are now looking forward to the tour itself which starts on 11th November and runs until 20th November.