Leading change
It is often said that change is the only constant in life. Although change has always been with us, we are undoubtedly living in a time of vastly accelerated change. Whereas change on a previously almost unthinkable scale certainly occurred in the last quarter of the 20th century (think the advent of the information revolution, the toppling of the Berlin Wall, the student-led Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing and the establishment of democracy in South Africa), its pace has picked up almost exponentially since 2001 - and higher education has not been immune to these.
Although the first reaction to change is often resistance, change should not be seen as a threat, but as an opportunity. In South Africa, tomorrow’s leaders, our students, have brought about a number of very significant changes: a rethink of the financial obstacles to access higher education, the removal of contentious colonial symbols and a push to develop indigenous languages, to name but a few.
In the same way that necessity is the mother of invention, change is the driver of progress. With the firm belief that transformation offers powerful mechanisms to define tomorrow and make our world a better place, the University of South Africa embraces change in all its facets. The university will not only be a participative contributor to change in the higher education sector, but it is our intention to lead - humbly, in the spirit of servant leadership - the process in South Africa and on the continent.
This website presents Unisa's strategic transformation initiatives in five key areas: moving towards truly African scholarship; effecting cultural change for diversity and transformation; rethinking systems; asserting ethical, transformative and intellectual leadership; and discourse for change.
"In the same way that necessity is the mother of invention, change is the driver of progress."
Last modified: Mon Aug 07 16:42:05 SAST 2023