The Durban University of Technology Deputy Vice Chancellor: People and Operations, Professor Khehla Ndlovu recently held sessions on the university’s strategic plan version 2.0.
The staff interactive sessions were facilitated by the Institutional Planning unit on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor and Professor Thandwa Mthembu. The two sessions were held at Mansfield Hall on Thursday, 9 November and at the New Lecture Theatre at Indumiso Campus (FC 1002) on Wednesday, 15 November 2017. The briefing sessions were done in order to give more insight and provide an overview of what the five-year plan will entail towards relevance, responsiveness and resilience within the university community.
These sessions were also aimed at keeping DUT employees abreast on the latest developments in the implementation of the 2015-2019 strategic direction of the university. The DUT strategic plan version 2.0 is a revised strategy plan and it core values are underpinned on student centeredness and engagement. During the two sessions, Prof Ndlovu urged DUT employees to familiarize themselves with this document (strategy plan version 2.0).
“We have reached our halfway mark in our five-year plan, if we all follow the plan accordingly, we will be able to build a stronger university for another five years. We need to work together as the DUT community. Staff need to tell us what it is that they intend on doing and incorporate what their plans are into the strategic plan 2.0,” said Prof Ndlovu.
Prof Ndlovu stressed the importance of teamwork in ensuring that the plan is achieved, pleading with everybody to pull into one direction. Furthermore, he focused on the four strategic focus areas, namely building sustainable student communities of living and learning, building research and innovation for development, building a learning organization and building a sustainable university.
“The strategic plan determines the annual budget and resources requirement including related risks associated with the plan. These sessions of engagement with staff were aimed at relooking at the plan and ensuring that things contained are achieved in the stipulated period. Our reflections must take into consideration the challenges that could negatively impact on the implementation of the five-year plan. By conducting these sessions, we are saying, walk with us and if you see things that you are not sure about, question us,” he further explained.
Elaborating on the purpose of the two sessions, DUT’s Senior Director: Policy, Planning and Projects, Dr Gops Chetty said the primary objective of engaging staff on the strategy plan 2.0 was to include the DUT community that had not been involved in the discussion forums. “The strategic plan focuses on the core DNA strands, there is so much that is detailed in this plan. If you trace it enough, you will find that everyone is linked to a tree somehow. The university has been going through a phase of trying to strengthen the strategic plan by infusing version 2.0 which was approved by our council,” he explained.
Pictured: Prof Paul Green (Acting Director for Midlands Campus), Prof Khehla Ndlovu (DVC: People and Operations), Dr Gops Chetty (Senior Director: Policy, Planning and Projects) and Nicky Muller (Director: Institutional Planning)
Nomfundo Ngcobo and Sandile Motha
