Durban University of Technology (DUT) has officially launched the ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework, anchored in five core values: transparency, honesty, integrity, respect and accountability. These are supported by the principles of fairness, professionalism, commitment, compassion and excellence.
DUT Communications team member Simangele Zuma recently spoke to Nkanyezi Hlengwa, a New Generation of Academics Programme (nGAP) and Nurturing Emerging Scholars Programme (NESP) Administrator, about the Living Values Framework and how it relates to her role at DUT.
Q: Kindly tell me about your role at DUT?
A: “I am the institutional New Generation of Academics Programme (nGAP) and Nurturing Emerging Scholars Programme (NESP) Administrator. My role involves supporting early-career academics in both programmes. This support ranges from assisting with funding-related requests to administering their academic and professional development, research and conferencing needs. I also liaise with Heads of Departments about matters relating to their early-career academics in the programmes, as well as with the Department of Higher Education and Training on the management and administration of nGAP and NESP at DUT.”
Q: How long have you been a member of the DUT family?
A: “I joined DUT in November 2021 as an HSRC intern placed at CELT for mentorship, and later assumed the role of nGAP and NESP Administrator in 2023. So, overall, I have been at DUT for about five years.”
Q: Among the mentioned ENVISION2030 Living Values and Principles, which one do you associate with most, and why?
A: “Compassion. One might argue that my role mostly involves financial responsibilities. Nevertheless, I recognise that beyond the funding are the people receiving it, many of whom are new to both programmes. My service therefore goes beyond processing their funds. It is also about understanding their needs and identifying how I can best support their postgraduate studies and professional development. The person, and their needs, are more important than the funds.”
Q: What are your views on the DUT tagline: Creative, Distinctive, Impactful?
A: “Creative prompts us to continually find efficient and innovative approaches to support and contribute towards the University’s objectives. Distinctive recognises the unique personal attributes we bring as we collectively steer the University towards ENVISION2030. Impactful means that the University’s strides towards improvement should benefit not only its students and staff, but society at large.”
Q: How are you planning to keep abreast with the ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework?
A: “By participating in workshops and engaging with institutional communication that promotes the ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework, I will keep myself informed and aligned, both in my knowledge and practice.”
Q: What is the one thing that most people do not know about you?
A: “I love school and continuous learning. Beyond their ability to support personal development and growth, research and learning are [oddly] therapeutic for me. In the absence of continuous learning, something in me lacks wholeness.”
Q: In your opinion, how will the ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework benefit DUT?
A: “The ENVISION2030 Living Values Framework provides a guideline that encourages us not only to produce results, but also to recognise the human being behind every statistic. It will create a socio-professional environment in which staff are respected, cared for, nurtured and prioritised alongside the University’s strategic objectives.”
Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?
A: “Watching wildlife documentaries.”
Q: How do you plan to make a positive impact at DUT?
A: “Through compassion. Kindness and support towards the human being behind the statistic can inspire people to excel in what they do.”
Q: What is your daily motivation?
A: “That someday, when I have children, they can say to their friends, ‘Mom is a professor’ without even being aware of what such a title means.”
Q: What are your future goals at DUT?
A: “To grow in my practice in staff and postgraduate student development. To enhance my knowledge of social sciences and human behaviour. To continually be informed by the Living Values Framework and guided by its principles.”
Q: If you were granted one wish, what would it be?
A: “It would be to create a thriving, secure and meaningful life where my family, my academic and professional endeavours, and my business ventures can all flourish together without one placing strain on the other. I would also want to ensure that I, as an individual, as a partner, as a friend, as a young professional, as an aspiring researcher and in all the other roles I fulfil, can live peacefully, with gratitude and a sense of fulfilment.”
