The North-West University’s (NWU) campus in Vanderbijlpark recently celebrated academic excellence during its annual Teaching and Research Excellence Awards. The prestigious event hosted at the Quest Conference Estate, saw academic staff members being applauded not only for a year of academic success, but also for hard-fought journeys of accomplishment.

In her address, Prof Linda du Plessis, the acting campus rector, said that it is her belief that at the heart of excellence lies the ability to conduct research, to innovate, to think creatively and to challenge prevailing convention. “During the course of the evening we will pay homage to academic staff members and researchers who have mastered the ability to overcome extraordinary and formidable challenges – both in their private capacity and collectively – to achieve success. We will applaud the fine stewards of success, namely deans, directors, study leaders and supervisors. We will raise our glasses to exemplary lecturers who impact and define the very fibre of their students. Tonight we will once again stand on the shoulders of giants and proudly celebrate our academic heritage,” said Prof Du Plessis.

Awards were made in several categories and the following staff members were acknowledged during the event:

Akinwale, Yusuf Opeyemi	Bekker, Christiaan	Bevan-Dye, Ayesha	Blignaut, Seugnet
Botha, Elrie	Botha, Rochelle	Butler, Anneke	Butler, Gustav
Cockeran, Henry	Coetzee-Van Rooy, Susan	Davel,Marelie	De Jongh, Jacques
De Klerk, Natasha	De Villiers, Pieter	De Villiers, Koos	Deacon, Elmarie
Dekoke, Taty	Diedericks, Elsabe	Du Toit, Danie	Dunga, Steven
Ebrahim, Aysha	Ferreira, Sune	Fitchat, Lizanne	Fouche, Ansie
Fouche, Jaco	De Lange, Une	Fourie, Elsa	Gericke, Jaco
Gilliland, Sonja	Goede, Fred	Grobler, Wynand	Hamilton, Luzaan
Harmse, Lana Heleen	Hoffman, Jaco	Hofisi, Costa	Jacobs, Lerike
Janse van Vuuren, Heleen	Janse van Vuuren, Marieta	Jooste, Petri	Jooste, Helei
Jordaan, Dawid	Keyser, Elsabe	Kirsten, Johanita	Kleynhans, Neil
Kloppers, Magda	Kotze, Ian	Kwatubana, Siphokazi	Leendertz, Verona
Lennox, Anita	Lubbe, Estie	Lucouw, Pierre	Lues, Heleneze
Lukamba, Tshombe	Magezi, Vhumani	Makhalemele, Jan	Makhalima, Jabulile
Meyer, Danie	Meyer, Natanya	Minnie, Francois	Mncayi, Nombulelo
Moolman, Anneke	Moolman, Leon	Mostert, Clarise	Muller, Irene
Muller, Re-An	Mwanawina,  Ilyayambwa	Mzini, Loraine	Nel, Adele
Nel, Mirna	Nell, Werner	Nhlapo, Aaron	Phjane, Kagisho
Pooe, Paul	Preston, Marie	Pretorius, Philip	Redda, Ephrem
Serobane, Lebo	Stander, Annatjie	Stander, Marius	Stander, Ederick
Stumke, Olive	Surujlal, Babs	Swanepoel, Rilette	Swanepoel, Ezelda
Swanepoel, Thys	Synodinos, Costa	Truter, Elmien	Van den Berg, Liandi
Van der Merwe, Karen	Van der Vaart, Leoni	Van der Vyver, Charles	Van Deventer, Hans
Van Deventer, Marko	Van Eeden, Elize	Van Niekerk, Danie	Van Rooy, Bertus
Van Tonder, Deon	Van Wyk, sUSANDRA	Van Zyl, Llewellyn	Viljoen, Diana
Viljoen, Germarie	Walker-Williams, Hayley	Wasserman, Ronel	Wehrmeyer, Ella
Winde, Frank	Zaaiman, Hermien	Fernandes-Maartens, Manuela	Landsberg, Johann