He has found a home away from home. Prof Paul Smit, associate professor for Labour Relations Management at the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the North-West (NWU), has been elected to Life Membership of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, during their most recently held governing body meeting.

Clare Hall is a college for advanced study at the University of Cambridge.

Smit has an extensive collaborative history with the United Kingdom based university, having been a visiting fellow with Clare Hall earlier in the year.

“I was first of all very blessed and excited to be awarded a visiting fellowship from 1 April to 30 June 2024 to Clare Hall at the University of Cambridge in the UK. Clare Hall is one of 31 Colleges at Cambridge and is a graduate college that only accepts post graduate students and visiting fellows. Life Membership to Clare Hall is for me the cherry on top of the cake! I can now return to Clare Hall at the University of Cambridge at any time without formal invitation. It creates a platform for me to continue with my research at Cambridge, it is also indicative that the Visiting Fellowship is now bearing fruit and the possibility of further collaboration between NWU and University of Cambridge over a longer period. It enhances networking and building relationships with not only the academics of Cambridge but all other Life Members from all over the world,” said Prof Smit, before adding:

“It will also enable me to identify other areas of collaboration between NWU and the University of Cambridge. The initial Visiting Fellowship would not have been possible without the financial support of NWU on all levels from my school, the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, and right up to the office of our vice-chancellor, Prof Bismark Tyobeka. I am over the moon and will endeavour to be a brand ambassador of the NWU.”

Prof Paul Smit