Institutional News

NWU invites community partners to join a network of experts

The North-West University (NWU) appreciates the essential work of non-profit organisations (NPOs) and their impact on support provided to surrounding communities. The university extends an invitation to all its existing community partners as well as all other local NPOs ― including schools, faith-based and local government organisations – to register for the Community Stakeholder Forum meeting.

Submitted on Wed, 05/24/2023 - 10:23

Meeting brings together unified communicators and audiovisual professionals

The inaugural meeting of those working in unified communications (integrators of various communication tools and services) and audiovisual disciplines was a resounding success.

More than 60 delegates from 19 universities and various vendors attended this special interest group* meeting on 13 and 14 April at the North-West University (NWU) Business School in Potchefstroom. The meeting presented a valuable opportunity for networking through shared experiences and insights.

Submitted on Thu, 05/18/2023 - 12:04

Act NOW to stop loadshedding, say experts to mark Sputla’s 100 days

South Africa’s power crisis, exacerbated by frequent power cuts, came under the spotlight as the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Business School invited experts to mark the new electricity minister’s 100 days in office.

President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Kgosientsho “Sputla” Ramokgopa to the new post to focus on loadshedding. The president also declared a state of disaster to deal decisively with the electricity crisis; a decision he would later reverse in the face of legal challenges from various quarters.

Submitted on Wed, 05/17/2023 - 08:54

NWU ascends to top 4,4% of global universities

The continued climb of the North-West University (NWU) in global rankings has taken it to the top 4,4% of global universities. This is according to the 2023 edition of the Global 2000 list of rankings published by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR). It is an improvement from being in the top 4,5% for 2022/2023 and in the top 4,7% in the 2021/2022 edition of the rankings.

This impressive achievement was published on 15 May on the cwur.org website. The NWU was ranked according to academic performance among 20 531 universities worldwide.

Submitted on Tue, 05/16/2023 - 10:22

How do you swear? Study to investigate swearing and bilingualism in South Africa

A study by the University of Vienna, in collaboration with researchers from South Africa and the United Kingdom, is investigating the different emotional responses bilingual people have towards swear words in their different languages. The study will focus on English-Afrikaans bilingualism, examining the perceptions of swear words and swearing behaviors of English-Afrikaans bilinguals in South Africa. The study aims to measure complex bilingualism and understand why some words may be considered acceptable in one language but not in another.

Submitted on Mon, 05/15/2023 - 08:45

Memory of Prof Dan Kgwadi honoured

On request of the family of the late Prof Dan Kgwadi, former principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), a memorial service to honour him was held on 4 May 2023 at the Mahikeng Campus.

Prof Kgwadi passed away on 30 April 2023.

Many speakers paid tribute to him during the memorial service, describing him as a visionary leader who was committed to making a difference in the lives of students and the wider community.

Submitted on Mon, 05/08/2023 - 08:26

Minister appoints NWU’s Research Support director to Water Research Commission

Expert knowledge is needed to protect and manage water, an essential and scarce natural resource. As a relatively dry country, South Africa faces crucial challenges that include insufficient water, water quality problems, inadequate infrastructure and inconsistency in access.

The Water Research Commission (WRC) plays an integral role in enabling the country to address these issues. One of the NWU’s own is now stepping up to play a part in this commission’s important work.

Submitted on Thu, 05/04/2023 - 14:04

GIFT students and staff off to Hungary in May

Several lecturers from the Global, Innovative, Forefront, Talent (GIFT) Management research niche area in the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (FEMS) will soon depart for Hungary, courtesy of funding received from the European Union’s Erasmus funding programme.

According to Prof Anna-Marie Pelser, associate research professor and GIFT director, funding was sourced in January 2020, but unfortunately, the war between Russia and Ukraine delayed the finalisation of the funding grant.

Submitted on Tue, 05/02/2023 - 16:13