Prof Tobie van Dyk, a highly respected applied linguist from the School of Languages at the North-West University (NWU) has been seconded to the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) from 1 January to 31 December 2023.

“Prof van Dyk’s expertise in the field of applied linguistics and his well-established national and international networks are essential for SADiLaR to fulfill its mandate,” says Mr Juan Steyn, SADiLaR’s director of operations.

Language resources audit

Academic writing is key to academic success, but getting it right is not easy, particularly for students who are learning in a second or third language. This is where the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) makes a difference.

SADiLar’s language development and testing node, the Inter-institutional Centre for Language Development and Assessment (ICELDA), has developed a series of videos, called Write It, to fill the gap by guiding students through writing.

Management of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus was recently led by Prof Linda du Plessis, deputy vice-chancellor for planning and Vanderbijlpark Campus operations, on a walkabout to see how the construction of the campus’ highly anticipated multi-purpose hall is progressing.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus once again celebrates being recognised for excellence in higher education by the Professional Management Review Africa (PMR.africa).

The NWU received a Diamond Arrow award for the 12th consecutive year at a recent award ceremony held at Ingwe Lodge in Vanderbijlpark.

North-West University (NWU) alumnus Thato Mashishi recently joined the corporate group of Walker Morris LLP (Walker Morris), the largest single-site law firm outside of London in the United Kingdom.

This corporate group is highly rated according to the rankings of Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500 – two leading global research companies.

Thato’s areas of focus at Walker Morris are general corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital.

Students from the School of Accounting Sciences at the North-West University (NWU) again showed why both the school and its students are so highly regarded when they received an astounding 85% pass rate in the management case study exams of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). This is a global exam with an average pass rate of 69%. Even more impressive is the fact that 67% more students had attempted the exam than the year before.

One of the biggest challenges for leaders in today's increasingly online business world is how to carry out their job as managers. In the past, it was easier for leaders to promote a culture of trust and integrity because they knew what everyone was doing and could see when someone was not performing in accordance with their ethics. But now, with remote workforces and teams spread across different countries, organisations are struggling to make sure that employees are adhering to their ethical standards consistently across departments and geographies.

It is a sizzler of a Thursday afternoon with the mercury as high as load-shedding tempers. However, the team room of the Rugby Institute at the North-West University (NWU) – no, the war room – is cool. A table-sized replica of a rugby field greets you as you enter the room, as does Burger van der Westhuizen, the new Varsity Cup coach for the NWU Eagles.

“As was expected, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) continued with its interest-raising cycle with an increase of 25 basis points (bsp), instead of the higher 50 bsp option that had also been widely canvassed.”

According to Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, this is the right decision in the present stressful economic circumstances.

Another player of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Soccer Institute has been scooped up by a professional team. Tshepiso Mahlangu joined Tuks FC in January 2023.

Tuks FC, a South African Association football club representing the University of Pretoria, currently plays in the National First Division.

Tshepiso, who captained the NWU team during the 2022 Varsity Football tournament is the second Soccer Institute player to be signed by the Pretoria-based team. Thabo Mnyamane joined Tuks FC in 2013.