The North-West University (NWU) is proud to be a value-driven institution and is currently busy with a campaign to relaunch the values that guide staff, students and other stakeholders.

The campaign kicked off in March 2022 with a cook-off held for the University Management Committee (UMC) and an official launch in the form of a gala evening.

The process leading up to this official launch started a while ago, however, and a lot of hard work has been done to reach this point.

Kicking-off the process

The process began in 2019, when the NWU reflected on its culture and identified areas for improvement.

Further progress was made in 2020 with the “To Be” Culture Project to formulate a unified NWU culture. The Covid-19 pandemic halted the process, but the planning continued through webinars and on other online platforms.

Part of this planning was the organisational citizen behavioural project, where members of the NWU family could engage by telling their stories about how they support one another and how they perceive the workplace. Another highlight was the Jerusalema Dance Challenge, which contributed towards creating a sense of institutional solidarity and unity within the NWU.

The “To Be” values were identified and the Culture Project was revised and approved in 2021. This year, with Covid-19 restrictions relaxed, the NWU could officially launch the campaign.

Going forward

Now, in 2022, People and Culture are excited to relaunch these values and bring them to life for every student and staff member and the NWU community in general. 

The values are: Care and inclusivity; Embracing diversity; Transparency; Excellence in all endeavours; Ethics in all endeavours; Responsibility and accountability, and Academic freedom and freedom of research.

Prof Linda du Plessis, acting vice-chancellor, emphasises that this is not the launch of new values but rather a repackaging and reinvigoration of the desired values of a unified NWU culture ― the NWU Way.

The values will be launched on all three campuses in various ways.  New banners displaying the values have been placed on the campuses and many projects will form part of the launch. These include a pavement art campaign where staff and students will be challenged to draw, exhibit or illustrate what care, inclusivity and embracing diversity means to them.  This will be done with chalk on various pavements on the different campuses.  During the May launch, prizes will be awarded for participation in the different activities, so keep your eyes open!

People and Culture is also planning exciting projects for the rest of the year that will involve all levels of the university. 

Prof Linda concludes: “The aim of the campaign is to package our values in such a way that people can practically see how they translate into behaviour. We cannot call ourselves a values-driven university if those values are not visible in everything that our staff and students do.”

For more information and updates on exciting events, visit the NWU Way website: NWU Values and Value-Driven Behaviours | NWUWay | Services | NWU | North-West University.

Poster: The seven values of the NWU Way and the behaviours that go with them.