Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science’s Welcoming Message
It is our pleasure and privilege to welcome all science students to this academic year in the Faculty of Science at Nelson Mandela University. We also extend a warm welcome to the first-time enrolment students. Thank you for choosing to study science in our Faculty.
You have made the right decision by choosing to join Nelson Mandela University, particularly the Faculty of Science. In the Faculty of Science our vision is a world class engaged and transdisciplinary African Faculty that responds to socio-economic and environmental challenges in our society.
Our mission is to offer a diverse range of life changing pure and applied science-based learning, teaching, research, training, innovation, engagement and transformational experiences. All this leads to the development of excellent graduate and staff attributes for sustainable futures.
We promise you the discovering, educating and engaging to change the world. Our philosophy and the principle we uphold through action and engagement is strength in diversity and inclusion in science.
When you Graduate with one of our degrees in the Faculty of Science you will have amongst others the following Attributes:
-
In-depth disciplinary knowledge as the foundation and platform for pursuing transdisciplinary knowledge out there.
-
Skilled in literacy, numeracy, and in abstract thinking.
-
Graduates who will be aware of the social environment they live in.
-
Responsible citizens who are going to serve our society.
In the Faculty of Science, we are mindful, and we encourage you to be aware of the environment and protect it for a sustainable future. We cultivate scientists who will be ethical and accountable scientists of integrity.
As scientists of integrity, you will need to be adaptable to any environment. When you walk out of the classroom and when you graduate you should be able to work and/or contribute everywhere and anywhere in the world. You will form collaborations, networks and partnerships in the Faculty of Science. Before you leave your classrooms, we want you to be creative, innovative and be able to have a mind of entrepreneurship.
We also need graduates who will be literate in computational and programming skills because today’s world needs people who can do coding and use computers and most importantly scientists that graduate from the Faculty of Science at Nelson Mandela University will be identified by being able to solve complex societal problems.
Therefore, you need to be critical thinkers and besides getting distinctions in your classrooms, the outside world needs you to have intra and interpersonal skills and we will train you about communication skills in our classrooms.
The Faculty of science in its Strategy mandates the Faculty management to look into the future of the 21st century, to look at modern ways of learning and teaching, as well as research and engagement. The Strategy seeks to modernise our learning and teaching spaces, our research training and innovation spaces as well as our engagement and partnership spaces.
As the Faculty of Science, we are the Faculty with the most South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI), and the most NRF – rated scientists. Faculty of Science also produces the most research outputs for the university.
In our Faculty, we don’t prepare our students for ‘something’; we prepare you for ‘anything’ you might face in the future.
Study, explore, discover, debate, relax, engage and embrace the start of the new academic year as it is a special time on campus, with new students, new relationships, new experiences and exciting conversations.
Keep up to date and connected
We encourage all our students to keep up to date and connected, and we welcome everyone to join us on: Facebook: Nelson Mandela University Faculty of Science
Facebook: Nelson Mandela University Faculty of Science
Twitter: @NMMUScience
LinkedIn: Nelson Mandela Uni Faculty of Science
Instagram: science_mandelauniversity
Website:https://science.mandela.ac.za/
Be sure to familiarise yourself with the Faculty Strategy document: https://science.mandela.ac.za/science/media/Store/documents/Strategy/Faculty-of-Science-Strategy.pdf .The Dean will always refer to the Faculty Strategy when engaging staff and students and therefore it is important for students to know their Faculty Strategy and to contribute towards its implementation plan. The document is the Faculty’s Vision 2030. It is an important document as it speaks about who we want to be – what we want to be known for?
We look forward to getting to know you and being part of your journey. I hope that this has given you some idea about why you should be excited about studying science in the Faculty of Science at Mandela university.
Professor Azwinndini Muronga
Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science
Nelson Mandela University