The newly appointed Vice Chancellor of the North West University, Professor Dan Kgwadi is a grand academic who fully understands the transformation imperative of higher education within the context of a developmental state. North West Premier Thandi Modise said in her congratulatory message to Prof

 

Kgwadi for his appointment to lead NWU.

 

 

 

“We congratulate Professor Kgwadi on his well-deserved appointment as Vice Chancellor of the North West University. We are confident that Prof Kgwadi’s appointment will further enhance the reputation of our university, deepen transformation and contribute to the University’s tradition of academic excellence.

 

 

 

Prof Kgwadi was elected to the new position during the North-West University Council meeting yesterday, 22 November.

 

 

 

Premier Modise said she is confident that Prof Kgwadi, who has been a Rector of the Mafikeng Campus, is equal to the task and will ensure that the University produces graduates with the right attributes that will help to put the Province on the map.  

 

 

 

“As Government we want to see NWU produce more graduates who are well-equipped and well-suited to deal with challenges facing the Province and the Country at large. We believe that in this new appointment Professor Kgwadi will be better placed to help the university to fulfil its educational mission, research enterprise and community involvement,” said Modise.

 

 

 

Premier Modise also thanked the outgoing VC, Dr Theuns Eloff for his visionary leadership during his tenure as Vice Chancellor, saying that he has provided visionary leadership and conducive atmosphere for academic excellence.

 

 

 

According to Louis Jacobs, NWU’s Director Communication, Professor Kgwadi will take up the new post on 01 June 2014 for a term of six years.

 

 

 

Prior to his appointment as Rector in 2005, he served as senior manager at the National Nuclear Regulator and head of the Physics departments at the Vaal University of Technology and the former University of North-West.

 

 

 

Prof Kgwadi has been a member of numerous professional bodies and chaired the education sub-group of the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP). He was also appointed to the UMALUSI council where he serves as deputy-chair of council as well as chairperson of the Assessment Standard Committee.

 

 

 

He holds BSc (Physics and Chemistry), MSc (Physics), MPhil (Environmental Law and Management) and a PhD (Physics Ed).

 

 

 

He also holds an honorary PhD in Management from the Hanseo University in South Korea, for his contribution in management and enhancement of students’ lives at the Mafikeng Campus.

 

 

 

Prof Kgwadi will replace Dr Eloff, whose term ends on 31 May 2014.-TDN

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