Kailene Pillay | 25 January 2023
The newly appointed Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, vice-chancellor and principal, Professor Pamela Dube. Picture: SUPPLIED
The Central University of Technology (CUT) in the Free State has officially welcomed the newly appointed vice-chancellor and principal, Professor Pamela Dube.
Council chairperson Matthew Rantso said the university being without a VC for more than a year and a half had been an “arduous journey”.
He said that the council prioritised making a female appointment.
“Our institutional values of equity and excellence inspired us to make this call. Without a doubt, we found her (Dube) to be the most suitable leader who will take the university forward. With her appointment, we, as a collective, believe that CUT is in good hands. The university is in a better position than it has been then and now.
“This is all because of our rigorous recruitment efforts. Rest assured; the new VC has the support of our council, all statutory bodies within the university, and the university community. She will carry on where we have been doing well to drive our academic projects and Vision 2030 to become a leading university of technology in Africa through innovation.”
He commended Professor Alfred Ngowi for serving CUT as acting vice-chancellor during that period.
“We have witnessed remarkable strides towards the operational efficiency of this university despite the challenges we have experienced. We have seen progress in filling the key positions, especially in the registrar’s division, with a shrewd eye on employment equity and representation,” said Rantso.
He added that Dube comes with vast experience, bringing credentials into this portfolio that would help her lead the university towards and beyond the CUT Vision 2030, using her knowledge and experience in the higher education sector.
Before joining the CUT, Dube served as a deputy vice-chancellor: Student Development and Support at UWC. She is an accomplished leader in academia, having completed her MA and PhD studies in comparative Literature and Media at the University of Siegen in Germany, supported by the German Exchange Programme, DAAD. Dube is also a graduate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). She lived and worked in Germany at the University of Siegen after completing her doctoral degree.
Her career includes higher education and research management, comparative media/communication and literature, human resources development, institutional advancement, student affairs and international relations. She has worked as a senior employee of the National Department of Education, as an academic at the universities of Siegen, Kathmandu University in Nepal, UKZN in Pietermaritzburg, and Wits in Johannesburg, where she was a dean of students.
She served as a special adviser to the vice-chancellor at the University of Johannesburg, where she also took on the leadership of the Human Resources Division.
She is a past employee of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, where she established an International Relations office and managed the Learning and People Development Unit.
Since her appointment began, Dube has been engaging with relevant stakeholders, getting to know the CUT community better.
“Today I look at my coming here at CUT as a beginning of a new dawn, a new journey. And as we begin this journey jointly as a collective, I want to thank the chair of the Council, councillor Matthew Rantso, the members of the council and the university stakeholders for your confidence and trust in me to drive the university Vision to 2030 and for the privilege of becoming the first woman vice-chancellor and principal of CUT,” saidDube
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