The North-West University (NWU) celebrated the exceptional achievements of its staff at the annual Excellence Awards ceremony held in Potchefstroom on 21 November.
Over 130 dedicated staff members were recognised for their remarkable contributions in areas including teaching and learning, community engagement, and research and innovation.
Professor Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of NWU, expressed pride in the recipients, stating, “We are honouring the dedicated and hardworking colleagues across our faculties and campuses for their cutting-edge research, innovative teaching, and impactful community engagement, which are crucial pillars of our mission to connect academic excellence with social impact.” He emphasised that the awards reflect the commitment of NWU staff to serve their communities, affirming education as a transformative bridge.
“These recognitions are a call to all of us at the NWU to continue fostering an ethos of community-centred excellence,” Tyobeka added, urging everyone to draw inspiration from the remarkable contributions celebrated during the awards. This ethos is articulated in the university’s strategic vision, “Taking the NWU Forward: 2024 and beyond,” which prioritises making academic work relevant and impactful.
This year, NWU recognised leading lecturers through the University Teaching Excellence Award, with Professor Lida Holtzhausen from the Faculty of Humanities and Prof De Wet Wolmarans from the Faculty of Health Sciences being the recipients.
Additionally, Adri Olivier (Faculty of Education) and Prof Lynndle Square (Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences) earned the Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award, while Elizma Visagie from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences was recognised for her use of Information and Communication Technology in teaching.
The Novice Teacher Award highlighted promising educators such as Vernique Diedericks, Cila Botha, and Sheurl Davis-Esterhuizen among others, while the Blended Teaching Award went to Dr Annamagriet de Wet from the Faculty of Education. A collaborative effort in education was showcased with the Team Teaching Award granted to a dedicated group of lecturers from the Faculty of Health Sciences.
The Excellence Awards also shone a light on community engagement, with five champions in four categories receiving recognition. Notably, Lemogang Masethe of Marketing and Student Recruitment was awarded the Engaged Teaching and Learning Award for her work in the Ikateleng Project, while Dr Benita Taylor from the Faculty of Health Sciences received recognition for her contributions to the Bafenyi Project.
Professor Janelize Morelli (Faculty of Humanities) was recognised for the Musikhane Community Music Engagement Programme with the Scholarship of Engagement Award, and Bathandekile Myeni also from the Faculty of Humanities earned the Discipline-based Outreach Award for the School of Music Food Bank initiative.
The awards further celebrated research accomplishments, with Professor Anita Pienaar from the Faculty of Health Sciences receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for her longitudinal studies on children's health and motor development. Professor Gabila Nubong from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences was acknowledged as NWU’s Most Productive Senior Researcher, with Prof Howard Chitimira (Faculty of Law) and Prof Anél Petzer (Faculty of Health Sciences) following as first and second runners-up respectively.
Emerging researchers were also in the spotlight, with Dr Chantel Muller earning the Most Productive Emerging Researcher Award. Further awards included recognitions for national and international membership, as well as the Top Inventor Award, which went to Prof Byron Bunt and Dr Lance Bunt from their respective faculties.
As part of NWU’s dedication to fostering educational excellence, the annual Faculty Teaching Awards served to honour outstanding lecturers across its eight academic faculties.
Earlier this month, 49 academics were recognised for their commitment to teaching. The initiative embodies NWU’s commitment to an academic environment where teaching and learning thrive, supported by various stakeholders that ensure a robust recognition process.