2026 – 2030 INSTITUTIONAL OPERATING PLAN
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CONTENTS UWC VISION 2040 2 UWC MISSION STATEMENT 2 UWC VALUES STATEMENT 3 ABBREVIATIONS 4 PREFACE 6 GOAL AREA 1 14 UWC’S PEOPLE AND INSTITUTIONAL CULTURE 14 GOAL AREA 2 24 THE ACADEMIC PROJECT
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GOAL AREA 3 34 SHAPE, SIZE AND PLACE
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GOAL AREA 4 41 STRATEGIC RESOURCE PLANNING AND SUSTAINABILITY
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The University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Vision 2040, Mission and Values frame this Institutional Operating Plan (IOP). They express the University’s collective identity and future aspirations, grounding the IOP’s goals and priorities in shared purpose and principle.
UWC Vision 2040 By 2040, the University of the Western Cape will be widely recognised as a leading research university, most notably for the nexus between its undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, its research endeavours, its substantial place in key areas in the knowledge ecosystem, its keen focus on the public good and transforming lives, and its productive relationships and effective partnerships with universities and key agencies in Africa and beyond.
UWC Mission Statement UWC is a proud South African public university known for its research strengths and its focus on being responsive to the needs and complexities of a changing world through excellence in teaching, learning and research and the generation and application of new knowledge. Firmly anchored in its local and sub-regional context and inspired by its distinctive academic role in building a more equitable and dynamic society, the University continues to empower its students, staff and partners to advance its mission of serving the greater public good and searching for humane and sustainable solutions to the challenges of our time. This is pursued through high academic standards, intellectual rigour and productive partnerships and networks beyond the confines of disciplinary and geographic boundaries.
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UWC Values Statement The University’s Mission is grounded in five enduring values, each with associated behaviours that guide our actions and decisions and our interactions with the world, and that serve as a compass against which to view our work. These values are:
3. Integrity and accountability We expect high standards of ethical and professional behaviour within a collegial institutional climate that is open to challenge and welcoming of robust debate, with the University’s best interests at heart.
1. Academic excellence We value excellence in learning and teaching, research and innovation, and we aim to be widely recognised as a leading research university. We strive to balance these core values and support a culture of reflection and responsibility among all members of the University community, balancing learning, teaching, research and innovation. We recognise the importance of academic freedom and encourage a reflective culture among all members of the University community, rooted in taking responsibility for excellence. More formally, we challenge mediocrity, critically review and assess what we have done, apply appropriate benchmarks, and use the results to bring about the necessary improvements that will make us more efficient and effective. We aim to be leaders in distinct and differentiating niche areas of excellence, consistent with our Mission, while maintaining high standards overall.
2. Engagement and responsiveness We cultivate a socially responsive, people-centred approach through education, research and critical engagement with important matters. We commit to pursuing knowledge that is responsive to societal and disciplinary contexts. We encourage independent thought and critical engagement to help transform lives and work toward a more equitable, inclusive and just society. We shall continue our work with communities, instilling in our students a culture of engagement, and strategically drawing on partnerships, alliances and international opportunities to address challenging issues of local and global concern. Consequently, academic excellence cannot be separated from relevance and impact.
Accordingly, we are accountable for our actions and decisions and will engender trust within and between our communities through values-based leadership. We are committed to credible, ethical and trustworthy behaviour that will ensure fair treatment of others. We will practise openness and transparency, while respecting the confidentiality of personal and sensitive information. We have a long-standing commitment to environmental sustainability and stewardship of our campus resources. We also uphold the high standards of intellectual inquiry, academic freedom and quality service provision.
4. Collegiality and collaboration, inclusivity and diversity The University is committed to equity, diversity, inclusivity and fairness. It seeks to nurture and build on our diverse cultural heritage. We strive to create a welcoming, inclusive and diverse community grounded in care, respect and meaningful participation. As a university, we remain committed to widening access and cultivating an atmosphere of trust, openness to different viewpoints, and mutual support. We uphold the inherent rights and dignity of every person and reject all forms of discrimination, whether based on race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language, birth, or xenophobia. Together, these statements serve as the institutional compass for the 2026–2030 IOP, guiding UWC’s strategic choices and operational focus.
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Abbreviations Abbreviation
Meaning
AI
Artificial Intelligence
APP
Annual Performance Plan
CHE
Council on Higher Education
CHEC
Cape Higher Education Consortium
DHET
Department of Higher Education and Training
FYE
First-Year Experience
HEQC
Higher Education Quality Committee
ICT
Information and Communication Technology
IOP
Institutional Operating Plan
KPI
Key Performance Indicator
M&E
Monitoring and Evaluation
NSFAS
National Student Financial Aid Scheme
PQM
Programme and Qualification Mix
SLP
Short Learning Programme
SOE
Scholarship of Engagement
SoTL
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
STI
Science, Technology and Innovation
UWC
University of the Western Cape
VC
Vice-Chancellor
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Preface Introduction
IOP 2026 - 2030 logo
As in previous planning cycles, the development of UWC’s new Institutional Operating Plan (IOP) presents an important opportunity to reflect critically and creatively on the University’s role in a rapidly evolving higher education landscape. It allows the institution to take stock of achievements and challenges, identify shifts in the internal and external environment, and reimagine strategic priorities that align with UWC’s Mission and Vision 2040.
The Collective Futures logo aims to express both rootedness and renewal, symbolising the University’s deep historical grounding and the strengths it has built over many years.
The process of developing this IOP again offered a structured platform to foster broad-based engagement across the University community. It encouraged dialogue and collaboration to support and strengthen institutional coherence and to cultivate a renewed sense of collective purpose. The process also offered space to integrate emerging areas from the previous IOP opportunity. Areas such as digital transformation, internationalisation, partnerships, and UWC’s evolving role as an anchor institution are integrated into the University’s strategic approach. Fundamentally, the IOP is not a compliance document but a dynamic planning instrument that enables the University to articulate ambitious yet achievable priorities, make strategic choices, and respond with agility to complex public challenges. Through this approach, the IOP 2026–2030 seeks to position UWC to build on its proud history, strengthen its distinctiveness, and continue contributing to the public good through its institutional mandate. The IOP process integrates priorities identified during the 2025 leadership transition into the University’s broader planning framework. It aligns them with the core institutional planning process to support key strategic focus areas that will shape the University’s future direction.
Collective in this context suggests: •
Inclusive participation in a process that is open and consultative.
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The interconnectedness of futures: The University does not exist in isolation; our future is linked with the future of the region, the country and the globe.
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A collective orientation compels us to consider not only institutional priorities, but also broader societal challenges such as inequality, climate change, health and the future of work.
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Embedded values: UWC’s commitment to social justice, solidarity and equity. It seeks to affirm the idea that transformation is not an individual journey but a collective process—of reimagining, co-creating, and acting together.
The use of the plural futures is intentional and significant. It intends to signal: •
An awareness that the University does not chart a singular path, but engages with multiple and evolving possibilities—those of the institution, its students and staff, its local communities, society at large, and the global context.
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That UWC recognises that the challenges and opportunities ahead require imagination, adaptability, and a readiness to engage diverse futures shaped by technological shifts, environmental change, social transformation and global complexity.
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Broader institutional planning context The formulation of this IOP took place alongside several related institutional processes that remain in progress. While these processes have contributed valuable contextual insight, the IOP stands as a coherent framework in its own right. These processes include: Institutional leadership transition (2025) A change in institutional leadership represents an important opportunity to reflect on emerging priorities and re-examine the University’s strategic direction. The 2025 leadership transition provided valuable input, which was integrated into the core institutional planning process to inform several areas captured in this IOP. Executive interdependency projects There are a significant number of interdependent strategic projects currently receiving attention through the various executive portfolios, and these include (organised per responsible lead portfolio):
Campus dialogue series A series of campus dialogues was held as part of the IOP process, focusing on: •
Revitalising the Intellectual Agenda of the Left
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Universities as Place, Space & Circumstance
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The UWC Way.
These dialogues informed the cross-cutting areas included in this IOP. Other institutional planning processes • In November 2026 the Minister approved UWC’s Enrolment Plan 2026–2030, and the targets are included in Goal Area 3 of this document. Target setting followed a process of faculty leadership engagements in the second semester of 2024 and the submission of the final Plan to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in 2025.
- DVC: Research and Innovation: Research Strategy; Postgraduate Student Value Proposition; and International Ratings and Rankings.
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- DVC: Academic: Teaching & Learning Strategy and Curriculum Reforms; Academic Workload Model; Academic Guidelines and Policy: Artificial Intelligence; and a Review of the Learning Management System (LMS) Model.
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- DVC: Student Development and Support: Accommodation and Belonging; A UWC Inclusion Index; and Student and Staff Nutrition and Wellness
The higher education landscape
- Executive Director: Finance and Services: Coordination of a Finance, Financial Aid and Work-Study Group; Structured Approach to Financial Planning and Budgeting; Unlocking the Commercial and Entrepreneurial Verve of Faculties and University Units; and Macro and Maintenance Planning - Registrar: Integrated Approach to Student Enrolment Planning; Marketing & Recruitment; Admissions; Registrations - Executive Director: Human Resources: Review of Structural Organisation of UWC; Review of Resource Allocation Model; and Review of the Ad-Personam Guidelines - Advisor to the VC: UWC Digital Ecosystem; Operational Efficiencies.
The preparation of a new Campus Spatial Development Plan.
Institutional Policy processes. Various institutional policies are being revisited and new policies developed to address policy gaps. Subsequent plans and frameworks will align with and support the strategic direction set out in the IOP.
Goal Area 2 in this IOP speaks to the period leading up to the Plan that was characterised by several significant national policy shifts. During September 2023, both the new National Plan for Post-School Education and Training (NPPSET, 2023) and the Council on Higher Education’s (CHE) Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) were released. While their focus areas differ, both frameworks emphasise student employability as a central measure of the relevance and quality of higher education. They call for stronger alignment between curricula, graduate attributes and labour-market needs, alongside the expansion of work-integrated learning and efforts to address graduate unemployment and underemployment. The 2020 Department of Higher Education (DHET) Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions foregrounds multilingualism as a means of advancing redress, epistemic access and social inclusion. It encourages universities to develop multilingual teaching and learning environments that reflect constitutional
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values and support an inclusive, responsive institutional culture. The 2022 Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Decadal Plan positions science and innovation as drivers of national renewal through three “Societal Grand Challenges”: climate change and environmental sustainability, future-proof education and skills, and the future of society. This plan promotes collaboration between universities, science councils, industry and communities, while advancing digital transformation, artificial intelligence and ethical innovation in pursuit of social justice. Finally, the 2023 CHE Policy on Articulation into and within Higher Education seeks to enhance mobility and lifelong learning by promoting fair, transparent articulation pathways, credit accumulation and transfer (CAT), and recognition of prior learning (RPL). The policy aims to dismantle barriers between academic and vocational routes and ensure that qualifications support meaningful progression across the system. Together, these developments signal a re-orientation of the higher education landscape toward improved quality, inclusivity, flexibility, employability and relevance.
The purpose of the IOP The development of the IOP is the product of substantial work and, as raised earlier, the convergence of several overlapping national and institutional planning processes. This implies that the formal process is not the ‘be-alland-end-all’ of planning, but that planning is a dynamic process whereby different mandates are derived from ongoing interaction with several regulatory bodies and funding agencies, including national departments. The formal IOP process solicited diverging and converging input through a combination of processes: a student IOP survey; analyses and independent reports on UWC’s relative performance; expert advice; an AllLeader workshop with the executives and deans, heads of departments and directors of units, task team and working group members; three campus dialogues; and active engagement with senior management and the University Council. Extending over six months, the process yielded valuable feedback from multiple constituents and input from executives and deans. A total of three Task Teams, supported by five Working Groups, were established, each premised on a goal area.
Thematically, the task teams focused on: Goal Area 1: UWC’s People and Institutional Culture This goal area addresses the student and staff experience by fostering an institutional culture that supports the strategic focus and strengthens engagement with UWC’s alumni. The aim is to ensure a student experience that not only supports academic success, but also cultivates engaged alumni. Two working groups supported this goal area. Goal Area 2: The Academic Project Departing from previous IOPs, and based on consultation, the current plan adopts a single goal area dedicated to the University’s core mandate. This goal area was supported by two working groups whose focus included the curriculum of the future, student success, programme delivery models, internationalisation, and consolidating UWC’s standing as a leading research university. Its purpose is to strengthen integration between core academic activities. The goal area recognised that community engagement is a core part of the academic focus, but for the purpose of the IOP, it is included as a cross-cutting area, requiring a renewed focus and approach that stretches beyond the academic mandate. Goal Area 3: Shape, Size and Place This goal area focuses on the institutional shape – namely the distribution of students across levels of study (undergraduate and postgraduate), academic disciplines and faculties, high-level CESM categories, modes of delivery (face-to-face, online, blended), and key demographic dimensions such as age, gender, race and locality. It also considers the overall size of the student body, including full-time and part-time enrolments. These factors have direct implications for the spatial requirements and types of facilities needed across the University’s campuses. The goal area builds on work undertaken in other goal areas, as well as the 2026–2030 enrolment mandate and the spatial development planning process.
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Goal Area 4: Strategic Resource Planning and Financial Sustainability This goal area focuses on the University’s ongoing financial sustainability and on building transformative financial capacity. Transformative financial capacity includes a focus on a supportive environment for commercialisation, short courses, badging and other entrepreneurial activities. This goal area was supported by one s and by other work in process. For purposes of uniformity, the task teams were requested to assess the current IOP and the emerging environment and propose a set of recommendations that: maintain and strengthen approximately 70% of what worked well in the 2021 to 2025 IOP; set aside about 15% to build momentum and nurture emerging areas and capabilities; and provide at least 15% scope to explore viable options for future growth. The task teams and their working groups were each chaired by a senior UWC academic. They brought together different institutional role players with different interests whose deliberations resulted in two task team reports that have been used as part of the input to inform the compilation of this document. Unlike the previous two IOPs, this IOP was not developed during a crisis and was concluded in a significantly shorter period, allowing for a more condensed and focused approach. Conducting strategic planning during a period when so many other critical processes are under way poses its own challenges. As the IOP stands now, the expectation is that the work being done by the executive through the respective interdependency projects will strengthen and, if needed, expand the priorities identified in this IOP, and bring additional focus and momentum to the implementation of strategic imperatives.
Mission, vision and values as enduring commitments The previous IOP process revisited and restated the Institutional Mission, Vision and Values. As is the practice, these statements are considered enduring and live beyond single IOP cycles. Vision statements are also considered enduring statements that guide the institutional focus towards a future state of being. The 2035 Vision has been slightly adapted in the 2040 Vision statement—to move UWC from a research-led university to a leading research university. This approach is supported in Goal Area 2 of this IOP.
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Gerwel, G.J. (1987). UWC Inaugural Address.
The previous IOP reminds us that the first critical moment of redefining UWC’s mission occurred in the build-up to its attainment of autonomous university status in the early 1980s. In 1982, the University adopted a new mission statement (“UWC Objectives”) in which it rejected the apartheid ideology on which it was founded with a formal declaration of non-racialism and “a firm commitment to the development of the Third World communities in South Africa”. As a result, UWC became the first residential South African university, in defiance of the apartheid state, to “open” its doors to all who qualified. This paved the way for UWC to later declare itself the intellectual home for the democratic left.1 The second moment of redefinition of purpose was necessitated at the advent of democracy to align UWC’s role with the broad post-1994 goals and aspirations of the new democratic order in South Africa. Following the promulgation of the Higher Education Act 101 of 1997, UWC adopted a new mission statement in the same year. The 1997 mission statement was slightly amended in the 2010 IOP. Although the previous mission statement served the University well for more than two decades, there was consensus that it needed to be updated to more accurately reflect UWC’s current purpose, identity, strategic direction, and renewed self-confidence. It was also important that the Mission look forward, rather than appearing to frame UWC’s future through a rear-view lens. This led to the revision of the mission statement in 2021.
Goal areas The IOP develops several specific goals (ends) and objectives and actions (the means) to enhance the University’s strategic position in four goal areas: Goal Area 1: UWC’s People and Institutional Culture Aims to foster a values-driven environment in which students and staff thrive, participate meaningfully in the academic project, and act with purpose in service of the public good. Goal Area 2: The Academic Project Aims to renew and integrate the University’s core academic work—learning and teaching, research, and postgraduate studies—so that, over the period from 2026 to 2030, UWC advances as a leading research university whose intellectual project is grounded in place, transformative and socially responsive, digitally enabled, and aligned with local, continental and global development priorities.
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Goal Area 3: Shape, Size and Place This goal area aims to maintain the focus on implementing UWC’s enrolment mandate, and on developing the University’s campuses as welcoming, supportive spaces for those who work, study and live there. It prioritises the provision of appropriate physical and digital infrastructure to create an environment that supports UWC’s academic project and advances the University’s role as an anchor institution. Goal Area 4: Strategic Resource Planning and Financial Sustainability This goal area aims to ensure the University’s long-term financial sustainability through integrated strategic resource planning. Its focus is on strengthening income diversification, improving efficiency, and building transformative financial capacity to support institutional resilience and the implementation of strategic initiatives.
Cross-cutting areas / change initiatives Building on the Campus Dialogues, the University has identified three interdependent cross-cutting areas that have the potential to facilitate large-scale change with a view to proactively leveraging the institution’s capabilities to achieve its strategic goals. The three cross-cutting areas serve as conceptual lenses that inform each goal area, and will be operationalised through subsequent implementation plans. Revitalising the University’s Intellectual Agenda: This cross-cutting area recognises that the intellectual agenda of a university informs institutional commitments to teaching, research, community, institutional culture and others. “This university is therefore historically placed, in fact, faces the historical imperative to respond to the democratic Left, to be an intellectual home for the Left.”2 With these words, UWC’s identity was forged in the heat of the mass struggles of the 1980s in direct and courageous opposition to how universities under apartheid were designed to entrench oppression. Through struggle and principled defiance, UWC came to embody an emancipatory vision: a university that actively resisted injustice and affirmed the equality, dignity and intellectual capacity of all, on and off the campus.3 At its best, the University, its staff and its students moved beyond the affirmation of principle into the realm of praxis. It is recognised that all thinking emerges from a particular historical and political context—and reflections on UWC’s intellectual identity in the current context must
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be rooted in the realities and challenges of our present moment. In the Campus Dialogue, it was recognised that some view UWC’s left-leaning legacy as a burden, and one which the University has outgrown. Still, it was agreed that the discussion is urgent and timely, especially with the rise of fascism and populism across the globe, the genocide being perpetrated in Gaza, and other illegal attacks on countries, all of which have laid bare the breakdown of the rule-based international order. It was agreed in the Campus Dialogue that the core principles of the left, organised around a fundamental and universal commitment to human rights, equality and justice, remain the same. All this influences the University and the nature of knowledge production and transmission. This cross-cutting area invites discussion about the University we want, and informs and positions its intellectual focus and identity. Locating Community Within UWC Intellectual Work This cross-cutting area is intended to probe the notions of place, space and circumstance in relation to the academic project and the University’s anchoring agenda. It also intends to have implications for the institutional culture. The cross-cutting area will assess how we foster a sense of belonging and, specifically, how we develop new lenses for locating community within the University’s intellectual work. Drawing on scholarship from Lefebvre and Ruth Wilson Gilmore, the Campus Dialogue on this area reminded the University that “space is not neutral, it is socially produced, layered with meaning, and shaped by historical forces.4 In UWC’s context, the University should serve as an active site of justice, transformation, and intellectual generosity. This cross-cutting area invites the campus community to ask how place (our rootedness in Bellville and the Western Cape), space (our institutional and intellectual architectures), and circumstance (our social, political and environmental conditions) shape UWC’s present and its possible futures, particularly in relation to belonging and how we view community within this framing. The scholarship of engagement (SoE) is also central to UWC’s role as an anchor institution, and to its commitment to community-centred spatial development. The UWC Way The notion of “The UWC Way” emerges from a recognition that institutional culture cannot be divorced from the intellectual and political commitments that define us. Just as UWC’s intellectual identity requires sustained reflection, so too does the institutional culture demand
Gerwel, G.J. (1987). UWC Inaugural Address. Premesh Lalu and Noëleen Murray, eds., Becoming UWC: Reflections, Pathways and the Unmaking of Apartheid’s Legacy (Bellville: Centre for Humanities Research, University of the Western Cape, 2012). The Vice-Chancellor’s introduction to Campus Dialogue 2.
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deliberate examination of how we embody transformative principles in our daily operations, relationships, and decision-making processes. The 3rd Campus Dialogue focused on this area, seeking to move beyond generic management frameworks toward what Edgar Schein (2017)5 identifies as the deep structure of organisational/institutional culture: the fundamental assumptions that unconsciously guide how we perceive, think, and act together. Again, unpacking these assumptions is important. The framing of the Dialogue recognised that universities globally face what one might term a cultural contradiction—pressures that can erode their distinctive identities whilst demanding greater accountability and efficiency. Market-driven imperatives, audit cultures, and managerial frameworks risk reducing higher education to standardised processes that contradict the very principles of critical engagement and social transformation. For UWC, this contradiction is particularly acute. UWC’s legacy of resisting apartheid’s educational designs, and its continued role as a transformative institution, cannot remain a historical narrative. These commitments must guide how we organise, relate to one another and enact our strategic vision. This cross-cutting area supports Goal Area 1 and reaches into all areas of university life. It challenges the University community to build institutional practices that reflect our aspirations and to show, through everyday interactions, what transformative education and critical engagement mean in practice.
a strong focus on supporting leadership stability and strengthening leadership development and accountability. •
The demand for access to higher education and traditional campus-based educational experiences will not diminish, but parents and students prefer campuses that: are safe and inviting to all; integrate academic and personal development in both physical, digital and virtual online environments; and are successful in graduating students who are well prepared to enter the world of work.
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Compliance with ongoing changes in accountability frameworks and reporting requirements introduced by the Government puts staff and systems under pressure to adapt and comply, with limited room to influence and improve such frameworks and processes.
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Nationally, university budgets will remain constrained because the government is redirecting expenditure to more pressing needs amid competing priorities. Added to this is the capping of fees, the lack of a lasting solution to the funding of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) shortfall, and funding the ‘missing middle’ group of students who fall outside of the NSFAS. As a result, current business models will be tested.
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In an era in which the value of higher education is being questioned at unprecedented levels, institutions will have to communicate more effectively with the public to showcase their activities and demonstrate their contribution to society, with the view to building greater trust. This also has implications for fundraising.
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The University will need to enhance its digital resilience through prudent, strategic investment in secure and scalable infrastructure that protects institutional data and supports adaptation to accelerating technological change.
5. Planning assumptions The IOP 2026—2030, and its associated goal areas, must be grounded in realistic assumptions about the opportunities and challenges facing the South African public higher education sector, as well as the institutional context. In this regard, this IOP is based on, among others, the following assumptions: •
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The reduction in the number of goal areas means that this IOP is not explicitly focusing on the University’s public image and governance. The IOP also has less of an executive-line and unit-specific focus. It assumes a continued focus on strengthening all aspects of the University. This includes its public image and the functioning of its governance structures, in line with their respective mandates and terms of reference.
The global issues of our time that inform, amongst others, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)6 require us to consider in which areas UWC has the intellectual capacity to make the most significant contributions.
While leadership changes are inevitable as individuals pursue new opportunities or retire, the IOP maintains
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Schein, E. H. & Schein P. H. (2017). Organisational culture and leadership (5th ed.). Jossey-Bass. The Sustainable Development Goals or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”. The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030 (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/).
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Goal Area 1 UWC’s People and Institutional Culture To foster a values-driven environment, where UWC’s people participate meaningfully in the academic project, enabling them to act with purpose in service of the public good.
Introduction
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This goal area advances the University’s core values of inclusivity, diversity, collegiality and integrity, ensuring that these principles are reflected in daily practice and leadership behaviour. The University will strengthen its institutional culture through initiatives that promote belonging, equity and accountability, while supporting the professional and personal development of staff and students alike.
Treats belonging, dignity, voice and agency as core conditions for academic excellence and institutional sustainability, rather than as “nice to have” support functions.
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Links institutional culture directly to performance, accountability and leadership practice, recognising that culture is “the living relationship between what we say we value and how we act together”.
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Strengthens UWC’s ability to attract, develop, recognise, support and retain people, students and staff in a highly competitive and resource-constrained environment.
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Positions UWC as a community guided by its values of integrity, collegiality, inclusivity, academic freedom and service to the public good.
A strong and values-aligned institutional culture is foundational to UWC’s ability to realise Vision 2040, enhance organisational effectiveness, and sustain a community where all members feel respected and able to contribute meaningfully. The University recognises its people as including both students and staff. These are not parallel constituencies; instead, students and staff are part of an interdependent community that participates in the University’s academic life, each in different ways and with different roles and responsibilities. All UWC’s people are integral to creating an institutional space that promotes active and meaningful intellectual engagement in an environment underpinned by the University’s values. This requires ethical leadership committed to a sustained focus on building conditions that support belonging, well-being, professional identity, inclusion, accountability and sustainability. This ensures that UWC is a place where people can do excellent work, study successfully, and access opportunities that advance their professional and personal development. UWC therefore approaches this goal area as a peoplecentred transformation agenda that:
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In the third Campus Dialogue focusing on The UWC Way: Organisational Culture as Transformative Praxis Building, the framing of the dialogue drew on Schein’s1 understanding of organisational culture as operating across three interconnected levels, recognising that authentic cultural transformation requires alignment between: •
Artefacts (visible practices): Policies, procedures, physical spaces and operational systems that must reflect, rather than contradict, institutional values.
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Espoused Values (stated commitments): UWC’s institutional values are included in this IOP as conscious principles that the University has stated as its commitments. However, the challenge is to ensure that stated values are not just empty words, but
Schein, E. H. & Schein P. H. (2017). Organisational culture and leadership (5th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
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are translated into daily practice and behaviour. The recent Culture Survey suggests a disjuncture. •
Basic Assumptions (unconscious beliefs): The deep patterns of meaning-making that drive behaviour, including fundamental beliefs about power, collaboration, excellence and justice. This goal area seeks to build on these three areas, recognising that institutional culture is not abstract. It is reflected in whose voices are heard, how decisions are communicated, whether students feel seen and able to ask for help or contribute meaningfully, the availability of development and career-progression opportunities, and the value placed on mental health and well-being, including the experiences of international staff and students at UWC.
This goal area is organised around mutually reinforcing commitments to students and staff: •
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Providing students with a welcoming, inclusive, wellsupported and meaningful university experience—one that develops identity, capability, confidence, and a sense of belonging from first contact through to graduation and beyond, as alumni. Providing staff with a values-based, collegial work environment in which people are recognised, developed, supported, and trusted to lead—where succession and talent pipelines are intentional, and where workload, well-being, voice and fairness are treated as strategic institutional risks, not private struggles.
the diversity of definitions. Academic citizenship is also intended to connect the daily experiences of work and study to the broader purpose of the institution. It entails fostering environments of care, collaboration, engagement and accountability. Academic citizenship takes different forms for students and staff, and formalises practices that already exist across the University. Academic citizenship brings shared focus and urgency to intentional participation in university life, and to engagement that extends beyond the campus. Cultivating such a community requires ongoing reflection, dialogue and renewal so that inclusion, accountability and excellence consistently inform practice. As UWC enters this IOP period, the University remains committed to fostering an environment in which all its people can thrive academically, professionally and personally, while contributing meaningfully to the public good and to the broader goals of a just and democratic society. UWC will encourage student academic citizenship that goes beyond attending classes and completing assignments. For students, this can include: •
Instilling a culture of active participation in the learning community: Engaging thoughtfully in classroom discussions, peer learning and collaborative projects, and contributing to a positive and inclusive learning environment for all.
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Respect for the University community and a culture of dignity and inclusion, guided by the code of conduct and academic integrity.
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Institutional Engagement: Participating in student governance bodies, student societies, campus events and University committees (e.g., as a student representative on a faculty structure, being a course rep, participating in a programme or departmental review, completing a survey) to provide input on decision-making processes and opportunities to improve the student experience and develop personal agency.
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Supporting Peers: Mentoring fellow students, being an academic tutor, providing support networks, and helping to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.
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Wider Community Engagement: Volunteering in local community projects, participating in University outreach programmes, and using skills and knowledge to benefit the broader society.
To pursue the focus of this goal area, several objectives are prioritised for attention.
1. Cultivating academic citizenship as the foundation of a thriving university community Within this IOP, UWC approaches academic citizenship as the enactment of shared values and processes that sustain and advance the University’s academic project. In seeking to establish a community where students and staff contribute actively to the intellectual and social life of the institution, academic citizenship represents the practice of belonging, participation, and shared responsibility in giving meaning to the University as a collective endeavour. The University recognises that its people form an academic community in which participation through active academic citizenship is both expected and encouraged, while acknowledging
Academic citizenship for staff extends beyond individual scholarship to institutional service, collegial support and
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public engagement. UWC encourages staff academic citizenship that includes: •
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Collegial Support: Mentoring junior colleagues, providing emotional support to co-workers, and generally being helpful and respectful to colleagues. Institutional Service: Serving on University committees, participating in decision-making processes, taking on leadership and management roles, participating in and contributing to faculty, unit and institutional engagements, and actively supporting the University’s mission and values. Disciplinary/Professional Service: Peer-reviewing journal articles and grant applications, editing journals, acting as an external examiner, and participating in and organising scholarly activities. Student Support: Creating dignified, respectful and caring environments that foster a sense of belonging. Public Engagement: Engaging with the broader public, contributing to the ongoing development of a democratic society, supporting human rights and social justice causes, and ensuring that the University’s work and academic endeavours have a positive impact beyond the university gates.
Commitments: These commitments will embed academic citizenship institutionally, rather than relying only on individual goodwill. Leadership and Recognition •
Lead by example—University leadership will champion academic citizenship in their own actions.
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Publicly acknowledge outstanding examples of academic citizenship among both staff and students.
Development and Orientation •
Provide staff and student leaders with opportunities to develop skills in mentoring, ethical leadership, inclusive practices and conflict resolution.
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Introduce the concept of student academic citizenship during orientation as a core expectation of being part of the University community.
Participation and Engagement •
Provide opportunities for students to engage in governance, volunteering, and leadership roles in classrooms, departments and faculties.
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Encourage the embedding of community-based learning or service-learning modules within the curriculum, allowing students to apply their knowledge while contributing to the broader society.
Climate and Feedback •
Actively work towards cultivating a culture that values collaboration and creating a sense of belonging and psychological safety for students and staff.
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Regularly solicit feedback from staff and students on their experiences to identify barriers and improve support systems.
The student experience Across all the IOP goal areas, objectives are supported by strategies and actions that promote a positive institutional environment focused on student wellbeing and academic success. These efforts also create opportunities for students to develop digital skills that support their studies and prepare them for future employment. Goal Area 2 also speaks to the importance of providing contextually relevant programmes and a more integrated approach to student support. UWC recognises that students are a core constituency of the University community. The 2025 IOP Student Survey, with 3 426 complete and cleansed respondents, informs these objectives, including insights on inclusion, safety, financial stress, digital access, and the postgraduate supervision experience.
Student Voices: Insights from the 2025 IOP Student Survey Shortly before the finalisation of the IOP, an IOP Student Survey was circulated to all UWC students and included questions in relation to the four goal areas. Responses from 3 426 students were analysed. The findings will be discussed and shared more broadly as part of the rollout of IOP implementation, but it is important to include some of the high-level findings of the survey:
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Students articulated a deep sense of pride in UWC’s social-justice mission and the University’s commitment to access and equity.
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Financial hardship emerged as the most pervasive constraint on academic success. Students highlighted financial pressure from families, food security, housing instability and digital exclusion as intertwined barriers that erode focus and well-being.
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Safety and inclusion remain deeply felt concerns. Students highlighted risks in commuting to campus, especially from transport hubs after dark. They called for stronger measures against theft, harassment and gender-based violence. They valued UWC’s diversity, but pointed to persistent social fragmentation and stigma affecting international and LGBTQIA+ students.
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In the digital realm, students recognised the advantages of online platforms and the potential of emerging AI tools, but emphasised unequal connectivity, device access and uncertainty around ethical use. They expressed readiness for guidance on responsible AI literacy integrated into curricula. For postgraduate students, the supervision relationship remains pivotal, underscoring the importance of communication, feedback and access to resources. Frustrations with administrative inefficiencies and access to learning spaces were also highlighted. Students articulated a deep sense of pride in UWC’s social-justice mission.
With students as a core constituency of the University community, the institution will draw on conceptual and developmental frameworks to support the development of a strong student identity and the formation of students’ professional identities. This work depends on creating an environment that nurtures a deep sense of belonging and strengthens students’ personal agency. Student well-being is recognised as an important contributor to academic success. It reflects the University’s commitment, within its Collective Futures vision, to nurturing graduates who are confident, socially responsive, and equipped to contribute meaningfully to society. In this sense, learning at UWC is not confined to the classroom. Instead, it is part of a wider educational experience that integrates intellectual growth with ethical, social and professional development—preparing students to participate fully in the life of the University and the world it serves.
The University also recognises that an extensive range of issues influence the student experience. These include issues such as the importance of a vibrant student life experience, and opportunities to participate in activities that create a sense of institutional belonging (sport, social and cultural events), efficient and seamless administrative processes, access to academic and well-being support services, contextual sensitivity and responsiveness, internet connectivity, transport, a university brand that instils pride, and adequate and appropriate infrastructure. UWC will employ integrated strategies to address the matters under its control.
2. Providing a student experience that supports belonging, care and flourishing UWC recognises that there are systemic barriers to inclusion, but remains committed to cultivating a supportive ecosystem where students feel valued and are equipped with the tools and support they need to thrive academically, personally and, ultimately, professionally. When considering issues of student experience and belonging, the University often focuses on the support services provided through the DVC: Student Support and Development line, and does not adequately reflect on the effect of students’ classroom experiences on their sense of belonging. In the Campus Dialogue focusing on “The UWC Way: Organisational Culture as Transformative Praxis”, students shared powerful examples of staffstudent interactions that signal trust and empathy, rather than just knowledge transmission. While this feedback was overwhelmingly positive, the discussion acknowledged that these views might not represent the full diversity of student experiences. The dialogue thus reflected both inspiration and the need for continued listening. Fostering authentic relationships, providing holistic support, and integrating well-being into the entire student experience is crucial. The focus on academic citizenship will support authentic relationship-building. The University recognises that well-being is perceived differently across its diverse student body, requiring an intersectional, tailored approach rather than a “one-sizefits-all” solution. Key matters include providing proactive mental health resources alongside building resilience skills, connecting academic work to real-world purpose, and ensuring that physical and digital environments are inclusive and supportive. Ultimately, recognising that wellbeing and academic success are synergistic, and investing in a supportive, caring community in which students feel valued and seen, is an investment in their holistic development and future success.
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UWC students often point to uneven experiences of inclusion across faculties, residences, administrative support departments and modes of study. Students’ university experiences are also influenced by whether they live in a residence or commute, whether they have funding support, whether they are undergraduate or postgraduate students, and whether they are local or international students. The IOP students’ survey also points to barriers created by financial stress, food security, safety and transport issues, inadequate learning spaces on campus and, at times, alienating administrative processes. These require coordinated, proactive support, rather than fragmented, crisis-response interventions.
Belonging, Inclusion, and Student Experience
Commitments:
Student Leadership, Engagement and Development
Well-being and Mental Health •
Increase communication about mental health and well-being services, including digital tools such as WYSA and MYM, and expand opportunities that empower students to take ownership of their wellbeing and academic journey.
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Use targeted communication strategies to encourage and destigmatise help-seeking.
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Continue to focus on dignified ways to address food security challenges experienced by students, especially during exam periods.
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Continue to focus on addressing genderbased violence (GBV) through policy, response, accountability and culture change, positioning dignity, bodily autonomy and freedom from harm as core to institutional belonging.
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Monitor students’ sense of belonging in ways that enable the University to disaggregate feedback by student groupings (including differently abled students, international students, postgraduates, and Oppidan/commuter students). This will include tracking whether students feel seen, safe, respected, and able to ask for help.
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Strengthen institutional support for international students, including those from Africa, to promote full participation, inclusion, and a strong sense of belonging.
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Promote a vibrant culture of debate, intellectual engagement and democratic student activism by supporting forums and partnerships that encourage critical dialogue, civic education, and student leadership development.
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Embed values-based student leadership and participatory governance as developmental spaces, not just representational structures, so that leadership roles become incubators of ethical public engagement and professional readiness.
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Strengthen student leadership development by supporting training, mentorship and developmental opportunities that enable student leaders to participate effectively and ethically in governance and University life.
Safety and Campus Access •
Continue to improve campus safety by expanding lighting at night (especially between the campus and residences), making security more visible, and exploring access to additional study spaces on campus after hours.
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Assess opportunities to address student transportation needs by exploring different funding models.
Digital Access and Inclusive Learning Environments •
Focus on reducing the existing digital divide in terms of access to devices and connectivity, as well as digital literacy.
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Focus on improving universal access in areas of the campus where this has not yet received attention.
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Physical and digital environments are inclusive and supportive. Ultimately, the strategy needs to recognise that well-being and academic success are synergistic, and investing in a supportive, caring community where students feel valued and seen is an investment in their holistic development and future success.
The staff experience At the time of finalising this IOP, the University commenced engagements around the results of the 2025 Staff Culture Survey (using the Barrett Values Assessment tool) conducted earlier in the year. In all executive lines and four of the seven faculties, more than 50% of staff
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participated, and the proportional breakdown of academic and professional staff participation is consistent with the actual distribution of staff across these high-level categories. It is the third time UWC has used the Barrett Values Assessment tool for this purpose, and it now also provides valuable insights into shifts over time. The findings will inform targeted interventions and portfolio plans during the IOP period.
Collegiality, respect, flexibility and inclusion are central to how staff experience the University. Aligned with the Collective Futures focus of the IOP, UWC will embed these values through people-centred systems that balance performance with care, and accountability with compassion. In doing so, the University affirms that institutional sustainability and a supportive work environment are mutually reinforcing goals.
In terms of how staff perceive the current institutional culture, potentially limiting values include: bureaucracy, burnout, silo mentality, hierarchy, control and blame; and positive elements include: diversity, student-centredness, community involvement, and the University brand.
The analysis by the task team focusing on this area raises concerns about inconsistent talent development and succession planning; workload and burnout; uneven access to career mobility for professional and support staff; slow or bureaucratic processes that erode trust; a perceived gap between espoused values and lived experience; and under-representation of black African staff and women at senior levels. These issues directly affect the institutional culture and the University’s ability to achieve its strategic objectives.
UWC recognises that values are at the heart of organisational culture, as they guide behaviour, shape decision-making, and foster a shared sense of purpose among employees. They serve as the foundation for how people within the organisation interact and engage with one another. Other goal areas also address strategies to support staff development and to create opportunities for staff to work together in new and deliberate ways across reporting lines to intentionally address silos that might persist. The focus on creating a supportive environment for staff is not only a Human Resources function, but also the responsibility of leadership across the institution, supported by appropriate policy frameworks and processes.
3. Staff Experience, Leadership, Wellbeing and Workload UWC remains committed to attracting, developing and retaining talented and committed people within a collegial and supportive environment. This objective recognises that UWC’s long-term success depends on creating conditions where academic and professional staff can thrive — through fair workloads, growth opportunities, and a culture of care, recognition and well-being. The University’s success largely depends on its people: the academic, professional and support staff who advance its public higher education mandate. However, the increasing complexity of higher education has brought heightened pressures: intensified workloads, resource constraints, and growing emotional demands. To sustain excellence, UWC must create an environment that supports its people throughout their professional journey — from recruitment and induction to progression, career development and recognition.
Through engagements around staff experience, the need to fast-track digitalisation processes has been identified as a key element in addressing burnout. This confirms the need for a people-centred approach to digital transformation that prioritises human needs and experiences over technology alone. It recognises that people are the primary drivers of successful change, with technology as an enabler. This supports the institutionalisation of the previous IOP’s focus on the UWC Digital Ecosystem to reduce administrative burden and improve service experiences. The task team focusing on the academic project also highlighted the need to strengthen teaching capacity and academic leadership within faculties. This requires further attention and investment to support an environment conducive to innovative learning and teaching, and to expand UWC’s research capacity and depth.
Commitments: Institutional Culture and Values •
Strengthen institutional culture and processes to ensure that work practices, including meeting and email demands, support staff in dedicating time to their core academic and support responsibilities.
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Actively promote the University’s values and the behaviours that embody them.
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Embed staff well-being within the University’s culture, recognising physical, psychological and social wellness as fundamental to retention and performance.
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Expand access to employee wellness services, peersupport initiatives, and mental-health awareness programmes. Align people development with the University’s broader strategic goals, recognising that people are central to long-term institutional sustainability and success.
Talent, Retention and Succession •
Implement the Talent Management Framework to, among others, support institutional priorities, mentorship and succession processes, and HR digitalisation processes, and strengthen a performance development culture.
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Strengthen staff retention through mentoring, leadership development and succession planning, with a focus on early-career academics, middle management support staff, and underrepresented groups.
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Focus on developing staff progression pathways for professional and support staff.
Administrative Efficiency and Digital Transformation •
Prioritise the digitalisation of key administrative processes, accompanied by process redesign, collaborative co-design with frontline staff, and structured change management to ensure sustainable improvements in efficiency and workload.
4. Advancing equity, inclusion, and a culture of trust Strengthening UWC as an inclusive, values-driven community in which all staff feel respected, heard and empowered to contribute to the life of the University will deepen equity, promote open communication, and build institutional trust. Equity and inclusion remain central to UWC’s identity and legacy. Yet the work of transformation remains ongoing, requiring the University to address not only structural barriers, but also the everyday experiences that shape belonging, respect and participation. A truly inclusive culture depends on transparency, accountability and mutual trust—values sustained by timely, empathetic and clear communication.
Workload Management and Evidence-based Practices •
Finalise and implement institution-wide workload models that balance the responsibilities of academic and professional staff across teaching, research, engagement and administration.
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Support academic and professional support staff leaders to foster fair and transparent workload practices that promote accountability and well-being.
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Strengthen institutional data and reporting capabilities to support evidence-based monitoring and management of workloads.
Leadership Development •
Support leadership development programmes to prepare staff for formal leadership roles, specifically for HoDs, Deans and Directors.
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Succession planning and leadership development through short-term acting or deputy roles.
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Assessment of existing leadership programmes and their strategic alignment.
UWC recently completed a new five-year Employment Equity Plan that coincides with the IOP implementation period. This Plan represents a commitment to continued transformation and development. Progress in implementation will be monitored carefully. Increasingly, organisations are using diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) frameworks to create workplaces where all employees feel valued and respected, and have equal opportunities. In this context, diversity focuses on different traits; equity ensures fair access to resources; inclusion actively values and supports diverse perspectives; and belonging is the feeling of being accepted and emotionally safe. UWC values the elements of the DEIB framework, but has not used it to guide the strategic implementation of initiatives. During the IOP period, the University will assess where selected DEIB metrics and practices can strengthen existing transformation strategies. The University seeks to foster an environment in which staff across all employment categories and levels feel that their voices are valued, that they are treated with fairness and dignity, and that decisions are made in participatory, transparent ways. Building institutional trust and coherence requires aligning words with actions—ensuring that communication, leadership practices and policy implementation embody the University’s commitment to equity and care.
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Commitments:
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Employment Equity and Representation •
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Advance employment equity through intentional recruitment, development and promotion practices that reflect the diversity of South Africa and UWC’s transformation commitments.
Communication and Accountability •
Ensure ongoing tracking of implementation progress towards the targets of the Employment Equity Plan.
Enhance internal communication to promote clarity, transparency and consistency across the University.
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Regularly review policies, practices and institutional data to identify and address systemic barriers to inclusion and representation.
Model open and ethical communication in leadership practices, aligning institutional intentions with lived experience.
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Establish clear feedback loops on decisions that affect staff, including how input was considered and what actions will follow.
Inclusive Institutional Culture •
Strengthen partnerships between management, unions and other representative bodies to promote trust, transparency, inclusion and shared accountability.
Embed inclusion in institutional culture by promoting respectful interaction, intercultural competence, and sensitivity to difference.
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Promote a respectful workplace culture.
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Explore the feasibility of the utilisation of DEIB frameworks and metrics in the UWC context.
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Promote the scholarship of engagement (SoE) as UWC’s distinctive scholarly practice of community engagement, supporting a culture of equity and trust.
Engagement, Dialogue and Voice •
Create structured and informal channels for staff engagement, dialogue and feedback that ensure diverse voices are heard in decision-making processes.
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Support leadership and line managers to engage in active listening, consultation and collaborative problem-solving with their teams.
Conclusion The strength and sustainability of the University of the Western Cape lie in its people, in how students and staff experience the University, how they relate to one another, and how they collectively give meaning to its academic project. This goal area affirms that belonging, care and well-being are not peripheral concerns, but central conditions for academic excellence, institutional integrity and public value. Across all its commitments, UWC aims to cultivate academic citizenship, enhance student and staff experience, advance equity and inclusion, and build a culture of trust and accountability. The institution will align its daily practices with its espoused values. Ultimately, the University’s culture is expressed not only in what it says, but in how it lives its values, in the quality of its relationships, the trust it builds, and the futures it makes possible. The University will deliberately focus on being a place where people and ideas thrive together in the pursuit of a just, inclusive and sustainable future.
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Goal Area 2 The Academic Project To renew and integrate the University’s core academic work—learning and teaching, research and postgraduate studies—so that, over the 2026–2030 period, UWC advances as a leading research university whose intellectual project is grounded in place, transformative and socially responsive, digitally enabled, and aligned with local, continental and global development priorities.
Introduction This goal area advances the University’s commitment to academic excellence, social responsiveness and innovation by bringing teaching, learning, research and postgraduate development together in a coherent, futureoriented, inclusive and transformative academic project. It reflects the decision to combine what were previously separate focus areas for learning and teaching and for research, acknowledging their interdependence and affirming UWC’s commitment to an academic ecosystem in which the creation and dissemination of knowledge are mutually reinforcing. UWC affirms that research directly enhances the quality and relevance of teaching. Students in research-rich environments benefit from learning that is enriched by active and engaged scholars at the forefront of their fields. Teaching and research are thus inseparable elements of the University’s academic mandate. The University will continue to foster a culture in which teaching and research are recognised as interdependent and equally vital facets of academic life. This culture is anchored in UWC’s foundational values of academic excellence, engagement, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and diversity. Through this goal area, the University seeks to explore how these values can be translated into concrete objectives and actions that strengthen the academic project. Also included in the Preface to this IOP is a reference to the refinement of UWC’s Vision statement, shifting the emphasis from being a research-led university to becoming a leading research university. Achieving this
transition will require bold investment, particularly in postgraduate studies and postdoctoral research fellowships. While the necessary resources may not be realised immediately, envisioning this future allows the University to identify new opportunities and pathways to realise it. This goal area also seeks to build on UWC’s longstanding commitment to providing epistemological access to higher education. Underlying this commitment is a concern with both access to higher education and success. Students should have every opportunity to excel in their studies. Being well-versed in their disciplines is only part of what is needed. Students graduating from UWC need to command significant social capital, be broadly educated, and show innovative flair in applying and extending knowledge. Recognising these needs has important implications and requires, among others, well-planned management of student entry into the institution and of opportunities to engage in its academic, intellectual and communal life. Care is essential. The commitment to epistemological access requires ongoing, serious engagement with the curriculum across faculties and disciplines, ensuring that UWC’s commitment to social justice and transformation is meaningfully embedded in its teaching practices. This focus affirms that equity and excellence are mutually reinforcing imperatives within UWC’s Academic Project. UWC’s forthcoming five-year Internationalisation Strategy is also intended to serve as a key enabler of the academic project. The Strategy adopts a principled, values-based approach that advances excellence in learning, teaching, research and engagement through equitable global partnerships. It prioritises bringing an African voice to international scholarship, and contributing to the
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Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Recognising past achievements, it will build on the existing strategic international partnerships and deepening South–South and North–South collaborations, and expanding SEA-ARC (Southeast Asian) networks. Attention is also given to expanding participation in international consortia such as the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa, Matariki (MNU), SANORD, CHARM-EU, and the Association of African Universities— positioning UWC as a leading African research university advancing social justice, sustainability and knowledge exchange. These commitments form the foundation of the academic project’s implementation over the 2026–2030 period, supported by an evolving national higher education policy environment.
National planning and policy imperatives This goal area is also informed by recent national policy shifts that have shaped higher education priorities in quality, employability, transformation and digital innovation. In the period leading up to this IOP, there were various changes in the external higher education landscape (also see Goal Areas 3 and 4), including the introduction of new national frameworks and policies. Most notably among these are the September 2023 launch of the National Plan for Post-School Education and Training (NPPSET), and the Council on Higher Education’s (CHE) Quality Assurance Framework (QAF). Both documents strongly emphasise student employability as a core measure of the higher education system’s relevance and quality in meeting South Africa’s development needs. The QAF does not treat employability as a standalone, separate criterion, but integrates it into a broader understanding and positioning of quality. This includes a focus on the relevance of higher education to society and the economy, embedding graduate attributes, and promoting good practices. It also highlights work-integrated learning as a key focus for quality promotion and institutional engagement, addressing concerns about graduate under- or unemployment. The 2020 DHET Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions further shapes this context and has since received some DHET funding to support implementation. The Framework’s emphasis on multilingualism is rooted in several key principles and objectives, including redressing historical inequalities, enhancing student success, supporting epistemic access, promoting constitutional values, and fostering an inclusive institutional culture. UWC’s draft Language Policy offers a significant opportunity to embed multilingualism on campus and within the curriculum.
Beyond the higher education sector, national innovation frameworks also guide the academic project. South Africa’s Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Decadal Plan, released in 2022, calls for the strategic use of science, technology and innovation to modernise key sectors of the economy, stimulate productivity, and strengthen the country’s capacity for social and economic renewal. At its core are three societal grand challenges— climate change and environmental sustainability (see Goal Area 3), future-proof education and skills, and the future of society—which together frame a national agenda that connects innovation with the public good. A central thrust of the Plan is the expansion and transformation of the research system to address historical inequities and enable more inclusive participation in knowledge production. It will also promote greater collaboration between universities, science councils, industry and civil society. It envisions a diversified landscape that includes new universities, research institutes and digital technology centres. The Decadal Plan also foregrounds digital and data-driven transformation as a national priority, calling for the ethical and equitable deployment of artificial intelligence, cyberinfrastructure and big data analytics to ensure that innovation advances human capability and social justice. In March 2023, the CHE also released the Policy on Articulation into and within Higher Education, which aligns with the broader PSET articulation policy and the QAF. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are required to have their own articulation policies that are fair and transparent. Mechanisms like credit accumulation and transfer (CAT) and recognition of prior learning (RPL) are encouraged to facilitate student mobility. The CHE also supports articulation hubs where institutions collaborate on implementing these mechanisms. The QAF itself supports articulation through its focus on curriculum transformation and flexibility. A key goal for the NPPSET is to enable learners to move through various education and training pathways, preventing “dead-end” qualifications and addressing barriers to articulation, such as the perceived hierarchy between academic and vocational qualifications and a lack of institutional flexibility. Articulation remains central to supporting lifelong learning (see Goal Area 3). UWC affirms the importance of linking its academic endeavours to the realities and lived experiences of communities. Academic engagement with communities is important for informing and shaping learning and teaching, as well as research, at UWC. This integration of academic and civic purpose is a defining feature of the University’s identity. In this IOP, this focus is included as an important cross-cutting area that requires renewed attention to refining and strengthening the University’s academic identity (see Preface).
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The context presents strategic opportunities that will require institutional agility and adaptive approaches to sustain curriculum relevance, academic excellence, and the University’s transformative focus. Community engagement will remain integral to the Academic Project, linking teaching, learning and research with societal transformation and regional development priorities. Collectively, these policy and strategic shifts reinforce UWC’s commitment to a dynamic academic project. The following objectives set out key focus areas as part of strengthening the academic project within the evolving national and global policy environment.
1. Curriculum planning, review and renewal Curriculum renewal is central to the continuous enhancement of UWC’s academic project and aligns with its commitment to relevance, excellence and transformation. Curriculum planning and renewal are not new processes at UWC, and the Curriculum Renewal and Transformation Framework supports this work, along with the established UWC graduate attributes and the Student Retention and Success Framework. This focus spans all undergraduate programmes, advanced diplomas and certificates, Honours and postgraduate diplomas, and structured Master’s programmes. The pace of change in the external environment necessitates a shift from static curriculum planning to continuous adaptation of undergraduate and postgraduate programme offerings. This approach positions UWC to respond proactively to emerging knowledge areas, societal priorities, and technological innovation. Building on the CHE institutional audit process, the Quality Assurance Unit was strengthened and subsequently reintroduced internal programme reviews. Through their focus on programme relevance and quality, the integration of multi- and interdisciplinary elements, and the embedded focus on graduate success, such reviews are essential for curriculum renewal. External reviews of professional academic programmes accredited by national structures are well established and provide insights into the advantages of ongoing, rigorous review processes and the importance of monitoring the implementation of review findings. Together, these review processes ensure continuous improvement and alignment with national quality standards.
Effective curriculum renewal at UWC should focus on relevance, maintaining an appropriate balance between theory and practice, and ensuring that assessment methods consider the intended UWC graduate attributes.
Central to this renewal is a deep commitment to social justice, Africanisation and decoloniality. This approach affirms the centrality of African knowledge systems and epistemologies as sources of innovation and global insight, ensuring that curriculum renewal at UWC advances inclusive excellence, rather than reactive reform. Such work must move beyond reaction to colonial frameworks toward genuine inclusion of African epistemologies and underrepresented voices, calling for the intentional inclusion of and focus on underrepresented voices and African examples in learning and teaching as core elements of the curriculum, moving beyond mere box-ticking to genuine and substantive inclusion. Building on the former vice-chancellor’s inaugural address, previous IOPs supported a teaching approach that prioritises applying a learning lens to teaching. This “learning-first” approach requires continuous reflection on student preparedness, pedagogy and assessment practices. The focus on curricula that are relevant and responsive to socio-economic realities and cultural contexts, whilst fostering critical awareness of how knowledge is produced and disseminated, is vital for supporting student learning and addressing the persistent articulation gap between school and university studies. For any academic department submitting a new or amended programme, the commitment to relevance should be supported by a requirement to include evidence of engagement with external stakeholders. To ensure future readiness, programmes must also account for the ethical use of technology and include provisions for flexible and interdisciplinary learning. Upholding curriculum integrity will depend on rigorous operational systems and evidence-based assurance processes. This will require the consistent use of learning analytics and the strengthening of internal assurance systems. This renewal will also open opportunities for flexible short-course design and lifelong learning pathways that contribute to the University’s broader income diversification strategy. Responsive pedagogies depend on continuous engagement with assessment and moderation practices, which are central to successful curriculum renewal. The University’s new Assessment and Moderation Policy reframes moderation from a traditional final compliance check to a continuous, collaborative and reflective process embedded throughout the learning and teaching cycle. These practices promote a culture of reflection and shared accountability, and support student learning by upholding fairness, consistency and academic integrity across all modes of delivery. UWC’s curriculum renewal should be a holistic endeavour, integrating balance, African relevance, technological ethics
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and robust quality assurance to prepare its graduates for a complex future. Thus, expanding opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and teaching, breaking down traditional silos, and fostering a holistic, adaptable learning experience should also be explored. Future readiness further depends on rethinking approaches to digital literacy and entrepreneurship. UWC’s Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SoLT) Framework, which provides both financial support and professional expertise to inform pedagogical and curriculum reforms, will also play a more central role in curriculum renewal. UWC will align its professional learning and teaching development initiatives with the National Framework for Enhancing Academics as University Teachers (DHET, 2017), ensuring that continuous professional development, peer collaboration, and the recognition of teaching excellence are embedded throughout the academic career continuum. This alignment will ensure that professional learning supports continuous curriculum renewal across disciplines.
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Expand work-integrated learning opportunities for more students as part of curriculum renewal.
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Broaden access for students to entrepreneurial skills development, which could, for example, be included in compulsory skills modules.
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Continue to strengthen RPL processes to support broadening access through articulation, prior learning and work experience.
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Consider opportunities to further strengthen and expand the focus on the scholarship of learning and teaching as reflective academic practice.
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Strengthen academic staff development in faculties and departments to allow for content that is also discipline-specific, and that supports curriculum development, enhancing teaching with technology, and mastering new assessment practices that are immediately relevant to disciplinary needs.
UWC has expanded its focus on multidisciplinary research and can further expand opportunities to incorporate this approach into its programme offerings. Given the complexities of the world of work and the expanded set of skills employers require, this creates opportunities to incorporate a multidisciplinary approach into UWC’s academic programme offerings and should be explored.
Quality Assurance and Review Systems •
Finalise the institutional Quality Assurance Policy and Framework that includes, among others, external stakeholder engagement as an important element of new programme development and programme amendments.
To date, curriculum redesign has been uneven, and various challenges and gaps remain, including in implementation, embedding digital literacy, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) ethically, and recognising ongoing curriculum development and renewal as important scholarly activities. Addressing these gaps will require stronger institutional coordination and recognition of curriculum renewal as a scholarly and strategic priority.
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Provide opportunities to build broad institutional capacity and embed quality assurance practices across faculties and support units.
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Formalise a multi-year calendar for programme and departmental reviews to improve alignment between these processes and allow adequate time to prepare for such reviews.
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Introduce data-driven quality assurance using analytics to inform policy, professional development, and continuous improvement.
Commitments: Curriculum Renewal and Pedagogical Innovation •
Actively pursue curriculum renewal across all faculties and programme offerings.
Curriculum renewal forms the foundation for the next focus area, which deepens the University’s commitment to integrated, student-centred support.
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Create University-wide and faculty-specific opportunities for sharing good practice in curriculum renewal, focus on responsive pedagogical approaches, and ensure that modes of assessment support intended curriculum renewal outcomes.
2. Integrated student-centred support
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Strengthen the integration of technology into teaching, learning, research and engagement, ensuring that students develop the digital and ethical competencies required for scholarly practice and future employability.
A student-centred academic environment requires integrated systems of academic, developmental and psychosocial support that enable all students to thrive. Over successive IOP cycles, UWC has focused on strengthening its academic project across all programme offerings, and on building research capacity. The University has also expanded and professionalised student support functions across executive lines and faculties. However, there are some gaps, underdeveloped
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areas and, crucially, often a lack of communication, integration and alignment of effort among core support units. Among other things, this siloed approach often results in successful models not being shared or applied at scale, duplication of effort, and misalignment between different student support approaches. These efforts have created a strong foundation for student success, but greater coherence across structures is still required. Strengthening cross-faculty coordination will ensure that effective interventions benefit the wider student body. A key implication is that, apart from efforts to ensure that students in their first years of study are not left out, the University also fails to integrate and draw on successes from both undergraduate- and postgraduate-focused support. Successful examples of undergraduate and postgraduate support practices are often not shared or extended institution-wide, limiting scalability in a resource-constrained environment. A concern is that UWC has limited capacity for fulltime academic advising and mentoring. This function is currently entirely dependent on grant funding. Such support, however, is often provided informally by academic and other staff as part of their ongoing engagement with students. Providing professional development opportunities related to student advising and mentoring to more staff members could significantly address capacity, embed this function more broadly, and integrate it into curriculum, academic and support practices. Building such capacity is vital to achieving a holistic and proactive student-support model. Many student-support activities currently depend on diminishing DHET grant funding. This threatens the sustainability of key functions and contributes to staff turnover driven by job-security concerns. Through the Kresge Foundation-funded Siyaphumelela project, UWC has built considerable capacity in learning analytics and strengthened its overall business intelligence capacity to support data-informed decisions. Despite this capacity, data use remains fragmented, with gaps in integration that limit evidence-based decisionmaking across the institution. Gaps remain, particularly in communication, integration, and alignment of effort among core support units (see Goal Areas 3 and 4). Addressing these gaps will enable earlier identification of student needs and more coordinated interventions.
a result, engagement with initiatives that promote wellbeing, mental health and academic success (see also Goal Area 1) is often limited. This reluctance may stem from social or cultural barriers, such as stigma, uncertainty about navigating institutional support systems, or a perceived disconnect between students’ lived realities and the services provided. Addressing these barriers is essential to creating a more inclusive and supportive campus environment where students feel empowered to seek help and thrive academically. Doing so will require culturally responsive communication and stronger collaboration between academic and support teams. Addressing the persistent digital divide in our context is crucial, especially as reliance on digital tools, including for student support, evolves and access to appropriate devices, reliable internet, and the required digital literacy skills increases.
Commitments: Integrated Student Support and Funding Sustainability •
Optimise new cycles of DHET grant funding, especially through the University Capacity Development Grant, to support and pilot activities actively working towards more integrated student support across executive lines.
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Explore options to reduce the dependence on external funding to support key student-support initiatives.
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Develop a proactive institutional strategy focusing on communication, destigmatisation, and creating welcoming, non-judgmental environments where students are encouraged to access support services.
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Continue to support access to laptops for students and raise awareness of this option as an important initiative to support their academic success and digital literacy.
Institutional Data, BI Capability and Analytics •
Expand training in the use of business intelligence (BI) tools and strengthen faculty- and unit-based engagements to refine data-informed initiatives.
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Aligned with Goal 1, the University will strengthen teaching capacity and academic leadership through targeted professional-learning pathways and succession planning, ensuring that academic excellence is underpinned by sustained pedagogical and leadership development.
Work closely with faculties and support units to better understand their data needs and refine the use of BI tools for data-informed initiatives.
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Expedite the integration of more institutional data into the BI system to support the expansion of analytics in support of institutional focus areas.
Many students remain unaware of, or reluctant to use, the professional support services available to them. As
Integrated, student-centred support bridges curriculum
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renewal and research development, reinforcing UWC’s vision of an academic project that is inclusive, datainformed, and developmentally responsive.
3. Student success The University’s explicit commitment to epistemological access urges us also to consider student success. Student success is implicit in all the objectives in this goal area and is also touched upon in some of the other goal areas. Its importance, therefore, requires specific focus. Cohort studies of undergraduate programmes indicate that drop-out rates are consistently around 35% and that completion rates drop significantly if students do not finish within the minimum time + two years. Of the 2017 cohort of undergraduate students, only 2% (2018: 1.3%; 2019: 0.6%) continued to complete their studies after this period. NSFAS only funds students for the minimum period of study plus one additional year; after that, these students are likely to accumulate debt or drop out. The University is committed to further increasing the proportion of students completing their studies within the NSFAS funding period, recognising that timeous completion is equally important for all students, including “missing middle” students. An Academic Progression Review Task Team has been appointed to support the effective monitoring of academic progression, timely interventions and data-driven policy alignment. These efforts will be aligned with curriculum review cycles and assessment redesign to improve pass rates without diluting standards. As part of addressing barriers to completion, faculties and academic support paid close attention to defining and identifying high-impact modules and to considering approaches to support students in these modules. There are also ongoing initiatives through the Siyaphumelela Project to address high-impact modules, pilot different tutoring approaches, and consider curriculum reform. Postgraduate progression shows mixed performance trends. For Honours degrees, the average time to degree has remained relatively stable, increasing by only 0.1% between 2019 and 2024 (1.1 years in 2024), whilst postgraduate diplomas remained stable at 1.7 years. Postgraduate diplomas tend to attract more part-time students. The University’s average time to degree for Master’s degree students increased from 3.4 years in 2019 to four years in 2024. For doctoral students, the institutional average increased from 4.9 years in 2019 to six years in 2024. Drop-out rates among master’s and doctoral degree students also remain persistently high. Financial support (especially at Honours and PG Dip levels), tracking progress and expanding monitoring of the quality of supervisory support are all critical to addressing these challenges. The upgrade of the Student
Administration System Integration (SASI) to improve capabilities for postgraduate students is under way but has been significantly delayed by the cost and the required rescoping of the project. In many instances, progression and completion are also delayed by timeconsuming ethical clearance processes. Ethics turnaround times will be monitored to protect research quality, while reducing avoidable delays. In the introduction to this goal area, reference is made to the DHET’s Language Policy Framework. UWC’s draft Language Policy creates a significant opportunity to embed multilingualism on campus and within the institutional curriculum. It also recognises that language is essential in creating a culture of inclusion and belonging. The University already has excellent examples of using students and tutors to support multilingualism in classrooms. Strengthening UWC’s digital capabilities, including digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and the effective and ethical use of AI, is essential to advancing the University’s academic project by enabling collaborative research, flexible and innovative teaching, and broader access to high-quality learning and postgraduate training. As these capabilities evolve, focused attention to digital and AI literacy across the institution will be required to ensure that staff and students are equipped to use emerging tools responsibly and effectively. The strengthening and modernising of the University’s learning management system to support innovative, accessible and high-quality digital teaching and learning is another priority. The aim is to use it not only as a repository of materials, but also as a dynamic platform for assessment, student feedback, and synchronous and asynchronous learning. Foundational AI-literacy and academic-integrity components will also be incorporated into first-year success courses and expanded through postgraduate research training to strengthen academic readiness and ethical scholarly practice. The University Library is recognised as a critical enabler of the academic project, including championing the use of open education resources to mitigate against the high costs of learning materials. It plays a key role in the University’s scholarly communication ecosystem, ensuring equitable access to relevant knowledge resources and fostering academic integrity.
Commitments: Undergraduate Success and High-impact Modules • Give dedicated attention to high-impact modules that constrain throughput and completion, and support faculty efforts in finding and implementing modulespecific approaches and interventions. • Strengthen support for and promote the use of open
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•
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• •
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educational resources (OERs) and other approaches that enhance students’ access to essential course materials. Focus on embedding Multilingualism and Community-Responsive Pedagogy, working towards expanding the use of African languages within academic programmes to help graduates work effectively in surrounding communities. Build on existing expertise at UWC and in the sector to support staff to use multilingual pedagogical approaches. Increase efforts to support digital literacy, teaching innovation, and data-informed pedagogy. Strengthen digital literacy for all staff and students, including the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Ensure innovative use of software and platforms, which students are already familiar with, to support continuous engagement, short turnaround times for queries, and immediate feedback on contentspecific questions and classroom challenges, thereby enhancing the learning experience beyond scheduled contact time. Use tools that enable data-informed pedagogy, including the monitoring of lessons, practicals, tutorials and student participation, through learning analytics. These insights enable staff to proactively adjust teaching strategies and identify engagement patterns critical to supporting student success.
Postgraduate Support, Supervision and Funding • Explore funding options to support Honours and postgraduate diploma enrolment (see Goal Area 4). • Expand BI data analytics around postgraduate students. • Develop and roll-out a short course focusing on increasing capacity and improving the quality of supervision. • Develop a Supervision Code of Practice. • Strengthen postgraduate student support throughout the postgraduate student lifecycle. • Address ethics approval processes to understand and address the impact of such processes on postgraduate student progression, without compromising the integrity of such processes. Research Visibility, Open Science, and Data Stewardship • Strengthen open-access publishing support and research data stewardship to enhance the visibility, integrity and openness of UWC’s research, in line with emerging local and global standards. • Strengthen support for open-access publication to increase the visibility of UWC’s research output and to provide copyright and licensing guidance. • Enhance research data stewardship to support ethical, legally compliant and open research practices, in alignment with emerging local and global standards.
Strengthen digital literacy for all staff and students, including the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies: o Innovative use of software and platforms to support continuous engagement, improve turnaround times for queries, and immediate feedback on content-specific questions and classroom challenges, thereby enhancing the learning experience beyond the scheduled contact time. o Tools enabling data-informed pedagogy that supports the monitoring of student participation through learning analytics that provide essential data points.
4. A leading research university Positioning UWC as a leading research university comes at a time when it is firmly establishing itself as one of South Africa’s strong research institutions. Although global university rankings do not determine UWC’s strategy and focus, they have consistently rated UWC among the highest-ranked universities in the country and on the continent. While rankings do not determine strategy, selective participation and transparent methodology help benchmark progress and communicate impact. An example is UWC’s continued high ranking in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which focus on the Sustainable Development Goals. In terms of SDG 1: No Poverty, UWC has consistently ranked very highly for its initiatives and research on poverty reduction. UWC also consistently performs well in terms of its focus on SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, reflecting its commitment to social justice and equality; SDG 17: Partnerships for the SDGs, where UWC’s strong focus on local and international collaboration features strongly; and on SDG 4: Quality Education, UWC’s commitment to inclusive and equitable quality education is evident. UWC’s identity as a leading research institution is inseparable from its location within Africa, and its longstanding commitment to continental collaboration. Building deep partnerships with African universities and regional bodies, such as the African Union Commission and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, is central to expanding opportunities for collaborative research, postgraduate development, and policy-relevant scholarship. These partnerships strengthen UWC’s contribution to addressing shared developmental challenges, and position the University as a key continental knowledge partner. As South–South networks grow in importance globally, UWC will actively consolidate and expand its academic linkages across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. This approach ensures that the University’s internationalisation agenda remains grounded in equity, reciprocity and social justice.
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Research chairs are strategic levers for capacity building. In our local context, the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) is an important national project in which, at the time of drafting this IOP, UWC holds about 8% of the chairs. The University has also established its own research chairs to build capacity, support multiand transdisciplinary research, and build a pipeline for future SARChI chair opportunities. UWC also holds other research chairs, such as the FirstRand/NRF Chair in Mathematics Education, the Charlotte Maxeke-Mary Robinson Research Chair (Irish South Africa Research Chair), the newly established Jaap Durand Chair (a joint Chair between UWC and Stellenbosch University (SU)), and the UK-SA Bilateral Research Chair in Digital Humanities (Culture and Technics). These chairs anchor multi- and transdisciplinary clusters and strengthen postgraduate pipelines.
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Increased share of UWC in the sector’s publication outputs, although its share remains relatively small due to the dominance of larger universities.
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Fluctuating book and chapter units, but the trend shows an overall increase over time.
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Distribution of UWC research output across fields has remained relatively stable and will continue to be dominated by natural sciences and health sciences, with social sciences increasing in recent years.
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Between 2005 and 2023, 25% of all UWC publications were produced by 58 authors; 50% by a total of 238 individuals, and most staff published or co-published only one article in this period.
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The data shows that there has been a significant improvement over the reporting period in the proportion of academic staff at UWC with doctoral degrees. By 2023, 63% of permanent instructional and research staff held doctoral degrees, but UWC remained below the (revised) targeted 70% for research-intensive universities. The share of academic staff with a PhD in 2023 compares well with that of the University of the Free State, at 60%, UJ at 59% and UCT at 63%, but is below that of SU, at 66% and UP at 75%.
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At UWC, the professoriate increased from 24% in 2000 to 39% in 2023, which is well above the sector average of 26%. In comparison, the relative share of the professoriate at UFS in 2023 was 26%, UJ was 30%, SU 35%, UCT 33%, and UP was 37%.
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The share of young academic staff at UWC has consistently been lower than that of the national average. In 2023, 25% of academic staff at UWC were younger than 40 years, compared with 34% across all public universities in South Africa—SU at 29%, UCT at 27%, UP at 34%, and UFS at 36%.
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The gender representation of authors improved to almost equal contributions in the last year, and there was a significant increase in Black authorship, of 71.7%, in 2023. Like the sector trend, the most significant contribution to overall output at UWC came from authors in the 40- to 49-year age group (29% of UWC output); authors younger than 40 accounted for 30% of papers.
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Over the period of the study, some UWC staff published in predatory journals, as well as journals that had been removed from the approved DHET journal list. It was acknowledged that a journal or conference’s classification as predatory may change from year to year.
UWC also co-hosts one national research centre, the Centre of Excellence in Food Security, which focuses on research, capacity building and policy advocacy to improve food security for vulnerable populations. Lessons from the Centre’s policy-engagement model should inform broader research-to-impact pathways. Strong research universities also focus on securing funding to support the appointment of postdoctoral research fellows (postdocs). South African universities host a significant and growing number of postdoctoral researchers, playing a vital role in the national research output. In 2021 and 2022 there were approximately 3 000 postdocs at public universities. Nationally, most postdocs are associated with a small number of universities. UWC’s postdoc population has increased from 120 in 2019 to 167 in 2024. This is still only about 40% of the number of postdocs associated with neighbouring universities. Postdoc researchers benefit universities by increasing research output, providing mentorship to junior staff, and often allowing the development of new research projects. For individuals, a postdoc offers career development, skills enhancement, and networking opportunities. At the same time, universities benefit from a more affordable way to increase their research capacity and build a pipeline for a new generation of academics. Research productivity is also an important measure of research maturity and, in terms of research output, the University commissioned an updated bibliometric analysis of its publications by the Centre for Research on Evaluation Science and Technology (CREST). At the time the IOP was prepared, the detailed analysis at the faculty level was still in progress. The CREST analysis indicates steady progress, with clear opportunities for renewal. Some of the findings of the report indicate:
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These findings highlight the importance of strengthening institutional support for responsible publishing practices. Although there are many areas for improvement, UWC has all the key elements in place to foster a robust research and postgraduate study culture in support of its status as a leading research university.
Commitments: Research Chairs, Postdoctoral Fellows and Research Capacity •
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Continue to support the UWC Research Chair initiative and expand it to include an increasing number of postdoctoral fellows. Actively pursue opportunities to increase the number of postdoc research fellowships, with clear guidelines on expectations related to the offering of such fellowships. Develop a Postgraduate Research Fellowship Policy.
Strategic Partnerships, External Funding and Research Environment •
Strengthen and expand strategic partnerships with industry, government and civil society to advance collaborative research and innovation.
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The expansion of externally funded projects, contract research and endowed research chairs will be prioritised as part of building a sustainable research environment that broadens UWC’s knowledgeproductive base and deepens its impact on society.
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Continue to strengthen existing strategic research partnerships and support for joint PhDs, whilst also actively building on its consortia partnerships to explore new partnerships and funding opportunities.
Research Integrity, Responsible Publishing and Impact Monitoring •
Strengthen internal processes that support responsible and accredited publishing, ensuring the quality and integrity of UWC’s research outputs.
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Promote responsible publishing practices across the University by raising awareness of the risks and consequences of predatory journals and conferences.
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Improve monitoring and communication of UWC’s research impact, also in relation to innovation and societal impact and the Sustainable Development Goals.
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Institutionalise inclusive, evidence-based processes for the selected rankings UWC participates in to reflect
performance accurately. Academic Staff Profile, Publication Support and Capacity Development •
Focus on increasing the share of younger academic staff to balance a strong professoriate with a growing next generation.
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Engage with the faculty-specific publication reports from CREST to increase academic publication and support capacity-building initiatives in this area, especially considering UWC’s professoriate capacity.
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Develop a Policy for Research Incentives at UWC that includes a focus on publication outputs, attracting research funding, the commercialisation of innovations, and research awards.
Postgraduate Pipeline, Funding, and Value Proposition •
Develop a postgraduate student value proposition.
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Give priority attention to meet mandated postgraduate enrolment targets (see Goal Area 3) and explore funding opportunities to support postgraduate study, specifically at Honours and postgraduate diploma level (see Goal Area 4), where there are currently limited funding opportunities. (Also see objective 3 and Goal Area 4.)
Conclusion UWC’s Academic Project lies at the heart of its institutional identity and serves its public mandate. It is through teaching, research and engagement that the University gives practical meaning to its commitment to social justice, intellectual freedom, and collective human development. As UWC seeks to consolidate its position as a leading research university, it must do so in a way that sustains excellence in learning and teaching, deepens postgraduate supervision capacity, increases postdoctoral fellowship opportunities, and promotes the integration of scholarship, innovation and community responsiveness.
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Goal Area 3 Shape, Size and Place To implement UWC’s enrolment mandate and continue to develop UWC’s campuses as welcoming and supportive spaces for those who work and live there, with appropriate physical and digital infrastructure to provide a conducive environment in support of UWC’s academic project and its ongoing focus on expanding the role of the University as an anchor institution.
Introduction Students are at the heart of a university, shaping its intellectual life, institutional decisions, and developmental trajectory. Their presence, which differs in terms of the lengths of time they spend at the university, the different levels at which they are enrolled, the mix of programmes they are enrolled in, their composition in terms of age, race and gender, whether they live on campus or commute, whether they are local or international, as well as their various academic, social and economic needs, influence institutional decisions at almost every level and become a key driver in shaping the institutional and intellectual focus of a university. During the current enrolment cycle, as with many public universities, UWC faced challenges in meeting enrolment targets across study levels. For the first time in four IOP cycles, first-time entering student targets were not achieved during the Covid-19 period. These challenges were not unique to UWC; the entire public higher education sector faced under-enrolment. At UWC, the most significant and persistent challenge during the previous IOP cycle was meeting enrolment targets for Honours and postgraduate enrolment. This is a challenge for the whole sector and relates to the limited funding available to support this category of enrolment. As NSFAS only supports undergraduate studies, it means that specifically NSFAS and students from the missing middle struggle to afford access to postgraduate studies. Strengthening this enrolment category is fundamental to building a sustainable postgraduate pipeline toward Master’s and doctoral studies.
During 2024, the DHET started conversations with the sector about the 2026-2030 enrolment cycle. In these engagements, it was made clear that there is minimal scope to support undergraduate enrolment growth, and universities were encouraged to focus on meeting current-cycle enrolment targets. The limited scope for undergraduate enrolment growth is directly linked to the NSFAS funding challenges as NSFAS is the primary funding source for a significant proportion of undergraduate students across the sector and at UWC. This goal area focuses on shaping UWC’s enrolment profile, physical and digital infrastructure, and spatial development to realise the University’s enrolment mandate focus on appropriate infrastructure (physical and digital) to support UWC’s academic and institutional aspirations.
1. Strategic enrolment management In planning its 2026–2030 growth trajectory, the University remains mindful of the national imperative to expand access to higher education, increase skills in shortage areas, and strengthen postgraduate education as a driver of national innovation. The University will continue to balance these factors against the realities of providing a high-quality learning experience for all our students. Some of these institutional factors include support for educationally underprepared students, available infrastructure, appropriately qualified academic staff, and administrative and support systems that can effectively serve more students, to name a few.
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Aligned with its strategic intentions, the development of the 2026–2030 Enrolment Plan included engagements between the Deputy Vice-Chancellors: Academic, and Research & Innovation, the Institutional Planner, and the leadership of each of UWC’s seven faculties, focusing, amongst others, on:
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12.3% of students enrolled in business and management programmes,
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12.6% of students enrolled in education programmes, and
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42.9% of students enrolled in other humanities.
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Current performance against enrolment in terms of all categories/levels of enrolment,
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Student success considering cohort studies, module throughput, graduation rates and time to degree,
First-time entering undergraduate enrolment of 4 845 by 2030 of which 724 will be enrolled in extended curriculum programmes.The proportion of postgraduate (PG) students to constitute 27% of overall headcount enrolment by 2030.
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Staffing and supervisory capacity, and
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National, institutional and faculty-specific contextual factors.
The introduction of a limited number of distance programme offerings, 1% of overall headcount enrolment by 2030, predominantly to support growth in postgraduate enrolment.
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To increase the total number of graduates per annum from 5 675 in 2026 to 6 090 in 2030.
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Maintain achieve a success rate of 89% by 2030.
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Increase publication output to 735 units by 2030.
At a high level, a consensus was reached to stabilise undergraduate numbers. Where postgraduate targets had not been met, faculties were asked to consider approaches and strategies to achieve current postgraduate targets in the next two to three years and, where possible, to consider some growth at the postgraduate level, specifically in the outer years of the new enrolment cycle. In postgraduate enrolment categories where faculties are already meeting or exceeding postgraduate targets, they agreed to maintain enrolment and, if possible, consider some growth in their planning. Following consultation with deans and scrutiny of targets by enrolment level for each faculty, the targets in UWC’s Enrolment Plan were agreed upon, with existing institutional capacity and implications at the respective faculty levels taken into account.
UWC acknowledges that achieving the envisaged targets set in the 2026–2030 enrolment plan cannot be done in isolation and depends on the successful implementation of other institutional plans, processes and projects.
Commitments: Enrolment Targets, Monitoring, and Student Success •
Intentionally focus on meeting enrolment targets in all enrolment categories, coupled with a focus on student success and reducing drop-out rates across all enrolment categories (see Goal Area 2).
UWC’s 2026–2030 enrolment mandate includes the following targets for the cycle: •
Overall 2030 student headcount of 27 225 students.
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Consolidate undergraduate (UG) enrolment, focus on throughput and retention and therefore only grow UG numbers by an average of 0.6% over the period. This will increase UG student numbers by 520, bringing the undergraduate student headcount to 19 850 by 2030.
Support the enrolment mandate through faculty enrolment plans and monitor the implementation thereof.
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Improve the tracking of students, their performance, and the early identification of students at risk so that timeous support can be provided (see Goal Area 2).
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Overall unweighted full-time equivalent (FTE) enrolment is planned to grow from 20022 to 21 210 by 2030. Headcount enrolment by major field of study is aimed at achieving the following proportionate targets: 32.2% of students enrolled in science, engineering and technology (SET) programmes,
Enrolment Processes and Digital Platforms •
Continue to refine and improve the administrative and support processes, as well as the digital platforms that support enrolment—from application to registration.
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Clearly communicate the student accommodation placement processes and requirements for consideration.
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Recruitment and Communication •
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Leverage social media platforms for recruitment at all levels and provide multilingual support and information in terms of application processes. Develop and implement a comprehensive postgraduate recruitment and marketing strategy.
Postgraduate Enrolment and Funding Models •
Explore different funding models and fundraising approaches to support postgraduate enrolment, specifically at the level of Honours and postgraduate diplomas (see Goal Areas 3 and 4).
Together, these initiatives will strengthen UWC’s enrolment management ecosystem, ensuring that growth is sustainable, student-centred, and aligned with institutional capacity. They also provide the foundation for the University’s next area of focus—creating supportive and enabling physical environments that advance its academic and social mission.
2. Supportive and enabling physical infrastructure The cross-cutting area focusing on universities and “Place, Space and Circumstance” is important to this goal area, specifically in relation to place (our rootedness in Bellville and the Western Cape) and space (our institutional and intellectual architectures). Physical infrastructure development is a long-term and resource-intensive process. UWC must have a clear vision of its academic strengths and aspirations for infrastructure development to support academic priorities in meaningful ways. UWC has a successful track record in implementing large-scale infrastructure projects that include both the repurposing of existing buildings and the construction of new buildings. Over the years, the University has put in place robust infrastructure planning, management and procurement processes. Project and University governance processes are also in place to ensure proper oversight. In the last decade, UWC has significantly expanded its facilities beyond the main campus and the Dentistry campuses. It now has six campuses – the main campus in Bellville, the dental campuses in Mitchells Plain and the Tygerberg Hospital Estate, the Community and Health Sciences campus in the Bellville CBD, the Iyatsiba Lab in Woodstock, and the UWC Innovation Hub in Voortrekker Road in Parow. Expanding into the peri-urban Dwars River Valley is also being explored as the University advances
the introduction of a new undergraduate focus on Regenerative Agriculture. Recently, the University embarked on developing a new Spatial Development Plan encompassing all UWC campuses. Ensuring that UWC has an updated and comprehensive Spatial Development Plan in place will support the University’s ability to: •
Assess current space provisioning against DHET norms and standards,
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make infrastructure and spatial planning decisions in support of institutional priorities,
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improve the learning, teaching and research environment,
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enhance the campus experience of students and staff,
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arrive at a set of infrastructure development priorities,
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ensure regulatory compliance,
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develop and implement additional sustainability infrastructure and improve practices, and
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consider appropriate land use options.
The Spatial Development Planning process includes an anchoring focus that will assist UWC in meaningfully integrating its different campuses with their surrounding communities, promoting partnerships for engagement. The proposed expansion and consolidation of UWC’s role as an anchor institution could have far-reaching effects, particularly in the Bellville CBD. The University remains reliant on the DHET’s Infrastructure and Efficiency Grant (IEG) for capital development and renewal. This grant declined significantly during the previous IOP period, to the point that two projects earmarked for completion had to be put on hold due to funding constraints. These are the refurbishment of the vacated Old Education building as part of a Law precinct development, and the refurbishment, extension and repurposing of the Senate building as part of the development of an Archival precinct. Both will free up space for the reallocation of units and departments. The completion of the Unibell student accommodation project significantly expanded UWC’s student accommodation capacity. The University recognises the need to increase student accommodation offerings and will actively pursue new options during this IOP. The University is in the process of obtaining DHET approval
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for additional build-operate-transfer (BOT) student accommodation developments. Two new student accommodation projects are under way, with construction set to start in 2026. These include the development of Unibell 4 and an extension of the Kovacs residences, planned to provide accommodation at NSFAS rates. The condition of UWC’s old residences has been recognised as a concern for urgent attention. In this regard, the University initiated a pilot project to refurbish the Cassinga residence. These refurbishments are essential to creating a dignified campus environment that supports a positive student experience and fosters a sense of belonging. In the Bellville precinct, the University acquired additional space on the ground floor of the CHS building. The utilisation of this space must be finalised. The same applies to the “Minolta building” in Parow, close to the Innovation Hub. The University also recognises that the condition of its old, prefabricated buildings is now dire. This has also emphasised the need to increase the provision of space for professional support units that, in many instances, are still occupying spaces allocated when student numbers and support requirements were very different from the current realities.
Commitments: Planning Frameworks and Anchoring •
Finalise the development of a new Spatial Development Plan.
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Develop an Anchoring Strategy to guide partnerships and community integration.
Infrastructure Intelligence, Audits, and Data Integration •
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Complete a comprehensive Conditions Assessment of all its buildings and a space utilisation audit, both of which will inform the Spatial Development Plan. Improve the integration of infrastructure management data.
Capital Projects and Precinct Development •
Prioritise the completion of the Law Precinct and the Archival Precinct developments.
Student Accommodation and Residence Sustainability •
Further expand student accommodation options to
include University-owned and operated residences, BOT developments, and some lease agreements. The financial modelling of all these options will carefully consider long-term financial sustainability implications. •
Implement a process of ongoing refurbishment of old residences, accompanied by fee increases within the NSFAS threshold to support a sustainable student accommodation model.
Inclusion, Safety and Campus Environment •
In line with the Infrastructure Management Policy, expand gender-neutral ablution facilities to promote inclusion and safety.
Space Utilisation and Expansion Funding •
Finalise and implement plans for the utilisation of vacant space on the Bellville CHS campus, as well as the “Minolta building” in Parow.
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Explore new DHET–IEG funding opportunities to support the provision of additional space for administrative services and the modernisation/ repurposing of old campus infrastructure.
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Identify new projects based on space needs identified as part of the Spatial Development Plan.
Collectively, these priorities will ensure that UWC’s physical and digital environments evolve in tandem with its academic ambitions and social responsibilities. In doing so, the University reaffirms its Vision 2040 aspiration to be a leading research university rooted in its community and globally connected.
3. Digital transformation and the infrastructure to support it Information and communications technology (ICT) remains a foundational enabler of UWC’s academic, research, administrative and operational functions. Globally, there has been a decisive shift from a focus on managing information technology to a more integrated understanding of digital transformation. This has led to the strategic adoption of digital tools, data systems and automation to reimagine how universities teach, research, operate and engage. Over the previous IOP period, UWC made significant progress in strengthening its digital foundations, enabling continuity of operations during the Covid-19 pandemic and advancing blended modes of learning and work.
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Building on this base, the 2026–2030 period shifts from ad hoc digitisation to a coherent digital ecosystem aligned with UWC’s value streams and lifecycles. This will ensure seamless services across channels and functions, and investments that demonstrably align with institutional priorities. It entails a common enterprise architecture across data, integration, applications, infrastructure and security, and an omnichannel service model for students and staff. Together, these initiatives reflect UWC’s commitment to using technology to enhance inclusion, transparency and institutional efficiency. Digital transformation connects academic, research, student and administrative systems around shared platforms and standards that support the whole student and staff journey—from enrolment to graduation, and from recruitment to retirement—while keeping environments secure, accessible, and user-centred. This aligns with UWC’s Hybrid Digital University vision and the Digital Principles that guide cross-functional design and governance. Urgent attention is required in data governance, cybersecurity and digital inclusion. As artificial intelligence (AI) and automation reshape higher education globally, universities are increasingly called to balance innovation with ethics, privacy and equity. In this context, UWC’s approach throughout this IOP calls for the responsible and ethical use of data and AI, secure digital environments, and capacity-building for staff and students to navigate a technology-rich learning and working environment. During the 2021–2025 IOP period, UWC strengthened its digital governance and improved decision-making by embedding enterprise architecture and portfolio oversight to ensure that digital investments align with institutional priorities. A series of priority projects has modernised core academic and administrative systems, established enterprise integration capability, and completed key online education workstreams, resulting in improved service quality across the student and staff lifecycle. Data-informed practice has also advanced through the adoption of standardised key performance indicators (KPI) frameworks and the rollout of digital risk and audit platforms, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability. The technology backbone has been refreshed and secured, with broader and more reliable connectivity, stronger cyber controls, and resilient recovery arrangements. Service delivery has matured, with clearer operating procedures, omnichannel support and visible productivity gains reflected in high user satisfaction. Procurement and policy updates have stabilised supply, improved value for money and accelerated fulfilment.
Together, these achievements have reduced operational risk, increased agility and created a dependable foundation for the next phase of digital transformation. The next phase will extend this foundation to deliver integrated, people-centred digital services that enhance both the student and staff experience. The rapid growth in demand for technology solutions and access to a wide range of software applications introduces several risks that must be managed carefully to protect the integrity and sustainability of UWC’s digital transformation. These include: •
Cybersecurity and data privacy risks.
•
Systems integration and interoperability risks.
•
Financial and sustainability risks stemming from the escalating costs of software licensing, maintenance and infrastructure.
•
Digital inequality and inclusion risks persist, as not all students and staff have equal access to devices, connectivity or digital skills.
•
Governance and compliance risks arise from fragmented decision-making around technology procurement and data use.
•
Change management and capacity risks reflect the challenge of ensuring that staff and students are adequately supported and trained to adapt to new technologies.
To sustain and scale progress, the University will focus on these priorities.
Commitments: Architecture and Digital Governance •
Adopt a unified Enterprise Architecture and Digital Reference Architecture to standardise design choices, improve interoperability and reduce fragmentation.
•
Institutionalise digital governance and refresh the Digital Strategy (2026–2030) anchored to IOP and Enterprise Architecture guardrails, with an annually updated 24-month roadmap and benefits tracking.
Data Foundations and Business Intelligence •
Establish an enterprise data foundation and institutional business intelligence capabilities to make teaching, research and operations consistently evidence-informed.
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Omnichannel Service Delivery
Digital Inclusion and Accessibility
•
•
Implement an omnichannel operating model across the student and staff lifecycle so that services are consistent and accessible via web, mobile and assisted channels.
Infrastructure, Platforms, and Cyber Resilience •
•
Modernise and sustain the platform and infrastructure landscape through a prudent hybrid approach, regular lifecycle refresh and cost-aware stewardship, keeping the backbone secure, resilient and integration-ready.
•
Digital Skills, Talent and Innovation Capacity •
Strengthen cyber resilience and privacy safeguards to protect people, data and continuity.
Responsible AI and Automation Set responsible AI and automation guardrails, including principles, oversight and priority use-cases, to target high-friction processes with transparency and human-in-the-loop processes.
Advance digital inclusion and accessibility by applying inclusive design standards, supporting device and connectivity constraints, and expanding multilingual interfaces to widen participation and realise benefits equitably.
Develop a pipeline for digital skills and innovation, and adopt flexible capacity models partnering with faculties and external collaborators, enabling secondments/ fellowships and co-sourcing where appropriate, so that capability grows while demand is met.
Sustainable Funding and Stewardship •
Adopt a blended funding and stewardship model that combines competitive grant funding with Councilcontrolled investments, aligned with total-cost-ofownership principles, to sustain the ICT capability and innovation pipeline.
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Goal Area 4 Strategic Resource Planning and Sustainability To ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the University through integrated strategic resource planning that strengthens income diversification, enhances efficiency and builds transformative financial capacity to support institutional resilience and the implementation of strategic initiatives.
Introduction Providing financial support to achieve the objectives of this IOP requires a thorough understanding of the University’s income streams, exploring opportunities within existing streams, considering new ones, paying attention to cost drivers and, ultimately, focusing on the effective management and oversight of income and expenditure. This sustained stewardship underscores that financial sustainability is inseparable from academic sustainability, as prudent resource management underpins the University’s capacity to deliver on its academic mandate. It is also important to distinguish between variables within UWC’s control and those determined externally, which together shape UWC’s financial sustainability. Over successive IOP cycles, UWC has made significant progress not only toward financial sustainability, but also toward systematically building reserve funds. Reserves were built through a continued commitment to careful financial management and planning, and a keen focus on financial stewardship across the institution. In the context of this goal area, it is important to reflect on two key periods over the last decade, specifically their implications for public university funding. Firstly, following a sustained period of national student protest action under the banner of #FeesMustFall, President Jacob Zuma announced on 16 December 2017 that the government would “introduce fully subsidised free higher education and training for poor and workingclass South African undergraduate students, starting in 2018 with students in their first year of study at public universities”. Simultaneously, he also announced that
there would be no tuition fee increment for students from households earning up to R600 000 a year during the 2018 academic year. This announcement had a very positive impact on the lives of thousands of students and their families, increasing access to higher education for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. On the financial side, it has also reduced some financial risk for universities; however, the affordability of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has been a challenge since the announcement. The national Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has helped mitigate this challenge through an annual cap on tuition fee increases and on increases in student accommodation costs, ensuring these increases are funded through NSFAS. Because UWC’s fees were already among the lowest in the country when this cap was introduced, the uniform percentage increases have perpetuated accommodation and tuition fee disparities within the national public higher education sector. With salary and utility increases exceeding fee increases, the sector is facing significant financial pressure. Secondly, the Covid-19 pandemic had a detrimental impact on South Africa’s economy, shrinking it by more than 6% in 2020 and leading to a decline in GDP per capita. Recovery since then has been slow, reducing the distributable funding available to the national Treasury. Although various gains were made during the period (see Goal Areas 1 and 2), the financial impact on higher education has been significant, resulting in the DHET reprioritising funding to support new NSFAS students, whilst reducing earmarked- and block (subsidy) grants. The Infrastructure and Efficiency Grant suffered the most severe cuts, leaving universities with significant
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funding challenges to complete existing building and ICT projects and to fund planned projects. In the initial years of the previous IOP, the University was able to absorb the reduction in State income. Still, for the 2024, 2025, and 2026 budget years, significant steps had to be taken to contain staffing costs and reduce maintenance funding, making it challenging to fund strategic initiatives across all IOP goal areas. In addition, universities, including UWC, struggled to meet mandated enrolment targets (specifically at postgraduate level), reducing potential subsidy income and resulting in financial penalties from the DHET. In 2025, for the first time, the State is unable to pay its full subsidy commitment to universities within the calendar year, meaning the final subsidy payment for 2025 will be transferred in 2026.
costs and strengthening the link between expenditure and the achievement of strategic objectives. By continuously reviewing its processes and adapting to a changing higher education landscape, UWC enhances both its operational effectiveness and long-term sustainability. This ongoing adaptation reflects UWC’s culture of financial stewardship and institutional resilience. UWC will continue to explore opportunities to optimise the utilisation of state subsidy allocations and implement measures to incrementally reduce institutional dependence on government funding through the diversification and growth of alternative income streams. Operational efficiency and effectiveness will be embedded as an enabler across all IOP goal areas, given its direct influence on institutional sustainability and financial performance.
The slow recovery of the economy, combined with high inflation and interest rates, has reduced purchasing power, particularly for lower-income households. This has led to mounting household debt, falling savings, and an escalating cost-of-living crisis. At a sectoral level, this resulted in, among others, increased student debt, which affects the ability of families to honour payment agreements, especially for “missing middle” students.
Despite the DHET’s higher education funding challenges, UWC’s enrolment mandate enables it to maintain its share of the national subsidy allocation. Goal area 3 speaks to the University’s enrolment mandate and the categories of under-enrolment, particularly in meeting its postgraduate enrolment targets. Goal area 2 proposes strategies to address issues of student retention, success and progress in these areas, not only to support the University’s Mission and Vision, but also to translate into subsidy. UWC also has a good track record in securing earmarked funding through other grant opportunities offered by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and, as far as possible, these are tailored to support strategic intentions.
In addition to the funding shortfall faced by NSFAS due to increased demand, there were other significant challenges that included administrative failures, corruption, systemic issues, governance issues, and mismanagement. This has led to delays in student allowances and funding disbursements. Over the last three years, the NSFAS has experienced a growing funding shortfall, rising from R2.3 billion in 2023 to an estimated R11 billion for 2025. The rapid expansion of private universities presents another potential challenge. Although these are privately owned universities, it remains uncertain whether public funding may be redirected in the future to support students enrolled in private institutions, potentially reducing the allocation available to public universities.
Despite the numerous risks faced during the previous IOP period (2021–2025), particularly those resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, UWC also achieved several significant gains that this IOP can build on. These include: •
Successfully navigating the financial pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic, whilst supporting students with the provisioning of essential resources such as data and laptops.
As a public university, UWC is highly dependent on government funding. Currently, tuition fees account for approximately 25% of UWC’s total income, while over 50% is derived from government earmarked and block grants. With a significant proportion of tuition fee income also government-funded through NSFAS, the State’s dependence is even greater than it might initially seem. The challenges faced by NSFAS directly affect the University, which depends on the timely and efficient flow of funds.
•
Ensuring that UWC remains a going concern.
•
Carefully managing student debt and debt recovery in a challenging economic climate.
•
Adopting a financial stewardship approach to institutional funding, and maintaining and strengthening UWC’s reserve position through disciplined fiscal management, guided by clear principles for the strategic use of reserves to support capital investment, digital infrastructure and longterm sustainability initiatives.
While financial strategies often focus on reducing expenditure and increasing revenue, the University recognises the equal importance of improving efficiencies. This involves fostering operational synergies, managing
•
Introducing an enterprise resource planning system, InforLN, navigating and largely resolving implementation challenges.
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Together, these achievements reflect UWC’s disciplined financial governance and institutional resilience, laying the groundwork for a renewed focus on income diversification and efficiency in this IOP cycle. Building on these successes, UWC will focus on strengthening its financial sustainability by improving income and cost management related to student fees, expanding continuing-education and market-responsive offerings, enhancing the efficiency of research-funding management, and increasing fundraising and philanthropic income. In essence, this IOP recognises that strategies for financial sustainability span executive lines and faculties and are vital to UWC’s capacity to deliver on its academic mandate, drive strategic initiatives, and remain resilient amid an unpredictable and evolving environment. In this spirit, UWC will pursue the objectives outlined below. These objectives collectively position UWC to embed sustainable financial practices institution-wide, ensuring that every investment directly supports people, programmes and places integral to Vision 2040.
1. Optimising income related to academic programme offerings As highlighted earlier, during the previous IOP, and specifically the last two years, the University faced significant challenges in achieving break-even budgets. People costs constitute the largest share of the University’s expenditure. Executive lines and faculties carefully scrutinised their people budgets, gave up posts, and delayed filling posts as cost-saving measures. The University recognises that cost savings alone will not secure financial sustainability, let alone build transformative financial capacity to pursue strategic objectives and opportunities actively. The DHET has also expressed concern about the proportion of the University’s budget allocated to people costs. At the time of preparing this IOP, the cost stands at approximately 60%, indicating that, against a higher education benchmark, a target of around 50% should be met to ensure that other categories of costs are adequately funded. At the same time, there has been a keen focus on meeting enrolment targets, and although the situation has improved, the University has not met its 2025 targets. The biggest challenge in meeting targets is at the postgraduate level, specifically in the enrolment category “postgraduate below master’s” (Honours and postgraduate diplomas). Within the framework of State-imposed limits on annual fee increases, concerns were raised about blanket fee capping and its role in perpetuating tuition and accommodation fee disparities across the public
higher education sector. Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDIs), which already charge some of the lowest fees nationally, are further disadvantaged when blanket capping reduces the value of NSFAS tuition and accommodation subsidies. This results in the State disproportionately funding institutions for the same qualifications via NSFAS. At the time of writing this IOP, approximately 58% of UWC’s undergraduate students were NSFAS recipients. UWC’s commitment to equitable and affordable access is firmly embedded in its Mission and Vision statements. However, it has been acknowledged that current tuition fees are based on a historical cost base that, with very few exceptions, dates back more than two decades. The University’s financial systems do not allocate costs at the module or programme level, making it difficult to assess the actual cost of delivery versus the fees charged. Considering cost shifts, in real terms, it must be recognised that the costs associated with bulk service provision, rates and taxes, transportation, maintenance, laboratory costs, and technology and software-related costs were significantly lower than what such services and provisions cost today. Some programmes are inherently more expensive than others due to factors such as clinical-hour requirements, specialised facilities, or specialised equipment needs. Other costs related to programme delivery, such as changes to student support services, have also not been adequately considered. DHET grants provided valuable support for some of these services, but the continued decline in funding through earmarked grants is adding to the cost of programme delivery. In addition to providing much-needed support, the tutoring and GLA programmes also provide many students with an income to assist with their study and living costs. Priorities in Goal Area 2 focus, among other things, on providing students with the best possible academic experience and the opportunity to be academically successful. In this goal area, the lens is predominantly financial, and it is recognised that students do not receive NSFAS funding for postgraduate studies. This is particularly challenging at the Honours and postgraduate diploma levels, where funding opportunities through research foundations and grants are also limited. Currently, most Master’s and doctoral students are charged a once-off upfront fee, followed only by registration fees in subsequent years. This model offers little incentive for timely completion, often leading to extended study periods, diminished input subsidy for such students, and delayed output subsidy.
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The University also does not apply differentiated programme pricing strategies that take account of the target markets of different programme offerings, specifically those aimed at employed people seeking to add specialisations or further upskill, or offerings that are primarily funded by specific public or private funding agencies or industries. Goal Area 3 highlights the need for a phased refurbishment programme to upgrade UWC’s older residences. This work is urgent and will significantly improve the living experience of students residing in them. Governance structures have given in-principle support to both the refurbishment approach and the associated increase in accommodation fees. Together, these priorities aim to balance affordability and sustainability while ensuring that programme costing, enrolment growth and student experience remain aligned with UWC’s academic and financial objectives.
Commitments: People Costs and Financial Sustainability •
Carefully monitoring people costs as a proportion of the institutional budget, and reducing the proportionate cost through increased income.
Enrolment Targets and Strategic Alignment •
Improving the integration of processes and strategies across executive lines, support units and faculties to achieve mandated undergraduate and postgraduate enrolment targets. Enrolment targets will also be included in the respective performance development agreements of senior management.
Programme Costs and Fee Structures •
Revisiting undergraduate programme delivery costs to inform internal and external conversations about adjusting the University’s current fee base to more appropriate levels, while still balancing it with the commitment to access.
•
Exploring funding options to support Honours and postgraduate diploma enrolment.
•
Considering the viability of revised fee structures for Master’s and doctoral programmes that reduce the initial payment requirement and incentivise completion.
•
Assessing the feasibility of differentiated pricing strategies for some of UWC’s programme offerings as they relate to different target markets.
Subsidy, Residences and Pricing Adjustments •
Monitoring the impact of student success initiatives in terms of subsidies earned.
•
Implementing a phased refurbishment programme of UWC’s old residences and, as refurbishments are completed, adjusting residence fees to appropriate levels that still fall within the NSFAS threshold.
2. Leveraging other income opportunities The diversification of income is a key dimension of financial sustainability and a necessary complement to the University’s core funding streams. An important avenue for strategic positioning, diversifying and increasing institutional income lies in expanding its continuing education portfolio, including short courses, professional training and upskilling opportunities. In the previous IOP, the University launched Pillar 7, the University’s digital learning platform for continuing education courses. UWC has significant academic expertise and staff with practical knowledge and experience that can be harnessed to meet evolving workplace and individual development needs. Building on this foundation, UWC now has an opportunity to reposition continuing education as a strategic lever for responsiveness, innovation and growth in partnerships. Presently, the registration process for continuing education courses is lengthy and limits responsiveness. While rigorous standards remain essential, faster turnaround times will enhance UWC’s responsiveness to emerging market demands, industry needs and partnership opportunities. By integrating continuing education into its wider academic and strategic framework, UWC can expand its impact, diversify income streams, and strengthen its position as a national leader in accessible, relevant, lifelong learning. The current model includes a costdistribution framework that enables shared revenue approaches, although aspects of the model have been challenged during implementation in recent years. Ensuring this alignment positions short-course and professional-training offerings as integral contributors to UWC’s academic and social mission, rather than peripheral activities.
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Many of UWC’s academic programmes produce graduates who join professional bodies that require ongoing certification and continuous professional development (CPD). This creates a sustained relationship between UWC and key professional sectors, presenting a natural ecosystem for lifelong learning partnerships. The University can further leverage these relationships by designing CPD-accredited training events and refresher courses for these sectors. Similarly, opportunities exist within the public sector and education space for targeted training and capacity development. Given UWC’s historical partnerships with government and its reputation for advancing social justice, the University is well positioned to offer collaborative training solutions, policy development workshops and management programmes. While government departments often conduct their own training, co-delivery models or capacity-building collaborations remain viable avenues to pursue. Collectively, these initiatives reinforce UWC’s role as both a knowledge partner and a catalyst for national capacity building. Micro-credentialing and badging—short, stackable learning opportunities—are expanding globally, although South Africa’s current qualifications framework does not yet accommodate them. Engaging with these approaches early will position UWC to respond proactively as regulations evolve. In particular, such flexible pathways support working adults who cannot commit to full-time degrees, but can pursue modular learning at their own pace. Integrating these innovations into UWC’s continuing education framework enhances inclusion, flexibility and relevance. Collectively, these priorities aim to reposition continuing education as a sustainable income stream that strengthens access, relevance and institutional impact.
Commitments: Continuing Education Strategy and Business Model •
•
Build on experience over the last year to refine its business model to support the offering of continued education that will include revisiting the cost and revenue distribution model associated with short courses. Develop a coherent continuing education strategy that assesses opportunities across units, faculties and their respective academic departments, informed by targetmarket and training-needs analyses.
Short Courses, CPD and Micro-credentials •
Introduce streamlined approval processes for noncredit-bearing short courses to improve agility and responsiveness.
•
Request faculties that offer professional qualifications with CPD requirements to assess opportunities for UWC to offer such courses.
•
Identify a limited number of programmes to use as pilots for micro-credentialling opportunities, generating evidence to inform future policy and scaling.
3. Improving support to increase research funding Strengthening UWC’s research funding ecosystem is integral to advancing its position as a leading researchintensive university and to ensuring that research excellence directly supports institutional sustainability. Traditionally, this goal area only focused on Councilcontrolled funds. However, senior researchers participating in the Task Team recognised that research funding provides significant opportunities not only to strengthen the focus on UWC as a leading research university, but also to support institutional strategy in other ways. In many instances, research funding grants offer opportunities to support postdoc fellowships, postgraduate bursaries, equipment and other infrastructure, as well as to generate some institutional income through cost-recovery models. Research funding remains a vital component of any university’s income portfolio, and research itself is central to UWC’s academic mission. For UWC, research is both an academic and societal instrument, a means to produce new knowledge, drive innovation, and support development priorities through evidence-based solutions. A strong, well-supported research ecosystem is a key driver of the University’s long-term financial sustainability. Achieving this requires a diverse portfolio of enabling structures that support each phase of the research process, from the pre-grant stage to the post-award phase once funding has been secured. Over the past five years, notwithstanding the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, UWC has relied heavily on state funding, which accounted for approximately 62% of all research income in 2024 (see Figure 1). The projected decline in both national and international research funding since 2022 represents a significant risk to the University’s research aspirations and financial sustainability.
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UWC Research Funding Income Trajectory (2019-2024) Research Funding
State Grants & Contracts
Total Funding
400 350
Funding (in Millions Rands)
300 250 200 150 100 50 24
20
Research infrastructure—including laboratories, facilities and specialised equipment—underpins the University’s research capacity. The deterioration of such infrastructure poses a direct threat to research productivity and institutional reputation. While acquiring new research assets remains important, ongoing maintenance and renewal are equally critical to sustaining performance and ensuring value for money. Sustained investment in
23
Research grants offer the opportunity to apply an indirect cost recovery rate (ICRR) to recover overheads associated with research activities. At UWC, the ICRR is currently estimated at approximately 37%. While the University recovers some of these costs, most (80%) of its thirdstream income currently derives from collaborative research and contractual projects, rather than from commercialisation or entrepreneurship initiatives (see Figure 2). A more consistent and transparent application of the ICRR across projects will directly enhance the University’s ability to reinvest in research infrastructure and institutional capacity.
22
21
20
19
To safeguard against this, UWC should adopt a deliberate, strategic approach to maximising research income. Strengthening pre-award and post-award support is essential. Many academics remain unfamiliar with funder compliance and reporting requirements, which limits UWC’s ability to lead collaborative grants. Improved systems for grant intelligence, capacity development and internal communication will enable researchers to engage proactively and competitively in national and global funding calls.
20
20
20
20
20
Year Figure 1: Figure 1. UWC research funding income (2019–2024)
infrastructure maintenance and renewal ensures that research excellence remains tangible, visible and futureoriented. Research activity continues to rely heavily on internal funds. Although this approach has produced positive outcomes, it is now essential to prioritise external funding through deliberate, coordinated and proactive strategies. Internal investment must be matched by strengthened external engagement, particularly through partnerships, consortia and transdisciplinary initiatives that align with national and continental priorities. The commercialisation of research is an area where UWC should further strengthen its strategies. This would ensure that research outputs are developed beyond academic publication into knowledge, services and products that have a tangible societal and economic impact. Research commercialisation not only enhances the University’s visibility and influence, but also generates alternative income streams through consultancy, licensing and innovation-based enterprises. These strategies can be advanced through existing institutional mechanisms, such as Pillar 7, which translates research into continuing education and training opportunities, and the Technology Transfer Office (TTO), which manages intellectual property, patents and partnerships. Dedicated personnel within the Research Office, TTO and Industry Liaison Unit should be tasked with building and
3rd stream Revenue
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PUBLIC GOOD: Entrepreneurship Incubation Community Engagement <1-5%
Collaborations Contract Research 80%
Commercialisation 1-5%
Figure 2: Distribution of income across the UWC research ecosystem
maintaining industry relationships. These staff members serve as connectors between academics and external partners, facilitating collaboration, ensuring compliance, and helping to structure partnership agreements that balance academic integrity with commercial potential. UWC has some good examples of translational research— the process of turning academic findings into practical, marketable applications that bridge the gap between discovery and application, transforming ideas into products, technologies or social innovations that address real-world challenges. Incubators, innovation hubs and accelerators play a critical role in this process. These structures support researchers in developing prototypes, forming spin-off companies, and piloting innovative solutions. They also foster collaboration between academics, entrepreneurs, and industry partners. Together, these initiatives demonstrate how UWC’s research strength can serve as both an engine of innovation and a source of sustainable income, positioning the University as a partner of choice in addressing complex societal challenges.
allowing academics to focus primarily on research outputs. Cost Recovery and Financial Sustainability •
Finalise and standardise its research cost recovery model, provide clear institutional guidelines and support for cost recovery processes; and provide training and awareness programmes to build capacity in relation to the various phases of grant applications, implementation and cost management.
•
Develop and implement a comprehensive research infrastructure maintenance plan, and explore how associated costs could be integrated into the overall cost of research projects and included as part of the cost-recovery strategy. This ensures the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of UWC’s research enterprise.
Collaborative Research Development •
Commitments: Research and Grants Administration •
Consultancy 10%
Consider the establishment of a centralised Research and Grants Administration Office that manages the full life cycle of research funding, including specialist expertise in identifying, applying for and managing grants and research funding; proactively scanning and identifying funding opportunities; driving and overseeing the application process, ensuring highquality, competitive proposals; and monitoring reporting, compliance and governance requirements,
Promote and incentivise collaborative grant applications that pair experienced researchers with early-career academics to build the next generation of research leaders and support the ongoing strategic positioning of research.
Industry Partnerships and Strategic Growth •
Adopt a targeted growth strategy that identifies and proactively engages industries aligned with the University’s research strengths – such as health technology, renewable energy, food science and others. This approach focuses on industry partnerships where success and impact are most likely.
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Innovation and Research Visibility •
Activate opportunities for researchers through UWC’s Innovation Hub.
•
Further strengthen the communication and marketing of UWC’s research successes to not only enhance visibility, but also focus on attracting investment and partnership opportunities.
Collectively, these actions will reinforce UWC’s research ecosystem, ensuring that knowledge creation contributes meaningfully to institutional sustainability and national development.
4. Support the implementation of the Advancement Fundraising Strategy to increase philanthropic income Diversifying income through philanthropy is an essential pillar of financial sustainability. It is also a measure of the University’s national and global engagement. Compared to peer institutions, UWC currently raises significantly less philanthropic income. The previous IOP (2021–2025) recommended developing a comprehensive, integrated fundraising strategy. The University is now finalising its Institutional Advancement Fundraising Strategy 2026– 2030. This new strategy presents a clear, outcomesdriven roadmap to build a sustainable, high-performing philanthropic ecosystem aligned with UWC’s mission of academic excellence, access, social justice and community engagement. The 2026–2030 strategy sets an ambitious target for new philanthropic income over five years, to be achieved through targeted engagement with corporates, foundations, trusts and individual donors—both locally and internationally. Achieving this vision will require a strategic alignment of capacity, staffing and resources to optimise efficiency and delivery. The strategy therefore positions fundraising as a shared institutional responsibility, embedded across executive lines and supported by strong governance and transparent reporting. At its core, the strategy adopts a “fundraising first” approach, emphasising the need to strengthen internal capacity, professionalise advancement operations, and align human resources with financial goals. It acknowledges the current gap between UWC’s fundraising performance and national benchmarks, and sets a clear pathway to close it through investment in people and systems. The plan also emphasises return on investment (ROI) and operational efficiency, aligning these with national higher education fundraising norms. A transparent reporting system is also essential— improving the visibility of income sources, strengthening accountability, and fostering cross-functional collaboration. Avoiding siloed communication between units will ensure that fundraising initiatives are coordinated, coherent and institutionally aligned.
The University seeks to deepen and expand donor relationships, diversify donor income streams and close its philanthropic funding gap to support institutional sustainability and visibility across the institution’s key mandates. Through the Advancement Fundraising Strategy, UWC will strengthen a culture of philanthropy that reflects its academic excellence, community engagement and transformative impact.
Commitments: Governance and Strategic Alignment •
Establish a Fundraising Reference Group to guide strategy implementation, strengthen governance, and align fundraising priorities across executive lines.
Alumni Engagement and Participation •
Activate Alumni Regional Chapters as strategic engagement platforms to cultivate lifelong relationships and increase alumni participation in giving.
Donor Communication and Storytelling •
Develop persuasive case-for-support materials tailored to donor interests and institutional priorities.
•
Invest in strategic marketing and storytelling, supported by professional digital materials and impact reports, to build trust and showcase return on investment.
Coordination and Institutional Leadership •
Ensure transparent communication and coordination of all fundraising activities to maximise coherence and collective impact.
•
Support the strategy through active support and involvement of the Rectorate and Senior Management.
Collectively, these initiatives will enable UWC to close its philanthropic funding gap, deepen stakeholder trust and translate generosity into lasting institutional value.
5. Enhancing financial planning and management Sustained financial resilience depends on systems that connect data, people and strategy. Effective financial management and strategic resource allocation depend on reliable systems, timely data and well-informed decisionmaking. The University’s Five-Year Financial Plans are well-entrenched in its planning processes and enable management and governance structures to focus on current realities and future scenarios.
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UWC’s adoption of InforLN marked a major step forward in modernising its financial resource management capability. The next IOP period provides an opportunity to consolidate these gains by embedding system use across all executive lines, ensuring consistent data quality, improving planning integration, and building a culture of financial accountability and stewardship at all levels. Beyond technology, success will depend on cultivating a culture of financial accountability and shared stewardship across all levels of the institution.
Commitments:
Financial planning is not only about improving system functionality, but also about strengthening financial literacy, transparency and foresight. Budget holders across executive lines, faculties and divisions must be supported to use real-time data for planning, monitoring and scenario analysis. Strengthening system-based reporting and developing financial dashboards will allow budget owners to have greater visibility of cost centres, expenditure against budget, and commitments over time. This will not only improve compliance and accountability, but also enable managers to take early corrective action where necessary and to make informed, proactive decisions about resource allocation. Data transparency and accessibility are now strategic assets that empower evidence-based decision-making. An integrated approach linking financial, human resource and business intelligence systems will further enhance institutional capacity for predictive analysis, long-term financial modelling and evidence-based decisionmaking. This will allow the University to anticipate risks, model alternative scenarios, and ensure closer alignment between strategic intent, operational plans and financial sustainability. This integration positions financial planning as both a predictive and adaptive process, ensuring that strategic intent and operational realities remain aligned.
Systems Integration and Institutional Alignment •
Strengthen system integration between the Finance, HR and Business Intelligence platforms to improve data consistency, forecasting, scenario modelling and institutional alignment.
•
Introduce financial planning and real-time visibility
•
Develop and implement financial planning dashboards that provide real-time visibility of cost centres, expenditure and available balances to support informed decision-making by budget owners.
Financial Literacy and Capacity Building •
Build financial management capacity and literacy among all budget and cost centre owners through targeted training, peer learning, and mentoring initiatives.
Integrated Reporting and Transparency •
Continue to improve integrated financial reporting and communication, ensuring regular, transparent updates to leadership structures and governance committees.
Conclusion Together, these actions will embed a culture of stewardship, accountability and foresight, ensuring that UWC’s financial management systems directly enable its transformative academic mission.
50 / UWC IOP 2026 – 2030
Closing Remarks The Institutional Operating Plan 2026–2030 gives the University of the Western Cape a clear framework to address current challenges in higher education. Anchored in UWC’s Vision 2040, Mission and Values, the IOP guides efforts to strengthen academic programmes, support staff and students, improve campus facilities, and increase financial stability for future growth. Across its four goal areas, the IOP affirms the centrality of UWC’s people, the vitality of an integrated and futureoriented academic project, the importance of a wellplanned and responsive institutional footprint, and the need for robust and transformative resource planning. The cross-cutting areas—revitalising the intellectual agenda, locating community within academic work, and cultivating the UWC Way—bind these commitments together, ensuring that transformation is not symbolic, but enacted through daily practice, institutional choices and scholarly engagement. These priorities reflect our shared goal: to build on UWC’s history, provide education that serves society
directly, and ensure that the University makes a meaningful difference both locally and internationally. The IOP sets out ambitious yet attainable and grounded objectives, recognising that UWC’s strength lies in the collective efforts of its students, staff and partners. Its implementation will require sustained leadership, collaborative governance, principled decision-making, and a renewed commitment to aligning institutional values with lived experience. As UWC moves into the 2026–2030 period, the University affirms its identity as a vibrant academic community, an institution that is intellectually courageous, socially engaged and steadfast in its pursuit of justice, inclusion and human dignity. The path ahead will demand adaptability and imagination, but it also offers rich opportunities. Through this Plan, UWC commits to shaping those opportunities into futures that are equitable, sustainable, and grounded in the transformative purpose that has long defined the University.
UWC IOP 2026 – 2030 /51
Annexure: Annual Performance Plan Indicators Annually the University and its Council will report on progress against the targets set for the indicators below:
Access and Institutional Size: Goal Area 3 (Size, Shape and Place)
Staff: Goal Area 2 (The Academic Project)
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First-time entering undergraduates Headcount enrolments (Foundation provision) Headcount enrolments (total undergraduate) Headcount enrolments (total postgraduate) Overall headcount enrolments Percentage of postgraduate students as a proportion of the overall headcount Master’s and doctoral enrolment as a percentage of the overall headcount enrolment
Institutional Shape: Goal Area 3 (Size, Shape and Place) •
Enrolment in high-level CESM categories
Efficiency - Student Success: Goal Area 2 (The Academic Project) • • • • • •
Graduates (undergraduate) Success rate Undergraduate output by scarce skills Success rate of scarce skills Ratio of FTE students to FTE staff Graduates (postgraduate)
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Headcount permanent instruction/research staff (PIRS) FTE of permanent instruction/research staff (PIRS) Number of NGAP staff appointed annually
Research Output: Goal Area 2 (The Academic Project) • • • • • • • •
Percentage of permanent instruction/research staff (PIRS) with doctoral degrees Percentage of NRF-rated researchers amongst PIRS Number of UWC-held SARChI Chairs Publication units per FTE staff Research master’s graduates Doctoral graduates Annual weighted research output Number of master’s and doctoral graduates per PIRS
Goal Area 4: Strategic Resource Planning and Sustainability • • • • •
Consolidated three-year budget Cash flow projection of revenue and expenditure (over a three-year period) Budget capital plan Earmarked grants and planned expenditure Annual capital spending