Sol Plaatje University (SPU) Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Andrew M Crouch, will, on Friday, 10 December 2021, kickstart SPU’s decade celebrations by launching its first endowment campaign and he will host the inaugural Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence.

In 2024, SPU will celebrate ten years of quality teaching, learning, research, and community engagement. This event seeks to get the celebrations underway leading to a decade of existence.  

The event will occur at SPU’s newly refurbished Community Hall and commences with the launch of the endowment campaign, Lesedi La Africa Fund, a three-year fundraising campaign to raise R100 million in funds for the future sustainability of the University. The funds will support scholarships, infrastructure, social impact projects, and staff wellness programmes.

Endowment gifts to the University ensure support for today while providing educational and research excellence and innovation far into the future. This way, endowed gifts have far greater earning power— a one-time gift that lasts forever.

In recognising and rewarding excellence in the SPU community, the second segment of the day’s programme is the presentation of the first-ever Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence. Winners will be announced in four categories: Excellence in Research, Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Excellence in Community Engagement and Excellence in Service Delivery. The Research award is bestowed upon an academic that has increased SPU’s local and international research visibility. The Teaching and Learning award recognises someone who has contributed to teaching and learning support and innovation in a changing higher education environment brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Community Engagement Award is given for contributions made to placing the institutional goals of learning and knowledge production central to high impact public community engagement. The Service Delivery award to be granted to an individual who contributes to creating an enabling culture of service excellence within the University community.

The University cordially invites you to attend this momentous event which takes place as follows:

Date: Friday, 10 December 2021

Time: 17:00 – 21:00

Venue: SPU Community Hall, South Campus

Attendance is by invitation only. However, staff and students, including the general public, are encouraged to stream the live event on SPU’s YouTube Channel. 

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