Change the world

21/05/2013

NMMU’s annual Open Day at the university’s George Campus this year exceeded all expectations, capturing the interest of learners, parents, educators and other guests from far and near. 

With six of the university’s seven faculties having a presence at NMMU’s Open Day in George, more than a thousand visitors and around 135 000 listeners on EDEN FM were able to learn about the kaleidoscope of careers that await those who choose to enrol for any of the large variety of qualifications – from certificate to diploma and degree level, including masters and doctoral studies – at this comprehensive university.  Programme offerings at NMMU cover more than a 140 different career paths.

Learners from schools in George, Oudtshoorn, Mossel Bay, Knysna and surrounding towns, but also from further afield such as from Cape Town, Klerksdorp, Caledon, Somerset East, Bredasdorp, Kareedouw, Humansdorp, Piet Retief, Aliwal North, Brits in North West Province and Middelburg in Mpumalanga attended the Open Day on 17 and 18 May to familiarise themselves with the university’s programme offerings, or in many instances, to confirm the study choices they had already made. 

Visitors made use of the opportunity to interact in person with lecturing staff, student leaders and senior students, as well as professional support staff in the units for Student Housing, Financial Aid, Admissions, Sport; Student Counselling, Career and Development Centre and more, to get all the information they require to make important decisions that relate to their studies and future careers.

A number of complementing and value-adding events were scheduled during the Open Day. This includes a dedicated session targeting educators in the Tourism sector; and another which brought together Life Orientation educators from the Southern Cape region to the NMMU George Campus for an information-sharing session with the theme – “Preparing your students for studies after school”. 

An Education Sector event combined with the recognition of NMMU’s top partner schools was another highlight on the Open Day programme. The programme was opened by Campus Principal, Prof. Quinton Johnson, and included an overview of the education landscape in South Africa, with specific reference to the role and strategies of NMMU’s Education Faculty, as presented by the Executive Dean, Prof Denise Zinn. 

NMMU George partner schools acknowledged during the Education Sector event included Hoërskool Outeniqua and Oudtshoorn,  Point High School, as well as York High School; Imizamo Yethu, George and Bridgton Secondary Schools; Oakdale Agricultural School, Langenhoven Gymnasium and Brandwag Hoërskool. 

Hoërskool Outeniqua was also acknowledged for contributing significant numbers of students for Port Elizabeth-based programmes of NMMU.

A long-standing tradition whereby all Open Day stalls are adjudicated by a panel of experts in terms of a set of criteria during the Open Day, again confirmed the high standard of the various career stands. 

The winning participant in the Most Interactive category was the stall of Agricultural Management in NMMU’s School of Natural Resource Management based at George Campus; while the prize for the Most Visually Appealing stand went to the Department of Architectural Technology & Interior Design within NMMU’s Faculty of Arts.

The first closing date for academic admission for NMMU’s 2014 academic year is scheduled for 1 August 2013. 

Photographs:

NMMU’s Education Sector breakfast

Delegates representing a cross-section of stakeholders, including the education sector, local government and organised business attended NMMU’s Education Sector breakfast event during the university’s annual Open Day in George.

Partners in education

Partners in education… Prof Quinton Johnson, NMMU George Campus Principal (left) with Prof Denise Zinn, NMMU’s Executive Dean for Education, who delivered the keynote address at a stakeholder event during the university’s recent Open Day in George, with some of the attendees – Dr Rajesh Maharaj, Deputy CEO at South Cape College, Mr Christo Vorster, Principal of Hoërskool Outeniqua, Mr Francois Moll, Principal of York High School, and Mrs Pumla Cona, Deputy Principal of Imizamo Yethu Secondary School.  NMMU George also acknowledged its top partner schools, based on enrolments from these schools at George Campus in 2013, at this occasion.

NMMU George Student Council

NMMU George Student Council members pictured with Campus Principal, Prof Quinton Johnson and Prof Denise Zinn, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education.

Interior Design Lecturer, Lené Smit and Charista Killian

Creative Flair… Interior Design Lecturer, Lené Smit and Charista Killian pulled out all the stops to ensure that NMMU’s Department of Architectural Technology and Interior Design scoops the prize for the Most Visually Appealing stall at the Open Day hosted at NMMU’s George Campus.

Most Interactive Stall

NMMU George Campus principal, Prof Quinton Johnson (left) with Prof Raymond Auerbach and NMMU George Marketing & Communications Practitioner, Pieter Botha. Prof Auerbach accepted the prize for the Most Interactive stall at the Open Day on behalf of the Agricultural Management programme at NMMU George.

live broadcast by Eden FM

A live broadcast by Eden FM from George Campus added to the vibrant atmosphere at Open Day and also extended NMMU’s message to listeners throughout the region. Dr Shawn Gouws from one of NMMU’s Centres of excellence, called InnoVenton, explained how InnoVenton creates focus areas for the development of new products and processes in a science technology environment. He also touched on the career opportunities this creates for students in this field.

Contact information
Ms Alet van Tonder
Manager: Marketing & Corporate Relations
Tel: 27 44 801 5098
alet.vantonder@mandela.ac.za