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UWC Rector receives international honour
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t wasn’t just meetings and presentations when Princess Astrid of Belgium and a high-level trade delegation visited the University of the Western Cape in October. Here to explore new ways to link business and academia across the two countries, the princess also took time to bestow a prestigious honour on UWC’s Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Brian O’Connell. Princess Astrid presented O’Connell with the title of Commander of the Order of Leopold II, an honour awarded by royal decree to those in the civil service. The award was made to recognise O’Connell’s “tireless efforts” to not just strengthen ties between UWC and Belgium, but also to raise UWC’s profile, transforming it into the internationally respected institution it is today. Johan Maricou, Belgian Ambassador to South Africa, spelt out some of the many reasons the country had decided to make the award to the UWC rector. “When Professor O’Connell receives this award, it is not only because of his impressive achievements as the head of this university; more than that, it’s because of the kind of leadership he represents. His leadership is informed by vision and engagement – he is the kind of VC who leaves his office and talks directly to the students. He is a true humanist, and he has succeeded in bringing to UWC, and Africa, a commitment to the cause of human advancement.” Thanking the delegation, O’Connell explained that the long-term partnership with Belgium had benefited UWC students and staff alike, extending and enhancing the global reach and reputation of all parties. “The collaboration between UWC and our Belgian partners began more than 10 years ago, when the University’s future was uncertain in many ways,” he said. “The collaboration has opened so many doors, showing that we are stronger together than apart.” The princess and the Belgian delegation were attending a seminar that elaborated on these sentiments, particularly through a panel discussion titled Linking Business and Academia Through Mobility and Innovation: Celebrating Academic Mobility between Belgium and South Africa. Well-travelled
Princess Astrid of Belgium bestows the Order of Leopold on UWC Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Brian O’Connell. academics from UWC, the University of Cape Town, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and Ghent University, among others, highlighted the importance of international academic mobility for students, as well as the social and economic benefits these mobile graduates could trigger. Piet van Hove, director of the International Relations Office at the University of Antwerp, said that international mobility between universities is by no means a new concept, but that the importance of this mechanism is still not fully realised. “You can’t have high-quality research without making sure it has international application – international mobility in a university is key to successful research. While such mobility brings higher-quality outcomes, the process itself is also of benefit, as it often entails solutions on an international platform.” “Businesses want talent,” commented Chris Welan, CEO of Accelerate Cape Town, an initiative by business leaders to develop and implement a programme of long-term
sustainable, inclusive economic growth in the Cape Town city region, “and so should apply the rules of supply and demand to their approach. Business has a part to play by connecting with universities about what demand they have, so that their universities in turn can offer the supply.” Douglas Sanyahumbi, director of UWC’s Technology Transfer Office, also applauded the role that academic exchanges play in innovation. “Through travel, applications can be envisioned,” he said. “Travel teaches flexibility – international exposure shows a variety of ways of doing things.” Merle Hodges, director of International Affairs at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, provided an apt metaphor for the transformative impact of international mobility. “If you take a caterpillar and stick wings on it, what you get is an awkward caterpillar. But if you give it time, allow it to go into its cocoon and undergo the necessary processes and transform, it will emerge as a graceful butterfly. International travel can help our students become those butterflies.”
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