UWC 360 Issue 7 S1-Draft 7 1/17/14 11:22 AM Page 7 C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY CMY
K
THREE-SIXT-E | ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 7/DECEMBER 2013
ALUMNI
REUNION WEEKEND 2014 3 – 5 OCTOBER 2014 UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE
The UWC Alumni Association would like to welcome you back, to reconnect with fellow students and friends. Join us as we renew old friendships, reminisce about days gone by and catch up on life experiences. Dr Keith Majoos, seen here with his then girlfriend, who is now Mrs Majoos, is helping to uphold the UWC name in Australia and New Zealand.
Alumni to start UWC chapter abroad In 1973, Dr Keith Majoos (BSc, 1976) met a student at UWC with an IQ score that was literally off the charts. Yet, with the first struggles on campus, he dropped out. Majoos often wonders what this student could have achieved had his socioeconomic circumstances and support structures been different. Forty years later much has changed and the University strives to give each student a chance to develop his or her talents. Majoos believes that this challenge is not the sole prerogative of the University. “Some of the responsibility rests with the now larger University alumni whom I believe should provide support,” he says. With this in mind Majoos, who has been living in Australia for the past 29 years, is organising a UWC Oceania chapter in Australia and New Zealand. “There are about 130 alumni in Oceania and a similar number of "friends" – academics who were associated with the University and past students who never completed their UWC degrees,” Majoos
notes. He says the friends and UWC alumni whom he has approached are quite receptive to the idea. “Individually, most of us don't have deep pockets but collectively we could make a positive difference to some student(s). I hope that this initiative provides impetus to other groups in the UK, Canada and USA to form similar chapters to support their alma mater,” Majoos said. The UWC Oceania chapter will support four initiatives: helping prospective students to get to University, mentoring students while at University, assisting graduates to find meaningful work and to exploit market opportunities, and networking with other alumni and institutions to advance the profile of UWC. In the previous issue, Three-sixt-e mentioned that Majoos supports orphanages for children infected and affected by HIV/Aids in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. This charity group of ex-patriate South Africans in Melbourne has thus far donated more than R1 million to these orphanages in the past ten years.
A weekend of nostalgia, reminiscing, fun, laughter, dancing, and making new memories awaits! Watch this space for the full programme, pricing options and booking details. The ‘80s Alumni reunion weekend is open to all alumni
Alumni Relations Office Tel: +27 21 959 2143 | Fax: 021 959 9791 Email: alumni@uwc.ac.za http://www.facebook.com/uwcalumni http://twitter.com/UWConline www.uwc.ac.za/alumni
PAGE SEVEN
Composite