One month into his new job as Vice-Chancellor, Dr Chris Nhlapo is already seeing small changes that he is optimistic will translate into a transformed CPUT ready to tackle its Vision 2030 ambitions.
Nhlapo has been at the institution for 11 years and is the architect of the university’s research and innovation blueprint, the seeds of this initially sown when CPUT was still grappling with its transformation from a Technikon into a University of Technology.
These seeds are now bearing fruit and Nhlapo says CPUT is primed and in position to take its rightful place as a leader in the fourth industrial revolution where robotics and artificial intelligence are key industries.
“This institution is one of the top universities in the country and I am positive that it can and will be done,” he says.
Nhlapo says his career at the National Research Foundation and later as Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Technology, Innovation and Partnerships has prepared him well for the rigours of the job at hand.
“I have to say thank you to the former VC’s in my career who have allowed me the space to experiment and try some of the ideas that I had. They created a positivity in me and that infuses the attitude that I now have for the role of VC.
“There is much that can be done and it will be done, with the support of my executive management team we will accomplish our ambitions.”
Nhlapo says evidence of the hard work taking place across campuses is already being felt.
“Years ago at the NRF I would do campus visits and I was always struck by how well maintained the campus was – from the gardens to the buildings. When I returned for the second semester in July I was reminded of that same feeling when I drove into campus and walked into the administration building with its shiny floor.”
Nhlapo is determined that all staff should feel the same sense of pride and a major infrastructure and development renovation is underway across campuses to return them to their former glory. From new residences to fixing the damage caused during crisis the new look buildings are already common place.
“CPUT does not belong to us who are here now, rather we are the guardians of the institution for the future generations. We will leave behind a legacy far beyond our time here,” says Nhlapo.
