WSU 2026: A Vision for the "University of the Future" - Vice-Chancellor’s Academic Opening Address

In a symbolic departure from conventional academic protocol, WSU Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr Thandi Mgwebi reordered formal acknowledgements to place students and the Student Representative Council at the forefront, ahead of university leadership and external stakeholders in her 2026 Academic Opening Address.

The gesture signalled a recalibration of institutional priorities and marked the beginning of an academic year anchored in student-centred purpose.

“This is an acknowledgement of the primary constituency in the mission that binds us all at WSU as a community. It is to the students that the message of this university opening address is principally aimed,” said Mgwebi.

Administratively, the university enters the year on firm footing following the successful conclusion of registration on 31 January.

Mgwebi confirmed that systems, learning spaces and student support services are fully operational, reflecting months of coordinated planning across faculties, registry services and executive management.

“We have ensured that students are registered, systems are functional and learning as well as living spaces are prepared. WSU is officially ready to commence the academic programme,” she said.

Mgwebi revealed that WSU received hundreds of thousands of applications for the 2026 academic cycle yet could accommodate only 7 401 first-year students.

“Every student admitted here is not merely enrolled; they are selected. They carry with them the hopes of families, communities and a nation in need of skills, knowledge and leadership,” she said.

The contrast between demand and capacity highlights a national access challenge, one that simultaneously affirms WSU’s growing appeal while compelling the institution to interrogate new, scalable models of delivery.

Responding to this pressure, the University Council has issued a strategic mandate calling for a reimagining of how WSU delivers education.

“Dig deep into your creative reservoirs and craft a model for a university of the future that is in step with the technological epoch we are in and its projected future. We want to see WSU expanding its reach and offerings through an appropriately configured hybrid teaching and learning system resting on a cost-effective digital platform,” said Mgwebi, paraphrasing Council’s directive.

She said the vision is already taking tangible form through initiatives such as the recently launched Rural Clinical School in Lusikisiki, where ten young doctors trained at WSU have been deployed into rural clinical environments.

Mgwebi added that the model exemplifies a spatially distributed and socially responsive university, one that integrates technology, professional training and community service to address real-world developmental needs while extending the University’s academic footprint beyond traditional campuses.

Central to her address was a strong emphasis on what she described as clarity of purpose and shared responsibility.

“Teaching and learning do not occur in isolation, they are enabled by systems, infrastructure, services and attitudes. When any part of this ecosystem fails, students suffer, and when students suffer, the institution fails its mandate,” she said.

Mgwebi stressed that professionalism at WSU must be measured not only through technical competence, but also through everyday human interactions.

“A simple act of kindness can determine whether a student persists or drops out. This must never be underestimated in an institution such as ours,” she said.

At the same time, she emphasised the necessity of mutual respect, affirming that dignity, courtesy and accountability must be reciprocated between staff and students to sustain a functional academic community.

The address also situated WSU’s future ambitions within a proud institutional legacy spanning four decades.

She said from its origins as the University of Transkei to its current form, the institution has consistently shaped national and global discourse through its graduates and academic contributions.

Mgwebi cited WSU’s role in producing leading jurists and advocates, its pioneering work in community-centred health sciences, and its growing footprint in indigenous knowledge systems as evidence that the university has long operated at the intersection of scholarship and societal impact.

Looking ahead, Mgwebi identified strategic areas requiring renewed focus, particularly agriculture and food systems, where WSU’s voice has historically been muted despite its geographic reach across rural Eastern Cape communities.

She also introduced the University Town model as a framework for aligning institutional success with the economic vitality of surrounding towns, rejecting the notion of a university thriving in isolation from its local context.

In closing, Mgwebi reframed WSU’s values as lived commitments rather than aspirational statements.

“Our values are not decorative; they are behavioural commitments that define who we are. Integrity, excellence, respect, and Ubuntu must be visible in how we work, teach, and engage with one another,” she said.

She called for the university community to collectively shape a WSU that remains true to the vision of its founders while meeting the needs and expectations of the society it serves today.

By Anita Roji