The UMP held a prestigious ceremony in honour of its 10th anniversary

In celebration of a decade of excellence, the pride of the province, the University of Mpumalanga (UMP), held a prestigious ceremony last Friday in honour of its 10th anniversary.

Attended by local, national and international dignitaries, as well as current and past students, the event was an impressive showcase of the growth and impact the university has made, not only locally, but within the country, since it was first established in 2013.

In 2022, the UMP was awarded two National Research Foundation (NRF) Excelleration Awards, which acknowledges South African research institutions for achieving the most improved research performance. In 2023, the UMP was awarded the National Research Foundation (NRF) CEO’s Special Recognition Award, which recognises a South African research institution that has previously won the Excelleration Award and has continued its progress and commitment to excellence in research performance.

With 52% of its academic staff having doctoral degrees and a pass rate ranging from 80% to 85% over the years, it is a given that the university would boast a decade of undeniable excellence that has graduated almost 4 500 students since it was established.

Effective teams were required to navigate the complex and multilayered challenges and opportunities. Building, cultivating and nurturing fully committed, deeply experienced teams is a lifelong mission. This was achieved at UMP. Working as a team has delivered great results

The UMP is also proud of its 32 partnerships with international universities from Europe, America, Asia, Australia and Africa, receiving congratulatory messages from many of these institutions, a testament to the strong relationships formed with these academic giants despite its own young age.

“The road ahead beckons. We will revisit and revise our initial strategies against the backdrop of the lessons learnt along the way,” said the UMP’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Thoko Mayekiso, in her speech, ‘The Pioneering Journey’.“We need to remain forever vigilant to ensure that we do not become oblivious to new opportunities. Agility, flexibility and openness to embrace change should be what we always strive for.

“My colleagues continue to reinforce lessons learnt and wisdom earned in earlier years that none of us is an island. We are part of a greater humanity. We are as strong or as weak as the teams in which we find ourselves,”
she said. “Effective teams were required to navigate the complex and multilayered challenges and opportunities. Building, cultivating and nurturing fully committed, deeply experienced teams is a lifelong mission. This was achieved at UMP. Working as a team has delivered great results.”