The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) School of Mining Engineering’s new five-point strategic plan can secure a good future for itself by building on its solid past, says incoming head Professor Cuthbert Musingwini.

“As the eighth head of the school in its 119 years of existence, I sincerely acknowledge the contribution of my predecessors in building the school’s strong reputation for excellence,” he states.

The school’s new strategic plan aims to ensure that the Wits mining team can deliver excellence in teaching, research and service in line with the Wits Vision 2022 of being “a leading research-intensive university firmly embedded in the top 100 world universities by 2022”.

Musingwini says that it is his hope that the structural realignment of the
school will enable it to better serve the needs of the faculty, the university and the mining industry at large.

Musingwini aims to implement five strategic initiatives between 2015 and 2019, in addition to those that were set by his predecessor, Professor Fred Cawood.

The aim of strategic initiative one is to increase normalised research productivity. This will be executed through an integrated approach to research, with staff
undertaking research within three identified themes. Structurally, a new school research committee has been established under the leadership of the school’s postgraduate coordinator to proactively engage with this initiative.

Strategic initiative two aims to improve teaching and learning effectiveness. The primary aim of this initiative is to help increase throughput by addressing student attrition. Structurally, a new school teaching and learning committee has been established to drive this initiative under the leadership of the
undergraduate coordinator.

Strategic initiative three is aimed at enhancing the academic project support system. This initiative will focus mainly on student support systems, such as mentoring, and staff support systems, such as a full understanding of policies and procedures that ensure a smooth-functioning school. The long-term aim of this initiative is to create a transformed environment in which both staff
and students will feel welcome, will develop a sense of belonging and can see that the school sets them up for success.

Strategic initiative four aims to increase the visibility of the school and its staff. Primarily, this initiative will ensure an increased staff footprint in professional bodies, and will raise the profile of the school within the mining industry. Structurally, a new public relations committee has been established to drive this initiative.

Strategic initiative five focuses is on reviewing and establishing internal and external collaborations. One such collaboration is a formal heads of mining schools forum for the country’s mining schools.

“I am confident that we can continue to make significant strides as we nurture and seek win-win partnerships within the industry we serve, locally and internationally,” Musingwini enthuses.

Cawood Tribute

The Wits School of Mining Engineering 2014 annual report, which was released at the end of last month states that Cawood has lifted the role of the school and its functioning to “new levels” by focusing on the pursuit of few strategic goals, including vital topics such as student-staff ratios, student throughput, research output and National Research Foundation (NRF) ratings.

The report says that the vision of a digital mine is of particular interest to
Cawood, and it has found form in a number of projects that he has personally overseen from inception, aiming to bring underground control and monitoring of mining operations into the digital age of satellite communication.

His period of tenure saw a substantial increase in undergraduate and postgraduate student numbers, requiring Cawood to manage a total student body of 800 to 900 students a year.

The report points out that this was in addition to overseeing two research centres – the Centre for Mechanised Mining Systems and the Centre for Sustainability in Mining and Industry.

Apart from his administrative duties, he continued his extensive involvement in teaching a wide spectrum of students – from those seeking certificate qualifications to postgraduate studies. Cawood’s subject areas cover the roles of evaluators and surveyors in mineral resource management, as well as mine valuation and economics, mine surveying, mining graphics and design and introduction to mining.

As a C1 NRF-rated scientist, he is actively engaged in contract research assisting African States with mineral policy, and fiscal and mining investment strategies. He is still actively engaged in assessing and supervising MSc and PhD candidates.

In his 17 years with the School, Cawood supervised seven PhD
students and 13 MSc students, while also producing 50 publications, 44 conference papers and 24 reports on his own research. This is a truly outstanding record of academic achievement.

In the last five years alone, while managing the school, Cawood produced
44 academic articles published in accredited journals, conference proceedings, mining magazines and research reports, while some were presented at symposiums. He also wrote lead editorials.