Nelson Mandela University’s new Dean of Students, Luthando Jack, took up his appointment on Friday 1 July.
He comes with a vast array of experience within higher education, having occupied a number of positions at Walter Sisulu University and, prior to that, the erstwhile Eastern Cape Technikon (which merged with Border Technikon and the University of Transkei in 2005, to become Walter Sisulu University.)
He spent the last five years as the Chief Operations Officer for the Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council (ECSECC), a public entity of the Office of the Premier responsible for Development Planning and Applied Policy Research.
Commenting on his new role at NMU, Jack said: “I would want to see an evolving partnership between management and students as we traverse the complex transformation journey taking place in Higher Education, in general, and NMU, in particular.
“I would like students to view management and other stakeholders as partners in their primary endeavour, which is to acquire knowledge to enable them to be productive and active citizens, and as partners in other key areas, included among them the #FeesMustFall campaign.”
Jack has an impressive list of qualifications, including his National Diploma in Public Management & Administration (1998) from Eastern Cape Technikon, his BTech degree in Public Management (2003) from the former Port Elizabeth Technikon, his Master’s Degree in Commerce with a specialisation in Leadership Studies (2012) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and, most recently, his Bachelor of Philosophy in Information and Knowledge Management (2014) from Stellenbosch University.
He began his career in 1999 as a Student Development Officer at the erstwhile Eastern Cape Technikon, going on to occupy positions that included Institutional Planner, Head of Transformation and Merger Manager.
At the formation of Walter Sisulu University in 2005, he was appointed as Interim Director: Institutional Research and Planning and, in 2008, took up the Directorship of that department. From 2009 to 2011, he was appointed on a secondment basis to the position of Chief Risk Officer and Transformation Manager.
During his time at Walter Sisulu University, he developed the WSU Transformation Charter and the WSU Student Life Turnaround Strategy, and facilitated the development of a WSU Management-Labour Charter, among others.
He took up his appointment at ECSECC in October 2011.
“I pursue a core set of objectives in my evolving career. At the heart of these objectives is a focus on business strategy and development, transformation, programme management and development, organisational complexity and systems thinking, risk management, policy development and analysis, conflict management and resolution, and corporate governance.”
Alan Straton
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