Engagement Excellence Awards

Scroll down this page for photographs of previous winners.

Call for applications

2020 Engagement Excellence Awards

Were you actively involved with Engagement work at Nelson Mandela University during 2019? Then you should consider applying for the university's Engagement Excellence Awards.

Applications are invited from academic and PASS staff members who adhere to the eligibility criteria for Engagement Excellence Awards which will be awarded in September 2020 for Engagement excellence during 2019 (1 January to 31 December 2019).

CLOSING DATE FOR ENGAGEMENT EXCELLENCE AWARD APPLICATIONS: 30 April 2020

Submit the completed and signed application form electronically to:

Dr Belinda du Plooy, belinda.duplooy@mandela.ac.za, Manager: Engagement

The application form is available from this web site under ‘Files you can Download’.

Purpose of the Engagement Awards

To promote, recognise and reward excellence linked to academic engagement
To promote the integration of teaching and learning, research and engagement

The awards are to recognise excellence in engagement activities that are essentially educational in nature and consistent with the Vision, Mission and Values of the university. The awards are considered as an important mechanism to achieve the institution’s engagement vision, strategic goals and objectives and to give recognition and reward for excellence in the performance of this core function. Applicants are required to report on their engagement activities linked to at least two of the four broad engagement categories. These categories are often integrated and interconnected, as engagement activities are often linked, interdependent and synergistic and may fall within more than one category.

Engagement through Community Interaction, Service and Outreach
Engagement through Teaching and Learning
Engagement through Professional /Discipline Based Service Provision
Engagement through Research and Scholarship

Award Categories

Category 1: 2 x Engagement Excellence Awards (1 for Science, Technology and Engineering disciplines and 1 for Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines)

These will be awarded to individuals in their broad personal professional capacity for their excellent Engagement-related work during 2019. These prestigious awards aim to recognise and reward individuals who:

Excel in integrating teaching and learning, research and scholarship and engagement
Demonstrate excellence in engagement at an institutional level
Make an outstanding contribution towards advancing engagement as one of the core functions of the institution
Are able to provide leadership and examples of best practice in the field of engagement

Category 2: 1 x Engagement Excellence Team Award

This Award will be made to a team based on the shared team effort towards excellence in Engagement during 2019. The award aims to recognise and reward a team that:

Show evidence of integrating engagement into teaching and learning and research and scholarship
Make an outstanding contribution to advancing the university's engagement strategic priorities and goals over a sustained period of time
Are able to provide examples of best practice in the field of engagement

Category 3: 2 x Engagement Excellence Project Awards (1 for Science, Technology and Engineering disciplines and 1 for Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines)

These will be awarded to individuals based on a specific single well-defined project that exemplifies excellence in Engagement during 2019 (as opposed to broad and across the board Engagement work in the first categories).

The awards aim to recognize and reward individuals who:

Show evidence of integrating engagement into teaching and learning and research and scholarship within the scope of the defined project
Maximise the involvement and participation of students within the scope of the defined project
Make an outstanding contribution to advancing the university's engagement strategic priorities and goals within the scale and scope of a specific defined project
Are able to provide examples of best practice within the scope of project-specific engagement activities

Category 4: 1 x Emerging Engagement Excellence Award (professors and associate professors cannot apply in this category, as per the current policy restrictions)

This award will be made to an individual who is new to the field of Engagement and who successfully proves their continued potential through excellence in Engagement during 2019. The award aims to recognise and reward an individual:

For emerging excellence in engagement
Who has in the early stages of his/her career demonstrated the potential to provide leadership and develop best practices in the field of engagement

Eligibility Criteria

Permanent academic and professional support staff members and contract staff members who have been appointed on a fixed term contract for three years or longer.

Applications may be made by individuals or teams. Team members must be individually named and their contribution indicated.

Teams may be comprised of internal (students, staff) and external stakeholders.

There is no limit to the number of times that a staff member/teams may receive awards.

Professors and Associate Professors are not eligible for the Emerging Engagement Award.

Previous Award Winners

2019 Awards

Engagement Excellence Team Award - Dr Bernadette Snow on behalf of the Institute for Coastal and Marine Research (ICMR) (Development Studies)

Engagement Excellence Award - Dr Tim Pittaway, Agricultural Technology Transfer Programme (Agriculture)

Engagement Excellence Project Award - Mr John Andrews on behalf of the Architectural Engagements with Our Human Origins Project (Architecture)

Engagement Excellence Team Award- Dr Veonna Goliath on behalf of the School@Home Project (Social Development Professions)

2018 Awards

Engagement Excellence Award - Prof Graham Kerley (Zoology)

Engagement Excellence Team Award: Dr Jennifer Jansen and the Missionvale P-Project Team (Psychology)

Emerging Engagement Excellence Award: Dr Johan Westraadt (Physics)

Engagement Excellence Award: Dr Magda Minguzzi and The Way of Water Team (Architecture)

Engagement Excellence Team Award: Mr Michael Barry and the I Mpilo Y Amanzi Production Team (Arts, Culture and Heritage)

Engagement Excellence Award: Ms Zurina Abdulla (Social Development Professions)

2017 Awards

Engagement Excellence Award - Prof Elmarie Venter (Business Management)

Engagement Excellence Award - Prof Darelle van Greunen (School of ICT)

Emerging Engagement Excellence Award - Ms Tenjie Solundwana (Library and Information Services)

Engagement Excellence Project Award - Dr Marilyn Gibbs (Maths Education)

Engagement Excellence Project Award - Prof Cheryl Walter (Human Movement Science)

Engagement Excellence Project Award - Prof Hennie van As (Law in Action)

Engagement Excellence Team Award - Prof Janine Adams (Institute for Coastal and Marine Research)

Engagement Excellence Team Award - Mr Akshay Lakhani and Mr Hubert van der Merwe (eNtsa)

2016 Awards

Engagement Excellence Award - Prof Raymond Auerbach (Agricultural Management, George Campus)

Engagement Excellence Team Award - Mr Barry Morkel (AEON/ESSRI, Faculty of Science)

Engagement Excellence Team Award - Prof Margaret Cullen & Prof André Calitz (Business School & Computing Sciences)

Engagement Excellence Project Award - Dr Jennifer Jansen & Dr Rosemary Exner (Missionvale Community Psychology Centre)

Engagement Excellence Project Award - Ms Kim Elliott (Student Governance & Development)

Emerging Engagement Excellence Award - Mr Gareth Williams (Music)

2015 Awards

Engagement Excellence Award (Social Sciences and Humanities) - Prof Hennie van As (Faculty of Law)

Engagement Excellence Award (STEM) - Prof Christo Fabricius on behalf of the Sustainability Research Unit (George Campus)

Engagement Excellence Project Award (Social Sciences and Humanities) - Prof Frans Prinsloo and Ms Elize Naudé on behalf of the Department of Accounting

Engagement Excellence Project Award (STEM) - Prof Johan van Niekerk on behalf of the Centre for Research in Information and Cyber Security (Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and IT)

Engagement Excellence Team Award - Ms Mary Duker and Mr David Jones (SoMAD Public Arts Partnerships, Faculty of Arts)

Emerging Engagement Excellence Award - Dr Tim Pittaway (Department of Agriculture and Game Management)

2014 Awards

Engagement Excellence Award - Prof Werner Olivier - Faculty of Science

Engagement Excellence Team Award - Dr Ann Lourens on behalf of the Department of Industrial Engineering - Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and IT

Ann Lourens 2014