IN 2005 THREE FAMOUS INSTITUTIONS BECAME ONE.

Technikon Witwatersrand, Vista University and Rand Afrikaans University merged to form the University of Johannesburg, or as we affectionately call it – UJ.

But this was more than a name-change. This was the beginning of an idea of what a future University should be. We didn’t just take on the name of the city that we’re in, we took the name of the economic hub of Africa. A vibrant and dynamic city that shares our pace and energy and, like us, is paving the way in a new South Africa. This is how it all started and when webegan to reimagine the future.

TODAY, UJ CONSISTS OF MORE THAN 600 000 SQUARE METERS OF BUILDINGS, WHICH INCLUDES TEACHING, RESEARCH, ADMINISTRATION, SUPPORT, SPORT, RECREATIONAL AND LIVING SPACE ACROSS FOUR CAMPUSES.

Auckland Park Bunting Road Campus, Auckland Park Kingsway Campus, Doornfontein Campus and Soweto Campus make up the University of Johannesburg. Thanks to these facilities, we can give students the chance to reimagine the future in a variety of different faculties: the

College of Business and Economics, the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture, the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Faculty of Humanities, the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Science.

WITH ALL THESE FACULTIES IN PLAY, OUR CAMPUSES COLLECTIVELY HOST OVER 50 000 STUDENTS ON AN AVERAGE DAY.

To stay true to the fast-paced, dynamic city that is our namesake, UJ campuses offer a happy balance of arts and culture and sporting activities over and above daily academic life.

We also cater for more personal needs with a comprehensive range of psychological and career development services and a Disability Unit that provides reasonable accommodation with regard to academic and technological support required by students with disabilities.

The UJ Library and Information Centres support the academic and research needs of students, ensuring access to books,

SeatsLecture halls55 4 412

AUCKLAND PARKBUNTING ROAD CAMPUS B

SeatsLecture halls66 7 787

AUCKLAND PARKKINGSWAY CAMPUSK

SeatsLecture halls17 1 842

SOWETO CAMPUS S

SeatsLecture halls84 5 142

DOORNFONTEIN CAMPUS D

periodicals, electronic databases and the internet. A primary health care service with Full-time nursing sisters at our Campus Health Clinics are qualified to deal with anything from treatment of minor medical problems to confidential HIV counselling and testing. And, UJ Protection Services personnel are on duty 24 hours a day to ensure the safety and welfare of students, staff and visitors.

Each campus has a student centre equipped with meeting places, restaurants, cafeterias, recreational facilities and even shops for added convenience - our campuses are like independent villages in the city. Some of our student centres house banks, bookshops, medical doctors, hairdressers, gift shops and a supermarket. In addition, we offer students a wide selection of comfortable

accommodation, which ranges from various types of residences to fully equipped apartments. Staying in a University of Johannesburg residence is an extension of your education.

But, being an amazing University is about more than just faculties, facilities and hang-outs – we need to do what we do with purpose and when we say, “The Future. Reimagined” it needs to be more than just a catchy slogan.

OUR VISION IS TO BE AN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF CHOICE, THAT’S ANCHORED IN AFRICA AND DYNAMICALLY SHAPES THE FUTURE.

With this in mind, our mission is to inspire our community and to transform and serve humanity through innovation and the collaborative pursuit of knowledge.

These are the things that drive us, and year on year, we climb higher in our pursuit of these goals.

IMAGINATION

REGENERATION

CONVERSATION

ETHICALFOUNDATION

To ensure that we keep our mission on-track and our vision alive we have established 4 values that we measure ourselves and our institution against.

The first is “Imagination” - We encourage and inspire free, independent and critical thought aimed at developing a better future for UJ and society.

Next comes, “Conversation” - Through facilitating open, respectful and meaningful dialogue, we encourage an inclusive environment that embraces diversity.

Third is, “Regeneration” - We are dynamic, progressive, responsive and innovative in our endeavour to provide access to global academic excellence and to promote the common good in a sustainable way.

And finally, “Ethical Foundation” - We nurture and actively promote an ethos of honesty, transparency, accountability and fairness in all our endeavours.

AT THE CORE OF ANY QUALITY UNIVERSITY IS ITS RESEARCH AND IF WE ARE TRULY TO REIMAGINE THE FUTURE, THEN WE NEED TO FOCUS NOT JUST ON THE RESEARCH THAT WE DO BUT THE RESEARCHERS THAT DO IT.

The NRF ratings are an indication of research productivity and excellence. So, we’re pleased to say that by the end of January 2018,we had increased our number of NRF-rated researchers to 189, which means that 15%of all our academic staff are NRF rated.55% are established researchers, 21%are internationally acclaimed researchers,4% are leading international researchersand 18% are promising young researchers.These remarkable people focus on three major divisions of research and postgraduate studies, including Strategic Initiatives & Administration, Internationalisation and the Library & Information Centre. These divisions

represent the fulcrum of research excellence at UJ and are the driving force behind our43 specialised research centres that include: the Centre for Education Practice Research, the Graduate School of Architecture, the Institute for Intelligent Systems, the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversationthe Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study, the UJ Confucius Institute and the Centre for Private International Lawin Emerging Economies.

THANKS TO THE DEDICATION OF OUR RESEARCHERS AND THEIR PASSION FOR WHAT THEY DO, UJ FINDS ITSELF SCORING HIGHLY IN GLOBAL RANKINGS.

For instance, we rank in the top 2%, worldwide, in the QS World University Rankings, 655th in the world in the University Ranking by Academic Performance and in the top 800 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

While we appreciate these feathers in our cap, such accolades reassure us that our reimaginingof the future is proving positive.

Aside from being a University, we are also a member of our community and as such, have a role to play.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO ACHIEVING CLOSER CONTACT WITH OUR COMMUNITY AND EMBRACING THE ADVANCEMENT OF FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY, EQUALITY AND HUMAN DIGNITY.

One such project, that we’re proud to have been a part of is the “Gwakwani Future Project”. Referring to themselves as “The Forgotten People”, the residents of Gwakwani village in northern Limpopo Province, found themselves being left behind as South Africa developed around them. Their remote location meant that they had no running water, no electricity and no cell phone reception.

In collaboration with SMA Solar Technology, the UJ Engineering department identified Gwakwani as a community in need and set out to empower a forgotten village with access to the world through electrification.

The 3-year project, valued at over R395k, kicked off in 2013 and by the time it was completed the “Forgotten People” had

been reimagined. A central, solar powered pumphouse was built. This not only pumped clean water from the borehole, but provided a secure structure that include a cellphone charging station and 4 floodlights that now illuminate the village at night.

A cellphone signal was also found in the mountains and a signal pole erected to ensure that the people of Gwakwani could stay connected to the outside world.

At UJ, we are committed to excellence in teaching and learning and therefore offera wide range of programmes from the formative,general and professional to the vocational. And, in following our mission, we strive to address the national imperatives.

WE SUPPORT ACCESS TO A WIDE SPECTRUM OF ACADEMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL LEARNING, TEACHING AND RESEARCH AND BELIEVE THAT LEADING, CHALLENGING, CREATING AND EXPLORING KNOWLEDGE IS THE ONLY WAY THAT THE FUTURE CAN BE REIMAGINED.

To bring this thinking to life UJ currently offers, first-of-its-kind, fully-online accredited qualifications in Educational Management, Information and Communication Technology, Public Health, Public Management and Governance, International Accounting, Human Resource Management and Financial Markets. And, as we move into the future, this list will continue to grow.

Of course, top of everyone’s mind today is “Web 4.0”. - Advancements in robotics, virtual reality, cloud technology, big data, artificial intelligence, the Internet of things and other technologies, and from a teaching and learning perspective, how we adapt and welcome it into our world.

Since introducing handheld devices into first-year classrooms in 2014, in a bid to connect the young minds with the worldof e-knowledge that they are growing into, we have dedicated ourselves to creating our classrooms, our teaching tools and even our teacher education at the cutting edge of innovation so as to ensure an adaptable and flexible education system.

And, with the future being more relevant today than ever before and the global topic of conversation being “The 4th Industrial Revolution”, we’re pleased to say that the highest concentration of staff with PhDs in AI, machine learning, data analytics and computational intelligence on our continent can be found at the University of Johannesburg.

Furthermore, our current Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala is an expert in AI and since his inauguration has been gearing the institution to meet the 4th Industrial Revolution head on and ensure that we turn out 4.0 ready graduates that are able to think, adapt and react in a future environment. We’re very proud to be regarded as having the deepest expertise in AI in Africa but this does come with some responsibility.

THROUGH IMPACTFUL RESEARCH AND INNOVATION, IT’S UP TO US TO TRANSFORM LIVES AND LANDSCAPES AROUND US AND HOPEFULLY CATAPULT OUR GRADUATES AND OUR COUNTRY INTO A RESPONSIVE, INNOVATIVE AND SOLUTIONS-DRIVEN FUTURE FOR ALL.

Along with our esteemed alumni from our legacy institutions and the new set of born free alumni, we are designing the future together because at UJ, we’re talkingabout a new future, today.

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