Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning at University of Fort Hare

Minimum Requirements

• A Doctoral degree.
• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in higher education with at least 5 years of senior academic management and administration.
• Eligibility for appointment at Full Professor. However, appointment at Associate Professor will also be considered.
• Substantial academic stature and successful track record of excellence in research, postgraduate supervision and teaching commensurate with the academic rank level.
• Leadership experience in higher education with at least 5 years senior management experience, where Teaching & Learning activities are the core business.
• A clear understanding of the broader national and international context of higher education and an in-depth understanding of higher education policy and practice nationally and internationally.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage a large teaching and learning portfolio in higher education.
• Demonstrated ability to provide leadership of a diverse team, by engaging and inspiring staff in the achievement of the University’s core activities and a strong capacity to communicate clearly, with purpose and vision.
• A national profile as a leader, teacher and researcher in higher education with a proven track record of high-quality scholarly publications.
• A capacity to plan strategically and consultatively to ensure the University offers quality teaching and learning that enables outstanding student throughout rates.

Reporting to the Vice-Chancellor regarding the academic project and matters pertaining to Teaching & Learning, this role is accountable to provide visionary strategic direction and leadership, which comprise the following key objectives: 

• Providing strategic direction through strategic planning, and seeking to ensure the democratic, effective, efficient, and sustainable pursuit of the University’s goals and its development as a centre for educational excellence.
• Leading the University in achieving research-led teaching and learning through the development of appropriate policies and collaborating with centralised support functions for Research & Innovation, Partnerships, Information provision services, and other support services in achieving academic goals.
• Collaborating locally & internationally with external institutional role players, alumni, funders and legislators to promote, influence and facilitate the institution’s image & strategic objectives.
• The advancing of transformation through the formulation of strategies to ensure that appropriate corrective measures are employed to redress past imbalances with the aim of producing outstanding internationally-accredited graduates who are innovative, creative, critical and reflexive thinkers, responsible, ethical, resilient life-long learners and to strive, through teaching, research and community service, to contribute to the advancement of international scholarship.
• Promoting a culture of cooperation and scholarly endeavour where students and staff are supported and engaged.
• Developing and implementing an embedded model of student support, in particular retention, success and progression strategies to meet the needs of a diverse community of students.
• Ensuring that the University’s educational spaces are aligned to the University’s strategic goal of implementing modern, twenty first century technologically advanced teaching and learning spaces.

Structurally, the role governs and directs the following functions in the institution:

• The academic functions of the six University of Fort Hare faculties namely: Management & Commerce, Law, Social Sciences & Humanities, Education, Health Sciences and Science & Agriculture.
• The Teaching & Learning Centre of the University, which supports academic development, new technologies (such as Technology Enhanced Learning) & Research skills development.
• The legislated Planning & Quality Assurance function, which is accountable for the quality assurance & accreditation of academic programmes, the Institutional Strategic Planning function & Goal setting, Legislated reporting (HEMIS) and, providing decision support data to the executive flowing from the data analytics process.