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Keywords
Merger; strategic thrusts;higher education;change management; sustainable development; innovation management.
Abstract
This paper reports on the extraordinary progress made by a merged educational institution in a developingcountry amidst significant social and economic challenges. With a clear strategic focus and a committed-to-success leadership team, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) realized most of its initial goals in less than half the time planned. The institution's commitment to excellence, innovation and quality assurance supports its ambitious goals.
Within a developing economy, the South African Higher Education sector faces harsh realities. Diminishing state subsidies (in real terms) requires an innovative approach to generating additional income streams for the institution, whilst maintaining focus on its core business, namely producing a high quality academic output. The unsatisfactory quality and throughput of the state secondary-school system, poses a threat to the sustainability of the required standards of higher education at many universities in South Africa.Although one of the overt goals of the University of Johannesburg is- and remains - to be an accessible tertiary institution for the disadvantaged youth of the country, UJrecognized early on that it needed to "up its game" in terms of its research profile in order to attract ever more and better human and financial resources. A shift in focus was therefore needed from its inception in 2005 when it started as a "comprehensive" (a state-imposed term) institution, ostensibly focused on teaching and learning in both traditional formative degree programs and vocationally-directed diploma programs, with pockets only of postgraduate training and research activity.
The university now offers a wide range of academic programs (from short courses, certificates, diplomas, junior degrees and postgraduate degrees) and has adopted a very specific modus operandi to realize its objectives and strategically position itself as a global establishment of relevant, quality research and education. Furthermore, because of its geographically significant location in Johannesburg (perceived to be the "economic gateway to Africa"), UJ seeks to fulfill a key role in support of this function.
1. Introduction
As part of the wholesale post-apartheid transformation of Higher Education in South Africa, three universities were merged in 2005 to form the University of Johannesburg (UJ). All three institutions were creatures of the apartheid ideology and had very different institutional cultures and missions. The avowed purpose of...