Search for BIUST Vice Chancellor continues

The search for Botswana University of Science and Technology Vice Chancellor (VC) that commenced in 2015 is ongoing.

Speaking during Palapye Sub-Council meeting recently, the Sub-Council chairperson Lesedi Phuthego said the search for VC and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation, was ongoing. He said the deputy vice chancellor- finance and administration assumed duty in December 2015 and that the search for VC followed the resignation of the former BIUST VC, Professor Hillary Inyang.

He said that the BIUST would continue with its efforts to recruit staff with critical skills, in order to transfer a wealth of knowledge to students and the nation. He said that the university’s curriculum took into account the needs of the private sector and was driven by a desire to contribute to the country’s economy. He emphasised that the university was a national strategic initiative intended to serve as one of the key platforms for transforming the country’s economy from being resource-based to knowledge-based through skills, capacity building, engineering, science and technology.

He said that the university enrolled 1900 students including 206 post graduate and 56 international students. In terms of infrastructure, Phuthego said the university embarked on an aggressive infrastructure development with new prefabricated buildings to be used for office accommodation and lecture rooms. The university, he said also embarked on a seven-year strategic plan spanning from 2015/16 to 2022/23.

Summarising some of the achievements and engagements in BIUST Phuthego noted that the University hosted a successful international clean energy conference with delegations from across the globe. “The university also hosted the International Conference on Transportation in Africa which was aimed at exchanging information and ideas and sharing the development of products in the field of transportation”, he said.

In addition the university engaged in Monitoring for Environmental Security in Africa (MESA) which resulted in a partnership of BIUST hosting the Earth Observation Data Equipment.