Professor de la Rey acknowledged a key challenge facing the university which is to manage admissions so that the capacity is not being exceeded. How to select the best deserving students from the many who seek admission at this institution, was also one of the main challenges facing the institution.

Professor de la Rey also appealed to the staff members of the institution to take the institution to the next level by becoming a top ranking university, not only in South Africa and in Africa but on the world stage.

“Although it is a known fact that the University of Pretoria is ranked as the leading institution according to international rankings, that should not instil sense of complacency in us but should rather be the main reason for us to improve significantly in our performance”, said Prof de la Rey.

Transformation at the institution also formed part of the Principal’s speech. She reiterated that transformation is not merely about the numbers of staff and students but should be about their commitment as people. As much as the University of Pretoria is a people centred institution, there should also be a concomitant responsibility for staff and students to engage with one another from a people-centred approach. “At the heart of transformation must be our commitment as people – each of us opening our minds and our hearts to change – to learn from others different from ourselves, a preparedness to rethink our taken-for-granted ideas”, said Prof de la Rey.

Speech