By By Gaby Ndongo
The University of Johannesburg Council has appointed its second Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, who will take the role of Professor Ihron Rensburg from 1st January 2018.
The decision emanated from the University’s Council meeting which was held on Thursday 22nd of June 2017 after ‘a rigorous and extensive selection process’ coupled with the advice received from the Selection Panel, Senate, Institutional Forum, Convocation and the Student Representative Council.
“The [University] Council is confident that the appointment of Prof Marwala will further advance the strategic goal of the University to become Africa’s epicenter of critical intellectual inquiry,” according to a letter sent out to all students by Professor Roy Marcus, Chair of Council University of Johannesburg.
Professor Ihron Rensburg, the outgoing Vice-Chancellor and Principal, has led the University since the year of 2005, from its inception, aiding the institution to reach the level of excellence and the epoch it is currently in. Amongst other achievements, the University has managed to be ranked 7th amongst Africa’s universities and it is presently in the 2.3% of all universities in the world in accordance to QS World University Rankings for 2017/2018.
Professor Marwala, on the other hand, is the current Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Internationalisation. He has held this post since 2013 and was the previous Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment.
Prof. Marwala’s academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, which he obtained from Case Western Reserve University (USA), a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pretoria and a Doctorate of Philosophy degree in Engineering from Cambridge University.
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