University of the Western Cape bolsters relations with University of Missouri for student excellence
UWC Deputy-Vice Chancellor: Academic, Professor Vivienne Lawack, said: “I am delighted by this visit as it further cements our longstanding relationship with the University of Missouri, but even more so, because it is on something dear to my heart, namely student success and retention. The first principle of our UWC Student Success and Retention Framework speaks to student success being everyone’s business at our university. This includes internationalisation of our learning and teaching and curriculum aimed at enhancing student success and retention.”
Dr Andre Thorn is the Director of the Center for Academic Success & Excellence (CASE) at MU and will be visiting UWC from 3 to 10 May.
He hails from Las Vegas, Nevada and attended the University of Nevada, Reno, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and a Master of Arts degree in Counseling and Educational Psychology with an emphasis in College Student Development. He earned his PhD in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri in 2014.
Dr Thorn said: “It was great to hear about all of the great opportunities at UWC when the delegation (Professor Subethra Pather, Dr Ahmed Shaikjee and Dr Elizabeth Booi) visited us in Missouri. I look forward to building upon our institution’s relationship with sharing more about what we are doing in CASE at MU, but most importantly, I hope to explore synergies between our institutions where we can mutually learn from each other and leverage opportunities to enhance student success, learning and excellence. I hope to better understand the academic support and student development and teaching at UWC as well as at Stellenbosch.”
Earlier this year, a delegation from UWC visited MU to strengthen academic ties and engage in the shared challenges that face Higher Education. While visiting UWC, Dr Thorn will learn more about the student success and retention initiatives at UWC.
During their visit to MU, the UWC delegation visited the Student Success Center.
“I think what excited us most was MU Connect,” Prof Pather said. “That was really an eye opener for us. Something that we can use to build our different services and units that presently have a very siloed way of working. By making use of this system, it’s actually bringing everybody together, and then getting a holistic kind of view of a student.”
During his visit to UWC, Dr Thorn will also engage with the UWC directors from Learning & Teaching as well as International Relations, Community Engagement and Student Residence managers.