In its effort to strengthen its internationalisation mission, as per the University Strategic Plan 2025, MUT is sending out seven staff members to the Florida AM University (FAMU). The team will leave on 8 April and return on 15 April 2022.
Acting Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Professor Roger Coopoosamy, who will be representing the Acting Vice-Chancellor, said the staff delegation was selected based on their research focus areas which partnerships with FAMU could be based on. Some of these areas are Water, Food availability, and Energy nexus.
The team will engage with FAMU to strengthen the University’s prospects to collaborate in common areas of interest. Professor Coopoosamy said they were looking into signing an MoU in collaborative research and other engagements with FAMU.
In support of these intensions, MUT staff will deliver presentations on their focus areas. The team will have a chance to interact with FAMU staff and members of industry. Professor Coopoosamy said they wanted to showcase the University’s novelty in identified research focus areas.
“We will show them that what we are doing is groundbreaking,” said Professor Coopoosamy.
The Acting Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences, Dr Bheka Ntshangase, said his faculty wanted to introduce staff and student exchange with the US University. Dr Ntshangase added that they would like to have collaboration in areas of research and postgraduate programmes, research supervision, external examination, and paper moderation.
The team of seven staff members will depart on 9 April and return on 15 April 2022. This team includes the three acting faculty deans – Prof Coopoosamy, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences; Professor Babatunde Bakare, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering; and Dr Ntshangase, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences; Dr Xoli Mkhize, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Community Extension; Dr Taurai Mutanda, Lecturer in the Department of Nature Conservation; Dr Charlotte Mvuyana, Head of Department of Public Administration and Economics; and Khaya Shabangu of the Department of Chemistry.