23 / 40
21
M U T
S P I R I T
/ /
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0
“The dynamics of higher
education have changed such
that it has become essential to
think more deeply about student
governance and leadership
development, and the place of a
student at a University.”
Student Development Officer graduates with a PhD
He has come full circle! Dr Mthokozisi Emmanuel
Ntuli, Student Development Officer in the Department
of Student Affairs, recently graduated with a PhD in
Higher Education. This is the fulfilment of a dream
whose implementation began at MUT in 1992 when
Dr Ntuli enrolled for National Diploma in Personnel
Management at the tender age of 18. Now he boasts
of a PhD in a very specialised area: student activism,
university governance and leadership development.
His title was “Implications of student activism on
university governance: a multi-case study in South
Africa”. Dr Ntuli did his studies at the University of
KwaZulu-Natal.
“I chose this title as it was most appropriate for
my area of work. For me student governance and
leadership development is not just a job that one
needs to do from 8am to 4pm. It is a profession that
needs to be taken seriously. We all need to have a
deeper understating of what it is like to be a student
nowadays, and the kind of challenges that students
face, given the historical account of higher education
in South Africa. The dynamics of higher education
have changed such that it has become essential to
think more deeply about student governance and
leadership development, and the place of a student at
a University,” said Dr Ntuli.
Dr Ntuli is also an alumnus of the Durban University of
Technology and the University of Durham, UK, where
he did his Master’s degree. In 2018 he was awarded an
ErasmusMundus scholarship to study at the University
of Tampere, Finland, on a doctoral students’ exchange
programme. While at the University of Tampere, Dr
Ntuli attended a doctoral course which was taught by
professors from the US, UK, Europe, South America,
Africa, Australia and China. This provided Dr Ntuli with
new insight on University governance and leadership
development, and on student activism, governance
and leadership development. Dr Ntuli would like to
empower others with the skills and knowledge that
he has acquired and would like to utilise his newly-
acquired insights and perspectives to help develop
the institution.
“This is a very specialised area. I would like to see
the number of people that enrol to study this area
growing. This will have a direct positive influence upon
the management of the higher education sector as
the role of the students and student leadership is fast
becoming more and more prominent,” said Dr Ntuli.
He added that his immediate goal was to entrench a
love for and understanding of student issues in the
higher education sector. “I will do this by engaging
with colleagues in the sector through writing papers,
and sharing information in various ways,” he said.
Dr Ntuli has already published papers on student
leadership and governance.
Dr Ntuli has been working at the University for 24 years.
He worked for seven years in Information Technology
& Networks (IT&N) as a technician focusing on access
control system management; three years as Bursaries,
Loans and Awards Officer; three years as Senior
Officer: Bursaries, Loans, Awards and Scholarships;
and 11 years as Student Development Officer. His love
for interacting with all student-related matters drew
him towards the Department of Student Affairs, which
he joined in 2009.
Dr Mthokozisi Emmanuel Ntuli