About this portfolio
The Resources and Planning Department, under the leadership of Deputy Vice Chancellor Dr Johan van Koller, has the massive responsibility to ensure the integrity of the physical infrastructure and logistical systems of the university. Without maintenance and logistics, no teaching or learning could take place.
There are six directorates in this vital portfolio.
Directorate 1: Finance
The finance directorate comprises the Treasury: financial services which includes salaries; budgets; procurement; supply chain management and contracts. The assets of the university (physical infrastructure such as buildings, vehicles, equipment as well as financial assets such as investments and the disbursement of financial aid) are also managed by this department.
This directorate aims to improve budgeting, spending and procurement practices to make the university financially sustainable. Despite the kinds of financial constraints that face all universities, MUT has remained financially healthy without huge debts.
Directorate 2: Human Resources And Development
This directorate oversees the recruitment of staff, their training and development, occupationalhealth and safety, organisational leadership and culture, payroll and remuneration systems, contracts and employee relations, compliance with labour laws, disciplinary matters, relationships with unions.
Apart from the daily tasks of administration, this directorate also needs to keep re-evaluating its policies, procedures and strategies to make sure they keep up to date with changing legislation, socio-eonomic realities and the fast-moving field of academic talent management.
Directorate 3: Operations
This directorate is responsible for the physical structures of the university – the buildings and grounds – and it includes technical services such as lights and water, security, postal services, printing needs and transport. It’s a balancing act between a limited budget for improvements and maintenance and the need for high-quality venues and reliable services.
Directorate 4: Information Technology and Networks
Electronic communication is the lifeblood of MUT, especially in terms of online learning. So this directorate ensures high-quality networks and connectivity, including bandwidth, e-mail services, hardware and software.
Directorate 5: Institutional Planning
A university does not run itself, it operates according to institutional and operational plans that govern all aspects of activity. This directorate, therefore, keeps an eagle eye on all the functions of the university to make sure they are all aligned. All the systems of MUT are constantly checked and evaluated for optimal performance, even down to managing the study timetable. This directorate reports to the national Department of Higher Education, providing formal feedback on the overall health of the organisation
Directorate 6: Legal Services
Contracts, legal matters and litigation are an important part of any large organisation, and MUT reduces legal costs by having an in-house legal department, which deals with general legal affairs and co-ordinates external attorney services when required.