A feisty political scholar and analyst is set to address Universities SA’s Higher Education Conference in 2024
He is an accomplished scholar and former Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand – a term he held for seven and a half years from June 2013 to December 2020. Once South Africa’s most sought-after political analyst, he was labelled a feisty commentator – one never to shy away from controversy.
During his tenure as the Chairperson of Universities South Africa (USAf), a senior manager in the USAf office once described him as someone “who could change a meeting agenda after one look,” and get away with it. As the Wits Vice-Chancellor, he was at the epicentre of #FeesMustFall upheavals and was confronted with the most challenging decision-making to safeguard the institution – and he prevailed above it all.
This is Professor Adam Habib (left), a South African scholar now hailing from Bloomsbury, London, where he is Director at the School of African and Oriental Studies, of the University of London. He is among the top thought leaders that USAf has secured to address the 3rd biennial Higher Education Conference from 9 to 11 October. He will be speaking on the topic The Future of Transformation in South African Higher Education: Looking Back, Going Forward.
Scheduled to speak during a session dedicated to Contested Futures, Professor Habib is set to provide a global perspective and experience on the subject, infused with his deep knowledge of the South African higher education system.
He will be sharing the platform with Ms Anne-Marie Scott, an expert in digital and open education. Until March 2023 she was the Deputy Provost of Athabasca University – Canada’s open and online university – where she led the institution’s digital transformation agenda alongside her academic operations responsibilities.
Ms Scott (right) has been a member of the (Canadian) Government of British Columbia’s Digital Advisory Committee since 2021, advising on how to embed and upscale digital learning across the province. She is a member of the After Surveillance network, a global group of scholars and practitioners concerned with surveillance practices in Higher Education, and part of the leadership team of the OpenETC, providing shared open technologies for post-secondary institutions within British Columbia, Canada. She currently teaches on critical approaches to educational technology as adjunct faculty at Royal Roads University in Canada.
She is a member of the board of the Open-Source Initiative who are the global steward of the open-source software definition, and who are currently working on the development of an open source AI definition. Until June 2024 she was also the Board Chair of the Apereo Foundation, a non-profit global organisation that supports and develops open-source software for higher education institutions. The Foundation, with member institutions on six continents, fosters collaboration, resources and best practices sharing to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of their open-source initiatives.
In her previous tenure as the former Deputy Director of Learning, Teaching and Web Services at the University of Edinburgh, Ms Scott was responsible for the many of the initiatives that underpinned institutional strategy and growth in digital education. An accomplished education and enterprise IT expert in her own right, Ms Scott now works as an independent consultant, often sought after to speak on digitalised education and strategy.
What better speaker than her in the context of rapid change to technology-based teaching and learning. Plurality of perspectives on digitilisation in higher learning is necessary as institutions position themselves for a more sustainable future. Anne-Marie Scott is also known for her passion in equity, inclusion, and decolonisation.
Please visit the registration page to secure your place. Registration closes on 30 August.
‘Mateboho Green is Universities South Africa’s Manager: Corporate Communication.
