Striving for diversity in South Africa

Adam Habib, vice chancellor at the University of the Witwatersrand, advocated the urgency of change when interviewed by the Times Higher Education. The future of South Africa is imperiled if its higher education institutions are not able to increase the proportion of indigenous faculty, staff and students. Habib commented, "The [South African] constitution's objective is, can you build a cosmopolitan nation and at the same time address the historical disparities of the past." He insists that cosmopolitanism and inclusion are complementary and are dependent on each other. Faculty have expressed trepidation about diversifying the faculty because they believe it has the potential to compromise quality. Perhaps faculty/staff should look at the entire package when recruiting colleagues - who has the disciplinary knowledge, research and scholarship capacity, and the cultural and pedagogical expertise to support student success?