Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Encyclopedia
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is a South African tertiary education
institution with its main administration in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth. The merger creating the NMMU was realized in January 2005 but its history dates back to 1882 with the foundation of Port Elizabeth Art School. The merger brought together the University of Port Elizabeth, the Port Elizabeth Technikon and the Port Elizabeth campus of Vista University. The University draws international students from all over the world. There are over 3000 international students and include students from the United States, France, China, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and many other countries.
NMMU is a comprehensive university offering professional
and vocational training. The University has six campuses - five in Port Elizabeth and one in George
. The main campus is the South Campus. Questions have been raised regarding safety on the main campus It has a 21-storey administration building. Students at NMMU can study towards diploma
s and degrees
up to and including doctoral level qualifications. A number of courses include workplace experience as part of the curriculum.
, from the Department of Forestry. The Teachers’ Training College, located opposite The Boardwalk Waterfront Complex in Summerstrand, was taken over by the Technikon in 1994.
The University of Port Elizabeth (UPE) was the country’s first dual-medium (English
and Afrikaans) residential university, came into being on 31 January 1964, and was assisted by financing and donations of land from the Broederbond. The first academic year commenced on 1 March 1965. UPE moved from Central to Summerstrand in 1974. The campus was officially opened in August 1975 and the final move from Bird Street came in 1979 with the opening of the science blocks at Summerstrand. The University of Port Elizabeth's campus is now what is the NMMU Summerstrand South Campus. The Summertrand South campus, is the largest campus of any university in the southern hemisphere of the world. Built on 830 ha of land donated by the then Port Elizabeth City Council, the campus was declared a nature reserve in 1983. It is the only university
in South Africa to be situated on a nature reserve and the only university to offer game drives on its campus. The downside of being located on a wildlife reserve is that students are often attacked by monkeys. Three of the five Port Elizabeth campuses are situated close to Humewood Beach which has been awarded blue flag
status.
NMMU's campuses are:
ranked the university(Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) the 10th best in South Africa and 1586th in the world.
Tertiary education
Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, university-preparatory school...
institution with its main administration in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth. The merger creating the NMMU was realized in January 2005 but its history dates back to 1882 with the foundation of Port Elizabeth Art School. The merger brought together the University of Port Elizabeth, the Port Elizabeth Technikon and the Port Elizabeth campus of Vista University. The University draws international students from all over the world. There are over 3000 international students and include students from the United States, France, China, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and many other countries.
NMMU is a comprehensive university offering professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
and vocational training. The University has six campuses - five in Port Elizabeth and one in George
George, Western Cape
George is a city with 203,253 inhabitants in South Africa's Western Cape province. The city is a popular holiday and conference centre and the administrative and commercial hub of the Garden Route.- Location :...
. The main campus is the South Campus. Questions have been raised regarding safety on the main campus It has a 21-storey administration building. Students at NMMU can study towards diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
s and degrees
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
up to and including doctoral level qualifications. A number of courses include workplace experience as part of the curriculum.
History, formation and campus developments
NMMU was formed through the merger of the following institutions: The PE Technikon, which had its roots in the Port Elizabeth Art School founded in 1882 (the oldest art school in South Africa). The institution later became the College for Advanced Technical Education (CATE). The college moved from Central to the coastal suburb of Summerstrand in 1974 and became the PE Technikon in 1979. The PE Technikon expanded to the Western Cape in 1985 when it took over the College for Forestry, SaasveldSaasveld
Saasveld is a town in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Dinkelland, and lies about 7 km north of Hengelo.In 2001, the town of Saasveld had 552 inhabitants...
, from the Department of Forestry. The Teachers’ Training College, located opposite The Boardwalk Waterfront Complex in Summerstrand, was taken over by the Technikon in 1994.
The University of Port Elizabeth (UPE) was the country’s first dual-medium (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Afrikaans) residential university, came into being on 31 January 1964, and was assisted by financing and donations of land from the Broederbond. The first academic year commenced on 1 March 1965. UPE moved from Central to Summerstrand in 1974. The campus was officially opened in August 1975 and the final move from Bird Street came in 1979 with the opening of the science blocks at Summerstrand. The University of Port Elizabeth's campus is now what is the NMMU Summerstrand South Campus. The Summertrand South campus, is the largest campus of any university in the southern hemisphere of the world. Built on 830 ha of land donated by the then Port Elizabeth City Council, the campus was declared a nature reserve in 1983. It is the only university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in South Africa to be situated on a nature reserve and the only university to offer game drives on its campus. The downside of being located on a wildlife reserve is that students are often attacked by monkeys. Three of the five Port Elizabeth campuses are situated close to Humewood Beach which has been awarded blue flag
Blue Flag beach
The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education that a beach or marina meets its stringent standards.The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE which is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation consisting of 65 organisations in 60 member countries in Europe,...
status.
NMMU's campuses are:
- South Campus, Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth
- North Campus, Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth
- 2nd Avenue Campus, Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth
- Missionvale Campus, Uitenhage Road
- Bird Street Campus, Central, Port Elizabeth
- Saasveld, George
Ranking
In 2011, WebometricsWebometrics
The science of webometrics tries to measure the World Wide Web to get knowledge about the number and types of hyperlinks, structure of the World Wide Web and usage patterns...
ranked the university(Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) the 10th best in South Africa and 1586th in the world.
Faculties
NMMU has the following faculties:- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Business School
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Science
Sports
- Athletics: The Xerox NMMU Sports Stadium has an athletics track. The EP men’s 4 x 100m relay team is the fastest relay team in the country as proven at the SA Senior Athletics championships in Durban in April 2011 (All athletes are from the NMMU Athletics Club)
- Basketball: The NMMU basketball club has a modern arena, with approximately 5000 seats, in a modern large indoor centre, located on the Missionvale Campus.
- Cricket: The NMMU cricket club has produced cricketer Ashwell PrinceAshwell PrinceAshwell Gavin Prince is a cricketer who plays Test and One Day International cricket for South Africa. A left-handed middle order batsman, he has a high-batted stance and is strong through the offside. He is noted for his gritty style of batting and also for being an athletic fielder in the covers...
and Wayne ParnellWayne ParnellWayne Dillon Parnell is a cricketer who plays Tests, One Day International and Twenty20 matches for South Africa. At domestic level he plays for the Warriors having previously represented Eastern Province, he has also played county cricket for Kent...
. It is currently the Number One University Cricket team in S.A. It has a cricket field located at the Summerstrand south campus and at the 2nd Avenue Campus. NMMU are the current National Champions of the annual University cricket championships. See also Chevrolet Warriors. - Golf: The University is situated right next to Humewood Golf Club (though located in Summerstrand). It is ranked in the top-10 of South African golf courses. NMMU students get special incentives at the Humewood Golf Club, if they are registered with the NMMU Golf Club.
- Hockey: The University's North Campus has an astroturfAstroTurfAstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
hockey pitch, with flood-lights. - Netball: The 2nd Avenue campus has class netball courts.
- Rugby: Rugby is a major sport at NMMU. NMMU participates in the FNB Varsity CupFNB Varsity CupThe FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International is an annual South African Rugby Union tournament that involves the top 8 rugby playing universities in the country....
, a rugby competition for the top-8 South African rugby playing Universities. - Soccer: The Xerox NMMU Sports Stadium is the home to NMMU F.C.. The stadium was used as a training venue during the 2010 FIFA World Cup2010 FIFA World CupThe 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. Residence soccer leagues exist. - Tennis: The NMMU Tennis club has tennis courts located on all campuses. On the South Campus, there are 14 tennis courts at the tennis complex.
- Other sports:
- Indoor sports include: aerobicsAerobicsAerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
, underwater hockeyUnderwater hockeyUnderwater hockey is a global non-contact sport in which two teams compete to maneuver a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into goals.-Play:...
, bodybuildingBodybuildingBodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...
(NMMU has an on campus gym and and its own Biokinetics & Sport Science Unit/Centre ) , indoor swimming, boxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, chessChessChess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, danceDanceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, judoJudois a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, karateKarateis a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, poolPocket billiardsPool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
, squashSquash (sport)Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
and table tennisTable tennisTable tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
. - Outdoor sports include: surfingSurfingSurfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
, hikingHikingHiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, rowingRowing (sport)Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, softballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, swimming, volleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, badmintonBadmintonBadminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
, archeryArcheryArchery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
and horse-racing.
- Indoor sports include: aerobics
Notable alumni and staff
- :Category:Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University academics
- :Category:Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University alumni