University of the Witwatersrand
Encyclopedia
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university
situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg
. It is more commonly known as Wits University. The university has its roots in the mining industry, as do Johannesburg and the Witwatersrand in general.
In 1959, the Extension of University Education Act forced restricted registrations of black students for most of the apartheid era; despite this, several notable black leaders graduated from the university. It became desegregated once again prior to the abolition of apartheid in 1990. Several of apartheid's most provocative critics, of either European or African descent, were one-time students and graduates of the university.
The university was founded as a school in Kimberley in 1896 as the "South African School of Mines". Eight years later, in 1904 the school moved to Johannesburg
and changed its name to the "Transvaal Technical Institute". The school changed its name in 1906 to the "Transvaal University College
". In 1908 the Pretoria
branch of the school was established. On 17 May 1910 the Johannesburg and Pretoria campuses separated, each becoming an independent institution. The Johannesburg campus being reincorporated as the South African School of Mines and Technology, while the Pretoria campus retained the name of Transvaal University College until 1930 when it became the University of Pretoria
.
Finally, in 1922, the school was granted full university status after incorporating the College as the "University of the Witwatersrand". The area of Milner Park, north-west of Braamfontein was identified as the location for the new university campus
, and construction began in the same year. There were to be six faculties that offered degrees at the University: arts, science, medicine, engineering, law, and commerce.
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The school experienced significant growth after its incorporation as a university, growing from a mere 6,275 students in 1963 to over 16,400 in 1985. In 1964, the Medical Library of the Faculty of Medicine moved to Esselen Street, in the Hillbrow section of Johannesburg. During the course of the 1960s, the university opened many new schools and buildings, and acquired a limestone cave renowned for its archaeological material located at Sterkfontein
. The Graduate School of Business was established later in 1968 in Parktown
.
A farm next to Sterkfontein named Swartkrans
rich in archaeological material was purchased in 1968, and excavation rights were obtained for archaeological and palaeontological purposes at Makapansgat, located in Limpopo province. The next year, the Ernest Oppenheimer Residence opened next to the Business school in Parktown, and later in the same year, clinical departments at the new Medical School opened. In 1976, Lawson's Corner was renamed University Corner. Senate House, the university's main administrative building, was completed in 1977. The university underwent a significant expansion programme in 1984, acquiring the Milner Park showgrounds
from the Witwatersrand Agricultural Society, and renaming it as West Campus.
In 1984, the Chamber of Mines building opened. A large walkway named the Amic Deck was constructed across the De Villiers Graaff Motorway which bisects the campus, linking the East and West campuses. In 2004, the Johannesburg College of Education was incorporated into Wits as an education campus under the national education department plan to reform tertiary education in South Africa.
Wits is a member of the Global Business School Network
. In its capacity as a business school, the University of Witwatersrand was placed as the 6th best business school in Africa and the Middle East in the 2010 QS Global 200 Business Schools Report
.
The University is divided into five academic campuses. The Braamfontein campus (which serves as the main administrative campus) is divided into East and West Campuses by the M1 (De Villiers Graaff Highway
) and Yale Road. The entire campus is bordered by Empire Road (north), Jan Smuts Avenue (East), Jorissen Street and Enoch Sontonga Road (south) and Annet Road (west). The historic east campus is primarily the home of the faculties of science and humanities, as well as the University Senate
and administration. The west campus houses both the commerce and engineering faculties. The Braamfontein campus is home to six residences
, namely Sunnyside and Jubilee Halls (female residences), Men's Res (College and Dalrymple Houses), Barnato Halls, David Webster, West Campus Village and International House.
Off the Braamfontein campus are three academic campuses, all in Parktown
. The Wits Education Campus specialises in education, which is a school within the humanities faculty. The education campus boasts three female residences; namely the Girton, Medhurst and Reith Hall. East of the education campus (across York Road), lies the Medical School which is the administration and academic centre for the health science faculty .
West of the education campus (across Victoria Avenue) lies the management campus, with the Wits Business School. Within the management campus are the Ernest Oppenheimer Halls (male residence) and the co-ed Parktown Village I.
There are centres that are not academic although referred to by the University as campuses. These are Graduate Lodge, Campus Lodge, South Court and Braamfontein Centre; all in the city district of Braamfontein
. Furthermore there is Parktown Village II and Knockando Halls (a male residence located on the grounds of Parktown mansion
, Northwards) in Parktown, and the Esselen Street residence in Hillbrow.
Construction Economics & Management, Electrical & Information Engineering, Mechanical, Industrial & Aeronautical Engineering and Mining Engineering. The faculty is based in the Chamber Of Mines Building, which houses the faculty office and the Engineering Library. The school of Civil & Environmental Engineering is located in the Hillman Building on the East Campus.
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...
situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. It is more commonly known as Wits University. The university has its roots in the mining industry, as do Johannesburg and the Witwatersrand in general.
In 1959, the Extension of University Education Act forced restricted registrations of black students for most of the apartheid era; despite this, several notable black leaders graduated from the university. It became desegregated once again prior to the abolition of apartheid in 1990. Several of apartheid's most provocative critics, of either European or African descent, were one-time students and graduates of the university.
History
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
and changed its name to the "Transvaal Technical Institute". The school changed its name in 1906 to the "Transvaal University College
Transvaal University College
Transvaal University College is a former name of two universities in South Africa:* The University of the Witwatersrand was named the Transvaal University College from 1906 to 1910....
". In 1908 the Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
branch of the school was established. On 17 May 1910 the Johannesburg and Pretoria campuses separated, each becoming an independent institution. The Johannesburg campus being reincorporated as the South African School of Mines and Technology, while the Pretoria campus retained the name of Transvaal University College until 1930 when it became the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
.
Finally, in 1922, the school was granted full university status after incorporating the College as the "University of the Witwatersrand". The area of Milner Park, north-west of Braamfontein was identified as the location for the new university campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
, and construction began in the same year. There were to be six faculties that offered degrees at the University: arts, science, medicine, engineering, law, and commerce.
Sterkfontein
-References:-References:-References:: : : :...
. The Graduate School of Business was established later in 1968 in Parktown
Parktown
Parktown is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, the first suburb north of the inner-city. It is affectionately known as one of the Parks, others including Parkview, Parkwood, Westcliff, Parktown North, Parkhurst and Forest Town...
.
A farm next to Sterkfontein named Swartkrans
Swartkrans
Swartkrans is a location in South Africa, around from Johannesburg.Swartkrans is a farm near to Sterkfontein, notable for being extremely rich in archaeological material, particularly hominid remains. It was purchased by the University of the Witwatersrand in 1968...
rich in archaeological material was purchased in 1968, and excavation rights were obtained for archaeological and palaeontological purposes at Makapansgat, located in Limpopo province. The next year, the Ernest Oppenheimer Residence opened next to the Business school in Parktown, and later in the same year, clinical departments at the new Medical School opened. In 1976, Lawson's Corner was renamed University Corner. Senate House, the university's main administrative building, was completed in 1977. The university underwent a significant expansion programme in 1984, acquiring the Milner Park showgrounds
Rand Show
The Rand Show, also called the Rand Easter Show is an annual show held in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is the largest consumer exhibition in the world, outside of the United States. It has been an important event in the city for many years, attracting in excess of 400 000 visitors in 2007...
from the Witwatersrand Agricultural Society, and renaming it as West Campus.
In 1984, the Chamber of Mines building opened. A large walkway named the Amic Deck was constructed across the De Villiers Graaff Motorway which bisects the campus, linking the East and West campuses. In 2004, the Johannesburg College of Education was incorporated into Wits as an education campus under the national education department plan to reform tertiary education in South Africa.
Ranking
The 2009 Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings ranked Wits as 321st in the world.Wits is a member of the Global Business School Network
Global Business School Network
The Global Business School Network is an international non-profit organization that promotes management education as an important element of international development.-Inception:...
. In its capacity as a business school, the University of Witwatersrand was placed as the 6th best business school in Africa and the Middle East in the 2010 QS Global 200 Business Schools Report
QS Global 200 Business Schools Report
The QS Global 200 Business Schools Report identifies the most popular business schools in each region of the world. It aims to serve employers seeking MBAs at a regional level. It originated in the early 1990s under the partnership Quacquarelli Symonds. The TopMBA Career Guide was made in 1990, and...
.
Campuses
M1 (Johannesburg)
The M1 De Villiers Graaff motorway is a major freeway in Johannesburg, South Africa. The highway connects the southern areas with the city centre and extends further north through Sandton...
) and Yale Road. The entire campus is bordered by Empire Road (north), Jan Smuts Avenue (East), Jorissen Street and Enoch Sontonga Road (south) and Annet Road (west). The historic east campus is primarily the home of the faculties of science and humanities, as well as the University Senate
Academic Senate
An Academic Senate is a governing body in some universities and colleges, and is typically the supreme academic authority for the institution.-Scotland:...
and administration. The west campus houses both the commerce and engineering faculties. The Braamfontein campus is home to six residences
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
, namely Sunnyside and Jubilee Halls (female residences), Men's Res (College and Dalrymple Houses), Barnato Halls, David Webster, West Campus Village and International House.
Off the Braamfontein campus are three academic campuses, all in Parktown
Parktown
Parktown is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, the first suburb north of the inner-city. It is affectionately known as one of the Parks, others including Parkview, Parkwood, Westcliff, Parktown North, Parkhurst and Forest Town...
. The Wits Education Campus specialises in education, which is a school within the humanities faculty. The education campus boasts three female residences; namely the Girton, Medhurst and Reith Hall. East of the education campus (across York Road), lies the Medical School which is the administration and academic centre for the health science faculty .
West of the education campus (across Victoria Avenue) lies the management campus, with the Wits Business School. Within the management campus are the Ernest Oppenheimer Halls (male residence) and the co-ed Parktown Village I.
There are centres that are not academic although referred to by the University as campuses. These are Graduate Lodge, Campus Lodge, South Court and Braamfontein Centre; all in the city district of Braamfontein
Braamfontein
Braamfontein is a central suburb of Johannesburg, in South Africa. It is well located, straddling Jan Smuts Avenue and Empire Road. The Nelson Mandela bridge is a landmark that connects Braamfontein to the city...
. Furthermore there is Parktown Village II and Knockando Halls (a male residence located on the grounds of Parktown mansion
Parktown mansions
The mansions of Parktown are an important part of the history of the city of Johannesburg. They were the homes of the Randlords, accountants, military personnel and other influential residents of early Johannesburg, dating back as early as the 1890s...
, Northwards) in Parktown, and the Esselen Street residence in Hillbrow.
Commerce, Law, and Management
The faculty currently offers various undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in accountancy, commerce, economics, management, and law. It boasts the acclaimed Wits Business School, as well as a graduate school devoted to public and development management. The faculty participates in the WitsPlus programme, a part time programme for students.Engineering and the Built Environment
The faculty is made up of 7 schools being: Architecture & Planning, Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering,Construction Economics & Management, Electrical & Information Engineering, Mechanical, Industrial & Aeronautical Engineering and Mining Engineering. The faculty is based in the Chamber Of Mines Building, which houses the faculty office and the Engineering Library. The school of Civil & Environmental Engineering is located in the Hillman Building on the East Campus.
Humanities
This Faculty consists of schools of Arts, Education, Social Sciences, Literature and Language Studies among others.Libraries
The university has a total of 11 libraries:- Martienssen Library For The Built Environment: This library serves the schools of architecture and construction management. It is located in the John Moffat Building (Architecture Building) on the East Campus.
- Biological & Physical Sciences Library: This library is situated in the Oppenheimer Life Sciences Building.
- Commerce Library
- Education Library (Harold Holmes Library)
- Engineering Library: This library, located in the Chamber Of Mines Building, serves all schools of engineering.
- GeoMaths Library
- Health Sciences Library (WHSL)
- William Cullen Library
- Wartenweiler Library
- Wits Library Of Management
- Law Library
Notable campus buildings and attractions
- National monuments: Both the Dias Cross and the Great Hall (located on the east campus of the Braamfontein campus) have been granted national monument status.
- Art galleries: There are two public art galleriesArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, namely the Gertrude Posel Gallery and the Studio Gallery, both located in the Senate House. The Studio Gallery is renowned for having one the best collections of African beadworkBeadworkBeadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another or to cloth, usually by the use of a needle and thread or soft, flexible wire. Most beadwork takes the form of jewelry or other personal adornment, but beads are also used in wall hangings and sculpture.Beadwork techniques are broadly...
in the world. - Rock art: The Roberts-Pager Collection of BushmenBushmenThe indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
rock art copies, located in the Van Riet Lowe building on the east campus. - Museums: The University hosts at least fourteen museums. These include the Adler Museum (of the history of medicine), the Palaeontology Museum and the only Geology Museum in GautengGautengGauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
. The displays include a vast spectra not limited to the Taung skull, various dinosaurDinosaurDinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
fossils and butterfliesButterflyA butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
. - Cradle of Humankind: A World HeritageWorld Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
located west of Johannesburg. Both the SterkfonteinSterkfontein-References:-References:-References:: : : :...
and SwartkransSwartkransSwartkrans is a location in South Africa, around from Johannesburg.Swartkrans is a farm near to Sterkfontein, notable for being extremely rich in archaeological material, particularly hominid remains. It was purchased by the University of the Witwatersrand in 1968...
caves are world renowned as some of the largest sources of hominidHominidaeThe Hominidae or include them .), as the term is used here, form a taxonomic family, including four extant genera: chimpanzees , gorillas , humans , and orangutans ....
fossils in the world. - Johannesburg Planetarium opened in 1960, was the first full-sized planetariumPlanetariumA planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
in Africa, and the second in the Southern HemisphereSouthern HemisphereThe Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
.
Nobel Prize Laureates
- Aaron KlugAaron KlugSir Aaron Klug, OM, PRS is a Lithuanian-born British chemist and biophysicist, and winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his development of crystallographic electron microscopy and his structural elucidation of biologically important nucleic acid-protein complexes.-Biography:Klug was...
, 1982 Nobel Prize in ChemistryNobel Prize in ChemistryThe Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,... - Nadine GordimerNadine GordimerNadine Gordimer is a South African writer and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature when she was recognised as a woman "who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity".Her writing has long dealt...
, 1991 Nobel Prize in literatureNobel Prize in LiteratureSince 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"... - Nelson MandelaNelson MandelaNelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, 1993 Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who... - Sydney BrennerSydney BrennerSydney Brenner, CH FRS is a South African biologist and a 2002 Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate, shared with H...
, 2002 Nobel Prize in MedicineNobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
Books about the university
- The Golden Jubilee of the University of the Witwatersrand 1972 ISBN 0-85494-188-6 (Jubilee Committee, University of the Witwatersrand Press)
- Wits: The Early Years : a History of the University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg and its Precursors 1896 - 1936 1982 Bruce Murray ISBN 0-85494-709-4 (University of the Witwatersrand Press)
- Wits Sport: An Illustrated History of Sport at the University of the Witwatersrand 1989 Jonty Winch ISBN 0-620-13806-8 (Windsor)
- Wits: A University in the Apartheid Era 1996 Mervyn Shear ISBN 1-86814-302-3 (University of the Witwatersrand Press)
- Wits: The "Open Years": A History of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 1939-1959 1997 Bruce Murray ISBN 1-86814-314-7 (University of the Witwatersrand Press)
- A Vice-Chancellor Remembers: the Memoirs of Professor G.R. Bozzoli 1995 Guerino Bozzoli ISBN 0-620-19369-7 (Alphaprint)
- Wits Library: a Centenary History 1998 Reuben Musiker & Naomi Musiker ISBN 0-620-22754-0 (Scarecrow Books)