Cape Town - University of Cape Town (UCT) Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng will receive an honorary degree from the University of Bristol on Monday, 22 July 2019.
Professor Phakeng will be honoured through a Doctor of Science degree at a ceremony to start at 17:00 (SA time).
She will be among a record number of women to receive honorary degrees at the University of Bristol this year, celebrating their inspirational achievements both in the UK and internationally. Eleven out of the 16 people being honoured during the ceremonies taking place from 19-26 July are women.
Professor Phakeng took over as UCT Vice-Chancellor in July 2018, having served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation at the university. Prior to joining UCT, she served as Vice Principal for Research and Innovation at the University of South Africa for five years, after a three-year term as Executive Dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology at the same university.
The University of Bristol describes an honorary degree as “a major accolade, awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement and distinction in a field or activity consonant with the university’s mission.”
The ceremony during which Professor Phakeng will be bestowed with an honorary degree will be live streamed. She is scheduled to deliver her speech during the ceremony.
Last week, Professor Phakeng delivered the keynote address, titled ‘Defining Transformative Leadership’, at the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Summit in Hong Kong.
Cape Argus