As I write, I think back to the October day in 1996 when unseasonal rain interrupted the late Cape Spring to mark my installation as UCT's 7th Vice-Chancellor. To me, the weather was a symbol of blessing and good fortune - as rain is in Africa. I used the occasion to make a public commitment that during my stewardship of UCT, I would strive to combine the quest for excellence and equity. South Africans, I said, had not struggled for liberation in order to gain equal access to mediocrity. They wanted, and deserved, the opportunity to achieve success in world-class institutions.
Any institution embarking on change needs a vision of where it is going.
A lot of thought and discussion went into the four words that describe our Vision of UCT as a World-Class African University. During the past year we have moved rapidly from vision to implementation, from theory to practice. Our pace has been set not only by the urgency of our task but by the financial constraints we face - constraints that are likely to intensify in the years ahead. If we are to achieve our Vision, we will have to get better as resources diminish. All these decisions require rigorous analysis and strategic planning.