University of Zululand

The University of Zululand (also known as Unizulu) has been designated to serve as the only comprehensive tertiary educational institution north of the Tugela River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Its new status is in accordance with South Africa's National Plan for Higher Education aimed at eradicating inequity and costly duplication. As a result, Unizulu offers career-focused programmes as well as a limited number of relevant university degree courses that have been structured with potential employees and employers in mind.

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The university has extended its existing links with a wide array of tertiary educational institutions in the United States and in Europe by establishing partnerships with the University of Mississippi, Radford University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Chicago State University. Unizulu pursues an agenda for scholarly investigation in response to social problems, with community service being systematically integrated into the formal curriculum. The University strives to produce graduates with high-level knowledge and skills and who have been educated for citizenship and for active participation in society. In order to do so effectively, it seeks to cultivate relationships with funding agencies at home and abroad.

History

The University of Zululand was first established in 1960 as the University College of Zululand with only 41 students, 75 percent male and 25 percent female. As a constituent college affiliated to the University of South Africa, it initially catered mainly for the Zulu and Swazi groups.

In 1970 the college was granted University status. Since then the University has continued to expand and has experienced an increased intake of students from other parts of Africa, especially from Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

In 1982 the University of Zululand Foundation, administered by a board of Governors, was established to administer the University's fundraising and investment operations.

In 1984 the University Council was granted autonomy with regard to practically all matters relating to the disbursement of the annual subsidy, provision of facilities and the employment of staff.

In 2002 this rural-based institution was declared a comprehensive institution offering both traditional degrees and career-focused programmes.[2] In 2005 the former six Faculties ( Arts; Education; Science & Agriculture; Law, Commerce & Administration; and Theology & Religion Studies) merge to become four Faculties, namely Arts; Commerce, Administration & Law; Education; and Science & Agriculture.

In 2006 the existing Information Technology infrastructure was replaced by a R32,9 million state-of-the art system. And the building of the new student residences for occupancy in 2008 commences.
Controversy

In 2007, the SRC led South African Students Congress introduced new lecture visual aids in lecture halls, however they destroyed some during protests regarding a backlog in student politics.

In 2009 a dispute over the SRC elections between the Inkatha Freedom Party-aligned South African Democratic Students Movement Sadesmo and the ANC-aligned South African Students Congress Sasco a lecture hall was burned down and several buildings were damaged.
Campus

The main Campus is situated in Kwadlangezwa, 19 km south of Empangeni and about 142 km north of Durban off the N2 National Road on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast. Empangeni is the nearest town.
Satellite campuses

The Faculty of Law, Commerce and Administration offers classes in business Economics at Ulundi as well as Richards Bay, while other faculties such as Education also have off-campus centers at Ulundi, Vryheid, Mkuze and Piet-Retief. The Department of Theology and Religion Studies co-operates with seven insttutions that are affiliated to the University and are located as far afield as Randburg, Benoni and Mitchells Plain in the Western Cape.