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The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), formerly known as Polytechnic of Namibia, is a public university located in the city of Windhoek, Namibia.
Andrew Niikondo Andrew Niikondo (born 15 January 1962) is a Namibian academic. He is the pro-vice-chancellor for academic affairs of the Namibia University of Science and Technology and the chairperson of the think tank of SWAPO. Education and early life Niikon ...
is its acting vice-chancellor. NUST was headed by the founding vice-chancellor Tjama Tjivikua until March 2019. After two acting appointments,
Erold Naomab Erold Naomab (born 2 April 1977) is a Namibian academic. He is the vice-chancellor of the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). Early life and education Naomab was born on 2 April 1977. He grew up Omaruru in the Erongo Region o ...
was appointed vice-chancellor in January 2021. The largely ceremonial role of
chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
of the university is held by
Peter Katjavivi Peter Hitjitevi Katjavivi (born 12 May 1941) is a Namibian politician who is the Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia since March 2015 and the chancellor of the Namibia University of Science and Technology from 1992 to 2003. Previously he ...
.


History

It emerged from the ''Academy for Tertiary Education'', found in 1980, which was the first institution of higher education in the Republic of Namibia. Act 9 of 1985 of the South African administration defined three sections for this academy, a university part, the ''College of Out-of-School Training'' (''COST'') for vocational training programs and the ''Technikon Namibia'' for technical programs related to science and technology. When in 1992 the University of Namibia (UNAM) was founded, the academy lost its university section. The remaining sections, COST and Technikon, were merged to form the ''Polytechnic of Namibia'' per Act of Parliament 33 / 1994. The founding council and rector Tjama Tjivikua were appointed in July 1995. In 2015 the Polytechnic was renamed to the ''Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST)'', again per Act of Parliament, as the 1994 Act prescribed the name "Polytechnic of Namibia". The Namibia University of Science and Technology consists of two campuses and a number of scattered former residential buildings all located in the
Windhoek West Windhoek West is a suburb of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. The Namibia University of Science and Technology The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), formerly known as Polytechnic of Namibia, is a public university locate ...
suburb close to the
city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
. The main campus consists of the structures originally erected for the ''Academy for Tertiary Education''. At its center is the Elisabeth house, Windhoek's former
obstetric Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a ...
hospital designed by
Wilhelm Sander Wilhelm Sander (10 December 1860, in Berlin – 22 November 1930, in Lüderitz) was a master architect and contractor working for Sander & Kock known for his work in German South West Africa, today's Namibia. Sander studied Civil engineering i ...
in 1907. Elisabeth house is a national monument since 1986 and houses the Senate chambers and the office of the Vice-Chancellor. The ''Engineering campus'' is adjacent to the main campus; construction of this area started in 1995. Originally intended to house only the School of Engineering, this campus has gradually grown and accommodates the library, all
auditoria An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...
, and many of the other faculty venues, including, most recently, a new building for the School of Health Sciences. A further building, to house new lecture venues and the Department of Architecture and also a new library for the maters and PHD students, is currently being constructed on this campus.


Academic and vocational offerings

Until the 2010s a classic polytechnic, the institution offered both higher-level vocational training and academic degrees in technical subjects and the
applied science Applied science is the use of the scientific method and knowledge obtained via conclusions from the method to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted ...
s. In many cases these programs could be combined such that the academic degree could be attempted after a more basic vocational training was successfully passed. Since gaining university status in 2015 several Master and PhD programs have been developed, and short, entry-level certifications have been phased out. The Namibia University of Science and Technology comprises six academic faculties and offers undergraduate as well as postgraduate degrees in the areas of business and management, engineering, information technology, journalism, hospitality, natural resource management, and medicine. there were 86 undergraduate and 19
postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...
degrees offered at the institution.Polytechnic of Namibia
Historical Perspective
The university now also offers master's degree courses. A Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (CEIT) has also been set up.


Competition with the University of Namibia

NUST has been in constant competition with Namibia's other state-owned university, the University of Namibia (UNAM). University rankings consistently list both institutions among Africa's Top-50, until 2009 usually with UNAM a few places ahead of NUST. In recent years NUST has been ahead of UNAM; the
Webometrics The science of webometrics (also cybermetrics) tries to measure the World Wide Web to get knowledge about the number and types of hyperlinks, structure of the World Wide Web and using patterns. According to Björneborn and Ingwersen, the definitio ...
lists it on rank 28 in Africa (2,284 globally), and UNAM on rank 48 (3,160). On the local level, judging service and contributions to the Namibian economy, NUST usually tops all other educational institutions. In 2010 the argument about who delivers the best tertiary education in Namibia entered a new stage when a local study found the NUST again to be far ahead in terms of services delivery. This study has subsequently been rejected by the Students' Representative Council of UNAM but endorsed by NUST management staff.


Naming controversy

The Polytechnic of Namibia had for a number of years attempted to change its name and its mandate to that of a Namibian university of science and technology. The institution intermittently adopted the name on its web site and in much of its official communication. This, however, was against the law that established the institution. In August 2010, the motion was stopped by
cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...
, stating upcoming overall changes to the Namibian education sector as the reason to decline the name change. More than two years later in December 2012, cabinet instructed the Ministry of Education to grant the Polytechnic of Namibia university status and a change to the desired name. Part of the transition process was the phasing out of one-year ''Diploma'' and one-semester ''Certificate'' courses within five years. In 2015 the new act was gazetted and the name change became official.


Events

The institution conducts a cultural festival every year at the onset of spring. Activities include an ''International Cuisine Day'' where staff and students prepare and sell traditional food, a flea market, and the ''Miss and Mr NUST'' competition. NUST has an Internet radio station calle
NustFM


Notable staff

*
Erold Naomab Erold Naomab (born 2 April 1977) is a Namibian academic. He is the vice-chancellor of the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). Early life and education Naomab was born on 2 April 1977. He grew up Omaruru in the Erongo Region o ...
, became the vice-chancellor in January 2021 *
Andrew Niikondo Andrew Niikondo (born 15 January 1962) is a Namibian academic. He is the pro-vice-chancellor for academic affairs of the Namibia University of Science and Technology and the chairperson of the think tank of SWAPO. Education and early life Niikon ...
, acting vice-chancellor, May–December 2020 * Anicia Peters, the pro-vice-chancellor for research, innovation and development at the University of Namibia, former dean of computing and informatics at NUST * Tjama Tjivikua, founding rector of the Polytechnic, later vice-chancellor of NUST (1995–2019)


Notable alumni

* Dr. Sam Nujoma, first president of Namibia, received a doctorate ''
honoris causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
'' in public management in 2005 *
Harold Pupkewitz Harold Pupkewitz (14 July 1915 – 27 April 2012) was a Lithuanian born, Namibian entrepreneur and member of the President's Economic Advisory Council. He was the Executive Chairman of Pupkewitz Holdings, a group of builders' merchants, car sal ...
, entrepreneur, received a doctorate ''
honoris causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
'' in business management in 2011 * Hon.
Erastus Uutoni Erastus Amutenya Uutoni (born 29 January 1961) is a Namibian SWAPO politician who has served in the cabinet of Namibia since March 2010. Uutoni was born on 29 January 1961 in Omatando, near Ongwediva in Ovamboland of South West Africa (today th ...
, Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service of Namibia, holds a Diploma in Police Science and a Certificate in Marketing from NUST


References


External links


Namibia University of Science and Technology website
* {{authority control Universities in Namibia Education in Windhoek Educational institutions established in 1994 1994 establishments in Namibia Windhoek