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On 20 July 2017, Nelson Mandela University has officially renamed: the only UniversityUniversity in the world to carry the name of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. With this name, we will be honoring Nelson Mandela by leading our UniversityUniversity into a new era of robust innovation and change. It is an era where our South African identity combines global self-assuredness with locally actualized philosophical approaches and practices applied to economies, environments, lifestyles, cultures, and traditions. It is an era of respect and sharing to advance our people's needs, lives, and aspirations. We assume the responsibility of standing up and saying what our UniversityUniversity is doing to improve society and change the world for the better, which Nelson Mandela dedicated his life to doing. "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." We are honored that the naming of our UniversityUniversity has the full support of Mandela's eldest grandson, Mandla Mandela, the head of the Mvezo Traditional Council and the custodian of the family. It is our unique privilege as a University to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela, a man who became the world's moral compass and one of the most outstanding leaders we have ever known. Who we are and what we are becoming as an innovative 21st-century institution of higher learning is our way of taking responsibility for the Mandela legacy and ensuring that it is reflected in the way that we teach, learn, do research, engage with our communities, and work and live as students, staff, alumni and our partners. Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) opened on 1 January 2005, the result of the merging of the PE Technikon, the University of Port Elizabeth (UPE), and the Port Elizabeth campus of Vista University (Vista PE). This union of three very different institutions came about due to the government's countrywide restructuring of higher education – intended to deliver a more equitable and efficient system to meet the needs of South Africa in the 21st century. NMMU brings together the best traditions of technikon and university education and draws on more than a century of quality higher education in a new kind of UniversityUniversity that offers a wide range of academic, professional, and technological programs varying entrance and exit levels. NMMU has approximately 27 000 students and approximately 2 500 staff members, based on six campuses in the Nelson Mandela Metropole and George. The sites are the North Campus (former PE Technikon), South Campus (former UPE), Second Avenue Campus (former PE Technikon College Campus), Missionvale Campus (former Vista), Bird Street Campus, and the George Campus at Saasveld. The first Chancellor of NMMU was Chief Justice Pius Langa, and Justice Ronnie Pillay, the first Chairperson of Council. Dr. Rolf Stumpf was the first Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of NMMU, succeeded on 1 January 2008 by Prof Derrick Swartz. The first step in the merger came with incorporating Vista PE by UPE on 2 January 2004, followed by the merger of PE Technikon and UPE on 1 January 2005. To offer a diverse range of quality educational opportunities that will make a critical and constructive contribution to regional, national, and global sustainability. To achieve our vision and mission, we will ensure that our values inform and define our institutional ethos and specific educational purpose and philosophy. We are committed to promoting equity of access and opportunities to give students the best chance of success in pursuing lifelong learning and diverse educational goals. We provide a vibrant, stimulating, and richly diverse environment that enables staff and students to reach their full potential. We develop graduates and diplomates to be responsible global citizens capable of critical reasoning, innovation, and adaptability. We create and sustain an environment that encourages and supports vibrant research, scholarship, and innovation culture. We engage in mutually beneficial partnerships locally, nationally, and globally to enhance social, economic, and ecological sustainability. View full university