PUK Campus welcomes record number of first-years

The PUK Campus of the North-West University has once again received more applications than ever before and the quality of the first-years improve every year . This year slightly more than 3000 first-years will commence their studies at the PUK Campus.

During her welcoming speech on Saturday morning, the Rector of the Potchefstroom Campus, Prof. Annette Combrink, assured first-years and their parents that the PUK was an excellent choice. "The maintenance and improvement of quality are taken seriously at the PUK via such means as regular international audits, especially with respect to research, peer evaluation, especially where teaching is concerned, and regular liaison with the industry in order to maintain the relevance of our programmes."

She referred to Corné Strydom, a BMI (Business Mathematics and Informatics) student who recently completed his second semester industry-directed research project at Lloyds TSB in England and who was evaluated extremely well by the British. He obtained a final evaluation mark of 90%, and according to John Adams of Lloyds TSB, compared very well with the best students from Oxford and Cambridge.

Apart from international standards, the demand for the institution’s graduate students in the labour market is also very important. Internal research conducted among ex-students and their direct supervisors has confirmed that approximately 95% of all PUK students find a job within a year after completing their studies.

"The PUK Campus still is, and will remain, Afrikaans – with Afrikaans as the language of instruction for most undergraduate courses. This does not mean that the students who wish to use mainly English are not accommodated, but the PUK Campus would like to remain the campus of choice for students wishing to use and experience Afrikaans as scientific language."

The Rector also made mention of the highly successful sports year that the University has had. PUK students were crowned champions of the South African Student Sports Union (SASSU) in six sports disciplines. The latest success was the PUK cricket team that won the SASSU cricket tournament in Johannesburg – based on net run rate. In Bloemfontein, the PUK’s karate team won the tournament for the fifth consecutive year. Eight PUKKE were included in a SASSU training group.

The other sports disciplines in which PUK students won at SASSU level were athletics, hockey and gymnastics. The format of the SASSU rugby tournament was such that there was no winner, but both the PUK Rugby Institute and the Kovsies finished the tournament undefeated. The PUK Rugby Institute won the SuperSport national club tournament in Durban. PUK number eight, Nelis Nel, was named SA club player of the year.

PUK athletes have also represented the country at the Olympic Games for the first time: javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen and 400m hurdles athlete Ockert Celliers. Justine Robbeson won the World Junior Championship in heptathlon and is the die PUK’s first women’s junior world champion. The University also did well in so-called extreme sports. Hendrik de Villiers won all seven of the 5FM/Energade triathlon events.

An important characteristic of the people at the PUK Campus is that they are value-driven. Even though the CHE has been removed from the name, the NWU continues to be a value-driven university and it is demonstrated openly – in 2004 approximately 5 000 students and lecturers participated in a “march for values”.

The Vice-Chancellor of the North-West University, Dr Theuns Eloff, said in his welcoming message that the North-West University has maintained stability during the merger process and that the core business of the University, namely research and training, has continued without disruption.

PHOTOS:

Sue-Lanya Ewerts from Oudtshoorn (left) and Ernst van der Bank from Standerton were two of more than 3000 first-year students who have registered this year at the PUK Campus of the North-West University. Here, they are helped to find their way on campus by Nicolene van Aarde, SRC member for Liaison. Sue-Lanya plans to study education, while Ernst is registered for a BCom degree.

"It’s nice to know someone, especially if she’s your cousin." These three cousins were among the more than 3000 first-year students who were welcomed at the PUK Campus of the North-West University on Saturday. From left to right are: Corna Wierenga from Musina, here to study Electrical Engineering, the Deputy Chairperson of the SRC, De Wet Coetzee, Carlien Wierenga from Warmbad (Bela-Bela) who plans to study Pharmacy and Jana Coetzee from Bloemfontein – also a prospective Pharmacy student.