Here students, staff, alumni and visitors can purchase branded apparel, memorabilia and a range of products showcasing the University's academic and creative excellence.
President of the Alumni Association, Lebo Nare and Vice-Chancellor Prof Sibongile Muthwa officially opened the new University Shop, with Dr Denver Webb, former Senior Director of Strategic Resource Mobilisation, far left, and new Senior Director of SRMA Advocate Tshidi Hashaste, far right.
An elated Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sibongile Muthwa, said at the launch that she was “exceedingly proud” of the new shop and had long dreamed of providing it with a more suitable home.
Students and staff who took to “the catwalk” modelling what the University Shop has on offer.
Located in the Science Centre, guests attending the vibrant launch were treated to a mini “fashion show,” where students and staff including Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Learning and Teaching, Professor Muki Moeng, as well as Karen Snyman, specialist in student entrepreneurship, modelled the latest branded clothing, as though it was professionally choreographed.
Professional models and students, Braylon Gallant and her older brother Leighton
What brought the house down were two professional models, who are also Mandela students, Braylon Gallant and her older brother Leighton, who took to the “catwalk” (stairs at the Science Centre) to lively music and showcased the shop’s range of baseball jackets, caps and bags.
The siblings brought an international flavour to the event, having modelled at Paris Fashion Week a few weeks ago.
Prof Muthwa who officially launched the new shop, explained that the previous premises (at the Sanlam Student Village) “was too small and the new shop is a big upgrade and is revitalised,” providing more retail space for branded apparel, memorabilia, Mandela University Press publications and a myriad products linked to the institution’s academic project.
These include ceramic creations from the Faculty of Humanities, coding kits developed by the Department of Computer Science and other innovative products produced across the University.
Prof Muthwa said, “some South African higher education institutions do not have a dedicated or specialist university shop”, whereas others outsource the service with profits flowing out of the institution to its investors. “At Nelson Mandela University we have a very special and unique operation, where we have an institutional self-sustaining unit, with an alumni connection with a clear mandate.”
She said the shop can advance the University’s mandate of being an African university through the apparel that is chooses to retail and that she is excited about the potential of it to grow the University’s brand.
“It would have to take advantage of visitors from all over the world to the Science Centre,” (which has a state-of-the-art Digital Dome). This is a sense of pride which moves us closer to our intention of bridging town and gown and coming closer to being a socially embedded university, said Prof Muthwa.
President of the Nelson Mandela University Alumni Association, Lebo Nare thanked those involved in making the new shop a reality, including the University leadership and alumni support.
“The project kept evolving because we kept believing in what it would become.” He quoted writer Paulo Coelho from The Alchemist, “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”
Director of Alumni Relations, Paul Geswindt and Vice-Chancellor Prof Muthwa
Director of Alumni Relations, Paul Geswindt, who was involved in the establishment of the initial shop in 2005, said the new shop “can contribute to the growth of Nelson Mandela University’s brand awareness and development through new products and markets, such as the public and visitors to the University and Science Centre in particular.
The University Shop also contributes to ensuring that our corporate identity is adhered to, working very closely with our Communication and Marketing colleagues in this regard.” He added that there are opportunities to bring on board student entrepreneurs and artists.
The University Shop operates as a self-sustaining retail unit within the University’s policy framework and operational systems. It has the institutional mandate to retail University-branded items, operating with the required checks and balances from a procurement and financial perspective.
It has operated profitably since its establishment, coincided with the founding of the merged University. The funding for its establishment came from the Alumni Association, as an investment in the future and development of Nelson Mandela University.