Sitting tight … Director: Alumni Relations, Paul Geswindt and Student Alumni Society Chairman, Bongolethu Madlingozi attended the Nelson Mandela Bench launch on 25 May.
The intention is to allow public art to be seen on campus as the physical embodiment of the institutional mission and contribute to the creation and maintenance of the places where the University community can learn, live, and dialogue within an environment rich in meaning. The home of this bench is on the university’s South Campus opposite the library and is linked to the Mandela Centenary celebrations.
This week was also significant as in the past Nelson Mandela was sent to Robben Island during the month of May and also elected and inaugurated as the first president of a free SA.
According to research, an institution’s mission statement becomes the defining feature of institutional identity and primary focus for articulating the organisations ethos and character. Nelson Mandela’s University’s mission is to be a dynamic African university recognised for its leadership in generating cutting-edge knowledge for a sustainable future, which thus is of significance to the university’s Vision 2020.
Nelson Mandela University’s public art programme aims at enhancing and reinforcing our vision and plays a vital role in fostering critical thinking, inspiring creative thinking and allows viewers to move beyond tangible knowledge to which can only be conceived through a process of deeper engagement and thought.
The public art visible on campus celebrates the search for knowledge while promoting the free exchange of ideas and the launch of the bench is also factored into the Mandela Centenary celebrations.