Latest updates – Monday, 18-Feb-2013 9:50

For the WSU Foundation -2013 is the year for action

The Walter Sisulu University Foundation (WSUF) was established by legal statute in 2009 and is based in Johannesburg. Its objectives are to firstly establish a fund, the sole object of which shall be to provide funds to the University and its employees or students enabling the University to pursue its aims of providing higher education according to its mission.

WSUF has declared 2013 as the ‘year of active solicitation’ particularly for university projects that have been submitted to the Foundation for funding.

WSUF is already embarking on a process of engaging with all project leaders and project teams to give feedback on their projects.

According to Dr Siyanda Makaula, Executive Director WSUF, a lot of work needs to be done so as to be able to make proposed projects fundable and appealing to potential donors.

“WSU has had a lot of bad publicity which makes it difficult to get the donors we need on board but we are of the view that as the Foundation we exist for the advancement of WSU hence we do not tire in the agenda of finding groundbreaking strategies that remedy the challenges we face,” said Makaula.

The Foundation in its endeavour to assist units with submitted proposals have developed a proposal format and requested all project leaders to re-write their projects in line with the proposed format.

He explained that this new way of doing things helps evaluate projects more swiftly and further interrogates the objectives and the impact of the project for WSU, as well as to ensure that the projects are in line with the University’s vision and stated priorities.

Makaula notes the aim of the Foundation is to ensure that WSU has an efficient, organized and coordinated system for resource mobilization hence it becomes important to conduct workshops with various entities, units, faculties, schools and so on.

The Foundation will also be engaging on an annual fundraising campaign where they are going to call upon all the university internal and external stakeholders to give towards the ‘Sisulu Legacy Fund’ (SLF).

Makaula explained that they seek to establish an endowment fund to ensure on-going support for university projects, staff and students in line with section 4.1 of the university trust deed.

“We see SLF as a core business enabler,” reiterated Makaula. One of the exciting projects about to take shape is the R400k successfully solicited by the WSUF from Industrial Development Corporation for the renovation of an 80-seater General Computer Laboratory at the NMD site Mthatha Campus.

Makaula also mentioned that WSUF will soon be calling for submission of new projects; however they first want to present their plans which are “WSU policy on resource mobilization and Outline procedures & guidelines to be followed when considering submission of projects for solicitation.”

By Oyanga Ngalika