UNISA honours top scholars at Star-Studded inaugural excellence awards

Unisa signalled a bold new chapter in its academic trajectory on Monday night as the institution used its inaugural Research, Teaching and Engaged Scholarship Excellence Awards to showcase its renewed focus on performance, innovation and continental impact. The event, held at the Maslow Hotel in Pretoria, brought together scholars, senior executives and partners in what many described as a turning point for the university.

Rather than serving purely as a celebration, the ceremony positioned itself as part of a wider institutional strategy to elevate standards, boost research output and strengthen Unisa’s standing as Africa’s largest open distance learning institution. By honouring more than one hundred high-performing academics and professional staff across twenty five categories, the university sent a clear message about its priorities for the years ahead.

The awards highlighted key areas where Unisa aims to sharpen its competitiveness, including high-impact research, digital innovation, postgraduate supervision and community-centred scholarship. Recipients were acknowledged for developing new teaching approaches, producing influential research, driving technological upgrades and strengthening partnerships with communities and industry.

The highest honours of the night – the Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence and the Principal’s Award for Research Excellence – went to scholars whose work has attracted continental and global recognition. Their achievements, celebrated with standing ovations, served as examples of the calibre of research output Unisa intends to mainstream across the institution.

Principal and Vice Chancellor Professor Puleng LenkaBula framed the evening as evidence of Unisa’s resilience during a period of sector-wide pressure and uncertainty. She said the university’s researchers and innovators had not only sustained productivity but expanded their influence amid challenging conditions. She emphasised that Unisa’s strategic direction rests on strengthening African knowledge systems while contributing meaningfully to global development agendas.

Professor LenkaBula also credited staff across faculties and administrative divisions for driving improvements in teaching quality, digital learning systems and student support structures. She said Unisa’s recent milestones – including the expansion of research partnerships across Africa, rising postgraduate enrolments and improved community outreach – were the result of collective effort.

Analysts have noted that the institution’s increased investment in recognition platforms such as these awards forms part of a deliberate plan to improve institutional performance, boost morale and deepen accountability. By spotlighting excellence publicly, Unisa aims to inspire higher output across departments and reinforce confidence in its academic mission.

The inaugural ceremony therefore represented more than a celebration of individual achievements. It marked a strategic shift in how Africa’s largest university intends to position itself – as an institution committed to excellence, innovation and greater global visibility