Dear colleague

In early 2020, the NWU made a commitment to vigorously pursue a Digital Business Strategy (DBS) as part of efforts to ensure continuous improvement and improve efficiencies and effectiveness. I am happy to announce that the implementation of the DBS is gaining momentum. Work on a new fit-for-purpose Student Information System (SIS) is well underway. The Student Information System project – the SIS Eagle – is planned to be concluded in 2024 when the new SIS is scheduled to be launched and implemented.

The new SIS, which is provisionally named the NWU Student, is expected to promote optimised operations, effectiveness, and efficiency, and transform the student administrative lifecycle to empower and benefit students, staff, and other stakeholders. We anticipate that the new system's ability to integrate with various systems and processes will improve our competitiveness in this ever changing and increasingly digitised world. The system will undoubtedly affect most of our operations as it involves staff/people, processes, technology, and data related to the student administrative life cycle.

A cross-functional team that includes NWU colleagues and external experts is leading us in this exciting journey. We will update you regularly regarding progress in the implementation of the project. Please note that some of you may be called upon to participate in the project prior to the launch.

The implementation of the new SIS and the DBS in general is a recommitment to the success model as envisioned in our 2015-2025 strategy. That is, to employ strategies and transformational practices and processes that will be:

• aimed at achieving a sustainable competitive advantage
• responsible and risk-embracing in design and implementation
• intelligence-informed
• credible
• optimally participative; and
• leadership-driven and collectively owned

I urge everyone to participate, cooperate, and assist the team in this very important project that will contribute towards the realisation of our dream – to be an internationally recognised university in Africa, distinguished for engaged scholarship, social responsiveness, and an ethic of care.

Thank you

Dr Bismark Tyobeka
Principal and Vice-Chancellor